LA-based duo Rooms are back with their second track, the follow-up to Bittersweet Company. Cry Baby is a breathless piece of gently bubbling electro-pop, gently shifting bass melting into the vocals.
There is a stark intimacy on this track - haunting questions that follow a love turned sour... The release coming with the starkly penned missive: " I know you cheated on me at the Loews in Santa Monica. "
Check out Cry Baby below.
Having made waves with her sophomore single Ruins, NY-born LA-based artist Ryder is back with her first new single of 2017 in the form of Nirvana.
Opening with Ryder's delicate vocals atop of a slow building synth melody, Nirvana quickly builds to a crescendo, the bass kicking in after a minute, but it is Ryder's urgent-sounding vocals that really set this the track apart.
Describing the track, Ryder says:
"The release is exciting for me because it feels like a door opening to more new things you will hear from me. I've grown a lot in the last year as an artist and creator; I can't wait to share that. I grew up around classical music and used to perform in choirs as a young kid, where I'd sing classical choral arrangements and folk music as well as a brief stint in opera. The hauntingly beautiful melodies and harmonic layers from those genres are inspiring motifs I try to constantly incorporate in my music wherever I can. ‘Nirvana’ to me is a blend of classical melodic moments with contemporary pop music.”
Nirvana was produced by Max Ferrari and Phil Shaouy and co-written by Trey Campbell and Ryder is now working with one of my favourite products, David Sitek, amongst others. Exciting stuff.
Back with their first new track in 2017, Copenhagen trio Chinah are back with Even Love.
In comparison to the 90s R&B sounds demonstrated on their previous releases Even Love sees Chinah take a different direction. With a late 80s feel. More pop now than ever, Chinah continue to exude a certain something - effortless, restrained Scandi cool. You need this.
Glastonbury Festival have just announced the Emerging Talent Competition for 2017, supported by PRS for Music and PRS Foundation. The competition aims to give up and coming artists the opportunity to play on one of the main stages at the festival.
In addition to a slot at the festival the competition winners will receive a £5,000 Talent Development Prize from PRS Foundation whilst two runners-up will each receive a £2,500 prize.
The competition is open to musicians of any genre - entries must be submitted between 9am on Monday 30 January and 5pm on Monday 6th February via the festival website. Entrants must include a link to one original song on Soundcloud plus a link to a video of a live performance (even if it is just a bedroom recording).
Long time readers will be aware that I've played a role judging the competition before and I will be returning as one of the blogger judges for my sixth time. Once all the entrants have been received these will be whittled down to a list of 120 by myself and 39 other bloggers. This list of 120 acts will distilled to a list of 8 finalists by judges including Emily and Michael Eavis. The live final will be held in April to decide the winner and it is worth noting that for the past three years all eight finalists have been offered slots playing at the festival!
If you have always dreamed of playing the festival then now is your chance... I can't wait to hear some of this year's entrants!
I can’t help but love the chaotic rhythms of Moving As One, the latest release from UK group LOYAL.
Following up on their debut release Blue & The Green and House For You it has been almost a year since we heard anything new from the group - Moving As One doesn’t disappoint. From the cyclical opening that lurches into an afro-beat yelp through to the ghostly chants that soar in the bridge, this is the sound of a band with huge potential. Funky rhythms and brass stabs give Moving As One a complex yet primal edge that I just can’t resist.
Describing the track, the group reference that primal sound:
Blue and The Green was questioning whether to fight for what has been, or flee. House For You expresses the consummation, knowing there's still a beauty worth fighting for and Moving As One is about the fighting/the loving/the fucking, being in the moment, letting instincts dictate actions and allowing the emotions that ordinarily make you nostalgic or hopeful turn to something instantaneous, explosive and fearless whether the fight is for a love, hope, or a new world it's about the actions not the thoughts that surround them.
I’m just hoping we don’t have to wait another year to hear more.