Following on from their second album (Divine Invasions), collaborations with Welsh poet Autumn Juvenile and Polish Artist Michal Iwanowski, plus an R.E.M cover, Daniel Barnett and drummer/producer Andrew Sanders -aka electronic postrock duo RITUAL CLOAK – present their single, ‘Shell’ which is about being in a dream where you’re constantly searching for someone but never quite finding them.
It’s an idea that’s been floating around for a few years and gone through a number of different versions before becoming what it is now. Originally Shell was written for acoustic guitar and had a completely different feel. Dan remembers re-listening to Metals by Feist and being inspired by the dramatic intimacy of the album, leading to Shell being rewritten for piano. When the song was brought to the studio Sanders suggested taking the vocals outside of the usual comfort zone.
The inspiration for this method of production was taken from Bon Iver and Mogwai, experimenting with vocoder and the deliberate use of autotune for the first time. As a result the song entered new musical territories, and served as a reminder to ourselves that there are no rules in what we do. Have a listen below…
London-based singer, songwriter and producer PAIGE BEA‘s EP ‘Goodbye, Then!’ – self-released via The Orchard – re-establishes her within the alternative pop landscape after a 2 year hiatus from releasing music. To date, the EP has received wide acclaim and support from BBC R1 (Jack Saunders), Spotify (Fresh Finds UK & IE), COLORS, The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH Magazine, Wonderland, The Rodeo, New Wave Magazine, enfnts terribles, The Pit LDN, Wordplay Mag and more.
Influenced by acts such as FKA Twigs, Tirzah, Caroline Polachek, Jockstrap, James Blake and Sampha – those sonic touch points are evident within Paige’s avant-garde, unpredictable productions as she melds spiralling pop hooks and boundary pushing instrumentals, with timeless songwriting and self-aware lyricism. ‘Goodbye, Then!’ sees the artist uniting with producers Leo Wyatt (aka KINDER) and Jonjo Keefe (Park Hotel).
The six-track EP explores the obsessions and projections that come with all relationships. From lustful beginnings (“4×4”) to shaky middles (‘Autopilot’ and ‘Melt’), bitter ends (‘Stay Still’) to rose-tinted re-imaginings of the past (‘The Quiet Of The Hours’ and ‘Goodbye, Then!’) – the music aims to chart how warped perceptions of romantic relationships directly lead to their downfall. Part catharsis and part warning signal – the songs are an attempt to take back the narrative and add some much needed glamour and thrill to the tricky process of letting go.
“The production, lyrical themes and aesthetics surrounding ‘Goodbye, Then!’ are a slow sharpening of my sense of self,” Paige explains. “It starts dark, murky and jagged and eventually reaches a place of clarity and peace. The maximalist approach to the EP is a significant contrast to how small I was made to feel – and that was important. These songs are about making myself the main character again and I want this EP to make those who listen feel empowered, sexy and resolute in stories of their own heartbreak too.”
‘Goodbye, Then!’ is out now for your inspection…have a peep below…
With a mission to bring together talented musicians from all around the world, HARMONY DREAMERS is a unique musical endeavor led by Byron Lee Scott. With their latest album, featuring a roster of diverse musicians from different fields of expertise, the band raced to the top of the UK iTunes and airplay charts with two singles. ‘I Come From Earth’ currently sits at #2 on the UK Talk Radio airplay chart, while the “Nashville Jam mix” of the song reached #12 on the country sales chart. Now, Harmony Dreamers share an emotional new single, ‘Without You,’ which is an ode to people who will be celebrating the 2022 holiday season without a loved one. The emotional single aims to infuse listeners with hope, while also letting them know that someone out there is going through the same situation.
Scott says, “The more I listen to this song, ‘Without You,’ with the upcoming holidays, it just tears me up, the timing. Two people very close to me, my older brother and my adopted son, just broke up with long time live-in partners, just within weeks. When I worked on the cruise ships, it was not uncommon during the holidays for people to be grieving and trying to find peace.”
He further added, “There were certain healing songs I played for them that they still message me about years later, even though I only knew them for 15 minutes.”
Coming quickly off the back of their previous single ‘Bleak Moors’, Manchester punks TOKEO continue to explore the stark realities of life amongst Manchester’s forgotten mill towns on their single, ‘King of the Town’, the final track taken from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Class Traitor.’
A cathartic triumvirate of punk, rock and rap, the quintet have distanced themselves from much of their Manchester contemporaries through their angst-fuelled take on northern post-punk, preferring instead to shed light on the discrepancies faced by those growing up in areas ignored by wider government.
Indeed, these politics, and this anger are what allow TOKEO to stand apart from a local scene too often concerned with vintage leather jackets and virtue signalling to really care about the wider local area. And on ‘King of the Town’, this vitriol really boils over. A dystopic and tongue in cheek take on misplaced admiration, it’s a blisteringly scathing attack on small-town syndrome.
With each release harbouring more piss and vinegar than the last, it’s obvious that TOKEO are a band unimpressed with the current way the UK is heading, and we shouldn’t be too. At a time when the costs of living are soaring, and the UK government is nothing more than a self-spiralling shit show, the outlook is bleak, and while the band might not offer any respite from that, they certainly provide some much needed catharsis. Have a listen to ‘King of the Town’ below…
Following on from previous single, ‘Strong For You’, Australian Singer-Songwriter, KAREN HARDING reveals the second half of her musical project with Argentinian P&M Records, with the dual release of ‘It’s Okay’ and ‘Greener On The Other Side’, featuring the Cologne Chamber Orchestra.
Written by Karen Harding and produced by P&M Records, ‘It’s Okay’ tells a story of self-frustration.. of believing that you should be somewhere, someone or somehow different than where you are.. and then allowing yourself to drop it and let go in compassion for yourself, letting yourself know that it is truly ok for things to be exactly as they are.
Co-written with P&M Records and featuring the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, ‘Greener On The Other Side’ was written when considering some big changes. It highlights the fears that come up with the change and questions whether what you imagine on the other side of change is truly the reality of how it is. Is the grass really greener on the other side?
“It was such an incredible honour to be able to have the Cologne Chamber Orchestra play on ‘Greener On The Other Side’. It has always been a dream to work with an orchestra, and to work with such a talented and world class orchestra is beyond my dreams” Karen Harding
Since her debut single release in May 2021, ‘I Didn’t Realise’, Melbourne, Australia singer-songwriter, Karen Harding has been on a journey of musical and personal exploration, determined to see what is truly possible in music and creativity.
Karen Harding has recently collaborated with Argentinian P&M Records, the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Canadian producer, Landao, Melbourne Hip Hop artist, Serif, and a stunning inspirational project with Misia Julia, as well as winning the 2021 Bendigo Bank sponsored Radio Eastern songwriter talent show and being nominated as top 10 winner for the World Songwriting Awards, and a nominee for Best International Artist on Crags Radio Independent Artist Awards in February 2022.
Likened to the sounds of Eva Cassidy, Sarah McLachlan and Karen Carpenter, Karen Harding’s music features alluring and ethereal vocals at the forefront, complimented by an instrumental soundscape that will send you soaring within a dreamland of imagination.
Having begun her musical journey, playing the piano at 6 years old and beginning formal singing lessons at 14, music has become a world of discovery and possibility, as well as a tool and a therapy for her to sort through experiences and emotions, that touch each of us within the human race.
Karen Harding has big plans for evolution and metamorphosis as 2023 rolls around and is looking forward to sharing all the projects that are yet to be revealed…but for now, listen to ‘It’s Okay and ‘Greener On The Other Side’…
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