Tag: singles

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Rising Icelandic Artist Laufey Teams Up with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra on a Gorgeous Single

Laufey Lin, best known as the mononym Laufey, is a rising, 21 year-old Chinese-Icelandic singer/songwriter, cellist and pianist. Spending much of her childhood in Reykjavik, Lin grew up influenced by classical music and jazz, and by the time she was 15, she performed with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Interestingly, despite her love of the music that served as her musical foundation, she yearned to express herself by creating music that blended her classical background with her more modern/contemporary influences.

While attending Berklee College of Music, she began to collaborate with some of her peers. Lin recorded her debut single “Street By Street,” which revealed a unique blend of jazz melodies paired with slow-burning R&B grooves, the day before campus was shut down as a result of the pandemic. Making the most out of the unexpected times during pandemic-related lockdowns, Lin decided to self-release her debut single through her social media. The song, along with performance videos she posted of covers and originals quickly went viral. Eventually, “Street By Street” hit #1 on the Icelandic charts — and she began to amass a massive following that includes Billie Eilish, Willow Smith, dodie, and others.

Adding to a breakthrough year, the Chinese-Icelandic artist landed her own music series on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds. Lin also Best New Artist at the Iceland Music Awards. And all of these accomplishments took place before the release of her debut EP Typical of Me, which has amassed over 10 million streams across all digital streaming platforms.

Building upon her breakthrough year, Laufey’s latest single, “Let You Break My Heart Again” sees the rising young artist collaborating with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. Featuring acoustic guitar, Laufey’s lovely vocal and breathtakingly gorgeous orchestral arrangement, “Let You Break My Heart Again” is an old Hollywood-inspired ballad centered around modern yet familiar sentiment: The song’s narrator has a youthful love affair that’s hopelessly unrequited and disappointing; But all is not lost. The song ends with its narrator — with subtle pride — saying that someday she’ll get over this lover and find a love that’s requited and worth her time.

“The Philharmonia – one of the world’s great orchestras – prides itself on supporting the next generation of incredible artists, and we are hugely proud to work alongside Laufey on this track,” Alexander Van Ingen, Chief Executives of the Philharmonia Orchestra says in press notes. “Laufey has an exceptional vocal and songwriting talent, and we are so pleased to have made this work across the Atlantic during the pandemic; we look forward to welcoming Laufey to London in the autumn for her performance in the EFG London Jazz Festival at our London residence, the Southbank Centre.”

“I wrote this song about a guy that I was hopelessly in love with,” Laufey adds. “I let him disappoint me again and again simply because I liked him so much. It’s the kind of blind love you experience in your youth, inspired by the sounds of old Hollywood films. I’m so honored to collaborate with the London Philharmonia Orchestra on this song. Growing up a classical musician, I’ve been a fan of them for years. The orchestral arrangement lifts the song to new heights with luscious strings, winds and graceful harmonies. I was also so happy to play cello on the track!”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Sneaker Pimps — currently founding members Liam Howe (production) and Chris Corner (guitar, vocals) with newly recruited Simonne Jones (vocals) — can trace their origins back to their formation in Hartlepool, UK back in 1994: The act’s initial lineup of Howe, Corner, Kelli Ali (née Dayton), Joe Wilson and Dave Westlake quickly established themselves as one of the pioneers of trip hop with their critically applauded and commercially successful, full-length debut, 1996’s Becoming X, which featured their signature track “6 Underground.”

Ali left the band after the release of Becoming X. Corner took over on vocal duties and the band went on to release two more albums, 1999’s Splinter and 2002’s Bloodsport. Wilson and Westlake left the band in 2002. Shortly after, Sneaker Pimps’ founding members made a mutual decision to explore other creative avenues: Corner and Howe went on to their own highly successful individual ventures in music and film, collaborating with the likes of Gary Numan, Lana del Rey and others with IAMX (Corner) and AMP (Howe). During their initial seven-year run, Sneaker Pimps had five UK Top 40 singles — the aforementioned “Six Underground,” “Spin Spin Sugar,” “Low Five,” and “Bloodsport.”

Sneaker Pimps’ founding members, who are currently split between London and Los Angeles ended a lengthy 14 year hiatus back in 2016 with hints of new music. Since then, the act’s fans have been desperately waiting for new material. Five years have passed but earlier this year Howe and Corner announced that they’d be releasing a new album, their highly anticipated fourth album, Squaring the Circle on September 10, 2021. Last month, Corner and Howe, along with their newest member, vocalist Simonne Jones released a double single of album material, “Squaring the Circle” and “Fighter.”

“After 18 years of dormancy and deliberation we (Sneaker Pimps) are releasing not one, but two new tracks,” Sneaker Pimps’ Liam Howe said in press notes. “‘Fighter’ is a plea for courage and strength against prevailing mental health crises. ‘Squaring the Circle’ (via Nietzsche) is a heartfelt ode to eternal returns of love, in the face of desperate adversity. Contrasting in nature, hopefully these songs describe the diversity and essence of the new album.

“It’s taken many years and many false starts to get Sneaker Pimps back in the game,” Sneaker Pimps’ Chris Corner said on Twitter. “Sometimes [you] need to back the fuck off and let the universe take control. I’m proud and relieved to say that it is finally happening. We officially have new music.”

Album title track “Squaring the Circle” is a yearning duet between Corner and Jones centered around a hauntingly sparse arrangement of twinkling piano, atmospheric electronics and layered backing vocals. Sonically, the track is a decided departure from their commercially successful initial run with the cinematic track reminding me quite a bit of Tales of Us-era Goldfrapp. “Fighter” finds the legendary trip hop pioneers crafting a remarkably contemporary sound centered around wobbling synth arpeggios, skittering beats paired with Jones’ sultry vocals and a rousingly anthemic hook. While clearly being wildly different, the tracks are thematically related with both tracks being tales of survival — in desperate and uncertain times.

Interestingly, in the lead up to the act’s highly-anticipated fourth album, the members of Sneaker Pimps released a remix to “Fighter,” done by the band’s co-founder Liam Howe, under APE MINK PRESS, a.k.a. AMP. The remix is packed with a dizzying array of subtle sonic references and hints including krautrock grooves, shimmering synth arpeggios, chiming Japanese-like percussion and more while retaining Jones’ sultry vocal turn and the song’s rousingly anthemic hook.

“Here is the first ever Ape Mink Press remix. It’s a journey through Krautrock to Synthwave; via the genius of Japan and the splendour of early Ultravox,” Sneaker Pimps’ Liam Howe says in press notes. “It sets out to track the influences of Sneaker Pimps and creates an historical vignette of their origins. At the same time there are modern influences aplenty.”

Additionally, Sneaker Pimps announced a digital pre-release listening event through Moment House on September 8, 2021 at 11:00am PST/2:00pm EST to celebrate the album’s release. The limited event will include an advance stream of the album in its entirety, and a chance to chat live with the band about their new album. An upgraded ticket is also available that will allow a select number of fans into a live video Q+A session with Corner, Howe and Jones after the album stream. Along with the album preview and the chats, attendees will be treated to exclusive downloads and the chance to win a Squaring The Circle merch bundle. More info is available here: https://www.momenthouse.com/sneakerpimps

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of 2016’s Waiting For The World To Turn, 2018’s Nowadays and last year’s . . . Keep Dreaming Buddy, the acclaimed Copenhagen, Denmark-based indie duo and JOVM mainstays  Palace Winter — Australian-born, Copenhagen-based singer/songwriter Carl Coleman and Danish-born, Copenhagen-based producer and classically trained pianist Caspar Hesselager — have received critical acclaim for an effortlessly genre defying sound described by some as a country krautrock and cinematic pop.

Citing an eclectic array of influences on their sound and approach including Kendrick Lamar, Ennio Morricone, and Little Richard, the duo’s critically applauded material is generally centered around a number of different elements, but Palace Winter’s Caspar Hesselager wanted to strip the layers back of their material down to the bare bones. “As much as I love the process of production and building entire universes from scratch for each song, there’s something extremely gratifying about playing ‘the core’, or bare bones of the song on a single instrument. Many of our songs are built from playing acoustic guitar and piano together in the same room, and whenever we’ve had the chance, we’ve always had so much fun just going back and re-discovering our songs in that setting.”

Slated for an August 27, 2021 release through the duo’s longtime label home, Tambourhinceros Records, 6 Songs (solo piano) sees Palace Winter’s Casapar Hesselager playing piano-based interpretations of six songs across their catalog. The EP allows Hesselager to step out into center stage. 6 Songs (solo piano)‘s first single sees Hesselager turn Waiting for the World to Turn‘s twangy and anthemic “Soft Machine” into a brooding and meditative composition centered around an intimate and unfussy production. Besides being gorgeous, “Soft Machine (solo piano) reveals the classical and jazz underpinnings of their work, as well as their deliberate attention to craftsmanship.

The acclaimed JOVM mainstays will be embarking on a 16 date European Union and UK tour this fall. The tour marks their first international tour in over three years. Tour dates below

Tour Dates

Sep. 16 @ Harders, Svendborg, DK
Sep. 18 @ VEGA, Copenhagen, DK
Sep. 21 @ Gimle, Roskilde, DK
Sep. 23 @ Radar, Aarhus, DK
Sep. 24 @ Studenterhuset, Aalborg, DK
Sep. 25 @ Studenterhuset, Odense, DK
Nov. 15 @ Nochtwache, Hamburg, DE
Nov. 16 @ Privatclub, Berlin, DE
Nov. 17 @ Blue Shell, Cologne, DE
Nov. 18 @ Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL
Nov. 20 @ Lafayette, London, UK
Nov. 22 @ The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, UK
Nov. 23 @ Thekla, Bristol, UK
Nov. 24 @ Gorilla, Manchester, UK
Nov. 26 @ King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, UK
Nov. 27 @ The Wardrobe, Leeds, UK

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of 2012’s I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Farris EP and 2013’s How to Carve a Carrot Into a Rose, the Melbourne-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Courtney Barnett quickly received critical acclaim from outlets across North America, the UK and Australia for work that featured witty and rambling conversational lyrics, often delivered with an ironic deadpan paired with enormous power chord-driven arrangements. And although her success may have seemed like it came about overnight, it wasn’t; Barnett carved out a long-held reputation for being one of Melbourne’s best guitarists: she had a stint in Dandy Warhols’ Brent DeBoer’s side project Immigrant Union and guested on Jen Cloher‘s third album, In Blood Memory.

Barnett’s full-length debut, 2016’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit featured “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party” and the T. Rex-like “Elevator Operator was released to critical acclaimed across the world. Back in 2017, Barnett collaborated with Kurt Vile on the highly acclaimed and commercially successful album Lotta Sea Lice, which landed at #5 on the Aussie charts, #11 on the British charts and #51 on the Stateside charts. The Aussie singer/songwriter and guitarist continued an enviable run of critical and commercial success with her third album, 2018’s Tell Me How You Really Feel, which featured the motork groove-driven “City Looks Pretty.” Barnett supported the album with a three month world tour that included some of her biggest Aussie tour stops.

The acclaimed Aussie artist’s highly-anticipated third album, the Stella Mozgawa-co-produced Things Take Time, Take Time is slated for a November 12, 2021 release through Mom + Pop Music and Marathon Artists. Centered around intimately detailed songwriting, Things Take Time, Take Time reportedly finds the acclaimed Aussie artist pulling the curtain back to reveal an optimistic and serene side. “Sometimes I try to say everything in one song, or put my whole belief system into a vox pop, but you just can’t do that — it’s impossible,” Barnett says in press notes. The album represents the realization that ideology is represented through the way you treat others, not what you say in a song — that some things are more felt than said. And yet, the album is full of the strangeness, busyness and undeniable warmth of life.

Things Take Time, Take Time‘s latest single, the lovely “Before You Gotta Go” features a sparse and atmospheric arrangement that begins with a warm drone, before gently adding layers of twangy guitar, Barnett’s tender vocals, synths, drums and percussion in a slow-burning crescendo. But at its core the song is a deceptively complex song that’s both a frustrated kiss-off and a gracious and thoughtful love song centered around a bittersweet yet very real sentiment: that if something bad were to happen that the last words between you and your lover not be unkind.

Barnett will tour North America between November and February 2022 and has just added additional shows in New Haven and Milwaukee. Tickets to those shows are on sale on Thursday, August 12. The tour includes a February 5, 2022 stop at Radio City Music Hall with Julia Jacklin. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.

All tickets can be purchased here.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

Sat September 25 – Marfa, TX at Trans-Pecos Festival (solo)

Mon November 29 – Las Vegas, NA @ Brooklyn Bowl with Bedouine

Tues December 1 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory with Bedouine

Thurs December 2 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Depot with Bedouine

Sat December 4 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren with Bartees Strange

Sun December 5 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park with Bartees Strange

Thu, December 9 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theater at Ace Hotel with Warpaint

Fri December 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Ace with Bartees Strange

Sun December 12 – Oakland, CA @ The Fox with Bartees Strange

Tues December 14 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount with Bartees Strange

Wed December 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore

Sat January 22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Palace Theatre with Julia Jacklin

Sun January 23 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre with Julia Jacklin

Thurs January 22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater with Julia Jacklin

Tues January 25 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre with Julia Jacklin

Wed January 26 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live with Julia Jacklin

Fri January 28 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman with Julia Jacklin

Sat January 29 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern with Julia Jacklin

Mon January 31 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel with Shamir

Wed February 2 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club with Shamir

Thurs February 3 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club with Shamir

Fri February 4 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met with Julia Jacklin

Sat February 5 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall with Julia Jacklin

Mon February 7 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall with Julia Jacklin

Tues February 8 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre with Shamir

Thurs February 10 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground with Shamir

Fri February 11 – Montreal, QC @ Mtelus with Shamir

Sat February 12 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall with Shamir

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Favours is an emerging Toronto-based pop duo. Over the past few months, the Canadian duo have been building up buzz for their forthcoming EP Left Behind. The EP’s latest single, the breezy “Right Back” is centered around a funky and propulsive bass line, shimmering guitars, twinkling and atmospheric synths, plaintive and ethereal vocals, placed within an expansive yet accessible song structure featuring some razor sharp hooks. While sounding as though indebted to 80s Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, the song as the duo explain “is about a love or friendship that never fades. No matter the distance, every time you meet, you’re right back where you left off.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Miami’s Seafoam Walls Releases a Slow-burning, Genre-Defying Single

Formed back in 2016, the Miami-based indie act Seafoam Walls — Jayan Bertrand (vocals, guitar), Josh Ewers (bass), Josue Vargas (electronic drums) and Dion Kerr (guitar) — caught the attention of cult music and art communities across South Florida for developing and honing a new genre, which they’ve dubbed ” Caribbean Jazzgaze,” as it meshes elements of jazz, shoegaze, rock, hip-hop and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

Initially known in local circles, the members of Seafoam Walls exploded into the international scene following a secret, all-ages matinee show with DC hardcore photographer Susie J. and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. Over the past couple of the years, the Miami-based band have been busy: 2018 saw the release of their debut EP R-E-F-L-E-C-T and the following year, one-off single “Root.”

Earlier this year, Seafoam Walls released “Dependency” through Thurston Moore’s The Daydream Library Series as a Record Store Day release. Building upon a growing profile, the members of Seafoam Walls will be releasing their highly-anticipated full-length debut XVI later this year. But in the meantime, the Miami-based quartet have released XVI’s first official single, the slow-burning and painterly “Program.” Featuring a wobbling bass line, shimmering bursts of feedback-driven guitar, a scorching guitar solo and chanted vocals fed through a gentle layer of distortion, “Program” continues a run of bold, genre-defying material: In the case of the new single you’ll hear nods at A Storm in Heaven-like shoegaze, krautrock and post-punk mixed in a fashion that will draw comparisons to TV on the Radio.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: French Producer Flew Releases a Summery and Euphoric Club Banger

Flew is a rising Lyon, France-based musician and producer, who specializes in mixing organic instrumentation — namely guitar — with sleek, club friendly, electronic production. Over the past year or so, the rising French producer has released two attention grabbing singles “Ready For Tonight” and “Bad Lover,” featuring Julie Todd, which have amassed over 100,000 and 80,000 streams respectively.

Building upon a growing profile, the French producer recently released his latest single “Let Loose,” featuring J. Fitz. Centered around tweeter and woofer rocking beats, a New Order-inspired guitar solo, shimmering synth arpeggios, J. Fitz’s soulful vocals and an enormous hook, “Let Loose” is a summery and infectious, Ibiza-like take on house music that captures the swooning euphoria of new love — and dancing in a sweaty, strobe-lit club.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Luc Grindle is a Glasgow-based singer/songwriter, musician and sound engineer, best known for his work with local indie rock bands Dutch Wine, HEYUP and Moonsoup. Interestingly. Grindle stepped out into the limelight with his solo recording project Gunke, which finds the Glasgow-based artist aiming to bring out the brighter, more optimistic side of punk rock.

So far Grindle has released two singles “Mouse” and “Football” — with “Football” receiving attention across the blogosphere. Building upon the growing buzz surrounding him, the Glasgow-based artist released his latest single, the buoyantly anthemic “Mum.” Centered around jangling power chords, a persistent backbeat and a rollocking chorus that I can picture kids shouting and bouncing along to, “Mum” manages to bring 120 Minutes-era MTV to mind. To this critic’s ears, I hear a mix of Dinosaur Jr. and Flying Nun Records. Interestingly, underneath the rousingly anthemic hooks, the song has an ironically dark undercurrent with the song focusing on the dying embers of a rapidly fading romantic relationship. The song’s narrator goes through all the complicated emotions of a relationships’ end — longing, frustration, hatred, despair, the desire to escape it all and the recognition of his role in the relationship’s end. If you’re human, you’ve been there and have felt the same; I know I have.

“’Mum’ is all about finding yourself in a position you are unable to escape from and requiring to see difficult situations through to the end,” Grindle explains in press notes. “Despite the more pessimistic lyrical content, I wanted to create something more optimistic for the lyrics to sit on top of.”

Grindle adds. “‘Mum’ was a good release of energy to write during a frustrating and confusing time, it helped me understand what was going on in my life so became a very positive piece to create despite the less hopeful lyrics.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

21 year-old Amsterdam-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Nadine Appeldoorn is the creative mastermind behind the rising indie pop recording project Mazey Haze. Growing up surrounded by the music of ABBA, Tears for Fears, Talk Talk, Fleetwood Mac and The Bee Gees, the rising Dutch artist started writing her own original material when she was 13. By the time, she turned 16, Appeldoorn started recording full demos on her laptop that found her experimenting with different genres, sounds, decades and production elements.

Eventually, Appeldoorn settled on a guitar-driven indie pop sound that some have compared to acclaimed and beloved acts like Alvvays, Beach House, Camera Obscura and Men I Trust paired with reflective, insightful, often wistful and unashamedly honest songwriting, fueled by her desire to connect with the listener and make them feel less alone.

The rising Dutch artist’s highly anticipated debut EP, Always Dancing, which will feature lead single “Sad Lonely Groove” is slated for an October 22, 2021 release through LUSTRE. Discussing what listeners should expect from the EP, Appeldoorn explains, “Human feelings and thoughts. Total honesty about a very vulnerable and fearful chapter of my life. Unfiltered lyrics that came straight out at moments I felt the lowest I have ever felt. At times cynical and sarcastic. Thoughts and feelings we all experience but which are also very private and personal. An EP about me struggling through my first breakup(s) and trying to figure out who I am, for the first time ever. Sound-wise the EP is also strongly guided by my gut-feeling and intuition. The music accompanies the lyrics as it matches the strong and deep feeling I had at the time. The EP is sonically straightforward but detailed as well. Dynamic and layered. Groovy and dreamy. For me, this EP is the beginning of floating through the unknown, forever.”

Building upon the attention of “Sad Lonely Groove,” Appeldoorn and LUSTRE released the second and latest single off the EP, “Headspin.” Featuring shimmering guitars, a supple bass line, atmospheric synths, propulsive drumming and Appledoorn’s plaintive vocals paired with a soaring hook, “Headspin” manages to capture a narrator caught in an uneasy storm of conflicting and confusing emotions of a bitter breakup while sonically bearing a resemblance to Cannonball EP-era Amber Arcades and Beach House.

“I wrote ‘Headspin’ in the same period of my life as ‘Sad Lonely Groove’. The song for me was an outlet of my doubts and fears at that time,” Appeldoorn explains in press notes. “I broke up with my first ever partner in life and wasn’t sure if I’d done the right thing, because I didn’t know how to take care of myself. I didn’t know who I was on my own. It was very scary and I felt very lonely. The only person I really had was him. I felt a lot of frustration. Some moments I did think it was the right thing because I felt that I couldn’t be there for him, I didn’t feel the same anymore. All these different thoughts were making me tired. It was the first time I let go of someone I cared about alot. But I couldn’t still fully let him go.”

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Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their first three albums, 2010’s Romanticism, 2012’s Revisionist and 2015’s Midnight Century, the Toronto-based post-punk act The Black Fever — Shoe (vocals, guitar), Pat Bramm (bass, vocals) and Dan Purpura (drums) — have established a sound that draws from Interpol, Joy Division, and The Cure with lead bass lines and propulsive drums paired with a focus on melody and concise songwriting.

Since their formation, the Canadian post-punk trio have received media coverage in outlets like The Toronto Star, Now Magazine, CHARTAttack, Exclaim!, and Scene Magazine and airplay on CBC Radio 1, campus radio stations across Canada and online radio stations across the world. Adding to a growing profile in their native Canada, the band has made the rounds of the Canadian festival circuit playing Canadian Music Week four times (2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019), NXNE three times (2012, 2014 and 2016), as well as the Hamilton Film and Music Festival.

The members of The Black Fever have managed to remain busy during the pandemic, writing and recording new material including their latest single “Nowhere,” which officially dropped yesterday. Centered around a sinuous bass line, Shoe’s plaintive vocals, angular guitar blasts and propulsive drumming, “Nowhere” finds the Canadian trio continuing their long-held reputation for crafting a sound that seemingly meshes elements of classic 4AD Records, The Cure and Interpol paired with enormous hooks and earnest, lived-in songwriting. As the band explains, the song was informed by and written about the troubles experienced by those in their generation: Economically, socially, politically, environmentally and even health-wise, people between their teens to their 40s are struggling under the weight of so much shitty stuff. And no one seems to have a solution besides the same old bullshit we’ve all heard before.

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Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Last year, I spilled quite a bit of virtual ink covering the rising Los Angeles-based indie electro rock act Carré that features:

  • 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 “square,” “playing tight” and “on point,” the Los Angeles-based trio formed back in 2019 — 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 members of the Los Angeles-based act specialize in a French electronica-inspired sound that frequently blends aggressive, dark and chaotic elements with hypnotic drum loops. Thematically, their work generally touches upon conception, abstraction and distortion of reality through a surrealistic outlook of our world. Their visuals tend to feature geometric shapes and patterns.

The act specializes in a French electronica-inspired sound that blends aggressive, dark and chaotic elements with hypnotic drum loops. Thematically, their work generally touches upon conception, abstraction and distortion of reality through a surrealistic outlook of our world. Their self-titled EP was released last year through Nomad Eel Records — and the EP featured the Uncanny Valley-era Midnight Juggernauts meets Tour de France-era Kraftwerk-like “Freeform,” a free flowing and improvised jam centered around glistening synth arpeggios, shimmering blasts of guitar, an insistent motorik groove, hi-hat driven four-on-the-floor and ethereal vocal samples.

“Freeform” was given the remix treatment by Parisian multi-instrumentalist Alex Tran, a.k.a. A.T.M. and interestingly enough, the A.T.M. remix adds a decidedly French house touch to the proceedings with glitchy sequences, muscular guitars, harder hitting beats, vocodered vocals while retaining the song’s free flowing and improvised jam-like feel and dark industrial vibes while essentially giving the song a dance floor friendly air.


 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Rising Los Angeles-based coldwave/darkwave/dark synth-riot act Violent Vickie — Vickie (vocals, production) and E (guitar, production) — have released material through a handful of labels including  Crunch Pod, Emerald & Doreen Recordings, Riot Grrl Berlin and LoveCraft Bar, which the act has supported with tours with Atari Teenage Riot‘s Hanin Elias, The Vanishing‘s Jessie Evans, Trans X, Them Are Us Too, Aimon & The Missing Persons and others. The duo have also played sets across the US and European festival circuits with stops at Insted Fest, Solidarity Fest, Shoutback Fest and Gay Prides and Ladyfests. 

Their single “The Wolf” was featured in a National Organization for Women film. Violent Vickie’s Vickie was also interviewed for the documentary GRRL as part of the museum exhibit Alien She. Adding to the band’s growing profile, their album Monster Alley was voted best album by KALX. And if you’ve been frequenting this site, you may recall that their latest album Division, which featured the dark yet dance floor friendly “Circle Square” was released last September.

Since the release of Division, the band has been busy writing and recording material, including their latest single, a Mazzy Star-like take on Johnny Cash‘s “Ring of Fire” centered around a sparse arrangement of strummed guitar and Vickie’s plaintive vocals fed through gentle amounts of reverb. Sonically, the track is a marked departure from the chilly, dark and aggressive coldwave and New Wave-inspired tracks they’re known for, while retaining the longing of the original.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

MMYYKK (pronounced “Mike”) is a rising Inland Empire, CA-born, Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. 2019’s highly praised Electro Soul EP found the Inland Empire-born, Minneapolis-based multi-hyphenate artist further establishing a difficult to pigeonhole sound and approach that draws from soul, future funk, R&B, hip-hop, jazz and fusion — and seems equally indebted to Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Herbie Hancock, and Stevie Wonder.

MMYYKK is also an accomplished ambient artist: Last year’s Mellow Moods and Meditations was released to praise. Earlier this year, he produced PASSAGE, a Black mental health and wellness initiative done in collaboration with the folks at Okayplayer. Building upon a busy year, the Inland Empire-born, Minneapolis-based artist will be releasing the Science EP through London-based label Rhythm Section INTL in September.

Science EP‘s first single is the slinky “Divine.” Centered around MMYYKK’s sultry falsetto, glistening synth arpeggios and a strutting bass line, the flirtatious “Divine” sonically will draw comparisons to D’Angelo and Thundercat, as the crafted manages to be effortless yet carefully crafted. Interestingly, underneath the funky grooves, the song is a much-needed and loving ode to Black women. “Black women taught me how to love. Women literally save the world every day. This track was a way for me to express appreciation and sing praises to the women in my life,” MMYYKK explains in press notes.



Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: French DJ and Producer Delon Releases an Ibiza-like Banger

Greg Delon is an acclaimed NÎmes, France-based, self-taught DJ and producer, who is best known in French and international electronic music circles as Delon. Over the past 25 years, the French DJ and producer has been extremely busy.

He founded Apéro Techno, a night at Nimes-based club paloma that features an eclectic array of French producers and DJs — and part of the A-Nimé Festival Association (of which he’s the president)
He’s the founder and head of Way of House Records, a French house music/electronic music label.

elon’s latest single “Sorry” is a sleek and sensual banger centered around shimmering synth melodies, a soulful vocal sample, skittering pads, thumping beats and a euphoric hook. The end result is a summery, Ibiza meets 90s take on deep house.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

The New Mastersounds — currently, Eddie Roberts (guitar, production), Simon Allen (drums), Pete Stand (bass) and Joe Tatton (keys) — can trace their origins back to the late 1990s: At the time Roberts was promoting a club night in his native Leeds called The Cooker. When The Cooker moved into a new venue with a second floor in 1999, there was both the space and opportunity to put a live band together to compliment the night’s DJ sets.

As it turned out Roberts and Simon Allen had previously played together in The Mastersounds, an act that featured a different bassist and no keyboards. Through friends and the intimate nature of the Leeds scene, Pete Shand and Bob Birch (Hammond) were recruited to join the band, which became The New Mastersounds. Their earliest material was raw and leaned heavily towards boogaloo — but their first rehearsal was so memorable and so hot that Blow It Hard Records released it on two limited-edition 7″ singles in 2000.Since then, the band has released 24 more seven inch singles, 13 full-length albums, three live albums, a remix album and three compilations released in the uK, Japan and the States. During that same period, the band went through a major lineup change with grizzled Leeds scene veteran Joe Tatton replacing Bob Birch on keys and organ.

As a band and individually, The New Mastersounds have collaborated with an eclectic and diverse array of musicians, DJs and producers including Lou Donaldson, Corinne Bailey Rae, Quantic, Carleen Anderson, Keb Darge, Kenny Dope, Mr. Scruff, LSK, Lack of Afro, Page McConnell, Grace Potter, Karl Denson, Melvin Sparks, Idris Muhammad, Fred Wesley, Pee-Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker, Bernard Purdie, George Porter, Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, Art Neville and Ernest Ranglin.

The New Mastersounds’ latest single “A Brighter Day” can trace its origins back to just after the 2020 election: the band’s Eddie Roberts had written a buoyant and uplifting composition that sonically seems indebted to Curtis Mayfield and classic Motown soul. Roberts then invited some of Color Red Music‘s top vocalists to contribute lyrics to the song. As the story goes, Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal‘s Josh Hoyer had written down some uplifting lyrics and put them in the can — for whenever an opportunity would call for them. Little did he know, that the occasion would be Roberts calling him to invite him to contribute lyrics. Lyrically, the song is centered around the hope of a brighter, fairer and inclusive new day for all, after a brutally difficult and uneasy few years.

We got work to do y’all. Let’s get to it!