Plenty of new music to bring to you this week. It’s a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK so this of course means the sun has packed its bags and hidden behind some angry looking clouds and called its friend Mr Gale Force Winds to come out and play. Perfect weather then to listen to some rather excellent tunes…….
Starting this week’s Adventures in London and the debut track from Swimming Tapes ‘Souvenirs’. This is a slice of sublime indie-pop, with a sun-kissed feel to its delicate harmonies and shimmering guitars – https://soundcloud.com/swimmingtapes/souvenirs. Let’s Eat Grandma are a duo from Norwich. Rosa & Jenny are only 16 & 17, but as their first release ‘Deep Six Textbook’ and now ‘Sink’ shows, they are more than capable of producing experimental pop songs that meld genres into thrilling aural soundscapes. ‘Sink’ has low-slung, crisp beats and a repeated mantra of “I just didn’t know what to say” that combine into a stealth earworm, lodging itself in your head before the track has finished – https://soundcloud.com/transgressive-records/lets-eat-grandma-sink-1. Back to London and three-piece Dream Wife. Formed in Brighton by Alice, Bella and Icelandic singer Rakel, the trio create sparkly dream-pop with a razor sharp edge. ‘Kids’ ticks the indie-pop boxes with its bright, jangly guitars and vocal harmonies but the lyrics add a caustic note, tempering the sweetness and making you sit up and take notice – https://soundcloud.com/cannibalhymns/dream-wife-kids-2. Wrexham’s alternative trip-hoppers I Am Of The Universe have been soaking up the trip-hop vibes in Bristol. ‘The Strange’ ( this version recorded live at The Louisiana in Bristol ) has a sci-fi meets trip-hop on the Planet of Dub feel to it, electronic bleeps pulsing out of the ether as singer Emma Howe’s vocals beckon you closer – https://soundcloud.com/iaotu/the-strange-live-at-the-louisiana. Next up is the new track from one of this blog’s favourites Wolfie. ‘Outta Earth prod by ADP’ is a sleek and sensuous electro/r&b track, Wolfie’s silken vocals sliding over the glitchy beats and crisp production straight into your brain where it flips the switch marked ‘Press Repeat’. Gorgeous stuff – https://soundcloud.com/itswolfiemusic/outta-earth-prod-adp. Staying in London we have the latest from Rukhsana Merrise, ‘Money’. This is a pop song with a stiletto for lyrics, skewering its targets with unerring accuracy, all to a toe-tappingly bright mix of drums, sitars and guitars – https://soundcloud.com/rukhsanamerrise/money. Originally from Camarthenshire in Wales but now based in LA, Cate Le Bon has a new track ‘Wonderful’ out. It’s alt-pop with Cate’s own delicious twist, barbed lyrics set against spiky guitars and muted bursts of brass, all delivered in her inimitable style – https://soundcloud.com/catelebon/wonderful.
Stateside next and first up is the new one from Tokyo Police Club, ‘PCH’. This is a bright and perky alt-rock number, in the vein of bands such as They Might Be Giants. If you want to kickstart an indie dancefloor then this will do the trick – https://soundcloud.com/tokyopoliceclub/tpc-pch. LA is home to RYDER and her new track, ‘Fade Away’, is an immense, indie-electro monster of a tune. The vocals will lay waste to your speakers and the bass will flatten your house. All in a good way! – https://soundcloud.com/thisisryder/fade-away-1. This next track, from Minneapolis based Roslyn Moore, has been out for a few months but is too good to leave out. ‘Sunshine’ is a big slice of alt-pop goodness, lyrically clever and not afraid to wear its melancholy heart on its sleeve – https://soundcloud.com/roslyn-moore/sunshine. Taken from her debut mixtape, ‘Hey Love’ is new from Moxie Raia. It’s a seductive number, with her powerful voice to the fore over laidback beats that still have a swagger to them – https://soundcloud.com/yomoxie/hey-love. Also back with a bang is Kiiara. ‘Hang up tha phone’ has the trademark glitchy beats but this track has a delicate fragility to it, the breathy vocals giving it softness and warmth – https://soundcloud.com/kiiaraonline/kiiara-hang-up-tha-phone. Final track from the US comes from Marissa Nadler. Taken from her forthcoming album “Strangers” due out May 20th, ‘All The Colors of The Dark’ is a hauntingly evocative song, that weaves beautiful patterns in your head and has a vocal that bewitches you from the off – https://soundcloud.com/marissanadler/all-the-colors-of-the-dark.
Staying over that side of the pond but moving north of the border to Canada, we first have Vancouver’s finest White Lung. ‘Hungry’ is a melodic, driving slice of indie-rock, the drums urging the track along, the guitars suitably scuzzy and the vocals playing with the melody – https://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco/white-lung-hungry. Edmonton is home to brother & sister electronic duo Tennyson. Siblings Luke & Tess Pretty’s latest is ‘All Yours’, a clever, quirky piece of electronica that is both beguiling, its warm synths washing over you and will also make you smile with its use of samples ( pretty sure that’s a sneeze towards the end of the track ) – https://soundcloud.com/tennysonmusic/all-yours. Finally to Quebec and another electronic duo, Ghostly Kisses. ‘Roses’ is a dreamy, ethereal synth-pop tune, that serenely moves downstream, leaving a sense of peacefulness and calm in its wake. Simply beautiful – https://soundcloud.com/ghostly-kisses/roses.
Now for a tour round Europe, beginning in Poland. Recording as Brodka, Monika Brodka initially found musical success by winning Polish Pop Idol in 2004. ‘Horses’ still has its roots in pop but also embraces elements of alt-rock and electro. The overall result is a hypnotic, off-kilter alt-pop tune with a crystal clear vocal that is truly mesmeric – https://soundcloud.com/brodkamusic/horses. Next destination is Iceland and electronic trio Vok. ‘Waiting’ is a sparkling, gently undulating electro-pop number, that whirls elegantly around your head – https://soundcloud.com/vokmusic/waiting. Russian hip-hop next. Moscow based Emma Starkova certainly sounds the part, spitting out the lyrics over woozy, laidback beats and a simple piano line. My lack of Russian means I can’t even give you the title of the track ( any helpers out there? ) but as I say I like the sound of it – https://soundcloud.com/emma-starkova/ubc-1. Oslo is home to ANNA OF THE NORTH, whose latest track is ‘Baby’. A pulsating, gently rhythmic electro-pop tune, this has a glacial crispness to it, delicate and glinting – https://soundcloud.com/annaofthenorth/baby. With members from Norway and Greece, Broen‘s new song is entitled ‘No, My God’. It’s a delightfully kooky indie-pop tune that resolutely refuses to be anything other than uniquely charming. Any song that contains lines about party’s with T-Rexes and their tiny arms has to be listened to! – https://soundcloud.com/broenmusic/no-my-god-0. Originally from Copenhagen but now based in London is Iris Gold. ‘Freakaholic prod by MNEK’ is a hip-hop infused, electro-pop tune that’ll bounce out of your speakers and refuse to leave till the party is over – https://soundcloud.com/irisgoldmusic/freakaholicproduced-by-mnek. Final song in this week’s Adventures comes from Danish/Australian duo Palace Winter. ‘Soft Machine’ is a sumptous, beautifully sung alt-rock number, that you can float idyllically away to, borne along by its soothing harmonies – https://soundcloud.com/palace-winter/palace-winter-soft-machine.
That’s all for this week apart from giving you a heads-up about the new release from Heavy Heart. ‘Yellowbird’ is out tomorrow on the 28th so can’t link to it at present. Suffice to say it is stunning and will definitely be featured in next weeks round-up of the best in new music. Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s selection!
Playlist – https://soundcloud.com/tobyone-4/sets/adventures-in-music-2016-8
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