Listen: Roadblocks by Little Lies

Image credit: Martin Landl

Little Lies’ new single, Roadblocks, opens with a Euro-disco style pulsating synth and bassline, but is quickly met with a steely Americana-inspired guitar riff. Layered with the opening line, “I had a dream, driving in a Cadillac,” this is a song with a gloriously mixed identity.

The bridge into the song’s chorus is pure-ABBA, yet it manifests here with a dreamy, Californian aesthetic. The result is the kind of beautiful, determined adult rock of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk-era, with a dash of dance-floor mystique. The chorus itself is pure Stevie Nicks, but it’s the version that might have wheeled into the studio at the end of a night, rather than focused and purposeful, during the daytime.

New single Roadblocks is the latest release from Swedish duo Little Lies, following on from their recent debut EP, Us Against The World. Both come ahead of a full concept album, set to be released before the end of the year. Describing the track, the artists say:

“Roadblocks is about breaking free, going for the life you want and crushing whatever is standing in the way. Musically, it’s a fusion of spaced-out rock, inspired by giants like Bowie and Fleetwood Mac, mixed with the pulsating disco grooves of pioneers like Giorgio Moroder & Chic. This, together with a spooky Twin Peaks vibe, makes Roadblocks a track for the dance floor as well as a night drive through the city.”

Little Lies, a self-described passion project, comprises musicians and friends Mikael Nordgren and Anna Maria Espinosa. Both have established successful careers separately, Espinosa as a singer, and collaborator with the likes of Neneh Cherry, Billy Paul, and Dexy’s Midnight Runners frontman, Kevin Rowland. Nordgren is himself the established DJ, producer and remix artist, Tiger Stripes. Together, the pair refuse to be defined by specific genre constraints, and instead pursue a range of emotions and soundscapes.

The combination of Fleetwood Mac, Moroder, Chic and David Lynch ticks plenty of boxes for me, and I can’t wait to hear that debut.

Listen: Narrow Band Of Happiness by Bulgarian Cartrader

Following up on his excellent alt-pop record Guestlist, released last month, Bulgarian Cartrader is back with new single Narrow Band Of Happiness.

Bulgarian Cartrader, or BCT for short, is the musical project of Danial Stoyanov, and where Guestlist was a wilfully unique take on indie R&B, Narrow Band Of Happiness is something else entirely. If the former has hints of Jai Paul, then BCT’s new single is his take on Jack Antonoff — walls of guitar employed to create something unapologetically pop. This is the first song that Stoyanov is looking to push to a broader audience, and that is reflected in the sound at play.

And yet, whilst Narrow Band Of Happiness is clearly a step change in the sound, Stoyanov is still demonstrating his technical ability and his creativity. As the song moves towards the chorus, it gradually builds, adding additional vocal harmonies. The chorus itself is a marvellously energetic cacophony of melodies that invokes Low and Lust For Life era Bowie. The bridge in the song’s final third is basically perfect — a ridiculous guitar solo being granted bags of space, yet still refusing to acquiesce, even as Stoyanov delivers the song’s final lyrics. Bravo, BCT.

Listen: Hey Mel by Rye Milligan

Rye Milligan is a songwriter and producer, currently working in London as an independent artist. Milligan had previously garnered attention from Spotify and BBC Radio One as the guitarist and co-songwriter in band Luna Bay, but this new project sees him take centre stage.

Hailing from Cardigan Bay, Wales, Milligan’s sound has the kind of earthy-yet-dreamy-eyed sound that feels wrapped up in the experience of moving from a small place to the big city. Together with fellow Cardigan Bay musician, friend and drummer Ceri Bain, Rye Milligan is making a uniquely British kind of music – little touches of echo and reverb shadowing the likes of Bloc Party, The xx, and Blood Orange.

Following on from debut EP _i_, Hey Mel is the first track to be released from follow-up EP _ii_, and the song is intended to be ‘a love letter of reassurance’:

“There’s someone very close to me who often doesn’t feel like they are enough. This song is basically me saying, of course you are and this is why. It’s a lot easier for me to talk openly about my feelings through songwriting, that seems to be the best way to tap into my head. I appreciate that can be both daunting and sometimes, I hope, rewarding for the people who know me best.”

It’s a heartwarming piece of music, the humanity on display in Milligan’s performance, and, in particular, his vocal, is inspiring. There is a spoken verse in the song’s second half that gives me goosebumps, “I could write a book about you, on everything that makes me laugh (…) It’s you who makes this concrete jungle safe, as we navigate the cracks, and you who makes my stomach summersault more than backstage when I hear them clap.” The lyricism on display is beautiful precisely because it feels so earnest and honest.

Watch: Space Jumps by Memory Of Jane

Memory Of Jane is the work of British/French producer and multi-instrumentalist, Mailë Doremus-Cook. Following the release of an EP, In The Double, earlier this year, Memory Of Jane has been likened to The xx and James Blake, though I think Metronomy is another apt comparison.

On Space Jumps, Doremus-Cook is exploring his sense of alienation, of growing up in rural France before moving to London in his late teens, not quite feeling at home in either place.

The song features production from Oli Bryson, and it finds space for Doremus-Cook’s muted and deadpan vocal delivery, even among sharp drums and layers of bass and guitar. The song has a warm, yet maudlin feel to it, and it feels appropriate for the onset of autumn. Check it out below:

Listen: Turn Up The Colour by EtaCas

The debut single from Oxford, UK, based duo EtaCas, Turn Up The Colour starts with a restrained synth-pop verse. Gentle synths introduce Jefferson Duke’s echo-treated vocals, as a steady drum beat and gleaming guitars underline the melody.

It isin the song’s chorus that the dream-like qualities really come to life, though, EtaCas seemingly obeying the instructions in their latest song’s title. With composition and synths handled by Rob Reng, he launches into the chorus with a beautiful synth melodies, as Duke’s vocal really begins to soar.

The way the Oxford-based duo channel a gleaming vision of electronic pop reminds me very much of the way Cut Copy took so much inspiration from Fleetwood Mac on their similarly neon-tinged, excellent sophomore album In Ghost Colours. There is a futurist-like optimism here, on Turn Up The Colour, with a dash of rave-y desire to connect and love. Describing the song, the duo say:

“Turn up the Colour is a song for all the hopeless romantics who feel the full euphoria of meeting someone new. At a music festival, these two people find each other, journey through the colour, trip the light fantastic and fly higher than the stars.”