Tag: mp3s

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Kidsmoke · The Bluest You (Radio Edit)

Rapidly rising, Wrexham, Wales, UK-based indie act Kidsmoke — Lance Williams (vocals, guitar), James Stickels (bass, vocals), Sophie Ballamy (guitar, vocals) and Ash Turner (drums) — had a massive year last year that included playing at SXSW, among a series of other highlights. Continuing on the momentum of last year, the band recently signed to Libertino Records, who released the band’s latest single “The Bluest You.”

Centered around swirling layers of shimmering guitars, a propulsive rhythm section, a rousingly arena friendly hook and Williams’ plaintive falsetto, “The Bluest You” finds the band bridging elements of dream pop, shoegaze and Brit pop with ambitious songwriting and a self-assured delivery. But just under the gorgeously shimmering surface, the song is a somber meditation on how mental health issues can affect loved ones rooted in empathetic and novelistic observations. Originally inspired by Low and Heroes-era David Bowie, the track was intended to be an instrumental but after intense rehearsals and the addition of some Matt Berninger-influenced lyrics, the song eventually morphed into its current shape.

“This song is a live favourite of ours. It is a fly on the wall look into a household where one person’s depression is affecting everyone else who lives there,” the members of the Welsh band explain. “The song doesn’t address the feelings of the person suffering with depression, it is a sort of commentary from the viewpoint of the rest of the family.”

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Montreal’s KROY Releases a Slick and Darkly Seductive New Single

Camille Poliquin is a Montreal-based singer/songwriter, electronic music artist and producer who’s the creative mastermind behind the rising indie electro pop recording project KROY. Over the past couple of years, Poliquin has released material written and sung in both English and French, including her Max-Antoine Poulin-Gendron co-produced single “Chevy 85.”

Poliquin’s first KROY single of this year, “OPINEL” continues her ongoing collaboration with Poulin-Gendron, who returns to co-produce the new single. Centered around a lush, and hyper modern production consisting of twinkling keys, shimmering synth arpeggios, rumbling low end, stuttering beats, Poliquin’s plaintive vocals and an enormous bass drop, the track reveals intense contradictions rooted in heartache and bitterness with the song describing the push and pull of a dysfunctional and confusion relationship.

The track derives its name from a brand of pocket knives that Poliquin is fond of, Opinel, which can be used “for a lovely picnic in the park with Manchego and two-year-old Louis d’Or cheeses or as a murderous weapon of self-defence,” Poliquin says. “It’s a choice accessory for a Gemini, if you ask me.”

“This song came to me in a very strange moment, while I was in the process of recovering from depression,” Poliquin adds. “I was an emotional wreck, and I felt like I didn’t have control over anything. It was also the first time I felt like I was writing something from a place of pain. It’s my favourite sensation.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Surreal and Psychedelic Animated Visuals for Joe Wong’s “Dreams Wash Away”

Joe Wong is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, who has created the scores for acclaimed TV series like Master of None, Russian Doll, Ugly Delicious, Awkafina is Nora from Queens, and others — and for being host of The Trap Set podcast. Interestingly, Wong will be releasing his full-length debut Nite Creatures this year and the album’s first single is the Man Who Sold The World-era David Bowie-like “Dreams Wash Away.” Featuring an arrangement of shimmering, reverb-drenched guitars, soaring strings, thunderous drumming, a sinuous bass line, twinkling keys, Wong’s mellifluous baritone and an enormous hook, “Dreams Wash Away” is an ambitious and cinematic song centered around a hazily lysergic escapism and longing. 

The song is featured in the emotional season finale of Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward’s and comedian Duncan Trussel’s Netflix original series, The Midnight Gospel, during the episode’s most emotional and important scene: a heartbreaking and intimate conversation between Trussell and his mother Deneen Fendig, who was dying from metastatic breast cancer at the time of the recording. Trussell describes “Dreams Wash Away” as an atomic blast of mystical sonic light!” And in many ways, the song encapsulates the episodes overarching themes of ego death and coming to terms with mortality — of both yours and that of your loved ones. 

The themes of the episode managed resonate very deeply with Wong, whose father died as The Midnight Gospel began production. “This project came into my life at precisely the right time. A few days after our first meeting, Duncan called me to discuss music as I was unexpectedly driving to the airport to say goodbye to my dad. Later, I came to learn that our experiences and philosophies around death mirrored one another. Working with this extraordinary team and writing ‘Dreams Wash Away’ helped me work through the loss.” 

Directed by Titmouse, Inc. and edited by Megan Love, the recently released animated video for “Dreams Wash Away” is centered around themes of ego death, mortality, reincarnation, family and love within alien worlds that closely resemble ours. It’s surreal yet gorgeous and heartbreaking simultaneously. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Zoë Moss is an up-and-coming New York-based singer/songwriter and pop artist. Six weeks after she moved to New York, Moss got hit by a cab — and in many ways that was when her creative life truly began. The following years were a blur: partially as a result of the concussion she suffered when she got hit by that cab, and as a result of her involvement in New York’s music and art scenes.

Moss entered into a highly experimental period in which she found her sound and aesthetic transforming as she began meshing the production styles of hip-hop and pop with indie rock melodicism, eventually landing upon a sound that’s a seamless synthesis of grunge rock and electro pop. “New York City – more than anything – inspires the way I make music,” Moss says in press notes. “I love embracing the grittier sides of the city in my music. I feel like it parallels my personality. There’s a side to New York that is social and dynamic. But then there is an underbelly that will devour you if you’re not careful.”

Back in 2014, Moss attended the Clive Davis Institute and while there, she landed her first label placement, writing the folk pop tune “Sinner” for Andy Grammer. The following year, she was hospitalized for an Adderall overdose and was committed to a mental ward for several hours, swearing she didn’t do “it” — whatever “it” was. Since then, the New York-based singer/songwriter and pop artist has co-written, co-produced or lent her vocals for tracks for Grace VanderWaal, Brooks,Mothica, Jordyn Jones, Fly By Midnight and has participated in sessions with Larzz Principato, Ido Zmishlany,Andy Seltzer, Scott Harris, SoFly and Nius, Mike Campbell, The XI/The Eleven and Daytrip.

Moss is stepping out into the limelight as a solo artist  with the release of debut EP Stories through her own label She’s No Good. Thematically, the EP’s even songs give the listener an intimate look into the life of a 20 something musician and free-spirit. The soon-to-be released EP’s first single, “Operator” swaggering and self-assured track centered around a slick, club friendly production consisting of thumping beats, synth arpeggios, twinkling keys and an enormous hook.  But what makes the single interesting to me is how the song finds Moss boldly and unapologetically announcing — and asserting — her presence. Moss is here and she’s gearing up to kick ass and take names.

“The Operator is a song about confidence,” Moss explains. “Before writing Stories I was writing music for other artists in New York and Los Angeles. Very happily I may add. I’ve been fortunate enough to write across many genres with many different perspectives. But for the longest time, I was unconsciously searching for an artist to create this particular sound. It dawned on me finally, that I can be that artist. So I decided to find the confidence to be that artist myself.”

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Ninety’s Story · APO (Unplugged)

Tracing their origins back to when its members — Guillaume Adamo and Florian Deyz — met in grade school, the Nice, France-based indie pop duo Ninety’s Story have developed a warm, sophisticated and sensual music inspired by the French Riviera and the likes of Phoenix, Daft Punk and Air. The duo released their debut single “KIKUKYU” and their debut EP through Kitsuné Musique in 2017. The band has opened for Archive, Morcheeba, Pale Waves and Puggy among others.
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Building upon a growing profile, the duo wrote the music for the new Citroën C4 Aircross TV commercial in China and represented the company at the Paris and Hangzhou Motor Shows. Interestingly, the duo’s latest single is an acoustic rendition of “APO.” Centered around twinkling keys, strummed guitars, an enormous hook and gorgeous melodies and harmonies, the track is a breezy and crafted bit of pop that’s anthemic and radio friendly.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

BonFire Records · Wolf & Moon – A Tape Called Life

With last year’s full-length debut Before It Gets Dark, which was released through German label AdP Records in Europe and BonFire Records in North America,  the Berlin-based pop duo Wolf & Moon received attention across Germany and elsewhere for a sound that they described on their Facebook fan page as “somewhere between the folky sound of Angus and Julia Stone and the electronic influences of The xx . . ..” Adding to a big year, they played sets at SXSW and Reeperbahn Festival, where they received a Best Newcomer Award nomination at the festival’s VIA Indie Awards. Adding to a growing profile, they received airplay on Dutch radio stations 3FM-FX, ZuidWestFM, BredaNu, A-FM and Indie XL, Chicago’s WGN, and German radio stations Sputnik, DETEKTOR FM and SWR3 — and they’ve been featured in  The Guardian.

The duo — Dennis and Stef — have also developed and maintained a reputation for relentless touring with a minimal live set up — generally,  a travel guitar, electronic drum machine, a mini Casio keyboard and their voices. Late last year, the Berlin-based duo were approached for an export grant from the Dutch Music Exchange, which helped the duo record and produce their highly-anticipated sophomore album slated for release in September.

“A Tape Called Life,” the second single off the duo’s sophomore album is a carefully crafted bit of dream pop featuring shimmering guitars, rapid fire beats, the duo’s hushed boy-girl harmonies and an infectious hook, continuing a run of material that will likely draw comparisons to JOVM mainstays Geowulf and Moonbabies. Interestingly, the track is deceptively breezy; thematically, the track explores the difficulties of aging and growing older. The duo asks the listener to look back upon their youth with rose colored glasses — but while acknowledging that in doing so, that the present may not seem as beautiful or perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Single Review by William Ruben Helms

CARRÉ · Urgency

 

Carré is a Los Angeles-based indie electro rock act featuring:

  • Julien Boyé (drums, percussion, vocals): Boyé has had stints as a touring member of Nouvelle Vague and James Supercave. Additionally, he has a solo recording act Acoustic Resistance, in which he employs rare instruments, which he has collected from all over the world.
  • Jules de Gasperis (drums, vocals, synths, production and mixing): de Gasperis is a Paris-born, Los Angeles-based studio owner. Growing up in Paris, he sharpened his knowledge of synthesizers, looping machines and other electronics around the same time that Justice, Soulwax and Ed Banger Records exploded into the mainstream.
  • Kevin Baudouin (guitar, vocals, synth, production): Baudouin has lived in Los Angeles the longest of the trio — 10 years — and he has played with a number of psych rock acts, developing a uniquely edgy approach to guitar, influenced by Nels Cline, Jonny Greenwood and Marc Ribot.

Deriving their name for the French word for “playing tight” and “on point,” the Los Angeles-based trio formed last year, and as the band’s Jules de Gasperis explains in press notes, “The making of our band started with this whole idea of having two drummers perform together. It felt like a statement. We always wanted to keep people moving and tend to focus on the beats first when we write.”

The act specializes in a French electronica-inspired sound that blends aggressive, dark and chaotic elements with hypnotic drum loops while thematically, their work generally touches upon conception, abstraction and distortion of reality centered around geometric shapes and patterns, and a surrealistic outlook on our world.

Released last month, the Los Angeles-based trio’s debut single “This is not a band” was a propulsive, club banger that sonically brought Factory Floor, The Rapture, Primal Scream, Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers and The Crystal Method to mind— but with a primal and furious intensity. Building upon the momentum of their debut single, the rising trio’s second and latest single is the dark and seductive, “Urgency.” Centered around a bed of  tweeter and woofer rocking beats, layers of shimmering synth arpeggios, bursts of slashing guitars and gauzy electronic textures — and just over that, words from Terence McKenna ethereally hover. And while being a hypnotic and dance floor friendly song, it possesses a murky and menacing air, that subtly recalls Ministry and others.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Los Angeles-based psych pop act Amo Amo can trace their origins to mid 2017 when a group of dear friends — Lovelle Femme, Omar Velasco, Justin Flint, Shane Mckillop and Alex Siegel — got together for an impromptu jam session in Los Angeles with My Morning Jacket‘s Jim James.  As the story goes, the quintet’s individual members had a premonition that they shared a deep psychic bond that would lead to a revelation in sound. Five months later, after a month-long recording retreat in the California vineyards, the band emerged with their Jim James-produced, self-titled, full-length debut, which featured their viral hit “Closer To You,” a track that has amassed over 3 million streams, appeared in an Apple ad campaign and has received airplay on KCRW and KCSN.

 

Building upon a rapidly growing profile, the band opened for Poolside, Jonathan Wilson, Hailu Mergia, Os Mutantes and for My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks.  The members of the rising Los Angeles-based psych pop act were tapped as the backing band for Karen O‘s and Danger Mouse‘s latest project Lux Prima. And adding to a breakthrough year, they collaborated with Poolside on “Around The Sun,” which was hailed as a “Song You Need to Know” by Rolling Stone.

Earlier this year, the members of Amo Amo signed to Poolside’s Pacific Standard Records. Continuing the massive momentum they’ve received over the past couple of years, the band’s first single on Poolside Records, the mesmerizing and breezy “Canta” is centered around a sinuous bass line, shimmering guitars, stuttering beats, ethereal vocals and a rousing hook. And while evoking an ecstatic swoon, the track sonically will draw comparisons to JOVM mainstays Pavo Pavo with a healthy dash of Tropicalia and trip hop.

Specifically released on Earth Day, the track as the band explains advocates for communities living symbiotically in the world: “The beauty, cooperation & abundance found in nature embodies the earth’s deep love for us all. Each part of life sings its existence and contributes to this great love song! Bees pollinating flowers, whales singing to one another, even when one being dies to nourish another we see the cycles & interconnectedness of life. ‘Canta,’ meaning ‘Sing’ in Spanish, asks us to think deeply about what it truly means ‘to love’ & implores us to do our part to care for all life, all earth, with our actions.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Late last month, I wrote about Los Angeles-based composer and electronic music producer Will Thomas. Thomas is best known as the creature mastermind behind the collaborative recording project Dive Index and the minimalist, solo recording project Plumbline, with which he has released several albums, including two collaborative albums with ambient music composer Roger Eno. The Los Angeles-based composer has also written scores for film, modern dance pieces and has developed sound installations.

Now, as you may recall, Thomas’ fifth Dive Index album Waiting at Airplanes is slated for a May 29, 2020 release through Neutral Music. Deriving its title from the overly optimistic and childlike act of seeking the fleeting attention of passing strangers for the sake of sheer connection, the album will reportedly continue Thomas’ long-held thematic interest in exploring both the human condition and the condition of humanity. But while also touching upon missed connections, artificial intelligence, contentment, the beauty of the desert and our dire and uncertain political and social climate. The album finds Thomas continuing his ongoing collaboration with with Daughter Darling‘s Natalie Walker and critically acclaimed English multi-instrumentalist Merz.

Thomas reportedly set specific parameters to the material’s overall sound and construction, sourcing almost every sound heard on the album, including percussion from modular synthesizer with the exception of some piano, acoustic guitar and the occasional extraneous sounds — a nail gun and jackhammer, in particular — that managed to leak into the studios and recordings, and were embraced on as part of the album’s material.

The visceral and intimate album single “Window to Window” was centered around Natalie Walker’s gorgeous and achingly expressive vocals, twinkling keys, shimmering synths and thumping low-end was full of regret over lost moments, blown opportunities, the passage of time and the inevitability of mortality while nodding at Portishead and Tales of Us-era Goldfrapp. The album’s latest single “Near Enough” continues Thomas’ long-held reputation for crafting minimalist soundscapes — this time centered around shimmering and gently undulating synths, stuttering beats, hospital like blips and bloops, and Merz’s plaintive vocals. Revealing a deliberate and almost painterly approach and quality reminiscent of Radiohead‘s Amnesiac, “Near Enough” is a mediative song that evokes the longing for connection and meaning that we all struggle with at some point or another.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Born Mark Anthony Myrie, the Kingston, Jamaica-born and-raised dancehall legend Buju Banton is widely considered one of the most significant,  well-regarded and commercially successful recording artists in Jamaican music. Starting his career back in 1987 with a string of singles, Myrie came to national and international prominence with his first two albums, 1992s Stamina Daddy and Mr. Mention — with Mr. Mention at the time, becoming the the best-selling album in Jamaican history.  Adding to a breakthrough year, he broke Bob Marley‘s record for #1 singles in Jamaica.

1993 saw the Kingston-born and-based dancehall artist sign with Mercury Records, who released that year’s Voice of Jamaica. Interestingly, by the mid-1990s his work became more influenced by his Rastafari faith — especially on albums like ‘Til Shiloh and Inna Heights. As a result of his critical and commercial success, Banton has collaborated with a number of internationally renowned artists in a variety of genres and styles including hip-hop, Latin and punk rock, as well as Bob Marley’s sons.

The dancehall legend recently released an appropriately titled 4/20 anthem “Ganja Man.” Fittingly, the track is all irie vibes and strutting riddims paired with Banton’s imitable vocals.  Puff, puff pass y’all. And happy 4/20 to those who celebrate!

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Elijah Estrada is an emerging, 21 year-old Houston-based emcee, who writes and records with the monoynm Eli. Inspired by the likes by Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Isaiah Rashad and Young Thug, the young emcee spent the past two years focusing on honing his craft and sound — a sound that sets him apart from his Houston area counterparts.

Like countless other young artists around the world, Estrada has balanced his passion and desire to make a name for himself as a recording artists while working a legitimate day job at a factory to support himself and his family — sometimes doing backbreaking, soul-sucking work to survive. Many us — yours truly, including — have been on that relentless grind mode while trying to achieve our dreams.

The young Houston-based emcee’s latest single, the BMTJ produced single “Hit Me” is centered around a slick and soulful production featuring shimmering a sinuous bass line, shimmering Rhodes and tweeter and woofer rocking 808s and the young emcee’s easy-going delivery. Interestingly, the track reveals a remarkably self-assured and hungry young artist, having faith in himself and his abilities and taking a momentous risk to achieve his dreams, followed by him picturing a bright future, as one of his hometown’s hottest emcees.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Notelle is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter, topliner and pop artist, who has worked with an eclectic array of DJs and producer across the globe since 2014. The Nashville-based artist has managed to amass over 12 million Spotify streams as a writer and vocalist with her work appearing on Spotify‘s FreshEDM, Hot New Dance, Friday Cratediggers, Heart Beats, Sad Beats, Pop Chillout, Study Break, Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds: Poptronix, Italians Do It Better, Shisha Lounge, Stepping Out, New Music Fridays and Deep Delight Playlists, as well as Apple Music”s Pop Rising and Breaking Dance playlists. She has also been covered by EDM.com and received airplay on Sirius XM Radio. Additionally, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter and pop artist has signed and released material on 15 different electronic music labels, including Armada, Monstercat, Proximity, Lowly, Hinky, AtLast, Seeking Blue, Thrive Music, Ultra Music, Ophelia and Knight Vision (Warner Music) — while remaining fiercely independent.

After spending the past handful of years as a go-to collaborator, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter and pop artist has decided to step out into the spotlight as a solo artist: over the past year, she’s been writing material and honing her take on “dark industrial pop” while catching the attention of Nashville Scene as a Nashville Artist to Watch in 2020. Building upon the rapidly growing buzz surrounding her, her solo debut single “Power” premiered on Lightning 100‘s The 615 and her third “Out of Love” was put on the station’s regular rotation.

“Beyond The Grave” found Notelle exploring a grittier sound than her previously released material, while fearlessly eschewing standard pop song structures and defying genre conventions and this has helped the Nashville-based artist develop a reputation for crafting forward-thinking, difficult to categorize pop. Interestingly, within the first couple of weeks of the song’s release, the track landed on Spotify’s “Study Break,” “Fresh Finds” and Fresh Finds: Poptronix” lists organically.

Notelle’s latest and recently released single ” Alive” continues a run of slickly produced, genre-defying and remarkably sultry pop, featuring elements of industrial electronica, alternative pop and trip hop. And while being centered around the Nashville-based pop artist’s whispered cooing, wobbling low-end, shimmering and twinkling synth arpeggios and industrial clang and clatter, the track finds Notelle further honing a darkly seductive and eerie sound that seemingly draws from Nine Inch Nails and Billie Eilish. But what sets the Nashville-based artist and her latest single apart from her contemporaries is the fact that “Alive” reveals fearlessly adventurous and ambitious songwriting rooted in deeply unsettling personal experience.

“There’s a point in hysteria where you begin to feel electrified. When you love someone who is pushing you to the brink of insanity, it has a way of making you feel more than you’ve ever felt prior. You experience every emotion, all at once, in such an alarming way,” says Notelle, “and I wanted to explore that in this track. I’ve been in a situation before where someone was questioning my own perception of reality, telling me that my understanding of what was going on wasn’t accurate — lying to me, gaslighting me. It pushed me to an emotional breaking point that was totally new. It felt like I had shot up adrenaline and it was startling and liberating at the same time. Straddling the line between total madness and invigorating emotional depth, I realized that this was unbelievably toxic, yet I had never felt more alive.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Beginning his professional life with working in finance and as a co-owner of London‘s The Society Club, the Norwegian-born, London-based singer/songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Erik Brudvik left both to pursue a career with his solo recording project Brudini. Slated for a May 15, 2020 release, Brudvik’s forthcoming self-recorded and self-produced Brudini debut From Darkness, Light is a conceptual album that draws from his own personal experience traversing between two seemingly contradictory worlds before finding his creative voice — and of a life spent as a sort of itinerant traveler.

From Darkness, Light is reportedly a soul searching effort that thematically and narratively weaves an abstract, wandering tale through feelings of loss and longing, anger, lust and despair, towards cosmic consolation as the album features Brudvik’s lyrics and the poems of California-based poet Chip Martin paired with old-timey and atmospheric arrangements featuring creaky pianos, analog synths, syncopated jazz-inspired lyrics and occasional blasts of distorted guitar. The end result is a contemplation of the various transitions, compromises and dashed dreams of adulthood.

The album’s first three singles — “Reflections,” ‘Emotional Outlaw” and “Pale Gold” — were released to widespread critical praise in the UK with Louder Than War referring to the rising singer/songwriter as “an indescribable talent,” as well as praise from NYC music legend Danny Fields. Each of the album’s first singles have received airplay on Radio X, BBC Radio 6 and BBC Radio 2 personality Frank Skinner‘s program. Building upon a growing profile, Brudvik has developed a reputation as a must-see live act, collaborating with Lulu Gainsbourg, Lanah P, and Erasure‘s Andy Bell.

“Radiant Man,” From Darkness, Light‘s fourth and latest single finds the rising Norwegian-born, British-based singer/songwriting crafting a song that balances a thoughtful and earnest intimacy with a widescreen, cinematic quality that subtly recalls Harvest-era Neil Young, OK Computer-era Radiohead and The Invisible Band-era Travis — thanks, in part to an arrangement centered around strummed guitar, atmospheric synths, twinkling piano, shuffling jazz-like rhythms and Brudvik’s plaintive vocals.

Thematically, the song is centered around a narrative that’s older than time, and yet strangely relevant and contemporary: it follows a well-meaning protagonist, full of good intentions who fights onward despite being slowly crushed by a tidal wave of enormous forces beyond his control.  The human spirit can be indefatigable — and in these very dark and uncertain times, we’ll need to dig deep, perhaps deeper than ever before to make it to whatever awaits us on the other side.

“‘Radiant Man’ is the story of a person fighting against a tidal wave. In the midst of a crisis, I find there is something about the enduring human spirit that emerges and brings us closer. ‘Radiant Man’ is an homage to this human radiance, echoed today in streets everywhere from Wuhan and New York to Sao Paolo and Milan.” 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms
Matthieu Asnarez is a young and emerging, Basque Country-born and-based electronic music producer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his solo recording project Manwarp, a project that’s heavily influenced by and meshes elements of disco, electronica, house music and techno. Asnarez spent last year writing and recording his latest EP, the ambitious concept EP Don’t Quarantine in the hopes of winning over the French and international electronic scene.
Centered around his mixing and mastering technique, Don’t Quarantine isn’t a call for violating social distancing guidelines or common sense infectious disease prevention — but rather, an invitation to the listener to break up the mundane routine of our daily lives through the use of our imagination. “Just because you’re physically locked up in your home doesn’t mean you can’t travel internally,” Asnarez explains in press notes. “That’s what I did in finishing to produce this EP, and i hope that will be the case for the people, who will listen to it, It is a journey consisting of four parts, fifteen minutes of music. Everything follows naturally, you just have to let yourself be carried away.”

The EP’s latest single, EP closing track “About Coming Back” is a mind-bending track featuring shimmering and wobbling synth arpeggios, a gorgeous melody,  tweeter and woofer rocking boom bap-like beats within an expansive song structure featuring alternating quiet-loud-quiet sections meant to evoke being roused from a pleasant reverie. It is about coming back to reality,” the rising Basque Country-based electronic music artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer explains in press notes. “Penetrating melody, strong synths and percussions… I tried something different here with a lot of dynamic as if you were travelling back. I enjoyed and learned a lot by producing this one.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

The rapidly rising Newcastle, UK-based indie act FEVA — Sam Reynolds (vocals/guitar), Danny Castro (drums), James Gibbons (guitar) and Thomas Errington (Bass) — had a breakthrough year last year, that saw them open for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Vaccines, Pip Blom, Inhaler, and Lauran Hibberd. Although currently, things are bleak and uncertain, the band hopes that they’ll be able to continue the momentum of last year with the release of new material throughout the course of this year, and hopefully live dates during the fall.

Centered around enormous, power chord-driven riffage, thunderous drumming, rousingly anthemic hooks, Sam Reynolds powerhouse vocals,  and a remarkably self-assured delivery, the Newcastle indie quartet’s latest single “I Wanna Know” may arguably be the most ambitious and arena rock friendly song they’ve released to date. To that end, it shouldn’t be surprising that the song has already received praise from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Clash Magazine and Dork, as well as airplay from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6.

Interestingly, although the song is an arena rock friendly anthem, the band explains in press notes that the song is actually about reflection — or more specifically self-reflection, “As we make our way through life, it’s easy to lose ourselves and get caught up in things that in time, we realise never ever mattered,” the members of FEVA say in press notes. “This song is about taking a step back and remembering who you are and who you were, when life took its tool on you.”