Cultures – Away From Us

Cultures - Away From Us

Cultures is an alternative/indie rock band from Greater Manchester that started just four years ago but has managed to get some attention in that short period of time. In fact, I would not be surprised if they became the next big thing to come out of the Manchester area. The group certainly got the talent for that.

Away From Us is their latest single and it showcases perfectly how much the band has evolved since 2016. It is a guitar-driven song about what it feels like to live away from home for the first time, something many of us can relate to. If this is an indication of where Cultures is heading to, it is clear then that the band is going up. Watch the brand new video (released today!) or listen to the song in the playlists below, and then you’ll be able to brag about listening to Cultures before they became big.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Hunter & The Bear – Won’t You Ever Come Home

Hunter & The Bear

These British rockers deserve worldwide recognition. Started by Will Irvine (the Bear) and Jimmy Hunter, Hunter & The Bear is now a four-piece rock band that have supported artists like Eric Clapton and played in multiple festivals, but I don’t think the casual listener knows who they are. That needs to change soon.

Hunter & The Bear released a new single in March this year. It is very good and I will probably feature it here in the near future. However, the song I’d like to highlight here today is this gem from their debut album from 2017: Won’t you Ever Come Home. This beautiful song blends the best of Bruce Springsteen with Irvine’s stunning vocals to make it a memorable track that deserves to be played on repeat ad infinitum. It became my musical crush for a while. If you like good rock music, chances are high it was or will become yours too.

*Update: The band has been renamed Daytime TV after guitarist and co-founder Jamie Hunter left the band in 2021.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

The Dangerous Summer – Where Were You When The Sky Opened Up

The Dangerous Summer

The Dangerous Summer is an American band that sits on the border between alternative rock and punk rock. The band has been active since 2006 and even though it didn’t became big –at least not yet–, it got a decent group of fans. The Dangerous Summer’s latest studio album (although they will release a new one soon) was Mother Nature, released last year, and it had the song featured here as it lead single.

Besides having a really long name, When Were You When The Sky Opened Up got a melancholic vibe and a melodic rhythm that make it one of the most memorable songs from the subgenre in a long time. It’s the perfect tune to listen to when you get into a car and start riding. Don’t you think?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Meg Myers – Numb

Meg Myers - Numb

Janice Sue Meghan Myers, better known as Meg Myers, is an American singer-songwriter who debuted in 2012. Almost two years ago, she released her second studio album, Take Me to the Disco, for which Numb was the lead single. I know it is not brand new but the song is too good not to be featured here, especially considering the fact that it didn’t reach a very wide audience (that being said, it wasn’t unsuccessful, having peaked at position 182 of Billboard 200.

Numb is perhaps the singer’s most radio-friendly song, which is not something Meg usually tries to achieve. The song’s style reminds me of the late 90’s alternative rock, which feels like a breath of fresh air nowadays. It certainly deserves to be listened to on repeat at a high volume level. Without a doubt, Numb has huge musical crush vibes. Is it yours?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

U137 – Have Hope

U137 - Have Hope

U137 was a “cinematic post-rock” duo from Sweeden formed by Adam Tornbland and Oscar Gullbrandsen in 2013. Unfortunately, Adam passed away at age 27 in 2017 (and I strongly urge you to listen to the beautiful “Adam Forever”, which Oscar released as a tribute to him), so nowadays Oscar is the sole member of U137.

Back in April this year, Oscar released U137‘s latest single, Have Hope, which he wrote as a message of optimism during these uncertain times. The song has the rich textures and layers for which U137 is known for within the genre enthusiasts and makes you want to hear it again and again. As other U137 songs, it evokes feelings of euphoria and has a calming effect. I find this kind of music ideal to listen to while I work or have to focus on something. I guess the best adjective for Have Hope is, quite simply, beautiful.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Hazey Eyes feat. Panama – Emotion

Hazey Eyes

I got my lovely wife to thank for this discovery, as it showed up while she was listening to a playlist with recommendations from one streaming platform. Hazey Eyes is the moniker of 22-year-old Philadelphia-based electronic artist Thomas Michel, who released in 2019 his latest EP, Love Lost. For its lead single, Emotion, the classically trained multi-instrumentalist collaborated with Panama, the well-known electronic/Indie project by Australian songwriter/producer Jarrah McCleary, and the result was this emotional blend of electronic and indie music with a catchy yet vulnerable melody.

Emotion got serious potential to become your next musical crush and you can stream it below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Kodaline – Sometimes

Kodaline - Sometimes

Who doesn’t remember Kodaline‘s All I Want? That single and their whole debut album were a massive hit for the Irish band, and even though their two subsequent efforts had moderate success, they haven’t come close to the magic of their first release.

The band will be back with a new album, One Day at a Time, two days from now (the 12th) and one of its lead singles is the song featured here, Sometimes, which has a perfect Indie vibe with an upbeat melody, despite deep lyrics talking about the subject of anxiety. Hope you enjoy it (please let me know)!

“Sometimes is a song I wrote while on tour in Asia last year. I had a really bad day dealing with my own anxiety issues and I kind of let it get the better of me. I started writing the song in my hotel room to help me calm down, music has always helped me in that way. For me It’s a song about accepting the bad days and trying to stay positive. We all get lost sometimes…”

Steve Garrigan, Kodaline’s lead singer

Featured on the following mixtapes:

JC Stewart – I Need You To Hate Me

JC Stewart

JC Stewart is a young Irish singer that doesn’t even have a full album out yet. What he has is a number of singles and EPs that are already generating some buzz in different circles, such as I Need You To Hate Me. I wouldn’t call this song groundbreaking, but I do think it’s a perfect pop song with a nice melody and a catchy chorus.

Here you can watch its lyric video.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

The Airborne Toxic Event – The Common Touch

The Airborne Toxic Event - The Common Touch

The Airborne Toxic Event were extremely active from 2008 to 2015 and then went quiet until now, when they’re back with their sixth studio album, Hollywood Park, which is a concept album accompanied by a book: lead singer Mikel Jollett’s memoir.

The first single out of Hollywood Park is Come On Out, which is not bad at all, but the song I’m adding to the mixtapes here is The Common Touch, which has the band’s signature style and deep, harrowing lyrics. Hope you like it!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Manuel Le Saux & Unbeat – EVO

Manuel Le Saux & Unbeat

I got to admit that I didn’t know much about either of these two DJs until this song, EVO, got featured on a couple of Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance compilations (#908 & #909), but we will all know about them if they continue producing tunes like this one. Manuel Le Saux is a Roma-based DJ & Producer and Unbeat seems to be a DJ from Slovakia. Here’s to more tracks like EVO. Give it a listen in the mixtapes below: