Stream: Final Form - Benin City

Joshua Idehen has been making waves on these pages since the release of the debut album of his group Benin City back in 2013. Since then he has regularly blown me away, whether it is on guest spots or with his second band Hugh.

We are now back where we began, as for the past few months Josh has been focused once more on Benin City with band mates Shanaz Dorsett and Tom Leaper.

Final Form is the latest track to come from the forthcoming album Last Night, which was developed in tribute to London’s nightlife. Benin City’s last album felt uniquely of London, and so it makes sense their next would too.

This new track continues Benin City’s move in a more electronic direction - a thick, chunky slice of indie house. Last Night isn’t just inspired by London’s night life - it is the band’s attempt to process the change and decay that is being inflicted on the city’s nightclub scene. Final Form takes one of the moments that could only have come out of that scene an encapsulates it in an aural tale of emotions, chemistry and dancing. Describing the origins of the track Idehen says:

”I once went to Zoo Bar in the west end with a poet I really fancied. It was a Saturday night and neither of us drank but we felt like dancing. They were playing soulful house (this was way back in the noughties). Spurring and daring each other on, we started with the running man and ended up at last orders, dripping in the worst sweat, making new dance moves up, downing large glasses of tap water. She, a Dragonball Z fan, kept saying, “nah, you haven’t seen my Final Form. Next song I will be over 9000”. Obviously, that stuck with me.”

The band recently sold out London’s The Waiting Room but you can still catch-up them on tour at any of the following dates: 15th March: USA, Austin, Texas: SXSW, Esther's Follies
17th March: USA, Austin, Texas: SXSW, BBC Radio 1 stage at The British Music Embassy - 1.40pm
31st March: UK, London: Lock Tavern
8th June: UK, London: Poetry and Lyrics Festival with Cerys Matthews
9th August: UK, Winchester: Boomtown Festival

Last Night will be released through Moshi Moshi later this year. Check out Final Form below.

Video: The Shadow - Millie Turner

A song about introspection and giving a voice to your internal thoughts, The Shadow started as a drawing before morphing into this - an 80s influenced pop record with a big synth hook… A little like I Feel Love played by a female-fronted Duran Duran.

Having sat down to draw with no particular inspiration, Turner began to create a narrative as the pencil marked the paper:

“It’s a story of a girl who decides to go on this journey by herself and starts walking. There’s an image of her walking with her shadow, reflecting on the internal empowerment and acceptance of her inner-creativity.”

Only her third song, The Shadow betrays a level of confidence many struggle to achieve with considerable larger catalogues.

Stream: Could You Stay - Malena Zavala

Following on from two singles last year (previous blog favourite Should I Try and If It Goes), Argentine-born, London-raised musician Malena Zavala has just announced her forthcoming debut album Aliso. To tease the album ahead of its 13 April release Zavala has put out Could You Stay.

Zavala initially formed a band with her older brother and they played together for five years before he ultimately left to pursue a life in California. As a strong influence on Malena, his departure proved difficult for her and yet ultimately provided the push she needed to branch out and make her own music. Based in a house in Aliso Viejo, California, Zavala managed to write her debut album in two weeks before going on to record, produce and mix it all together with Gareth Jones in the space of six months.

With inspiration drawn from Beach House and Tame Impala there is a floating-on-a-dream feeling to Could You Stay. It’s a little bit Latin, a little bit stoned soul. On the basis of this song I can’t wait to hear the album.

Follow Malena Zavala Spotify / Apple: http://hyperurl.co/MZcouldyoustay Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MalenaZavalaband/ Instgram: https://www.instagram.com/malenazavala/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mmalenazavala Could You Stay Written and produced by Malena Zavala Mix by Gareth Jones Mastered by Alex Wharton Artwork by Malena Zavala www.yucatanrecords.com/malena-zavala

Stream: Notice Me - Mija

Notice Me is the new track from LA producer Mija, and comes ahead of her debut EP How To Measure The Distance Between Lovers, set for release on 9 February.

Having worked her way into the industry by working with Skrillex and DJing at TomorrowWorld, Mija has been labelled as an EDM producer. She claims inspiration from Björk along with Nicolas Jaar, Imogen Heap and Chopin (always Chopin). Those more varied sounds make their presence felt here on Notice Me, a track that features her vocals for the first time.

Notice Me is a gentle, lilting ballad featuring a complex layered feel as Mija’s vocals carefully pick their way through the song to convey her feelings.

Check out Notice Me below and look out for How To Measure The Distance Between Lovers on 9 February.

lyrics: well i’m sitting in the dark again, refreshing. following that girl was the dumbest shit i ever did. I want you so bad in this weather. If only we could be together. "Notice Me" out everywhere on Feb 2nd. How To Measure The Distance Between Lovers EP out Feb 9th [via self-release]. Twitter: twitter.com/hi_mija instagram: www.instagram.com/hi_mija on tour: hi-mija.com lyrics, vocals, production by amber giles the track was mixed & mastered by shawn naderi

Video: Believe Me - Lilla Vargen

This one gives me goosebumps. Maybe don’t focus on these words and instead just let the music do the talking.

Believe Me is the latest single from Northern Irish musician Lilla Vargen, and it follows her debut EP Hold On, which features a cover of Majical Cloudz’s staggeringly beautiful Downtown (seriously, that track is like falling in love).

This new track features a beautiful vocal performance and delivery I can’t resist. It’s an honest portrayal of discovering mutual love in someone, and the attempts to convey and convince that person of how you feel and that you will be there for them. Describing the track Lilla says:

“It was inspired by a friendship that was quite complicated. I let that person down before and I was determined not to do it again. The only way I could explain myself, to let them know I was ready to let my guard down, was to put my words down on paper, and post the letter.”

Enough words from me. Just listen, then go and check out Lilla’s cover version of Downtown. You can see Lilla live on the following dates (more to be announced):

• Feb 01: Kings Head Members Club, London (Mahogany Horizons)
• Feb 08: Output, Belfast
• Feb 09: Wehre’s The Music, Sweden

Get a copy on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/believe-me-single/1338697212 Or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/74s3AuuP7TDlyyE6W0B3ER?si=Brxj5AOWSC-_fRs4PXEbwg Follow Lilla Vargen...