New Music Video: Down – Marian Hill

MARIAN HILL have arrived. The multi-talented duo made up of Jeremy Lloyd (music/lyrics/production) and Samantha Gongol (music/lyrics/vocals) have just dropped the mesmerising, must-see visuals for their smash track ‘Down’ which features on Apple’s new TV campaign for iPhone 7 & AirPods and they recently took to Jimmy Fallon for a stomping performance.

MARIAN HILL shift the classic paradigm of a woman on a stage and a man with a piano to a woman on a mic and a man with a laptop. Tempting paradox with a blend of blues and bass, acoustic and digital, classic and modern, the duo’s full-length debut ‘Act One’ and ‘Down’ have both caused huge waves since their release. Currently No. 19 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and recently one of pop radio’s most added songs in the US, ‘Down’ entered the Top 20 of Spotify’s global Viral Chart, reached No. 1 on Shazam in the US and Canada and No. 5 on Shazam’s worldwide chart. Garnering praise from the likes of The FADER, Wonderland, The 405 and Beats 1, the duo have taken their one of a kind sound and live offering to SXSW this week.

Two years ago Sam and Jeremy wrote and recorded ‘Whisky’ during spring break in Jeremy’s parents’ basement. When they released it for free on Soundcloud later that summer it was the only song they’d written for the project, and in a little over a year’s time they had recorded their first EP in a bedroom, amassed millions of plays on various platforms, sold out shows across the US and featured in high-profile commercials.

Debut album ‘Act One’ released last year – with a physical release scheduled for March 24th – takes you on a journey through the complexities of modern relationships, with each song inhabiting a specific and charged relationship lyrically, melodically, and sonically. ‘I Know Why’ constantly transforms and reinvent itself as the vocals grapple with a secret while ‘Mistaken’ is the hardest of sax trap with a classic songwriting backbone. ‘Same Thing’ is the saddest part of the album, a haunting ballad depicting serene resignation of a doomed relationship, but castanets rise from the ashes as ‘I Want You’ closes out the night in a pure moment of optimistic electricity, a glance across a crowded room that changes everything.

Check out the video to their epic release, ‘Down.’

New Track: Douchka – No Reason (ft. Hi Levelz)

After their collaboration with ‘This Mood’, producer DOUCHKA hooks up with rapper Hi Levelz again for the new single ‘No Reason’.

Full of bold textures, the track will lift you up with a chorus made of organic brasses and choirs, before giving way to the fluid and catchy flow of Hi Levelz.

Speaking of his latest banger, DOUCHKA said: “No Reason, was made in a similar way to ‘Call You Mine’ with Lia. I sent the beat to Hi Levelz in the morning and played it later that evening  with a draft version in Bordeaux. The next day, I had a dozen of messages from people who wanted to know where the track was available because they recognised Hi Levelz’s voice as they heard it on ‘This Mood’ a few months earlier.”

‘No Reason’ is from DOUCHKA‘s EP ‘Infantile’, set for release on 21st April via Nowadays Records…look out for that – but for now, lift up your Thursday and have a listen to this slammer.

Song of the Day: Rabbithole – Shaefri

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After stealing the top spot on NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Music Video of 2016 list with previous effort, ‘Pixelate’, London-based electronic-pop artist SHAEFRI returns with second single ‘Rabbit Hole’ from her forthcoming EP ‘Pixelate’.

While ‘Pixelate’ explored a dysfunctional relationship, ‘Rabbit Hole’ deals with the agony of yearning for love. SHAEFRI paints a desperate character though her pained, heartfelt lyrics imploring the object of her affection to love her.

Born and raised in London with a mixed Irish-Egyptian heritage, SHAEFRI spent years honing her talents and developing her unique brand of haunting vocals and minimalistic beats amidst the London scene. Having performing at venues such as Notting Hill Arts Club and The Borderline alongside famous names including Babyshambles and Craigie Dodds (producer for Gorillaz, Amy Winehouse and Eliza Doolittle), the electronic-pop singer knows what it takes to pull her listeners in with mesmerising vocal hooks and warm, pulsing pads.

This one is very worthy of your time – have a listen to ‘Rabbit Hole’.

Album Review: Fairytale Land – Pedro Syrah

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Featured on NEW LEASE MUSIC back in September, PEDRO SYRAH‘s delicately warm effort, ‘Summer Night on Fairytale Land’ is the built up to his long-awaited debut album, ‘Fairyland’… and as much as I enjoyed the single – because it does spark a soul-glowing sensation – I wondered if I could survive ten tracks of the same tempo….

…Well I stand corrected, as from the very beginning, the bass guitar and drums receive a good workout in the introductory track, creating that real gritty funk. Soothing ambient soundscapes with, at times, feather light elements of Americana/new-wave follow through to the first half of the album, completed with tingling harmonies providing a real magical and folklore kick.

The second half of ‘Fairyland’ becomes progressively emotive and intense when Syrah takes to the limelight with put his vocals to almost stripped-back pieces – a combination that will smooth over manic traffic in an instant.

This collection is worth investing in for those quiet spring/summer nights…here’s your chance to have a listen.

Must Listens: Cocaine and Cigarettes, Paper Thoughts, Release the Clocks.

 

 

New Track: Red – Ebson

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EBSON makes a return with a powerful soulful effort entitled ‘Red’. His debut single ‘Adapt to Thrive’ – once named Song of the Week by NEW LEASE MUSIC – received support from tastemakers including Indie Shuffle and The 405, praising the alternative soul newcomer for his emotive blend of blues and soul.

With his unmistakably London sound, taking influence from the city around him, EBSON tells a tale of courage within a relationship, and finding the strength to leave. The latest effort rises and falls as the story sweeps through a battlefield of love and sin. With a sweeping cinematic feel and haunting piano, music builds to marching drums as the story reaches its crashing crescendo.

‘Red’ was produced by Charlie, who also recently produced Jorja Smith’s EP. It was mixed by Grammy nominee Alex Evans.

EBSON will release a debut EP in 2017…but for now, get a taste of his upcoming project and listen to ‘Red’.