Author: H.G.O

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Tyzo Bloom feat. Pom Pom Squad – TV

Casey Chen is a classically trained pianist and cellist who nowadays records and produces music from home as Tyzo Bloom. He has just released a new EP, Random Thoughts, with six very distinct tracks, going from straight pop like in Bedroom, to urban styles with Tom Cruise, and indie/alternative as with TV. The latter, which is a real earworm, is a collaboration with Pom Pom Squad, which is a female-fronted punk/grunge band from Brooklyn that had been recommended to me already by friend of T.A.M, GHST MDRN.

Mia Berrin, Pom Pom Squad‘s vocalist, got a silky voice that suits TV perfectly. I feel like I could listen to this song, which in essence talks about wanting to fix things with the person you love, all day. It also highlights how good of a producer/composer Tyzo Bloom is. The whole EP is full of nice loops and sounds that catch your attention. Don’t sleep on these two music acts, this won’t be the last time you hear from them.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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Dirt Royal – Lose Our Way

If you are looking for alternative rock music that can cheer you up, Dirt Royal is just the band for you. This three-piece band from Brighton, UK, merges garage rock and punk to produce energetic music that is catchy and fun, including satirical lyrics commenting on serious socio-political issues. After starting in 2013 and releasing a debut album in 2014, they worked on a number of singles and EPs over the years, but hadn’t released another full album until last month, when they dropped Great Expectations, an upbeat album that is on-brand with the band’s style of infectious melodies and chanty choruses, while discussing themes like unrealized potential and nostalgia.

Lose Our Way is the last song on the record and also its second single. It’s a perfect example of everything I said above. Check it out below and pay attention to Dirt Royal. They are here to stay.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Punk-Rock

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Tough On Fridays – Patches

Tough On Fridays is a three-piece rock band from Texas that started in 2017. It is female-fronted, which is always nice to have in rock music. Their sound reminds me of late 90s alternative rock, but, if you listen to their latest album, A Fantastic Way To Kill Some Time, you will see that some of the tracks got elements of punk rock as well. If you want to read a fantastic review of that album, just head over to friend blog, Eclectic Music Lover, as Jeff wrote about it last month. It is spot on, as usual.

Instead, I will focus here on Patches, my favorite track on the record. I really like the mellow guitar that emphasizes the melancholic vocals. The lyrics, singing about an unrequited love, are honest and relatable. Who hasn’t been in that position at some point in time? In fact, I think authenticity could be Tough On Fridays‘ brand, as they are making the music they like with real lyrics about what they actually feel or think. In the age of the influencers and people pretending to be someone they’re not, it’s refreshing to hear a band who just wants to keep it real.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Kepa Lehtinen – Simple

Finnish multi-instrumentalist and composer, Kepa Lehtinen, is a renowned artist in his homeland, after being involved with the scores and soundtracks of multiple award-winning films and TV shows from Finland. In addition to that work, he has released three EP albums: Playing Theremin (2018), Helsinki In November (2019) and It Is Ok To Be Sad And Dark (2020). The latter EP consists of six tracks of what is considered classical electronic music, mostly because of the use of a Theremin (if you don’t know much about this peculiar instrument, I highly recommend watching this video) in some of the tracks. However, my favorite song from that EP, Simple, is just a straightforward piano piece with an enchanting melody. Sometimes, simplicity is all we need.

You can listen to this beautiful tune below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Relax

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MidlifeMix – Continental Drift

Say what you want about how terrible 2020 has been, but it has also allowed plenty of people to reinvent themselves in a way that probably wouldn’t have happened in a normal year. Take for example the case of Helen Meissner, who like many others, decided during lockdown to start creating music. Unlike them, she did so at 54; hence her moniker MidlifeMix (MidlifeCrisis was taken!). To make her story even more unusual, her genre is electronic music and did I mention that when the whole pandemic started, she didn’t know much about music production? I particularly love Helen’s slogan: “Old enough to know better, young enough not to care”.

MidlifeMix recently released her eponymous debut EP, which consists of six diverse tracks. Continental Drift is the most chilled one but also my favorite. It feels like drifting away while floating in the air or the sea. However, if you’re looking for something more active, make sure to check the whole EP out. You’ll find what you’re looking for.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Chill Out
  • Electronic

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Jimkata – Bonfires

I didn’t know this but there is a martial arts film from 1985 called Gymkata that became one of those movies that is so bad that becomes good, or -at the very least–, a cult film. The band Jimkata, a three-piece act from California and Ithaca, was named after such a great example of the seventh art and that should give you a hint of the fact that they just want to have fun. Self-described as an anthemic, synth-washed, electro-rock band; Jimkata‘s songs are hook-ridden and colorful.

Bonfires, which was released recently but will be part of Jimkata‘s anticipated new album of the same name, set for release early next year, is just exhibit A of what I said above. A song about feeling vulnerable in uncertain times, this tune will manage to make you

feel comfortable anyway. It’s the musical equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly night. Simply enjoy it!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie
  • Pop

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Our Lady Peace – Life

The first Our Lady Peace song I heard was Superman’s Dead, and, at least at first, I didn’t like it that much. It wasn’t until they released Spiritual Machines, their fourth studio album, that I started to take them seriously. I’m glad that happened because otherwise I would have missed out on some great music from these gods of Canada’s alternative rock scene. The band has just released a remastered edition of this double-platinum certified album to celebrate its 20th anniversary, reason for which I decided to feature one of its best songs as this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry.

All things being equal, I would probably have chosen Right Behind You (Mafia) for this entry, but Life is just as good and has a beautiful message that is more valid than ever today; message that OLP managed to transmit quite well on the music video (see below). Sure, life can be messed up sometimes but everybody is dealing with some issue, one way or another. We just have to keep moving on. Call me crazy, but I think this song comes in handy this year.

By the way, Our Lady Peace announced that they’re working on a follow-up to Spiritual Machines and plan to release it next year. Color me intrigued.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Tom Duggan – Outcomes

This song, Outcomes, reminds me a lot of those acoustic guitar-based songs from the 60s and 70s my Dad used to listen to. It would have fit perfectly into the soundtrack of any classic movie from that era. The impressive thing is that it was written by a young artist who is barely getting his feet wet, as he’s only been releasing music since earlier this year. Even though Tom Duggan received training in jazz and classical styles as a saxophone and clarinet player, he learned singing and guitar on his own. Practice makes perfect, so we can only imagine what this British singer/songwriter will be able to accomplish in a couple of years. The sky is the limit.

Tom wrote Outcomes during his time at university and is based on his experiences there. It’s a song about being whoever you want as long as you can accept the consequences of your actions. Acoustic guitar-based songs tend to be repetitive and boring, but I think this tune manages to avoid that problem by noticeably changing the melody during the bridge and then again during the chorus. Overall, it’s a catchy track with a great message, and also a clear indication that we should keep Tom Duggar on our radars.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Gabriel Paris – Kicks In

Gabriel Paris - Kicks In

Gabriel Paris is an Australia-based multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer with a few writing credits in his resumé. He has been focusing on his solo career lately, releasing three singles so far, with Kicks In being the latest one. As a songwriter, Gabriel tries to be authentic and write about what he feels compelled to as opposed to what others might want. This results in honest lyrics such as those in this single, which is a deeply personal song about a time when he relied a bit too much on alcohol to cope with his problems.

Musically, Gabriel lists the likes of Vance Joy and Coldplay as influences, and I can certainly note some similarities. His music got all the necessary elements to make it memorable, from raw emotions to nice vocals and pretty melodies, just as with the hauntingly beautiful Kicks In. Check it out below and don’t sleep on this talented artist.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Elina – Remember

I discovered Swedish singer/songwriter Elina Stridh, who goes simply by Elina as her stage name, earlier this year when her song Blue was included in an AI-generated playlist on a streaming platform. I kind of fell in love instantly with her sweet voice. Then, more recently, I got an email from a PR agency informing me of the release of her sophomore EP, titled Remember, and of course I had to check it out. The theme of the album is embracing change and it consists of 6 songs, including Blue, but the crown jewel is undoubtedly its title track. Elina is a remarkable songwriter and before she embarked into a career as a singer as well last year, she used to write pieces for other artists such as Zara Larsson and Neiked, so she knows one thing or two about writing hits.

However, when some of the songs Elina had written and loved weren’t picked up by any artist, she decided to release them herself and I’m really glad she did. With a series of stripped-back, folk-inspired tunes, she is showing us her real self in a vulnerable way. Remember, a song about seeing someone you love hurt and letting them know they will always be worthy of love and affection, is just an example. Elina’s beautiful voice and honest lyrics make the listening experience a really enjoyable one. She’s not breaking any ground with sounds you had never heard before, but when the music is this good, who cares?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie