Category: Mixtapes

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Au Gres – At Home In The Dark

Au Gres - At Home In The Dark

I’m here for the outstanding guitar solo in the bridge of At Home In The Dark. It really elevates the whole song to another level: from nice to really good. The tune is the second single from Michigan based-artist Au Gres  (aʷ grā), which is the musical project of singer-songwriter Joshua Kemp, who conceived the whole project in his bedroom with, according to him, unimpressive equipment. Au Gres‘ music is a blend of indie rock with bedroom pop and that is particularly true in this new release, which Joshua refers to as being “indie pop with teeth”.

At Home In The Dark is also a love song whose theme is promising one’s partner that you will help them feel at home during the good times but specially during rough times too. You can read a wonderful review of this song at our friend Jeff‘s essential music blog: Eclectic Music Lover, or just listen to it right away at the links below. Whatever you choose, you won’t regret it.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Pop

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Country Club – Temporary

Country Club is the moniker used by 23-year-old Liverpool resident Leon Holmes. Influenced by the likes of Gorillaz, The Strokes, Massive Attack and Portishead; his music is eclectic without being way too experimental. His goal is to blend nostalgic and contemporary genres in an ingenious way. Temporary is an example of that.

As is the case with all his songs, Leon performed, produced and mixed Temporary on his own using just a couple of instruments and a laptop. He did a great job at making it seem like he got plenty of help from other musicians. The tune is captivating without being too on-your-nose. You can really sense the impact Gorillaz had over Leon on Temporary but he still gave it his own twist. In fact, you might like this song even if you aren’t a big fan of Damon Albarn’s virtual band. I’m proof of that.

Listen to Free Country’s infectious tune in the mixtapes below. You might love it but even if you don’t, you will find it refreshing and that’s always a plus.

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Electronic

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NERiMA – Home

Nerima

I had been looking forward to writing about this song from the moment I added it to my backlog. Not only is it really good, but I also see a lot of potential in this little young band from Toronto, NERiMA. It consists of Alexi, Alex, and Connor and I doubt any of them is over 20. They claim to love both classic punk-rock and modern alternative music and somehow you can feel that in their tunes. Even Home, which they categorize as soft-rock, got that blend in a perfect way, something amazing considering their youth. It’s not easy to get that balance right.

And did I mention that Home is just their second single? They are currently preparing their debut album which will hopefully be released soon. As most bands, they faced difficulties during Covid, being so young and having no income from live shows. Fortunately, they survived the worst part but this is where we should step in and give them all the support we can. NERiMA‘s members are really talented and knowing that their music is connecting with people will let them know that they are on the right path and their sacrifices in terms of time, effort, and money have not been in vain. The last thing we want is a bright and talented band breaking up because they didn’t find an audience. Please buy or stream their music, follow them on social media (FB | IG | TW | YT) and let them know that you want them to keep making great music. Don’t do it for them, do it for your future self.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Indie
  • Pop

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Munroe – Don’t Rush To Get Old

Don’t Rush To Get Old is a warm and delicate track. A perfect folksy song to listen to while sipping a hot beverage in a winter afternoon. Kathleen Munroe, aka Munroe, sat down to write it after something important to her ended, thinking that something edgy or even bitter would come out of it. Instead, the result was this well-wishing and gorgeous song about slowing down to appreciate what we have, good or bad.

This Canadian artist started releasing music in 2015, with her debut full-length album, Oblivion, coming to light in 2017. She has teamed up with producer Benjamin Schwab to prepare her sophomore LP and Don’t Rush To Get Old is the second single to come out of that collaboration. In addition to being a songstress, Munroe is also an actor and filmmaker, skills she used on the single’s music video (see below), which she co-directed with her girlfriend Sophie Blumenthal. It was filmed on a field in King City, Ontario, while searching for the Richard Serra sculpture, Shift.

Without a doubt, Don’t Rush To Get Old is a deserving addition to our mixtapes below. Enjoy!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Boom Years – Aim For Danger

Jon Wilder spent a decade drumming in various bands and recording on his own as Boom Years before he realized that he needed a change. He moved then from Southern California to Oregon and that prompted him to write and record a new EP through the summer of 2020 using a stripped down approach rather than a full band as he had done before, and the result was Beaming. This EP, released last week, contains five folk and rock songs about personal events such as the aforementioned move to Portland during a tumultuous time for that city, being jobless, family troubles, and having dogs in surgery.

Aim for Danger is the third track in Beaming. The lyrics reflect a tormented soul who is not sure about the way forward but the melody has a calming effect that contrasts with the songs’ theme. Jon’s soothing voice also contributes to making the listening experience a very pleasing one. Boom Years is certainly a skilled lyricist and somehow I got the feeling that he does not give himself enough credit as a talented musician. He surely is one.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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The Absolute End Of The World – La Strada Per I Vecchi Sogni

La Strada Per I Vecchi Sogni, which I think means The Road To Old Dreams, is my favorite track off Somewhere Else, the new album from one of the best post-rock acts out there: The Absolute End Of The World. As seems to be the norm within the genre, TAEOTW is a solo act and, as the name of this song suggests, the person behind it, musician Luca Maugeri, is from Italy. He started out in 2011 and has a knack for creating beautiful compositions that can transport you anywhere. He also records, produces and distributes his music himself.

La Strada Per I Vecchi Sogni is a euphoric yet melancholic soundscape that feels like drifting through the air over the Mediterranean Sea. The song seems simple and effortlessly even though actually it is not. I truly think that one of the hardest things to do is to make the complicated seem straightforward and that is what separates virtuosos from truly special composers. This song proves that Luca Maugeri, The Absolute End Of The World, is one of them. Enjoy.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Relax

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Carson Rowland – Miss Hollywood Wannabe

To be honest, when I heard that Carson Rowland was an actor who started on Nickelodeon and was now trying his luck as a musician as well and that he had a new track that perhaps was about a fellow actress and former love interest who was obsessed with making it in we Hollywood, I never thought that I was going to like the song. What can I say? We all have our biases. The truth is that Miss Hollywood Wannabe is catchy as hell and Carson is actually a nice singer with an enjoyable voice. Even the lyrics aren’t as cheesy as I thought they were going to be. He is way better than your average young heartthrob actor turned pop star. Not only that, he’s even completing a degree in Neuroscience with a 4.0 grade point average. Talk about judging a book by its cover.

If you don’t hate good hook-ridden pop songs, give Miss Hollywood Wannabe a chance. It’s as good as they come. If Carson Rowland continues down this road, he has a real chance to become a much bigger star.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Pop

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Parra for Cuva feat. Anna Naklab – Wicked Games

Parra for Cuva is definitely one of my favorite electronic music artists. Originally from Germany, I discovered him when the song being featured here today, his cover of Chris Isaak‘s popular Wicked Games, was featured on a now-extinct Youtube channel I used to follow. The track was a real hit, even reaching number 6 in UK’s official Top 40 in 2014, but, nevertheless, he remains relatively unknown. I mean, he should be more famous by now after that success and also because he has consistently released great track after great track (he’s already released one this year).

Nicolas Demuth, Parra for Cuva‘s real name, grew up in the same small town in Germany as singer-songwriter Anna Naklab and, naturally, they ended up working together in a number of releases, including Wicked Games. Her stunning voice is one of the reasons this song is so good. Event though it was a cover of a really well-known song, they managed to make it sound fresh. By the way, while we are talking about Parra for Cuva, check his remix of Mazzy Star‘s Into Dust (not available on Spotify). Simply outstanding.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Chill Out

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Dawning – Rose Lights

Dawning - Rose Lights

Aaron Senor is the artist behind dream-pop solo act Dawning, who released his debut EP, Petals a couple of weeks ago. You can read a great review of this album over at the Eclectic Music Lover blog (you should follow it if you don’t do it already), but I’m going to focus on just one song here: Rose Lights. A soothing track about a love affair that lasted one summer, it consists simply of an acoustic guitar and layers of Aaron’s soft vocals, which results in an atmospheric soundscape that is much more than the sum of its parts.

This passionate singer-songwriter is clearly going places, having already carved out a space on the Michigan music scene. Don’t be surprised when Dawning starts reaching a national or even international audience.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Mystery Rose – Stability

Pop-punk is far less popular today than 15 years ago but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t young artists exploring that genre. We have featured a few here already and today’s artist is another example. Mystery Rose is a 17-year-old indie artists from L.A who writes and records her own music, which ranges from Amy Winehouse-style blues ballads to the genre mentioned earlier. Unlike most teenagers in the music business today, she is not interested in fame, which is why she chose the Mystery Rose moniker. She can show her face from time to time but, for the most part, she prefers to remain largely a mystery.

Mystery Rose‘s debut album, the cleverly titled Socially Distant, will be released this year and its first official single is Stability. A catchy tune about feeling vulnerable after a break-up, it reminisces early ‘00s indie rock tracks, While it doesn’t get bonus points for innovation, it delivers way more than enough in terms of quality rock music. Definitely, check this young artist out.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Punk-Rock