Category: Mixtapes

Posted on

Nick Kingswell – I Didn’t Try

Nick Kingswell is an Australian singer-songwriter whose music deserves to be featured in indie movie soundtracks. I Didn’t Try is a perfect example of that, with its acoustic backdrop, sweet melody and Nick’s soothing voice; it could very well be the song that started playing when Tom is lovesick after Summer breaks up with him in 500 Days of Summer. And that is a movie with a great soundtrack.

Nick recently moved to the UK looking to push his music career, and the experience of adapting to a new place while longing for your home place inspired him to write a few songs for his new album, Brontide, which will be released this month. Keep him on your radar because this kind of heartfelt music is always welcome. While we wait for the new album, listen to I Didn’t Try and add it to your soundtrack for this week or month.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

Posted on

The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara – Mata Hari

Mata Hari

I admit I’m not a big fan of experimental music, but when the result is something this interesting, I’ll listen. The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara, or TCOMAS, are a London-based duo formed in late 2019 by Andrea Papi (Manimal) and Daphne Ang (Samara); and when you have a musical act listing as influences the innovative works of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, and Tool, and the poetry of Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf and Jim Morrison; you know that the resulting music will be anything but conventional. They want to bring music, literature, art and history together while defying musical genres boundaries, and their fourth and latest single, Mata Hari, is no exception to that. I warn you, this will not suit everyone, but I really dug it.

Mata Hari was an exotic Dutch dancer who was convicted and executed during World War I for being a German spy, but it also means ‘sun‘ in Malay, and that is the meaning it has on this track, which is told through the eyes of an artist who declared his love for somebody through a painting. The song, with its atmospheric soundscapes, mixes poetry and the spoken word with electronic music and rock, aiming to reimagine how 80s music will sound 60 years from now. Trust me, you are extremely unlike to find something else resembling TCOMAS and Mata Hari.

Give a chance to this immensely creative band. Worst-case scenario, you’ll hear something pretty unique; and best-case, you’ll dig it just like me.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Electronic

Posted on

Habitantes – Antes de partir

I’ve said before that music is universal, and in the same way we featured earlier a song written and performed in French, it is the turn now for a nice indie song in Spanish. Habitantes is an alternative/indie rock band from Mexico that can be really versatile when it comes to musical style. They can go from high-energy garage rock to indie folk with stunning ease. Antes de partir is an example of the latter type of music, a melodic and captivating tune that reveals the acoustic side of this Latin American act.

After starting in 2015, they have released singles and b-sides consistently since then. There will be a new full length album out very soon too. Antes de partir is not going to be part of it, which prompted Habitantes to drop it as a single now. It has been produced by themselves, as they are passionate about all aspects of making music. I don’t think they are widely known outside of Mexico yet, but they got the talent to become a force within the Latin American rock scene and beyond. They only need a tiny bit of luck. Hopefully, this little entry will help.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

Posted on

No Doubt – Don’t Speak

No Doubt - Don't Speak

This iconic album, No Doubt‘s Tragic Kingdom, is 25 years old this month, and, as a homage, I decided to feature one of its songs as this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry. Usually, with bands or albums this popular, I try to highlight the lesser-known gems, but I can’t do that this time around. I got a soft spot for Don’t Speak and can’t pick another song (which would probably have been Just A Girl, which is pretty popular anyway) over it. I’m sorry.

Enjoy this classic song from 1995.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

Posted on

Free Country – Throw My Voice

Throw My Voice is a pretty quiet track that could have fitted pretty well in the award-winning soundtrack for Garden State. Free Country is the stage name of singer/songwriter Jason Ribadeneyra, who earlier this year released his second EP, The Life Of Riley, which consists of 8 songs. Throw My Voice is the second single off of it.

Jason lost his brother to the opioid epidemic in the US and I can’t help but think the heartfelt lyrics in this single were at least inspired by him. An indie folk track, Throw My Voice is one of those songs you can enjoy best on a rainy day. If you enjoy emotive folk songs with soothing melodies, this little song will be right up your alley.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

Posted on

Rough Gentlemen – Black Gold

It is not precisely a secret that by adding contrast between different sections of a song –particularly, between the verses and the chorus–, the resulting songs will be more interesting. This is what makes Come Together so great! Yet, plenty of songwriters make the mistake of having a chorus that sounds too similar to the rest of the piece. Luckily, that wasn’t the case for Rough Gentlement, a four-piece rock band from Canada, with their latest single, Black Gold. A banger with an infectious chorus made even better by the high contrast it has with the rest of the tune.

After starting in 2017, the Canadian band has garnered a following in Quebec and this year released this new single in preparation for a future EP. Black Gold is an energetic rock inspired by the various crises the world has gone through this year and how we just have to keep marching on. Not only it is a catchy track, it also has meaning. Check it out below!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

Posted on

Marcus Lee – Not For You

Something great is going on at Songwriting at Berkeley. Remember Lucy Eaton? She was a VP of that student group at UC Berkeley. Well, today’s featured artist, Marcus Lee, not only is/was a member as well, he co-founded it. And speaking about Lucy, Marcus collaborated with her on recording and releasing her debut single, the stunning Rotten Love. Last Friday, it was Marcus’ turn to release music on his own with Not For You, a hauntingly beautiful indie folk track.

A self-taught producer and mixing engineer, Marcus started as a jazz musician, but his love for folk music eventually led him to start writing songs with a guitar in college. His goal when producing and writing his own songs is to share intimate and impactful experiences through his music, which is something that he certainly achieved with Not For You. This gorgeous song reminds me of Gale Song by The Lumineers, which should give you an idea of the raw emotions Marcus is capable to evoke with his art.

Below, you can watch Marcus performing his single live, and in the mixtapes below, you’ll be able to find the ‘studio’ version. This is not music to be danced to. It is music to be felt.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

Posted on

Night Traveler – Watching You

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to add a new entry yesterday, but I’ll try to make up for that today. Here, I bring this musical crush from Night Traveler, a terrific duo from Austin, Texas. I discovered this song back in August but between prioritising submissions and other plans, I had been delaying its inclusion here. It’s about time that changed because Watching You certainly deserved better than that. It’s a really great track.

The duo recently released their debut EP, Dreams You Don’t Forget, for which Watching You was its latest single. An atmospheric track of searing indie pop with traces of melancholic 80s music, this song got everything you need to put it on repeat, including the perfect vocals for this type of music. Actually, I dare you to listen to this great tune just once. I had to put it on repeat.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Pop

Posted on

Desoto Jones – Nonfiction

Back in 2007, a little alternative rock band from Pennsylvania released Aurora, their debut album, which got overlooked despite being one of the best rock albums of that year, perhaps even of that decade. I’m talking, of course, of Desoto Jones and for this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry, I thought we could reminisce about one of the gems in that record.

Three of the five members of Desoto Jones –they are still active– are brothers and while they were recording Aurora, their father passed away. Nonfiction is a an emotional song the brothers dedicated to him. Its acoustic overtones and the heartfelt lyrics intertwine into a beautiful track that doesn’t get old. Listen to this song and then play the whole album. You will see why it is a shame this record didn’t become more popular.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

Posted on

Sour Honey – Snub

Sour Honey is a four-piece alternative rock band from Manchester that had to swim against the current pretty much from the start. Formed out of two other bands: Young Monarch and Cosmo Calling, their debut gig and launch party had to be cancelled due to the lockdown. This didn’t prevent them from releasing their first single then and a series of cover videos just to keep the momentum going. Set on maintaining the ball rolling during these trying times, Sour Honey is back with a second single, Snub, a clear statement telling the world that this young band is going places.

I really love the guitar riff during the pre-chorus and the overall soundscape created by the misty vocals and the multiple layers of music coming together. It is another example of the amount of talented musicians who are out there waiting for a chance to be heard. Something tells me we’ll keep hearing from Sour Honey.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative