Hot out of the booth, singer, rapper, songwriter and producer THBENJI has dropped his third single for the year ‘Y’, a follow up to his most recent singles, ‘2020’ and ‘Reasöns’ which dropped earlier this year.
‘Y’ is an emotional & uplifting song which he hopes encourages people across the globe to notice and appreciate the simple things in life. With the spread of the COVID-19 virus he hopes the song will will bring some relief to the anxieties that a lot of people are feeling and encourage people to be there for each other.
Speaking of the release ThBenj says: “It is a time for each of us to set up, support each other, be kind and give to those in need”. We all play a part, we all have a responsibility”.
Born in Sardinia, ThBenj built his career performing and working with other industry professionals throughout Australia, Ibiza, The Netherlands, Sardinia and Italy.
After spending the last few years on his home island where he wrote and recorded his 2019 debut album ‘T.H.B.’ – which hit number one on Google Play for Hip Hop in Italy and number one onNEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Albums of 2019 list – he is back in Melbourne and has set up his studio with a focus on creating and releasing new music.
Check out ‘Y’ below, released today on all major music download and streaming sites.
Following the release of her debut EP ‘Systems Fail’, which was released last year to rave reviews from fans and critics alike, 18-year old indie / bedroom pop upriser LILAC SPIRIT is back with her brand new single and first offering of 2020 titled ‘Nothing Is Real’.
Unveiled alongside a fitting music video, shot in Kyiv, Ukraine, and directed by burgeoning filmmaker, photographer and creative designer Ubik Litvin (Vogue, Marie Claire, VIVA), ‘Nothing Is Real’ will serve as the precursor for her upcoming debut album, which is scheduled for release this autumn.
Speaking about how ‘Nothing Is Real’ came about, Ukraine-born Lilac Spirit says, “The chorus came to my mind about three years ago, but with absolutely different lyrics, but when I found this song unfinished a year later, I was dealing with some inner conflicts. It didn’t take me long to think of the new lyrics, because they were just my mind’s reflections that were perfectly matching the melody. This song is a reality check for me, because neither my past nor my future is real. We are just stuck there with our present, which is, in fact, momentary. Yesterday is a memory, and tomorrow is unknown, today is fleeting. So is anything even real? Yes or no, why should it matter anyway?”
Check out the surreal visuals for the single below…
,British Columbia hip-hop duo SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS (SNRK) have released their latest single ‘Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!!’ in support of the Wet’suwet’en pipeline protests currently taking place across Canada.
The latest single will appear on SNRK’s upcoming EP, ‘Born Deadly’, set to arrive next month (3rd April) and comes hot on the heels of single, ‘Real Deadly.’
Next month, the guys will head out on their first ever U.S. headlining tour, which kicks off April 12 in Portland, OR and wraps up June 13 in Detroit.
‘Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!!’ represents a response to the current eviction notice that was served by the Unist’ot’en People to Coastal Gaslink in Northern British Columbia — Wet’suwet’en territory — and an expression of solidarity with the protests sparked by the eviction notice. Coastal Gaslink have proposed a 670-kilometer fracking gas pipeline to run through the mountains from Dawson Creek to Kitimat, BC. The proposal does not have the support of First Nations leaders and communities because the lands of British Columbia are unceded, meaning Indigenous people never sold or transferred the land to the Canadian government. The rightful land-owners should have control of what forms of industry happen on their lands, and as land protectors, Indigenous people are standing up to big business to protect the land and environment for future generations.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Protests have swelled across Canada, and protesters have come up against injunctions, police brutality, and heavy-handed tactics by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. And yet, the movement continues to grow. SNRK’s music, in particular anthemic songs like “Skoden,” “KKKanada,” “Johnny’s Teeth,” “The Warriors,” and “The Resistance,” have been at the center of all of this, played at protests and incorporated into chants. SNRK wanted to offer a new song in response to the current anti-pipeline movement. “Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!!” highlights police brutality and the perseverance of Indigenous people in times of struggle.
Discussing “Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!!” and the anti-pipeline movement, Yung Trybez and Young D stated, “People close to us have been on the ground day in and day out putting their lives on the line to protect all our futures. We’re obviously frustrated by the lack of respect for Indigenous land rights and ownership, but watching the RCMP arresting our people for defending their land and protecting their territory, we felt rage. There’s such a long history of RCMP inflicting violence on our people and that rage boiled over into this song. ‘Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!!’ is a rager, and for us this was the only way to tell that story. We see the Indigenous youth leading the current blockades. They’re fighting not just for the future of tomorrow, but for the future of today. This song was made specifically for them.”
Check out ‘Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!!’ below…
Following the video release for her anti-Valentines single ‘Strangers’ (currently the blog’s Music Video of the Month), Canadian soundscaper SELCI returns with the languid electro-R&B number, ‘Hide Forever,’ which will appear on her second EP in less than a year, ‘A SOFT PLACE’, set for release via Inner Ocean Records on June 23.
As the world is gripped by the Coronavirus pandemic, the track’s message of finding comfort in isolation seems especially fitting in these uncertain times. ‘Hide Forever’ is a slumbering reflection of the artist trapped in a sleep state during a periodic low. Produced with the help of prolific Vancouver beatmaker Neighbour and tempered by Selci’s narcotic vocals, the track flows like a curl of smoke.
“I wrote ‘Hide Forever’ when I was in a major depression and I wasn’t able to face the world,” Selci says. “Sleep was my only place of solace. The world would shut off and I could drift away. For A SOFT PLACE, I needed to dig into the places that made me feel safe, where the fear and stress of the world was silenced: laying on a couch with family, dancing by myself, or sleeping. Sometimes finding a soft place is a site of peace. Sometimes it’s a place of refuge or a part of you that you need to protect. Now with people all over the world going into self-isolation, this song seems to resonate more. I hope that people who are struggling with their mental health because of the pandemic are able to find their own places of softness and comfort. While you may feel like hiding forever, just know that you’re not alone—we’re all in this together.”
‘Hide Forever’ is now out today on all download/streaming sites. Have a listen below…
Hot out of the booth, singer, rapper, songwriter and producer THBENJI has dropped his third single for the year ‘Y’, a follow up to his most recent singles, ‘2020’ and ‘Reasöns’ which dropped earlier this year.
New Lease Music 