Listen: Gold - JacobNeverhill

Back in March, I announced that one of the artists I longlisted for the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition was JacobNeverhill, who impressed me with his emotionally vulnerable and sophisticated sounding R&B.

At the time, the track I based my judging on wasn’t released. Thankfully Jacob has now released that track, Gold, and I wanted to share it with you. What strikes me with this song is how it combines the delicate sound of the guitar work with Jacob’s vocals to create something that feels beautifully put together. The warm bass notes that ride along beneath the surface of this record to give it a real sense of momentum, and the whole thing comes together to create the sense of being a little bit separate from the humdrum every day reality of the world... It gives you the feeling of being so wrapped up in someone that nothing else feels real any more.

Discussing his inspiration, Jacob talks of the impact of being in love with someone and the experience of just focusing on the good in people:

“I wrote this song about loving someone fighting depression, how over time I learnt every detail about them, all the “dark sides” that they don’t show the rest of the world, but through all of that I only ever saw the “Gold”. It’s a mantra that I want to walk with across all encounters with people: only seeing the Gold. So I’m releasing this song hoping that it can really connect with people dealing with similar issues.”

Mental health is something that touches most of us at one time or another, and I certainly know the experience of both seeing the gold, and hoping others do the same.

Listen: All But Lost - Andrea Hamilton

All But Lost is the new song from Andrea Hamilton, taken from her eighth record, an EP of the same name that is out now.

All But Lost twitches with a sort of positive but restless energy... Like good nerves, some might say. Hamilton’s vocals are caught up within a swirling kaleidoscope of colourful electronic melodies that sound excited and yet fearful.

Andrea has been making music since she was 16, with her work appearing on numerous TV shows, whilst she has collaborated with numerous other songwriters. She has also established herself as a musical philanthropist, performing in partnership with a number of charities and non-profits including The AIDS foundation of Pasadena and Project AK-47, an organisation dedicated to rescuing child soldiers.

Check out the song All But Lost below and look out for the EP wherever you stream your music.

Listen: OK - Maple & Beech

Maple & Beech is a musical project led by Minnesota producer Tyler Tholl. What started as a solo project has evolved into a seven-member collective that includes Tholl’s friends and family members.

Following on from their 2017 debut album, RUNDAWDAW, new single OK is the first to feature the vocals of singer Nicole Wilder. Nicole joined Maple & Beech last year, working with Tyler to create OK, a song the group describe as a “cello-heavy artpop song”.

The vocals and string heavy instrumentation on OK are moulded together by some sparse but well orchestrated electronic elements... The result is an arresting vision for modern pop - emotionally powerful and raw yet danceable.

Discussing the song’s meaning, Wilder says the song is about “the tension that’s created when you try to present too many different selves to the world, when you try to control people’s perceptions of you at the expense of knowing your authentic self.” In a world overrun with social media personalities where we all curate not just our public personas but also our own internal narratives, OK feels especially relevant.

Check out OK below. It is the opening track for Maple & Beech’s forthcoming album, which is due out summer 2019.

Listen: You - Saeyers

Saeyers is the musical project of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Marshall Lewis, who creates dreampop with electronic elements.

You sees Lewis create something that is dreampop through the lens of 80s AOR... glassy, muted guitar riffs slide by whilst a soft drum beat kicks the song along gently. It’s laidback, somewhat aloof, a glossy sense of disconnection worn somewhat defensively. Musically, You gives me the feeling of someone masking the strength of their feelings in an attempt to avoid getting hurt. Every element of this was performed by Lewis, including the wonderful guitar solo that opens up at the end.

This is the sort of music I find entrancing - it feels so carefully constructed, and yet so effortlessly human. If you have ever wondered what a chillwave take on War On Drugs covering Tears For Fears would sound like, I’m pretty sure it’s this.

Listen: Heartbreak Hollywood - Ladysse

Ladysse is the name for the new musical project from Stephanie Lauren, launched from the ashes of her previous act, Golden Youth. The focus for Ladysse is creating music that sounds like her personality - outgoing, cheerful and a little bit weird.

Heartbreak Hollywood is about a city that can ultimately swallow people up, “It’s basically a playful way to stand up for friends who have fallen into the drama and stresses that can stem from the lights of Hollywood”, says Lauren.

With an appropriately cinematic feel, Heartbreak Hollywood sounds like late night drives down Mulholland Drive and long days waiting for your moment to come as you dry up in all that west coast sun. If St. Vincent had a post-Electroclash period, this is what it would sound like. It’s a feeling Lauren addresses in her description of the intention behind the song:

“I used very playful and descriptive words in Heartbreak Hollywood. I try and paint a vivid picture of what comes to my mind. I wanted people to get a feel of the dim lit bars of perfect people enjoying fake conversations haha! It sounds so dreary but that’s the point! Behind the glamour, show and beauty of the west coast dreamland is a lot of struggle, competition and crushed dreams. I wanted people to feel the darkness in this as well as the hope that no matter what your struggle is, you’re not the only one.”