Listen: London In June by Jarrod Jeremiah feat. Lily Agnes

London In June possesses the kind of unique, easy-going production charm that readied Frank Ocean for the stratosphere on his debut LP, Channel Orange.

Proving the point, the jaunty, jazzy piano keys that provide the consistent momentum through London In June’s duration feels like a callback to Ocean’s similarly piano-centred Super Rich Kids, albeit here deployed against a more upbeat, optimistic end. Jeremiah’s vocal wraps itself around the music, his subject, and the listener — his desire for long-distance romance contagious.

At the song’s midpoint, Lily Agnes’ vocal provides a counter-point, lyrically and stylistic… her vocal sweet-yet-syrupy, rather than saccharine. It contrasts with the percussive, punctuated flow of Jeremiah’s own performance. As he launches into the ensuing chorus, the song’s production slowly shifts, loosening as additional detail is introduced, like a dream where momentary elements distract its author, the narrative loosened and shifting. The song concludes with a suitably relaxed guitar solo, and the whole song is incredibly accomplished.

Perth/Boorloo-based Jarrod Jeremiah is 21, and he would have been just ten at the point of Channel Orange’s release. Having started on drums at a young age, Jeremiah began to sing, produce and mix his own music. Here sharing production duties with Calvin Bennett, Jeremiah takes his inspiration from the dream of a European summer, and a longing to escape and have a fresh start. Describing the song’s inspiration, Jarrod says:

’London in June is partly inspired by a couple of things, first of all, the hot girl euro summer (which) was taken at the time this song was written. And partly wanting to run away from your problems and bad relationships and start all over again in a city… In fact, I attempted it — after I wrote the track I went to London for 6 weeks and while it was amazing; I learnt that as much as we want to always run away and start afresh, it’s better to face those big problems or relationships that might be a bit complicated.’

Check out London In June below.

Listen: 5pm by Sea Glass Feat. Jared Saltiel & Yes Kid

Following on from their beautiful tropical-paradise-gone-wrong ballad, Never Right, Sea Glass and Yes Kid are back with another collaboration. Here Sea Glass, real name Jake Muskat, is also joined by Jared Saltiel. Together with Yes Kid, real name Yael Kaufman, the trio have created a less sun-kissed record, but it’s beautiful nonetheless.

Where Never Right felt like the sort of record recorded on and for beaches, 5pm is suited to the time of year that sees it released… which is to say, it is a more autumnal affair. There is a haunting aesthetic to the reverb-laced vocals laid down by Kaufman, but she is complimented by additional vocal harmonies and the kind of sturdy instrumentation that provides the song a sense of cosiness.

5pm is deliberately a slow build, the stated intention behind the song being to create ‘a deliberately paced, nearly imperceptible build toward a climactic, emotional ending’. And on that, it delivers — the song very much constructing a vibe, and then being carried, by that vibe’s steely guitars and hushed vocals, to a conclusion. The song started as Sea Glass and Saltiel first experimented with the song’s chord progression and structure as they worked as artist residents at Silver Sun Foundation in Woodstock, NY. At the same time, Muskat was interested in working with Yes Kid, and began to construct the music around her sound:

‘ I wrote the chords with Yael in mind. I had known that I wanted to work with her since I first discovered her music in 2021. I was enamored with her songwriting and the texture of her voice… Sincere, sensitive and haunting. I told Jared about the idea, and we listened to some of the tracks I wanted to model ours after. (…) The sunny, cool October day that he joined me at my artist residency in Woodstock, we set up a makeshift studio. The room and moment felt spiritual, to us both I think, and we decided to wait until 5pm to christen the space. We ended up working straight through until 5am, creating the most emotionally palpable music bed I’ve had the pleasure of making.

‘When I returned home, I sent Yael the song and within a day, she sent me most of the recording you hear on the record. The sense of longing for everything to be OK and the resolve despite knowing it may not be moved me so much. Since that day, I’ve probably listened to the song 1000 times. For me, it’s the perfect driving record, hence the cover art.’

Check out 5pm below.

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.