Lauren Ruth Ward – ‘Hungry Barber’

We became increasingly aware of Lauren Ruth Ward’s brand of energetic and rowdy rock ‘n’ roll throughout 2018 with the release of her debut album Well, Hell, and string of super singles that followed.

The LA-based singer/songwriter has kicked off 2019 with a new single, ‘Hungry Barber’. Working with longtime collaborator/co-producer Eduardo Rivera, ‘Hungry Barber was born from a desire to create something different to her usual retro folk stylings of three-minutes-with-a-chorus structure that marked her debut. The result is playfully woozy song inspired by The Dodos, The Beatles, and Vali Myers. Clocking in at a minute-and-a-half it forms something of in a stream of conscience as Ward externalises the inner dialogue when chasing the night, and all amid some wonderfully woozy vibes and pleasantly buzzed guitar strums.

You can sample ‘Hungry Barber’ along with the excellent and suitably psych-influenced video below now. Ward’s debut album Well, Hell is available here too, if you fancy giving it a spin.

Alexandros Kilias – ‘My Idea’

Alexandros Kilias is a Greece born, London-based producer who’s music is marked by a diversity of sound, existing as it does in hinterland somewhere between trip-hop, dubstep and electronica.

Killas’ latest single is ‘My Idea’ encapsulates his musical mantra perfectly. It is a beat-driven, deep, bassy sound, with a dark, subterranean vibe; crafted with subtly and a deft touch. Propelled along a slowly swaggering deep bass groove and rumble, its dark and sunken sounds are joined by flourishes of drums, bass and glitchy mastery, with chinks of light and flickers of electronics, and floaty dub tones. While peppered with specks of light, ‘My Idea’ is cloaked with a predominately chilling subterranean vibe, due in no small part to the eerie whispering vocal sample.

Listen to ‘My Idea’ below now.

Ynys – ‘Caneuon’

Ynys (pronounced ‘un-iss’) is a new project from Welsh artist Dylan Hughes, ex Race Horses and Radio Luxembourg.

Ynys’ sound combines an ear for melody and playful approach to song craft, fashioned to form delicate songs that an emit an irresistible warmth amid the beautifully melancholic harmonies and off-kilter psychedelic. For his debut under the Ynys moniker Hughes has teamed up with the wonderful Libertino Records to release ‘Caneuon’, a bona fide treasure. It is an instantly lovable, mildly dizzying and waltzing psych pop song. Pairing a gentle strum and chimes with a big heart-swelling melody and big chorus that envelopes the listener into his world as Hughes’ lilting warm Welsh vocals soaring above. It’s infectious, charming and adorable, with easy-going psychedelic flourishes and classic pop twist, it is an utter joy to behold.

‘Caneuon’ was recorded in Tŷ Drwg with renowned Cardiff producer Frank Naughton and mixed and mastered by Iwan Morgan (Gruff Rhys, Euros Childs, H Hawkline, Cate Le Bon, Meilyr Jones) in Liverpool.

Listen to ‘Caneuon’ below now:

MOBVIBE – ‘Take a look around’

London-based, Greek foursome MOBVIBE have a real knack for crafting bright, upbeat and infectious cut of colourful indie-pop and their formula is presented with exquisite excellence on most recent single, ‘Take a Look Around’.

Take a Look Around’ is a smiley and charming confection of colourful sounds. It is a sweet and loveable blend of infectious guitar jangle, bursts of frazzled electronics, buzzing synths and snappy drums beats, and all dripping with melody and bursting with radiant sunshine. ‘Take a look around’ is a colourful, bright and quirking pop song with dizzying flashes of brilliance that bring to mind Twenty One era Mystery Jets – which given the esteem wit which that record is held here – is high praise indeed.

Listen to ‘Take a Look Around’ below – you will not regret it, in fact you will be all the better for it.

Lauran Hibberd – ‘Hoochie’

Isle of Wight native Lauran Hibberd has built a rep for irresistible fuzz-filled indie pop.

Hibberd kicked off 2019 with pulsating and satirical anthem for the financially troubled with ‘Sugardaddy’ and she is back parading the irresistible facets of her brand of melodic, indie-pop goodness with new single ‘Hoochie’. This is three-minutes of guitar-pop perfection. It is endearingly ramshackle, garage-indebted slacker-pop with an fizzy energy and that signature tongue-in-cheek humour and attitude. ‘Hoochie’ is sweet and coated in a warm layer of fuzz, adorned with hooks you could hang your hat on and those riffs, they are just sensational.

Listen to ‘Hoochie’ below:

TV ME – ‘Data Was Callin’

TV ME is a creative/musical art project fronted by Merseyside native Thomas McConnell, who having relocated to London, works from his home studio creating a cosmic confection of vibrant, psych-tinged electro-pop.

Having introduced his hypnotic and imaginative blend of synth pop, psych and electronica with ‘Circuits’, McConnell is back with new single ‘Data Was Callin’, and b-side ‘Magnificent Advertisement’. It is another distinctive distillation of uplifting and colourful sounds that sounds both familiar and fresh. ‘Data Was Callin’ sees Frankie Tibbles take over vocal duties for the first time, and how. Tibbles’ breezy mellifluous tones are the perfect companion for the terrifically catchy and sparking blend of neon bright indie-disco; ’90s indie, swirling psych and a touch their own unique charm and idiosyncrasy. A smiley, quirky charmer and shimmering sonic delight, it’s associate is equally spellbinding. A more melodic, drifting sci-fi-tinged psych-pop, ‘Magnificent Advertisement’ marries heartbreaking melodies and gentle instrumentation, sadness with beauty and cosmic atmosphere and sense of awe. A pair of magnificent spellbinding and off-kilter excursions into pure psych-pop heaven.

Listen to ‘Data Was Callin’ and ‘Magnificent Advertisement’ below:

Luna03 – ‘Fade’

Luna03 are a Waterford-based outfit, comprised of P. Lucey, D. Falconer and T. Carey, they craft washed-out, hazy and melodic indie jams.

Utilising guitars/effects and enhanced by electronic beats, loops and sequencing software, Luna03 create a minimalist, ambient and experimental wash of sound. The trio’s new single ‘Fade’ takes us on a melodic waltz through a wonderland where dreamy melodies combine with subtle synth, cosmic squiggles and frazzled electronics combine to convey a deep intimate and wistful air. Reverb-laced vocals, melting guitar, smooth bass-line and rising, sparse percussion combine to complete the drifting, floating atmospheric cocktail of washed-out sound. This is an utterly gorgeous, hazy tune and one that washes over you with a great ease, it will leave you all the better for the experience.

Listen to ‘Fade’ below now and if it is to your liking, Luna03 have an EP of the same name out now and if you like, you can listen to it here.

DRAMAS – ‘Comfort Zone / Robot’

DRAMAS are Austrian duo Viktoria Winter and Mario Wienerroither, who from their Viennese base, cultivate a stunning brew of dreamy electronic-pop.

Lifted from their 2018 LP Nothing is Permanent, ‘Comfort Zone / Robot’ is a beguiling example of their flair for dreamy pop and ethereal electronica being pushed into more experimental, spaced-out zones of bleary psych. Winter’s beguiling vocal floats with a weightlessness above a blanket of hypnotic shimmering synth and frazzled electronics, on contrast to the deep bass groove and snappy beats which propel us onward. Their’s is a sound of consummate balance and ‘Comfort Zone / Robot’ finds an exquisite balance between bright and dark, heavy and light and analog and the digital. This is sweet, hypnotic and dreamy, and its transfixing allure is just irresistible.

Listen to ‘Comfort Zone / Robot’ below and if that is to your liking, why not check out Nothing is Permanent here.

Jack Marko – ‘SCORPIO’

Jack Marko is a Canadian producer from Toronto. Taking inspiration from UK Grime, Hip Hop/Trap, a variety of Electronic genres and 80’s sci fi, Marko’s electronic sound is sculpted using a combination of digital and analog processes.

For his latest single ‘SCORPIO’, Marko utilises all these attributes to create a colossus of earth shattering beats, thick analog drums and shimmering synth sounds. It has an eerily sinister aura that consumes it, dominated by a murky subterranean vibe that is hollowed out by skittish glitchy chimes and beats, before being pulverised into submission but the massive blasts of bass. A massive, massive sound but the versatility and detail afforded to the sound astounding and should not be overlooked. ‘SCORPIO’ is masterfully executed and prepped to prompt eerie chills of fear and unease while simultaneously very, very danceable (albeit at a strut).

Check out ‘SCORPIO’ below now:

Introducing: Fox Grin

Nashville-via-Atlanta outfit Fox Grin return to the fold in March following a period of hibernation with new album Dusk; a colourful, kaleidoscopic explosion of bright indie-pop, dreamy psych and vibrant art rock edges.

Primarily based around the pairing of Thomas Chapman (vocals / guitar / keys) and David Bean (bass / backing vocals), the new record follows 2018’s King of Spades, and is sparkling with colourful innovative ideas, strong grooves and pop goodness. Take ‘Broken Watch’ for example. It is an elegant and dreamy slice of sparkling indie-pop, rich in melody and dripping with sunny vibes it dazzles with lush pop orchestration and gorgeous vocal harmonies. This is radiant pop par excellence as Chapman’s hushed, heartfelt and velvety tones are wrapped in a warm, hazy and colourful psychedelic swirl. ‘Skull Candy’ meanwhile, offers a different side to their innovative formula. Glistening guitar lines, chiming keys and annular riffs race and run in tandem with meaty bubbling bassline and propulsive post-punk/krautrock groove to deliver a driving yet dreamy slice of psychedelic-pop peppered with powerful melodies and sweet harmonies. A mesmerising blend of lush pop, dreamy psych and jerky art-rock delivered with an abundance of charm and warm, hazy vibes.

Listen to ‘Broken Watch’ & ‘Skull Candy’ below and if they are to your liking, why not check out new album Dusk, here?