Comment: It is common knowledge that some of the best art comes out of feeling heartbroken. It was that aching feeling that inspired indie artist Jillian Lake to write Steady Hands, a luscious and stripped-down single that forms part of her brand new album Younger Then. After reaching over 100K plays on one of her most recent singles, Jillian is set to keep expanding her audience with her new work.
Comment: If you like indie folk music, then you have to give this song, Who Cares, a chance. With its sweet melody and Joe’s ethereal vocals, it’s hard not to fall in love with this track that this talented #singersongwriter wrote during the pandemic to reflect the helplessness we were all feeling –and to some extent still feel–, at the time. Who Cares is the second single from Joe Holt‘s new full-length album, Tired of Trying. Having graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2015, this folk-rock artist has released four EPs and three full albums already, all worth checking out.
You can find the studio version of this gorgeous track in the mixtapes below but here’s a live rendition of it. Enjoy:
Comment: When I first featured beabadoobee almost two years ago, she was still relatively unknown. Today, she’s an international alternative rock darling who is getting ready to release her sophomore studio album: Beatopia next month. For my return after a short break, I’ve decided to feature the second lead single from her new record, the enchanting See You Soon. While still being an #altrock song, it is less “grungy” than her previous singles and got more of an ethereal factor, particularly with the sticky chorus. It’s great to see her experimenting with new sounds instead of simply repeating the formula of her debut album, all this while still sounding great. That’s what sets great artists apart.
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!
Comment: A song about heartbreak, Test Dummy is a hauntingly melancholic tune that grows on you with every single listen. Promising Las Vegas-based artist Kami Kehoe wrote it after a heartbreak and in the process showed us that she got what it takes to make outstanding music. Definitely someone to keep an eye on. Check her out.
Comment: If you just listened to Canadian alt-pop quartet The Royal Foundry‘s latest single, the extremely infectious Little High Little Low, you would never guess that they were once a folk duo, with real life couple Jared Salte and Bethany Schumacher at its core. The band has achieved certain recognition in their home country but this track about the importance of mental health and learning how to handle high and lows, could be the one that puts them firmly on the radar at an international level. It you like The Strumbellas (I do, a lot), you are going to love this. Enjoy!
Comment: Having received classical training in percussion and after years performing as a drummer in live gigs or as a DJ/electronic music artist, it makes absolute sense that the work of Keeka The Brave –the musical project of American musician, producer, and songwriter: Elon Hiers–, sounds so cool and fresh. The Messenger, for instance, blends post-rock guitar lines with ambient synths and sophisticated beats. Inspired by the beaches near Jacksonville, this mesmerizing track will be part of Keeka The Brave‘s debut EP. Check it out!
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.
Comment: I hadn’t done one of these (#ThrowbackThursday entries) in a while, mostly due to a lack of time, not a lack of songs. In fact, I wanted to feature Sugarcult last week, after they kindly liked a tweet in which I mentioned them, but alas, I ran out of time. This band from Santa Barbara, California, started in 1999 and had a pretty successful debut studio album in 2001, during the hey-day of early 2000s punk-rock –by the way, last year they re-release that album in its 20th anniversary–. However, something I liked about them was that they were not afraid to experiment and try new sounds: none of their three studio albums sound alike.
Despite still being active (after a hiatus), they have not released a new album since 2006’s Lights Out, which is the one that features today’s track: Do It Alone. This song was the first single off that album and probably ahead of its time, because it wasn’t even as successful as the second single (Los Angeles). I think part of the reason why was that it sounded closer to the music of bands that were becoming popular then, like The Killers, than what Sugarcult had released before. It was our loss, though, because the single was really outstanding and perhaps, in a parallel world in which both track and album were a massive success, we would have had many more Sugarcult albums.
Comment: MONOWHALES were featured here more than one year ago and now they’re back with a new single that, while sounding different and fresh, is also very good. This time they delight us with a bedroom pop tune centered about coming of age as an adult.