Hatchie – Quicksand

Artist: Hatchie

Song: Quicksand

Genres: #indiepop #altpop

Location: Brisbane, Australia

Release date: January, 2022

Comment: Harriette Pilbeam, aka Hatchie, is a 28-year-old Australian #singersongwriter whose debut album, Keepsake (2019), was a huge success. She has announced a new album for April this year, for which she has released two singles already (This Enchanted and Quicksand) and they both sound even better than any of her previous songs. I particularly liked Quicksand, which she wrote after realizing that she will never be satisfied no matter what. There’s always something else to achieve.

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Yon Idy – In Time

Artist: Yon Idy

Song: In Time

Genres: #indierock #indiefolk

Location: Skopje, North Macedonia

Release date: January, 2022

Comment:  Yon Idy is a young musician in a country with no music industry whatsoever, according to the artist himself. He grew up listening to The Beatles and Leonard Cohen, but his latest single, In Time, sounds closer to artists such as Jason Mraz and Vance Joy. This poignant track talks about the hardships of moving on at the end of relationship you didn’t want to end. You won’t want In Time to end either but the good news is that Yon Idy is releasing his full-length debut later this year.

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Atlas For Home – Keep Going

Artist: Atlas For Home

Song: Keep Going

Genres: #poppunk #punkrock

Location: Paris, France

Influences: Blink-182, Alkaline Trio, Neck Deep

Release date: January, 2022

Comment: The punk-rock genre is having some kind of renaissance in France with talented bands like Back On Earth and today’s featured band: Atlas For Home. This quartet has been around since at least 2014 but “Keep Going” is their first single in four years, so don’t feel bad if you’re into this type of music and hadn’t heard of them. The good news is that they’re planning to release a new EP this year, with this catchy single being just an appetizer. The band’s new leitmotiv is to create the perfect blend between mid-2000s pop-punk, like Blink, and modern pop-punk, like Neck Deep. It’s an ambitious goal, but judging by “Keep Going”, they know what they’re doing. Give them a chance.

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renforshort – moshpit

Artist: renforshort

Song: moshpit

Genres: #indiepop #altpop

Location: Toronto, Canada

Release date: January, 2022

Comment: renfortshort is the moniker of 19-year-old #singersongwriter, Lauren Isenberg, who debuted independently in 2019 and has quickly made a name for herself. The talented Canadian artist entered my radar last year several months after the release of her last EP, which is why I didn’t feature her then. The good news is that renforshort is back with a new single, moshpit, that is even better than what she had released before. The song, which is about staying in a bad relationship for way longer than its due date, got a great melody with a chorus impossible to get out of your head.

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DBMK – Chains

Artist: DBMK

Song: Chains

Genres: #alternativerock #altpop

Location: Nashville, United States

Release date: January, 2022

CommentDBMK is a Nashville-based alt-pop duo that consists of Kyle Knudsen (vocals) and Colton Ward (drums). They have sold out numerous shows in their home state of Florida and managed their own DIY tours all across the States, amassing a dedicated fanbase denominated the “KULT“. That being said, I hadn’t heard of them until I listened to Chains, their latest single released last month, and came out impressed. From the inviting guitar-based intro to the infectious chorus, the whole song got everything it needs to become a staple of your music library in 2022.

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almost sex – Lucille

Artist: almost sex

Song: Lucille

Genres: #indierock

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Release date: January, 2022

Comment: I’m sorry for being away for so long but, as I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been on parental leave and, unsurprisingly, had other priorities. I’m still catching up with plenty of submissions, emails and any music released during that time, but I thought it fitting to return with the latest single from almost sex, a duo that has become a staple of T.A.M. Their consistency releasing great music is truly off the charts!

Lucille is the lead single off their forthcoming debut EP and our good friend Jeff wrote already a great review that you should absolutely check out. It’s a moody and soothing track that you are going to love if you liked any of their previous songs featured here before.

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Better Than Ezra – Closer

Artist: Better Than Ezra

Song: Closer

Genres: #indierock #alternativerock

Location: New Orleans, United States

Release date: August, 2001

Comment: I think Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra is one of the best lyricists around. BTE are best known for their singles released during alternative rock’s heyday in the 1990s, but Closer was the album that introduced me to them. A Lifetime is one of my favorite songs ever and a great example of how talented Kevin is as a songwriter. However, the song I want to feature today is the title track from that underrated album, a song that always resonated with me even though it I couldn’t really relate to it before.

Closer is a beautiful song Griffin wrote after having his first child. In it, he wonderfully describes the excitement, pride, bewilderment and fear he felt all at once as a new dad. I hadn’t mentioned it here before but I’m about to become a dad as well in the next 24 hours or so, and I’m finally starting to understand what Kevin Griffin meant word by word. Incredibly, I can now say that Closer is even better than I thought.

Hope you enjoy this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry, and please bear with me while I adapt to my new routine.

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Picture Us Tiny – Forever & Always

Cover art: Jessica Haines

Artist: Picture Us Tiny

Song: Forever & Always (Tiny’s Version)

Genres:  #punkrock #poppunk

Location: Syracuse, United States

Release date: December, 2021.

Comment: Picture Us Tiny is the moniker of Jackson Velli, who in April last year posted a short pop-punk cover of Forever & Always (originally from Taylor Swift) that became viral on Tiktok. That success led him to record and release a full version on all platforms, which is great news to those of us who are not regular users of said social media website, as we would have missed it otherwise. One of Jackson’s main goals is to “ensure catchy punk music will never die” and this cover is a great step towards achieving that.

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Sam Fender – Get You Down

Artist: Sam Fender

Song: Get You Down

Genres: #alternativerock

Location: Newcastle, United Kingdom

Release date: October, 2021

Comment: I’m probably late to Sam Fender’s bandwagon but I hadn’t really paid much attention to him until I heard this song in December and… well, now I’m hooked. I love the jangling guitars and the layered approach to introducing the different instruments in the song. Get You Down is one of four singles released ahead of Sam’s sophomore studio album, Seventeen Going Under. By the time Sam releases a third studio album, I’m sure he’ll be quite a household name.

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Ryan Douglas Michelsen – Dark Clouds

Artist: Ryan Douglas Michelsen

Song: Dark Clouds

Genres: #Instrumental, #cinematic

Location: Arizona, United States

Release date: June, 2021.

Comment: Dark Clouds was released last June but I hadn’t discovered this captivating piece until recently. Sadly, it didn’t receive the recognition it deserved but I can assure you few tracks feel as magical as this one from Phoenix-based artist Ryan Douglas Michelsen. Surprisingly, he started performing in a metal band but after founding his own business called Pombrah Music Publishing, he started exploring pretty much all other genres. I seriously hope he persists in writing enchanting tunes like Dark Clouds. The world needs it.

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