Category: New Albums

Tilly Valentine Delivers New EP, ‘Half Empty/Half Full’

BBC 6-approved singer-songwriter TILLY VALENTINE‘s new brand EP, ‘Half Full/Half Empty’ symbolises love and loss, with each song is written from a different perspective taking us on a journey from hope to heartbreak.

Pop and soulful soundscapes set the tone for the EP, with hints of jazz and R&B. The optimistic narratives in opening tracks ‘Plus One’ and ‘Gin & Tonic’, tell the story of meeting your perfect match. Valentine’s love songs have been added to playlists such as New Music Friday, Riffs & Runs, Low-Key, Winter Moments, Starbucks and more. The EP later includes the sassy break-up singles, ‘XOXO’ and ‘Thinking of You (Déjà Vu)’.

The newest EP track, ‘Birthdays & Funerals’, is co-written with Easy Life’s producer, Ben Matravers, and samples real voice notes of Valentine’s loved ones. It’s about a relationship that has gone full circle; from growing together to grieving the loss. “Birthdays can be as hard as funerals when the ones you love aren’t there”, Valentine says. “Realising that you’ll never see someone again after a break up can be so heavy. It’s grieving a loss that feels like a death”.

Released last Friday (21st October), ‘Half Full/Half Empty’ is an honest and reflective EP that touches on both the good and bad experiences of love. Have a listen below…

Must Listens: XOXO, Thinking of You (Déjà Vu)

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Jay Jody Steps Out As Solo Artist With ‘Sunset Stories: A Mixtape’

As a former member of SA Hip-Hop duo, B3NCHMARQ, and his part in the collaborative project BLUE TAPE, with brother A-Reece, JAY JODY is now ready to introduce himself officially as a solo artist to the South African Hip-Hop scene via the newly established Revenge Club Records in his upcoming debut mixtape, ‘Sunset Stories.’

The Tape features a host of notable features from A-Reece, Una Rams, Blxckie, Marcus Harvey, and more, placing Jay Jody’s effortless talent in the spotlight. “I’ve realized we’re all part of a big story. And each one has their version with different experiences. What makes this life thing interesting… is that exactly … the Stories. In Sunset Stories: A Mixtape, I share some of my experiences. I share my views. I share my ideas. I share my Stories” Jay Jody

Check out ‘Sunset Stories’ Mixtape plus the blog’s song recommendation below…

Must Listens: Purple Palm Trees, You Ain’t Gotta Like Me, If You Got It You Got It, Sunset Stories Tales of the Cool

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Listen To Young RJ’s Latest Album, ‘World Tour’

As the rightful heir to the positions of J Dilla and Baatin in one of Detroit’s most important Hip-Hop groups Slum Village, rapper/producer YOUNG RJ releases his third full-length solo album ‘World Tour’

While the vast majority of the project’s 11 songs may have been born from complete social isolation and civil unrest between 2020 and 2021, the project’s overall tone is hopeful. That tone is inherent in the album’s title. “I missed being out there with the fans performing”, RJ explains. “It felt right to title [the album ‘World Tour’]”. With songs like ‘Black Is Beautiful’, ‘Freedom’, and ‘Sign Of The Times’, the album captures a common sentiment in the wake of racial injustice; while the upbeat title track opens the album with an optimistic outlook towards the future, and ‘Last Breath’ highlights the sheer will power of an artist to rise above adversity. The contrast reflects RJ’s emotional and mental state through personal dealings at a point in time, and how it all affected his view of the world around him.

Available on all digital streaming platforms via Ne’Astra Music, World Tour features Pete Rock, Boldy James, Blu, Eric Roberson, Mega Ran, Abstract Orchestra, among others, and arrives on the heels of Slum Village’s sold out, 17 date European tour.

Must Listen: World Tour, Black Is Beautiful, Last Breath

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Oloye Coldman Reflects On Life’s Saga With Latest EP, ‘Olúwamáyọ̀wá’

Olúwamáyọ̀wá by OLOYE “Oluwamayowa” COLDMAN is the reflection of a life saga and true story being depicted in just four tracks, but can be viewed as just a picture in your mind from lines to verses.

It’s a story of how he fractured his wrist whilst playing football and despite being in excruciating pain, he never give up and carried on with a smile.

Olúwamáyọ̀wá aims to inspire each and every soul, reviving the saddened mind and putting a smile of triumph on the faces of people. Have a listen to the inspirational set below…

Must Listens: Sat All Day, Elevation

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Jason Griff Makes A Quick Return And Presents ‘Fireside Chats 2’ Album

A year and a half after releasing his critically-acclaimed Fireside Chats album, producer JASON GRIFF is back again with ‘Fireside Chats 2’, flipping punk rock songs into scorching beats featuring over 20 of the best artists in indie rap. Familiar voices such as Defcee and Curly Castro return on the second installment as well as new collaborations with artists like AJ Suede, Fatboi Sharif, Brian Ennals and more.

The Fireside Chats projects are inspired by Griff’s love of the punk rock scene in Chicago in the late 90s, when he often made the trip from the far reaches of the Northwest suburbs to the Fireside Bowl on Fullerton Ave. The iconic bowling alley-turned venue-turned bowling alley again is featured on the cover of the album. Griff came up with the idea to flip punk rock samples during a time when producers were so heavily leaning into flipping soul samples, and he wanted to do something he felt was new and unique to the world of sample-based hip-hop. The result was Fireside Chats.

The second instalment in the series leans more heavily into the collaborative spirit than the first. Eight of the ten songs feature more that one rapper, often highlighting fresh pairings that we have yet to hear, e.g Brian Ennals and Alex Ludovico on ‘KetaMegan’ and Bobby Noble (of PenPals) and Love, Ulysses on ‘Laser Eyes.’ The album is also fortunate to include another posthumus verse from the late Lorde Jones Scorcese, as he pairs with longtime friend and collaborator NiceyMost on the banger ‘PB & J Flow (Ode to Dipset).’ Scorcese had originally recorded the song for the first Fireside Chats, but it was withheld from the album after his passing in order to include it on Fireside Chats 2.

Also featured on this murderer’s row of indie rap talent are Ace Cannons, Teller Bank$, Billa Camp (Low Down Brass Band), King Micah the Infamous, Doampeace (DXA), Rapswell (PenPals), Alaska (Hanger 18, Def Jux), Zilla Rocca, andrew and Jesse the Tree.

Why not check out the fire collection below and the blog’s song recommendations below…

Must Listens: Seen Team, DISCMAN, PB & J Flow (Ode to Dipset), KetaMegan, Laser Eyes

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