Wesson – Made Me Happy

Artist: WESSON

Song: Made Me Happy

Genres: #alternativerock #punkrock

Location: Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

Release date: January, 2023

Comment: British alt/rock band WESSON, led by #singersongwriter Chris Wesson, is formed by four musicians coming from different backgrounds, resulting in a delightful blend of pop, punk rock and indie rock. “Made Me Happy” is just their fifth single, but given how fun and catchy it is, I think it’s safe to say that this band is going places.

The lyrics express the emotions of a person who was hurt by someone’s actions in the past. The song reveals that the person has come to the realization that they might have acted similarly if they were in the same situation, and is finally finding peace in understanding their own and others’ behaviors. Between how relatable the lyrics are and the extremely catchy chorus, “Made Me Happy” is the type of tune that gets stuck in your head. Listen to it at your own peril.

Advertisement

Jon Hopkins, Kelly Lee Owens, Sultan + Shepard & Jerro – To Feel Again / Trois

ArtistJon Hopkins, Kelly Lee OwensSultan + Shepard & Jerro

Song: To Feel Again / Trois

Genres: #electronicmusic

Location: Canada, United Kingdom & Belgium

Release date: September, 2022.

Comment: Out of all the entries in this website, the one with the highest number of Google Search hits is by far the entry for Sultan + Shepard‘s flawless track: Assassin. I’m now going to make things a bit more confusing to those visitors by adding another track involving the same duo, along with Belgian producer Jerro, and British producers Jon Hopkins and Kelly Lee Owens.

I’ll let Sultan + Shepard expain the story behind this track: “One day, we happened to be on Reddit, and saw that someone had tagged us in a video of Jon Hopkins playing our collaboration with Jerro, ‘Trois’. We were very flattered because we’ve been a big fan of Jon ever since we heard Light Through The Veins many years ago. We reached out on Twitter to say thanks for supporting the track, and he wrote back saying he had an idea he wanted to discuss. Turns out he had discovered the song in a car after a gig in Milan and Shazam’d it and started playing it in his sets. He then made a special edit of Trois using the vocals and synths from his song ‘Luminous Spaces’ with Kelly Lee Owens. He sent us the rough draft and we quickly sent over stems and before we knew it a new piece of music had been born out of our two songs. ‘Luminous Spaces’ was one of our favorite tunes of the past couple years so we were extremely excited. We’re such fans of both Kelly and Jon, so being able to connect and collaborate with them through this song that we started with Jerro in our studio last year feels very special to us.” Enjoy!

Gabriel Paris – I Cried

Artist: Gabriel Paris

Song: I Cried

Genres: #indie

Location: Sydney, Australia

Influences: Coldplay, Vance Joy

Release date: October, 2022

Comment: Australia-based artist Gabriel Paris is no stranger to T.A.M., having been featured here in November 2020. This time, he’s back with a terrific song that is meant to feel “like a warm hug on a rainy day”. Gabriel won a competition whose prize was to work with a fame production company in Australia, who helped him write and record “I Cried”. Highly recommended!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Damian Boylan – Expansions

Artist: Damian Boylan

Song: Expansions

Genres: #chillout

Location: London, United Kingdom

Release date: September, 2022.

Comment: With a Master’s degree (MEng) in Aerospace Engineering, most people wouldn’t think Damian Boylan could also have an artistic side, let alone one in which he seems to be good at everything: sculpting, painting, video, and, well, obviously, music. Expansions is one if his latest releases: a poignant, classically-infused electronic track that is basically candy for your ears. Damian also created the audiovisual piece below, the perfect companion to Expansions.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

The Wombats – Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This

Artist: The Wombats

Song: Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This

Genres: #indierock #altrock

Location: Liverpool, United Kingdom

Release date: September, 2022

Comment The eponymous track of The Wombat‘s next EP, Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This, might not reach the heights of their mega hit Cheetah Tongue, but that does not mean it isn’t a superb track anyway. In fact, I’ve been listening to it on repeat for the past month or so. If you hadn’t heard of it until now, check it out. It has the potential to become your next #musicalcrush.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Mihail Tarlev – Forgotten Dreams

Artist: Mihail Tarlev

Song: Forgotten Dreams

Genres: #Instrumental, #Piano, #Relaxing

Location: Rome, Italy

Release date: February, 2022.

Comment: Forgotten Dreams is a beautiful and delicate piano composition from Mihail Tarlev, a Rome-based composer. Inspired by his own journey to start making music, this relaxing piece does feel ethereal. Check it out!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Antinode – The Beacon Beckons

Artist: antinode

Song: The Beacon Beckons

Genres: #ambient #relaxing

Location:  Houten, Netherlands

Influences: Vangelis, Enigma, Deep Forest

Release date: February, 2022

Comment: With the sad news of the passing of legendary and Oscar-winning composer Vangelis (R.I.P.) earlier this week, I thought it would be fitting to feature today a song that will certainly remind you of him: the alliteratively titled: The Beacon Beckons. Actually, South Africa born composes Jarp du Plessis, aka antinode, didn’t use to make synth-based music but he decided to step away from his usual melodic piano tunes when he started to work on his symphonized EP. The result was nothing short of mesmerizing.

Enjoy!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Cade Hoppe – Hurts

Artist: Cade Hoppe

Song: Hurts

Genres: #altpop #indiepop

Location:  New York, United States

Influences: Jack Antonoff, Coldplay, The National

Release date: January, 2022

CommentHarper James –one half of the band Eighty Ninety, which was featured here last year– produced the new EP from New York-based singer: Cade Hoppe, Tell Me How It’s Worth It,’ and you can definitely feel a similar vibe. Originally from Sacramento, this talented musician sets himself apart from other #altpop musicians with his baritone vocals. Just listen to his new single, Hurts, which he wrote after breaking up with a loved one. The catchy melody and Cade’s tone of voice make it sound really fresh. Give it a try!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

dieg0 – Insieme

Artist: Dieg0

Song: Insieme

Genres: #Instrumental, #Ambient, #Relaxing

Location: Valencia, Spain

Release date: January, 2022.

Influences: Ludovico Einaudi, Yiruma, Mozart

Comment: Diego Salvati used to write indie folk songs influenced by Damien Rice and John Mayer, and he played them in a still-active band called Colourshop not only across the UK but all over Europe as well. He then moved to Spain in 2015 and started a solo project, Dieg0, with the focus on writing easy-listening piano melodies following the footsteps of modern composers as Ludovico Einaudi and Giovanni Allevi. Insieme, which is Italian for “together”, is his latest composition and it is as magical as any piece by those other artists.

Dieg0‘s intention with this melody was to express how we get sad and happy moments from any relationship and that we have to take them all in: “together”, the good and the bad. As an interesting tidbit, both the music video below and the cover art were taken and recorded simultaneously by Alfredo himself during a boat trip he did from Ibiza to Valencia. The sky was so grey and the sea so black, that he didn’t need to use any filter or special effect to get that dark tone.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Angela Sclafani – Bell Jar

Photo: Jules Miranda

Artist: Angela Sclafani

Song: Bell Jar

Genres: #indie #indiefolk

Location: New York City, United States

Influences: Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones

Release date: February, 2022.

CommentAngela Sclafani is an independent #singersongwriter from New York City who has released three EPs so far and won numerous accolades as a songwriter. Her new single, Bell Jar, was inspired by Sylvia Plath‘s 1963 novel and is full of evocative lyrics that encourage listeners to challenge those social conventions that keep them down. Melodically, the track reminds me not only of the artists listed as Angela’s influences but also Lisa Loeb and even Sarah McLachlan. If you like sweet melodies with great lyrics, you’re in for a treat.

Featured on the following mixtapes: