Stream: Love Me Like I'm Gone - Jaws of Love

Local Natives songwriter, vocalist and pianist Kelcey Ayer is back with the second single from his solo project Jaws of Love and it’s just as exciting as as his last release.

The debut track Jaws of Love, sharing the name with the solo project itself, was a dream-like piece of melancholy. In contrast Love Me Like I’m Gone is a folky ballad with a lot of heart. The piano still forms a central component of this song but the steely guitar gives it a American space race feel the serves to emphasise the song's emotional vulnerability.

The debut Jaws of Love album Tasha Sits Close To The Piano will be out digitally on 22 September via K-Rizzla/House Arrest. A gatefold coloured vinyl release will follow in the UK on 3 November.

Stream: Should I Try - Malena Zavala

Malena Zavala is an Argentina born, London based musician and film maker. Her diverse influences span guitar player Blake Mills and Venezuelan American singer / songwriter and visual artist Devendra Banhart together with the likes of Tame Impala and Beach House.

Describing the track, Zavala says:

“Should I Try is a song about fearing the future, and the anxiety that comes with potentially setting yourself up for failure, but then realising that you need to relax. It's not that bad, things will work out”

This is a restrained take on indie soul with a Latin influence that manages to feel both dreamy and grounded.

Stream: Sunshine Type - Turnover

Sunshine Type is the latest single to come from Turnover’s forthcoming third album Good Nature, due for release on 25 August through Run For Cover.

This track is a gloriously laid back hazy summer jam. Whilst Turnover actually hail from Virginia Beach, VA this sounds a lot like Teenage Fanclub woke up in Southern California and just couldn’t resist picking up their instruments.

Talking to The Fader, frontman Austin Getz described the track as:

"a reflection on the illusion of control on any aspect of your life and how it stifles the possibility of what could be. My most successful relationships, best experiences and fortunes, have all been the result of things i didn't plan on, or even was upset about happening at one point. Things I have chased or tried to mould to my own, similarly have fallen short, been a source of distress, or caused me to miss other things that I may have benefited from or enjoyed. I think the idea of any human thinking they know even a tiny bit of the infinite amount of real truth out there is false. Accepting what the natural world puts in front of you and doing your best with it and attempting to see the good side, or all sides, regardless of how it may seem will always provide a lesson and growth, even if it is far removed from the event."

Check out Sunshine Type below:

Stream: Andromeda - Kelsey Bulkin

Having previously released music as one half of LA duo Made In Heights, Kelsey Bulkin has recently unveiled her debut solo single Andromeda.

Since releasing her last album as part of Made In Heights in 2015 Bulkin has had a baby and begun to focus on her solo material. Andromeda is completely self-produced and shimmers with minimal R&B production - soft synths, shimmering guitar and stark percussion come together to make it a sensual electronic ballad.

Stream: Jaws of Love - Jaws of Love

Jaws of Love is the debut release from the Local Natives songwriter, vocalist and pianist Kelcey Ayer's solo project of the same name and it comes from his forthcoming album Tasha Sits Close To The Piano.

The track is a haunting piano-led piece that builds on the work he demonstrated as part of the acclaimed LA five-piece.

Describing the emotional focus for the Jaws of Love project Ayer says:

"I used to think that to write about love, something had to be wrong. I often got my material from pain, or insecurity, or problems - I thought I couldn’t write a good love song because I am in love and it’s going so well. But I’ve grown to realise that even in the most amazing relationships there are turbulent times and misunderstandings that are unavoidable. And that doesn’t mean that anything is doomed, but love is such a complicated thing. The idea of ‘jaws of love’ felt so perfect for this project because it’s all about love’s trials and tribulations."

In tandem with the emotional angle for this solo project the other centre of gravity comes from the piano itself. The title came from Ajey's wife and it describes the couple's dog Tasha. At times the piano sits high in the mix on its own, as here on Jaws of Love, and elsewhere it appears alongside more complex elements - the consistent element is that the piano always plays a major part.

Kelcey Ayer will play his debut solo headline show on 21st September at The Masonic Lodge, Hollywood Forever Cemetery in L.A. He plans to take his compelling live set to the UK and Europe in Autumn. Tasha Sits Close To The Piano is due out digitally via House Arrest on 22nd September.