Tag: New Single

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 Emma Torrison is a 18 year-old singer/songwriter, pop artist and creative mastermind behind the rising solo recording project Emmrose. Torrison can trace the origins of her professional music career to when she wrote her first song in math class about four years ago. 

Since then, Torrison has gone on to release 13 singles. along with a her critically applauded debut EP Hopeless Romantics, all of which have helped her establish a sound and approach that has been described by some as a mesh between Adele and Florence and the Machine and a bit of classic, minimalist pop and progressive pop. 

Currently, the young and rising pop artist is attending college here in NYC while working on material for her sophomore EP — and she’s working a small collection of t-shirts, bags and clothing with a team of young fashion design students. 

Earlier this week, I wrote about “Run,” a hook-driven and accessible pop banger centered around an encouraging and anthemic message of empowerment to those, who desperately need to leave a toxic, dysfunctional and abusive relationship.

Torrison’s latest single is the cinematic and politically charged “Brave New World.” Centered around a gorgeous arrangement featuring strummed acoustic guitar, twinkling keys, dramatic drum patterns, atmospheric synths and the self-assured young artist’s pop belter vocals, “Brave New World” is an earnest, enormous yet deliberately crafted song that to my ears, brings Dido and Sting‘s “Russians” to mind. `

Written and recorded last year as a response to the current state of the our embattled world of disinformation, conspiracy theories and war, “Brave New World” loosely draws from some of the themes of Torrison’s favorite novels, George Orwell’s 1984, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and the famous line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest “O brave new world, that has such people in it!” And perhaps unsurprisingly, the song is heavily influenced by Torrison’s own experience: when she wrote the song, Biden was elected president — during a massive disinformation war. She couldn’t avoid hearing conspiracy theories influenced by politically-motivated groups from her friends, across social media and even on the news.

Sometimes, friendship breakups can be even harder than relationship breakups. “The Feelings Mutual” tells about a toxic relationship from which Emmrose was able to pull out. In a pop ballad style, the New York City based artist shows how mature she’s become. The track resonates with her generation while helping her proudly finding closure for a very painful time in her life. The young artist is not done showing us what she is capable of!

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Elephant Shares a Gorgeous, Meditative New Single

Formed back in 2020, Rotterdam-based indie rock outfit Elephant spent the better part of that year throwing themselves fully into songwriting, spending much of their free time at their greenhouse studio, just outside of town.

Early last year, the Dutch indie rock band released their debut EP. The EP’s material, which featured beautiful melodies, subtle grooves and sobering lyrics caught the attention of journalists nationally, including pop journalist Leo Blokhuis. Several EP songs were playlisted on Amazing Radio with “Midnight in Manhattan” landing at #12 on the Verrukkelijke 15 Dutch National Radio Chart. They capped off a big 2021 by signing to Dutch label Excelsior Recordings, who will release their Pablo van de Poel-produced full-length debut Big Thing later this year.

The Rotterdam-based band started the year off with the critically applauded single “Calling” and an attention grabbing appearance at this year’s Eurosonic Nooderslag. Continuing upon that momentum, the band released “Medicine,” a 70s rock meets jam band-like song that’s simultaneously sunny and melancholy, evoking the sun peaking out from clouds.

Big Thing‘s third and latest single “Hometown” is a gorgeous song that’s one part 70s AM rock meets shoegaze: shimmering and reverb-drenched guitars, a supple bass line and an enormous hook are paired with Crosby, Stills and Nash-like multi-part harmonies. Much like their previously released material, “Hometown” is emotionally ambiguous: hopeful and forward-thinking yet melancholy and full of the recognition that something has changed forever.

“‘Hometown’ is a song about leaving your hometown to chase your dreams and find your own place,” the rising Dutch band explain. “And about returning and realizing that the peacefulness is comforting but you can no longer call it home.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Vlöe is a French electronic music composer, singer/songwriter and producer, whose work draws from synth pop and synth wave — with a touch of the 90s European demoscene.

The French artist recently released a new, three-track mini-EP. The mini-EP’s latest single “Lying In The Sun” is a retro-futuristic bit of synth pop featuring layers of shimmering synth arpeggios, driving motorik-like grooves, thumping metronomic-like beats, an 80s synth rock guitar solo, and achingly plaintive vocals. Rooted in the nostalgia of being young and lying around on a sunny day with a dear one, “Lying In The Sun” brings M83, Washed Out, and the Stranger Things soundtrack to mind.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Emerging Artist Eldorado Shares a Slickly Produced and Shimmering Meditation on Heartbreak

Eldorado is an up-and-coming French singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and bedroom producer, who can trace the origins of her music career to when she turned 6 and started playing drums. Inspired by an eclectic array of artists, who have also abided by the DIY ethos including Mac DeMarco, Men I Trust, Yellow Days, Clairo and a list of others, the French singer/songwriter and bedroom producer’s work is inspired by real life, personal experiences, which helps evoke strong emotions.

Sonically, the up-and-coming French artist and producer has crafted music across a versa array of styles while maintaining a consistent brand and sound.

Eldorado’s debut single, the neon and heartache-tinged “3 in the morning” is centered around glistening, reverb-drenched guitars, the French artist and producer’s achingly plaintive vocals, skittering beats, atmospheric synths and a soaring hook. Sounding as though it were inspired by JOVM mainstays St. Lucia, Washed Out, and 80s synth pop, “3 in the morning” draws from a heartbreaking, fairly universal experience: wanting to be with someone, who has no interest in you whatsoever. It’s the sort of song, I can imagine heartbroken souls singing to themselves at 3am — or at the club, along with their equally heartbroken cohorts.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Casual War Shares a Cathartic New Single

Currently split between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., emerging indie duo Casual War — Maria Law (vocals) and Erik Mattingly (guitar) — have been playing together since 2018. The duo initially made a name for themselves playing clubs in Milwaukee and D.C., before gradually evolving their sound towards a dreamier, desert rock-inspired sound — with the duo continuing work on the project remotely.

Casual War’s latest single “No Help” is is a cathartic and incredibly anthemic song built around a classic, grunge rock song structure — dreamy, contemplative verses with shimmering guitar lines and stormy choruses with buzzing and distortion pedaled power chords. And at the heart of the song is Law’s plaintive, power house vocals singing lyrics about a reckless, terrifying and dangerous love — the sort of love that burns out quickly and leaves you a devastated and heartbroken shell.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Rising Pop Artist Emmrose Shares an Empowering Anthem

Emma Torrison is a 18 year-old singer/songwriter, pop artist and creative mastermind behind the rising solo recording project Emmrose. Torrison can trace the origins of her professional music career to when she wrote her first song in math class about four years ago.

Since then, Torrison has gone on to release 13 singles. along with a her critically applauded debut EP Hopeless Romantics, all of which have helped her establish a sound and approach that has been described by some as a mesh between Adele and Florence and the Machine and a bit of classic, minimalist pop and progressive pop.

Currently, the young and rising pop artist is attending college here in NYC while working on material for her sophomore EP — and she’s working a small collection of t-shirts, bags and clothing with a team of young fashion design students.

Torrison’s latest single “Run” is a hook-driven and accessible electro pop banger centered around skittering and blown out tweeter and woofer rattling beats, sinuous bass lines, glistening synth arpeggios and the young pop artist’s remarkably self-assured vocal delivery. But the song is underpinned by an encouraging and anthemic message of empowerment to those, who desperately need to leave a toxic, dysfunctional and abusive relationship.

“‘Run’ was such a powerful song to write… I wanted to create a breakup anthem for anyone who has been or is currently in an abusive relationship,” Torrison explains. “I wanted it to be an inspiration.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Brooklyn’s Van Chamberlain Shares a Lush and Dreamy Single

Brooklyn-based, indie rock duo Van Chamberlin — siblings Van and Jacob — features two grizzled pros: Individually, the members of Van Chamberlain have toured across the world in a number of bands, including Phantom Buffalo and Eternal Drag. Back in 2019, the duo reunited in Brooklyn, where they started Van Chamberlin, a project, which in many ways can trace its origins to the siblings growing up and making music together on a shared wavelength.

With the release of 2020’s studio demo LY, the Brooklyn-based duo quickly established a sound and approach that meshes elements of dream pop and jangle pop — with a subtle 90s alt rock influence.

Understandably, the pandemic forced the duo to postpone playing material live, so the duo spent their time in the studio, working on their full-length debut In The Sun, which is slated for an April 8, 2022 release through Very Jazzed.

Sonically and thematically, In The Sun reportedly is about layers — both sonically and philosophically. The album’s material is centered round lush and reverb-drenched guitar textures paired with infectious percussion. And although Van’s laid-back vocal evokes lazy sunny days, lyrically the album’s material draws from personal experience of loss and growth. The album’s sonic approach helps to affirm the duo’s philosophical message: what’s past is prologue, and the future holds promise, but neither will count unless you make peace with the present.

In The Sun‘s latest single “Heavy Cloud” is centered around lush layers of gently twangy, reverb-drenched guitars, propulsive drumming, soaring hooks and Van’s achingly plaintive vocals within an expansive and roomy song structure. The end result is a song that subtly nods at painterly, A Storm in Heaven-like textures and 90s, 120 Minutes era MTV alt rock with a deliberation attention to craft.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Portuguese electronic music DJ and production duo Bubba Brothers — Eliseo Correia and Justino Santos — formed back in 2015, and since their formation, the duo have produced an a growing number of dance-floor hits, which include:

  • 2019’s “Carla’s Beat” which landed at #21 on Beatport’s Top 100 Chart and at #6 on the Top Releases Chart. The track received airplay on London-based Trickstar Radio’s Metropolis, and as a result they were invited to play at Spain-based Los 40 Radio.
  • 2019’s “Tonyca,” which was selected as one of the songs of the summer at Faro, Portugal-based club LICK.
  • Last year’s “Karma,” which landed at #1 on Beatport. 

Adding to a growing profile across the European Union, the Portuguese act have made appearances on a number of TV channels including TVI 24. They’ve played sets at the international electronic music festival circuit including Faro Academic Week, Sun and Moon Festival, Dancefloor Leiria and Pete Tha Zouk’s Infinity Sunset. They’ve also played clubs like London-based Ministry of Sound.

Last September, the Portuguese duo started their own label Mossdeb Sounds. Now, as you may recall, i wrote about “Amandla (Tutu),” a euphoric, Balearic house meets tribal house banger, featuring skittering and percussive beats and a soulful vocal sample.

“No Name Song,” landed at on Traxsource‘s House and EDM charts for a number of consecutive weeks, and once you hear it, you’ll quickly figure out how that happened: “No Name Song” is a deep house banger, centered around tweeter and woofer rattling beats, explosive hi-hats, glistening synth arpeggios and a trance-inducing groove. And much like “Amandla,” “No Name Song” will get you off and ass and moving.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Toronto’s SATE Returns with a Hard Rocking Meditation on Fame

Toronto-based singer/songwriter and rock frontperson SATE has received attention nationally and internationally for singing empowering messages backed by a band that sonically meshes blistering hard rock and gritty blues. Along with her backing band, the Canadian rock artist has developed and honed an emotionally charged and critically applauded live show, which has toured across Canada, the States and the European Union, as well as stops across the global festival circuit, including Afropunk Brooklyn, Paris and London, Paleo Festival, Lott Festival and Secret Garden Party. 

Her full-length debut, 2017’s Red, Black, and Blue, the Toronto-based artist thematically pursued her spiritual connection to the black panther, the red robin and the blue butterfly. Last year’s sophomore album, The Fool saw the Canadian rocker pursuing her connection to the tarot: The album’s title was derived from the hero of the tarot deck, The Fool. In tarot, the Fool card is about beginnings and trust; of essentially jumping off a cliff with no real plan but an ultimate faith and trust in the universe. 

According to SATE, The Fool is an anthem for anyone who has dared to dream and work towards their greatest self. And if you had been frequenting this site last year. you may recall that I wrote about album title track “The Fool,” a slow-burning and and sultry synthesis of soul, neo-soul and arena rock centered around SATE’s powerhouse vocals.

“Famous,” The Fool‘s latest single is an anthemic, headbanger centered around buzzing power chords, a relentless motorik groove, some arena rock bombast paired with SATE’S powerhouse, ass kicking and name taking delivery. Thematically, the song sees its narrator dreaming of and desiring fame and its trappings — while asking the listener, how badly do you want it? Will you do anything to be famous?

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

This week is an extraordinarily busy week as I’ve been covering this year’s New Colossus Festival. So I haven’t been posting with the same regularity as I’d normally would. But I’m seeing live music and doing that valuable in-person networking one has to do to get by. And I’m having a ton of fun doing so. But as always, let’s get to the business at hand . . .

common goldfish is the solo recording project of a somewhat mysterious London-born, Tottenham-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who as a musician has made a name for himself busking along the canals of Hackney Wick and playing the London gig circuit. And as a producer and songwriter, under the moniker of J Love, been credited on songs that have have received critical acclaim from media outlets like Mixtape Madness, New Wave Magazine, and GRM Daily.

The mysterious Tottenham-based artist’s debut as common goldfish “Feel The Fuzz” is an upbeat, optimistic and decidedly late 80s-early 90s Manchester-inspired bop centered around fuzzy guitar lines, blown out breakbeats, a funky and propulsive bass line and common goldfish’s easygoing delivery paired with a euphoric boy-girl led hook and subtly modern production sheen. If you’re a child of the 80s and 90s as I am, “Feel The Fuzz” will bring back nostalgic memories of The Stone Roses, Primal Scream, Stereo MCs and the like, complete with an uplifting much-needed message to the listener.

“The track embodies the sense of dreamer’s optimism (‘the fuzz’) and the feeling that led me to change career paths and pursue my passion in music,” the creative mastermind behind common goldfish explains in press notes. “We only lead one life, ‘Feel the Fuzz’ is about helping people see that they should value their experiences over materials and not always seek the easy options in life.”