DATE ARCHIVES : January 2018

Raincity Blue – ‘Keeping Busy’

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Raincity Blue are the wonderfully (and aptly*) named, Vancouver based Neo-Soul outfit.

Formed in 2016, the five piece ensemble – Clare Twiddy, Kaylar Chan, Ryley Kirkpatrick, Jay Schreiber & Chantal Gauthier – draw influence from R&B, soul, psych-rock and funk, to brew something smooth and soulful, that’ll get your feet moving and the heart racing. Their latest release ‘Keeping Busy’ is one such case. It slowly swaggers along, soulfully, with a groove and aura of coolness, before gradually swelling, growing and becoming more impassioned to envelope everything in its wake. Amid this soulful waltz, there is yet more to relish in Twiddy’s luscious, powerful, impassioned and oh so soulful vocal as it rises to soar emphatically atop. ‘Keeping Busy’ has all the key ingredients; magnificent, simple as that.

You can listen to ‘Keeping Busy’ below now & you will be all the better for it.

Raincity Blue released their debut album Stuck on Replay this month – you can check it here.

*Why apt? Anyone who’s been to Vancouver, BC will know how synonymous it is with rain, particularly the winter months.

Introducing: Patawawa

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UK trio Patawawa spent the past 12 months carving out a rep for sublime, sassy and infectious, disco-infused charmers – and they’ve kicked off 2018 in a similar stead, with the release of their debut EP, Bedroom.

Really what they do is disco, pure and simple, and they do it rather bloody well. This is old-school disco, with touches of funk and soul, and shades of ’90s/’00s French house – brought together with a modern-twist. ‘Patagonia’ is a shiny, glossy and feel-good tune that brings party vibes, radiating an air of unquestionable coolness as it swaggers on a funky bassline and buoyant melody – highly infectious and danceable. While delivered at a fraction slower tempo, ‘Song For Sam’ is another instantly infectious gem. A silky piece of slinky disco, worming its way into your consciousness with a shuffling, stuttering, funky bassline, deep irresistible groove and choppy guitar. The final gloss is given by a perfect companion, that being the pleasant, easy-on-the-ear and divine, interchanging vocals. Patawawa dare to disco, and it is a joy!

Listen to the choice cuts from their debut EP below – and the EP, in its entirety can be found here.

Retro Kid – ‘Neon Colours’

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Copenhagen-based outfit Retro Kid introduced themselves to us last summer with a series of irresistible electronic productions in the shape of their self-titled EP.

Retro Kid have kick off the new year with the great news that they intend to release their debut album Nordic Noir in 2018. And to get us in the mood, they have kindly afforded us a sneak-peak of what we can expect with lead single, ‘Neon Colours’. It is a really colourful track – neon bright in fact – imbued with a chipper disposition, bouncy vibe and peppered with blasts of brass. This colourful confection of synth splashed electro-pop is treated to one last – but certainly not least – coat of gloss by Christiane Kjærgaard’s gorgeous honeyed vocals. The icing on the cake really, Kjærgaard’s vocals bring it all home in exquisite fashion.

A sublime piece of infectious electro-pop that should have you, like me, salivating at the prospect of their debut album.

Give ‘Neon Colours a listen below – you won’t regret it.

whenyoung – ‘Pretty Pure’

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London-based Irish trio, whenyoung – Aoife Power (Vocals/Bass), Niall Burns (Guitar) and Andrew Flood (Drums) – have kicked off 2018 with some style, sharing brand spanking new single, ‘Pretty Pure’.

Following on from their brilliant opening releases ‘See How They Run’ & ‘Actor’, ‘Pretty Pure’ is the very definition of an indie delight. An irresistible and infectious four-minutes of pristine melodic jangle-pop with a punky-edge and hooks that you could hang your hat on. Powers’ vocals meanwhile, are the pièce de résistance, sweet, yet punchy vocals bristling defiance leaving you utterly powerless to resist the allure of ‘Pretty Pure’. In short, ‘Pretty Pure’ is equipped with everything that has made whenyoung a standout this far.

Jump below to listen to ‘Pretty Pure’ – which out now.

They’ve a pile of live dates across the UK & Ireland coming up, check ’em here.

Kinjac – ‘Tired of You’ (Feat. Kathryn O’Shea)

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Kinjac is a Los Angeles-based project revolving around musician and producer Michael O’Shea, who crafts mysterious and shadowy electro-indie built on dark, moody rhythms and ambient grooves.

Self-described his sound as “Southern Gothic Electronic”, his latest release, ‘Tired of You’ sees him recruit the vocal talents of his sister Kathryn O’Shea- a folk artist/singer-songwriter in her own right. Together the pair weave an overlapping sequenced blend of alluring, sleek sounds, funky beats and grooves a la Hot Chip. Michael’s vocals tumble over stuttering drums and ostentatious yet casual bass, before melting into the background Kathryn’s swirling high pitched vocals. ‘Tired of You’ bobs along with a buoyant wee bounce and an infectiousness that not only demands you pay attention, but compels you submit to its will to move and groove. Vibrant, groovy and pretty damn funky – enough said!

Tune into ‘Tire of You’ below now & if you like the sound of that, there is loads more where that came from over here.

Girl As Wave – ‘Houdini’

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New York’s Girl As Wave follows her previous singles, ‘Speed of Light’ and ‘Polaroid’, with new one, ‘Houdini’, as she steadily builds a rep as a reliable source of wonderful dream-pop, piece by piece.

‘Houdini’ is mellow, calm and dreamy, imbued with a dose of sentimentality that lures you in, merging perfectly alongside the wonderful songcraft. It is a multifaceted sound, encompassing a fusion of subtle influences from Americana and Country & Western – a la the elegant of reverb – to a dreampop aesthetic and spooky, cinematic quality, led by the haunting vocals. In short, ‘Houdini’ is marvelous and so easy to fall in love with – the most creative single Girl As Wave has come up with yet.

Tune into ‘Houdini’ below:

Lamb Markous – ‘Look Back Down’

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Lamb Markous (aka Lambros Markousis) is a musician and songwriter from Buffalo, in the US.

Inspired by everything from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, John Lennon to Kendrick Lamar, his organic acoustic sounds are formed with lo-fi psychedelic textures and an experimental edge. His most recent work, a series of bedroom recordings, armed only with one mic and a computer, are astoundingly warm, inviting and great – the latest of which, is ‘Look Back Down’. It swoons and swells as it drips along melodically, at an unhurried canter along a rough, fuzzy acoustic strum and joined by a mildly mournful, lightly fuzzed vocals. While the lyrics kick back against the bullshit and hum-drum of life, ‘Look Back Down’ feels overwhelmingly optimistic, if somewhat melancholic, and fills the heart with warmth. A joy!

You can listen to ‘Look Back Down’ below, and there is plenty more where that came from, here.

S//P – ‘Head On Backwards’

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‘Head On Backwards’ is the first single from s//p – pronounced ‘Slip’ in case, like me, you were wondering – which is solo venture of Los Angeles based artist Taylor Brown.

‘Head on Backwards’ will appear on s//p’s forthcoming debut album The Cost, and as far a taster or opening salvo, well, they don’t come much bigger or better than this. This is indie-electro or indie-to-dance-to, if you prefer, at it insatiable best. Opening with a protracted parp of brass, ostensibly a call to arms, signalling it is time to get moving. Synth-laden and matched with quick step beats and math-rocky guitarwork, and hushed, often semi-spoken vocals; ‘Head On Backwards’ finds its own space, simultaneously radiating an mellow aura and energetic pulse as it builds to a huge crescendo of full-blown sound. A relentless and infectious mover bursting with vitality – this is one of those tunes that encourages you, nay compels you to dance.

Listen to ‘Head On Backwards’ below:

Andrew Goldring – ‘Lost in the Motion’

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Utah-based singer/songwriter Andrew Goldring began his solo adventures in 2016, after fronting two bands – Golden Sun and Great Interstate – in the prior half-decade.

Thus far, Goldring has been drip-feeding tracks and now, he is back with another single in ‘Lost in the Motion’, with an EP to follow. The single is a delightfully elegant blend of dreamy, mellow and shimmering sounds – this is music to get lost in. Undulating ripples of lush melody, laid-back twangs, glistening hooks and general warmth transport you to a place of peace and tranquility, befitting of great contemplation. Goldring’s voice proves the key, soothing and sauve as it wafts across a hazy canvas of breezy, washed-out sounds. Goldring is kicking off 2018 in great form – no doubt about it – and hopefully we’re inundate with songs of a similarly sublime quality throughout the year.

Listen to ‘Lost in the Motion’ below:

Sure Sure – ‘Giants’

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Sure Sure are an indie-pop foursome from sunny California who have quite the way when it comes to colourful confections of feelgood, sunkissed vibes.

Their debut album was released this month and includes 11 tracks, that fall somewhere between Vampire Weekend, Belle & Sebastian, Mystery Jets and Magic Numbers. Accompanying the record is lead single ‘Giants’ – demonstrating all these aforementioned attributes and more. Through an irresistible combination of plink-plonk keys, sunny piano melody, blustery percussion and beautiful harmonies, it is brimming with optimism but tempered with a mild fleck of melancholy. ‘Giants’ celebrates simple joy, engineered knowingly or not, to instantly paste a big smile on your face, my face and everyone’s else’s face who has the pleasure of making its acquaintance. An ear-catching, exuberant and joyous confection of pure indie-pop perfection!

You can listen to ‘Giants’ below; it is guaranteed to brighten up your day and general disposition.