Premiere: Suydam - Pikoe

Pikoe is the electronic R&B project of Rafael Sanchez - initiated following success leading folk acts Hunting Stories and Cowpoke.

Pikoe came into existing in 2016 when Sanchez began writing songs solo material under the moniker. Following a breakup and a series of mental and physical illness, including a melanoma scare, Sanchez started recording with friend and longtime collaborator Patrick Taylor. The first EP, titled Songs To Dance Alone To, was initially released on SoundCloud as a collection of unmixed tracks. However following the overwhelmingly positive reactions to the release Sanchez created a band around the project - pulling in his brother and collaborator Jose, Berklee College of Music alum Ben Marino of drums (known for working with Blood Orange) and Michael Summer on saxophone.

Suydam is the second single to be released from Pikoe's EP, following on from the infectious lead single Fall-N-Out. The track is inspired by a break-up and is named after a street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where it happened. It is a darker, more resigned track than Fall-N-Out, Sanchez’s vocals pleading “I know, I know the future; rips back, rips back the suture”. The music is wound similarly tight, gradually applying layers of distortion, percussion and bass to create a foreboding sense of dread. When Sanchez delivers the line “I should let you know... I’ve been thinking about love” it almost sounds like a threat. The result of that most terrifying and destructive of emotions that can tear us apart as much as it brings us together.

The official version of Songs To Dance Alone To is set for release on 2 March through CEN/The Orchard. Check out Suydam below or head straight to Spotify or iTunes.

Video: Late Night - Pale Grey feat. Serengeti

Late Night is the lead single for Pale Grey’s forthcoming album Waves and it’s a dreamy kaleidoscopic track that blends underground MC Serengeti’s dynamic flow with dreamy synths and pleading indie that reminds me of the Cribs. It’s a weird but kind of wonderful combination, and a bold track to announce the album - particularly as this is the only track that features a rap.

The draw for me here is the interplay between those three things - the sung vocals, that Serengeti rap and that otherworldly melody. It’s like being stuck in a crowded room when you don’t feel like you are quite there - sometimes the layers of emotion inside mean you are elsewhere, despite all the energy and motion that surrounds you.

The video for Late Night captures the same feeling of isolation created by the track - check it out below and look out for Waves when it drops on 2 March.

Stream: Under My Wing - Young Galaxy

Electronic pop duo Young Galaxy are back with a new single in advance of their new independent album, Down Time.

Under My Wing is a breathless track of soft-focused ambience and hushed vocals. The Montreal pair created a sound where the vocals are deliberately obscured and the result is beautifully cinematic and dream-like.

Describing the track Young Galaxy said:

“It’s a song that sleeps during the day and walks the empty streets at night. It’s about the failure of capitalism, the isolation of suburbia, and the drive to discover sensuality, connection, and a spark of life in the face of despair.”

Check out Under My Wing below and look out for Down Time when it gets released on 6 April.

2018 Young Galaxy Under My Wing From the album Down Time (Out April 6th 2018) Available digitally + Pre-order Down Time on Limited Edition vinyl now: http://hyperurl.co/lzbo0f

Stream: Motions - Luxe For Fun

New year, new you: Motions is the debut release from Luxe For Fun, a two piece who here focus on channeling Sade and Kate Bush-esque pop.

Luxe For Fun are duo Zara Tobias ands Alex Tyrrel who draw on inspiration as diverse as Erykah Badu and Peter Gabriel & Brian Eno. The pair started recording whilst Zara studied for her Masters in Jazz at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and since then they have spent 12-months refining their sound and recording in London and Copenhagen.

Gently swaying, Motions is a gorgeous record that feels like someone nervously coming to terms with their emotions. Describing a relationship that is entering a breakdown, Zara’s vocals pleadingly observing “this feels like a step in the wrong direction”. Production comes Tyrrel and with some subtle drums that gradually emerge from the background, the sound of this debut release has me excited.

Luxe For Fun will be releasing a new track at the start of each month until their debut album drops in April.

Video: Forget Me - Born Ruffians

Born Ruffians have just released the second track and video from their forthcoming album Uncle, Duke & The Chief and it’s absolutely beautiful.

Forget Me came into life after Born Ruffian’s band member Luke Lalonde sat down to write a piece of music the day David Bowie passed away. Appropriately the song talks to the universal experience of death, but the life affirming impact that concept can have. The song opens with the intense line “Someday, a white light will come for you, to comfort you”, a line Lalonde explains:

“It’s about how the light is something that you should embrace and feel okay going towards it,. We’re all doing this together, we’re all on the exact same path—it’s just that some of us are ahead of others.”

The personal sense of loss that comes with people we love passing away is one of the hardest feelings we face, but it also acts as a reminder. A reminder of the love we feel for the people that touch our lives. And a reminder that our time here is finite - a precious resource to be cherished and invested with care.

Forget Me is a beautiful, stark record. A bluesy, ramshackle record that bursts with life whilst it sings its guts out about how we will all die. It’s going straight on my playlist for days when I want to get lost in my dreams of being a cowboy (yes, that’s a real thing).

Check out the lovely video that goes with this track below. Further down you will find the video for the first track from Uncle, Duke & The Chief, the equally lovely Love Too Soon.