Brooklyn based writer, producer and vocalist tara-bridget is back with new offering ‘She’s so cool’. Receiving praise from the likes of V Magazine, who referred to her as ‘indie’s next rising star’, Women That Rock Press, Quadio, and UK FM Radio, it’ll come at no surprise that tara-bridget is certainly turning heads within the industry. With just under 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone and just under 1.5 million streams on the streaming platform, tara-bridget is known for her adventurous pop music.
Sharing her thoughts on the release, tara-bridget shares, “She's so cool was originally written for my best friend, who had a tough year. Over time, I think the song took on a broader narrative of working women I was raised around, and all around reconciling with growing into myself and finding my place as an artist, as a person.
I found the melody by accident, looking for something more upbeat at the time, but I felt the lead keys were self-discovering, and the lyrics had kind of just come to me. I was thinking about my best friend, and how I love her. A fun fact is that I kept the first lead vocal take I ever took. I just sat down, and it felt perfect. Those things are rare, and I prefer not to mess with them.”
Bewitched from the very first note, it’s tara-bridget’s distinctive vocals that steal the spotlight. Delicate but still coming across as fiercely powerful, the innovative songwriter’s voice could easily find her singing alongside the greats. Aiming to grow as an artist and truly cement her sound, ‘She’s so cool’ really details the importance of staying true to yourself and finding your ‘niche’. Starting her career back in 2017 by publishing her music on Soundcloud and recording with a USB mic, tara-bridget began writing lo-fi pop music. Gradually maturing with each release, tara-bridget is somewhere between indie-rock, alternative-pop and dream-pop. Accompanied with the voice of an angel and transcending songwriting, tara-bridget is destined for greatness.
Claiming the role as a producer, singer, songwriter and music engineer all at the age of just 21 years old, Kate Brunotts really ticks all the right boxes. Receiving support from Lefuturewave, who stated that her music ‘creates new universes, she’s a surefire creative and artistic force’, as well multiple Spotify editorial playlists including ‘Fresh Finds’, Kate is certainly turning heads within the industry. Back with indie infused contender ‘GEMINI’, the track is a self-produced single all about the experience that comes from the duality of both a physical and digital self.
Talking about the sensational new single, Kate explains, “GEMINI is about the facade of ourselves that we portray online and how that reputation unfortunately precedes our one in the physical world. I produced this track after being inspired by the eerie soundscapes of FKA Twigs and feeling a distinct separation between who I am personally and digitally.
I thought it was important for the bed of the sound to be made up of my own distorted vocal samples, with my true vocal singing on top of it. I started with the vocal samples and built up the beat from there.”
The first single off of Kate’s self-produced EP ‘all caps’, slated for arrival later this year, GEMINIcomes across as euphoric and the suitable song for the perfect backdrop to your favourite TV show. Entirely self produced with further mixing done by Devin Spear, the hypnotic track features vocal staples, drum samples, choir samples and even a flute as well. Showcasing that versatility is important to this songwriter, Kate likes to create innovative music without boundaries.
Toronto based artist Spark Houston emerges from the underground industry with his eyes certainly on the prize. Back with his fourth single “Red”, which is taken from his forthcoming debut EP of the same name (the first of a series of three EPs), “Red” showcases his often troublesome relationship with confrontation, competition and ambition. Taking the music industry by storm, Spark Houston has over 615,000 streams on Spotify alone - across three singles.
Going into depth about the release, Houston shares, “Red is my competition, my drive, my energy and my bravado. In polychrome as a whole project (split amongst three EPS - Red, Blue, and Green) Red is the manic high before the crash of the depressing blue. Red is me rapping as well as anyone alive, knowing entirely that there is no human force that can stop me. Red is high octane. Red is lewd”
In the hook when the line "Red mine, red mine, red yours" is said, it's an invitation for all of us, both myself and the listeners, to soak in the atmosphere of my intensity. The pitch shifted voice is used as a motif on red, hinting that, although it feels good to be in a place of righteous anger, that perhaps there is a darker element, a morose, a sadness, to that kind of energy. All of that, however, will be more adequately explained on the next EP, Blue.
Montreal based artist Coleo may still be at the beginning of his musical career, but he’s certainly making a good impression. Delivering a message of encouragement and motivation to anyone who wants to accomplish something in their life, Coleo feels like the type of role model you’d love your future kids to look up to. Coming from a Haitian family background whilst growing up in Canada, Coleo grew up listening to various music, and it’s safe to say that his music is diverse. Known for his melodic signature flows and playful lyricism, Coleo weaves through multiple genres unlike any other artist.
Explaining the meaning behind the powerful new release “Been Trying”, Coleo shares, “Been Trying talks about the hunger that I have to succeed in the industry and the fact that despite the distractions that I might have had in the past, I'm coming back heavy with fresh new music. Nevertheless, 'Been Trying'' stands for distractions that have ‘been trying’ to knock me down in vain.” Produced by CJ Ame in a home studio in Trois-Rivières during the 2020 lockdown, the collaboration meant it was time for both musicians to focus on creating music as a distraction. Musically, the track is highly energetic and motivational - aka everything you need from new artists right now. Speaking volumes to people needing a serotonin boost, ‘Been Trying’ champions growth and finding your feet in a hectic industry.
Wanting to firmly put Montreal on the map, Coleo shares, “I think the city of Montreal is full of talented people, whether it's in music or fashion or any other form of art. I firmly think that it deserves to be put on the map and I want to actively contribute to make it happen.”
UK based artist Matthew Joseph will become the talk of the town in new anthem ‘Chance’. Receiving praise from the likes of CLOUT Magazine, EQ Magazine and Twisted Male Magazine, Matthew has also collaborated withDerrick Barry of RuPaul’s Drag Race US. Having been featured previously on the likes of The X Factor,Matthew quickly realised the impermanence of that kind of shallow exposure and became determined to forget a meaningful path into the industry. He resolved to write his own music and lyrics, criticizing the current trend of virtual dating and our desperation for ‘online’ status whilst avidly supporting LGBTQ and other minority groups.
Sharing his thoughts on the release, Matthew Joseph explains, “Chance is a break up anthem about the struggles of a relationship when you still love them even though they’ve had millions of chances to sort themselves out and make it work. It’s an empowering, relatable dance-pop track.”
Adding to the process of making the track, Matthew Joseph shares, “I wrote the track with George Pelham (check him out he’s got a few million streams himself really successful guy ) in May and it’s really relatable I feel, we’ve all been in this stage of a breakup where you kind of want that person back but you’re also thinking no you’ve had plenty of chances! And I was networking with Myah Marie over socials and thought she would be a fun addition to the track - she’s huge in America mainly behind the scenes writing for Britney, RuPaul, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez (and touring with her and Charlie xcx) to name a few, and I was made up when she loved the track and jumped at the chance to feature. She’s so talented and lovely and I’m a huge fan of her and the artists she’s worked with. Chris Hall (The Wanted, The Saturdays produced the track and he’s produced all my tracks so I’m hoping he’ll be my Max Martin.”
Belgian
singer-songwriter, engineer and producer Mark L. Oakes releases the ideal soundtrack
for a karmic road trip with his debut album ‘Call Me The Moon’.
Mainly
tracked at Mark's home studio in the heart of the Ardennes,
the record has been finalised with the help of Londoner cellist Ben Trigg and mastered by Grammy award winner Gavin Lurssen in
Los Angeles.
The shadows of Oakes' idols are never
far and it's easy to imagine his boundless admiration for the likes of Neil Young, Tom Petty& The Heartbreakers, Tucker Zimmerman and Ryan Adams.
While singles ‘Shredded Jeans’ and ‘Friend
From Above (Sleepless Spouse)’ are tinged with soft melancholy, tunes like
‘Aloof Again’ and ‘None Of These Roads’ will lead you straight to a risky,
bitter ground.
Travelling between Europe and the
United States with a bag full of projects, Mark sees ‘Call Me The Moon’ as the
silver thread out of the vague existential maze.
New genre alert! ‘Space Metal’ is the fresh new label being pushed by these UK-based alt-rockers.
Influenced by bands such as Tool and Deftones, Orca’s latest album contrasts planet-sized riffs with softer moments of eerie zero-gravity ambience. Frontman Christian Edwards provides soaring vocals over the top. The result is both atmospheric and hard hitting.
Highlights include lead single ‘Amber’, with it’s plummeting chugging mid-section and epic outro, and ‘Swimming Upstream’, which starts with brooding clean guitars before exploding into a climax of dissonant riffs, including some groovy bass slides.
Each track is well-paced and excitingly unpredictable. Check out the single ‘Amber’ below:
Following the break-up of her previous band Cymbeline, London-based artist Rachel Myalls has chosen to pursue a solo career as a singer-songwriter.
This delicate blend of folk and blues serves as her first solo EP and sees her exploring the complications of being in a relationship to an intimate backdrop of acoustic guitars. Myalls draws influence from singer-songwriters such as Dolly Parton and Tim Buckley. Her lyrics are vivid and heartfelt, sung in a refreshingly British-accented tone. Highlights include lead single ‘Science’, which touches on the explosive chemistry of a short-lived relationship and ‘Horses’, a track about proving one’s love set to some driving percussion.
Nigel Thomas is making his own distinct brand of indie rock with nods to his old projects and seminal bands such as Stone Roses and Oasis. He found fame in cult band The Foxes in the back end of the Noughties but in his new album ‘The Travelling Man’ he claims ‘I leave it all behind, I left you all behind’.
These biting words are the backbone to the album which is actually quite nostalgic in sound. Rock and Roll may supposedly be the idea but this time it has a deeper meaning. After ‘Fever’ the evocative song recalling his struggles with mental health, its straight on to an equally cheerful topic with ‘Anne’ dedicated to Anne Frank and her Diary that’s not quite what you’d expect.
Thomas spits out how he is a ‘sinner, strummer, drinker and lover’ in the title track of the album which is reminiscent of Frank Turner’s defiance.
The album is an interesting mix of nostalgia and fighting to move on but Nigel Thomas gives his own view of his future, singing, ‘I won’t know where I’m going, till I arrive’. He uses his voice to satirise as well as sympathise in this attention grabbing collection of songs.
Portsmouth rockers Free From Gravity are about to release their wonderfully positive message of overcoming life struggles in a melodically addictive new song called “The Long Road”.
Blending in perfectly elements of classic rock from the 60s and 70s with the more chilled out 90s interpretations a la Bluetones the song has already become quite a sensation in the online community. Music blog Go Hard Magazine has described the lyrics as “emotional, compassionate and inspirational” while music website JamSphere reads: “I don’t know if Vince Barnes has studied music, but he is clearly evolving from a songwriter into a true composer, and the result is extremely satisfying.”
Listen here:
“The Lond Road” was inspired by Vince’s mum’s battle with cancer which she bravely overcame. As a reminder of the hardships life can put on people, it is ultimately a confirmation of positivity and optimism, encouraging anyone who is in recovery to stay strong. Many of the band’s fans can relate to the lyrics and singer Vince remembers a sober alcoholic coming up to him once after gig, telling him how much the song means to him.
Free From Gravity are no strangers to great live performance, having played in front of up to 4000 people in the past and getting a couple of hundred Spanish fans singing along to their songs at a gig abroad. Apart from the success they have accomplished with their own concerts, the four-piece, consisting of Vince Barnes, TJ Jackson, Jason Gray and Lewis Trickett, has supported bands such as the Pat McManus Band or Mark Morris of Bluetones and worked with people such as Andy Mitchel of The Yardbirds.
The band, whose name was inspired by a WonderBra advert which said “Free Yourself From Gravity”, is showing
resemblance to some of the major players in 20thcentury music ranging from The Eagles to The Who. Next to being excellent songwriters, instrumentalists and performers Free From Gravity are a group that adopted an approach to getting their music heard which is driven by passion and a go-getting spirit. “We perform guerrilla gigs where we pitch up and play at a venue or on the street. We are handing out flyers as we play”, explains Vince who is a professional when it comes to DIY and self-promotion.
With a combination of this kind of work ethic and a dedication to good songs the lads are on a steady and way up!
Live Dates:
July 2nd - Hoefest in Waterlooville (near Portsmouth)
‘Ready and Waiting’ by the brilliant RnB singer Becca B is a great new track with clear mainstream potential. Hinting at the style and music of artists like Jason Derulo or Rihanna, the singer from Nottinghamshire has clearly proven that she is on top of her game. Becca B’s vocal maturity and heartfelt interpretation are underpinned by a clean production and a catchy melody. The song is additionally rounded up with a refreshing rap interlude by MceBisi. Becca B shows that the topic of innocent flirtations and the waiting process that comes with it are never really out date and always worth a good song.
The great new single by Marcus Nand is ‘Time And Tide Wait For No Man’, a melodic soft pop/rock track which is set to be released on 22ndJanuary. The single is the first release from his album of the same title. Marcus is best-known for his work as a guitarist, and session musician, having played with many well-respected musicians, as well as expertly crossing-over between genres such as rock, pop, flamenco and blues.
‘Time And Tide Wait For No Man’ is structured as a typical pop song but with Marcus’ own unique spin. Straight away the song begins with a full band, with Marcus’ uplifting vocals right at the focal point. The song starts off quite mellow but soon becomes rockier during the chorus. The lyrics tell the story of sell-expression, determination and motivation to achieve what you want in life. With this powerful message and masterful, capturing guitar work, along with a strong backing band, this makes an excellent first single and we’re excited to hear the rest of the album.
Mechanical Man’s powerful and ultimately enthralling eponymous eight-track album is taking metal rock to a new level. Whilst adding interestingly refreshing elements of brief and almost jaunty piano interludes this body of work manages to remain within the spheres of the muscular riffs and soaring vocal energy that usually form the attributes for great metal records.
Having shaken up the music scene in Russia, this band is introducing a splendid reinvention of traditional metal sounds. With outstanding tracks such as ‘Madhouse’ or ‘Queen Of The Night’, the five piece has created an album which easily touches upon the genius of bands like Metallica or Black Sabbath. Mechanical Man have proven an outstanding ability to fuse melody with the gripping force of hard rock.
The album ‘Mechanical Man’ will be out on 30thJanuary 2016.
Healthy Junkies are a band that lives, breathes and suffers punk rock. This is most evident in their latest album ‘Box Of Chaos’, a truly magnificent ode to the manic depression that plagues the residents of a 21stcentury world.
Although full of social commentary about how screwed this planet is in songs like “Watch Out” or “Captive” Healthy Junkies don’t drown into a nihilistic kind of self pity. Instead, they are punk rock enough to scream “I don’t give a damn” and “Je suis free”, demonstrating that our day and age isn’t necessarily an easy one to live in but that ultimately they’re going their way regardless – and that’s brilliantly inspiring!
Jupiter in Velvet is a singer/songwriter, multi instrumentalist with a passion for classic rock in the style of Aerosmith and Steve Vai. His upcoming single ‘The World Didn’t Start With U’ is a hard hitting rock track exploring multiple emotional themes. It is a great rack that conveys a lot of emotion and energy.
The musicality of the piece is frankly brilliant. The squealing guitar interspersed with booming bass and a driving rhythm section lay a fantastic foundation for his soaring vocal melodies.
Watch the video here:
‘The World Didn’t Start With U’ is taken from an LP of the same name which will be available later this year.
Nigel Thomas found fame in cult indie pop band The Foxes in the back end of the Noughties. Now Nigel is making his own distinct brand of indie rock with nods to his old projects and seminal bands such as Stone Roses and Oasis.
‘Fever’ is his debut track and it is a heady mix of psychosis and rock n roll. The video itself is enough to send chills down your spine. I mean drugs, prostitutes, murder… what more do you want? Musicality wise the song is strong and with such an exciting video to accompany it I just couldn’t pass it up.
Lucan Mills is a dynamic songwriter and rapper with an impressive back catalogue. Having rapped with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Skepta and JME, Lucan as struck out on his own with an exciting solo venture. Backed by a 6 piece jazz band, Lucan weaves incredible poetry about lost love and everyday existence.
His latest offering ‘It’s Just Rap’ is taken off his EP ‘Level 1’. Blending jazz, hiphop and grime, Lucan has transformed established genres into something new and exciting.
‘Level 1’ featuring single ‘It’s Just Rap’ is out now.
St Lucian native Sherwinn Dupes hits back with electric new EP. ‘From Saint Lucia With Love.’ It’s a straight up collection of pop hits in a ballad form. As a champion of St Lucian industry, Dupes melds his love of music with his love for his home country producing an elegant and refined product.
The EP itself mixes RnB and pop with great affect. It is a love story weaving around an intricate melody. Dupes has out done himself and we are super excited to see what else he has to offer.
‘Council House Opera’ is the latest single from Bradford 5 piece Warme. Taking influence from classic guitar music such as The Kinks, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Warme craft bespoke, gritty rock stepped in personal experience and close friendship.
‘Council House Opera’ is a dynamic track borrowing equally from 60s rock and roll and the 90s Brit pop movement with Oasis and The Stone Roses as obvious contributors to the Warme sound. The video was shot in their hometown of Bradford, a Northern stronghold with not much music scene but Warme have taken the lack of surrounding influences and built a fantastic repertoire from nothing.
Warme are set to release the single on October 23rdwith a string of live dates in the New Year.
Scottish foursome strikes out with new single ‘Weekend Millionaire’ on October 17th.
Influenced by a credit card fueled stag do on which the band members went out on the town and spent ‘ridiculous amounts of money we didn’t have’, the song tells the tale of the high life which comes back to earth with a bang once reality kicks back in. Energetic and full of fun, it’s a track which deserves to launch Proud Honey to a new level in the industry.
When a band can make that kind of impact on first listen, you know you’re on to a winner.The debut single will be released by Sub Label recordings Ltd under management from their newly launched label 'Urban Pop Records'.
