MEAR is an indie pop collaboration between singer-songwriter Frances Miller and electronic composer Greg Harrison. Together, their music combines catchy melodies and poignant lyrics with their shared love of experimental music. Miller and Harrison met while working at the music venue Massey Hall in Toronto and began collaborating shortly thereafter by sending tracks back and forth over social media.
“Some memories help propel us forward while others cling to us so tightly that they bind us in place,” Mear shares about triumphant ‘Second Sight,’ their latest release from forthcoming album Soft Chains, coming out 22nd April . “This song is about someone who is grappling with a memory that holds them back. It’s about a confrontation and making it out on the other side.”
Watch the video for ‘Second Sight,’ integrating dance artist Katherine Semchuk’s choreography with animator Kristen-Innes Stambolic’s vision.
Following her soothing Nu Jazz/Neo Soul debut, ‘Cinnamon Bun’, KINZOOGIANNA returns with second single title, ‘Night Train’, which brings another side to this multi-talented singer and producer.
An upbeat live instrumentation introduces the single, where Kinzoogianna’s vocals, in some place, gives off that real retro, Brand New Heavies feel to the whole production.
‘Night Train’ is the second release from her forthcoming debut album, ‘Gold For The Hungry Souls’ slated for release on 1st August 2022 on Brotherly Music/Kudos Records. Check it out below…
Fresh off a North American tour, New York-based singe songwriter MAE KRELL releases her new EP, ‘imposter syndrome.’ The 4-track EP is the culmination of Mae’s artistic and personal development over the past two years: “I’ve grown up, begun to gain confidence as an artist, and had the opportunity to have my voice really listened to in every step of the music making process. With all of this positive change still comes doubt; and often really intense imposter syndrome, at least for me. This record is about pushing through it because you know it’ll all be worth it.”
The EP is named after the final single to be released, “imposter syndrome,” but was actually inspired by an experience working on one of the other tracks on the EP.
Explaining how it came to be, Mae says, “while working on ‘phantom limb,’ Jakob Leventhal (producer) brought in an incredible pianist to play on the track. While sitting in the studio I had this overwhelming feeling of not being talented enough and feeling like I shouldn’t be there. Imposter syndrome is such a common feeling, especially for people from minority backgrounds, and it really hit me like a truck that day.”
That was then followed by going home and writing this song. Over the course of the ‘impostor syndrome’ EP, Mae masterfully and heart-wrenchingly dissects the relatable feeling of self-doubt. The songs are melodic, intimate, and packed with cathartic lyricism that will strike a chord.
At just 22 years old, Mae exudes a musicality wise beyond her years. Influenced by revered singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers, and Gregory Alan Isakov, her songs are intimate reflections that confront trauma, self-love, and personal truths. With a distinct folk-pop sound and introspective lyrical chops, Mae has earned millions of streams across her repertoire with multiple tracks breaking 500K. With a multitude of career milestones already under her belt, Mae is taking it one day at a time and focusing on writing and recording songs that reach new emotional heights.
Newcomer ELLIE BYERS may well pull a few heartstrings with her debut, ‘Role Play’ as the smooth, toe tingling afterhours single is universally relatable when it comes to relationships.
The UK R&B/pop songbird says of her debut: “Role Play is a very personal song to me. It’s about pretending to be what you think your partner needs and wants, in an effort to keep a floating relationship afloat – even if it means sacrificing who you really are.”
Through her debut, Ellie hopes those in a familiar situation, will find solace and overcome that feeling of being second best to their partner.
‘Role Play’ is the first release from Ellie’s upcoming debut EP ‘Too Far Gone,’ slated for release in late 2022. Have a listen to ‘Role Play’ below…
Indie, dream pop artist RYAN WRIGHT‘s surreal and intense debut EP, ‘A Dream I’ll Forget’, is the half-forgotten soundtrack of a memory: the music blasting through the gritty speaker of your ex’s beat up car, windows rolled down, flying fast down a familiar highway.
The motif of teenage intensity serves as the EP’s consistent through-line—the internal monologue of a person experiencing the highs and lows of “firsts”. Recurring images of cars, parties, and cell phones serve as a reminder that ground the listener squarely in the world of teenage carnality but are juxtaposed with references to the sky, dreams, and music, pointing to something more ephemeral -and more eternal.
Lyrically, Wright hints at traumas that are both intimate and individual, but the sentiments are open to interpretation and can be applied universally. There’s a dark humour that undercuts that intensity—a winking acknowledgement of how trivial the vicissitudes of the teenage experience truly are despite how dire they may feel in the moment.
‘A Dream I’ll Forget’ is the musical embodiment of the teenage experience in all its confusing, messy, exhilarating glory. Why not check out the EP below…
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