Tag: alternative music

Song of the Day: To The Beach – Magi Merlin

Montréal-based alternative R&B and neo-soul artist, MAGI MERLIN‘s single, ‘To The Beach’, the latest installment of a larger body of work titled Weather Music. The full collection comes as a deconstructed album with each release marking a different season, this particular piece being the one of spring, a time of growth, change, and catharsis.

Underpinned by an uncompromising introspection while exploring themes surrounding her own racial identity, love, and personal growth, the FunkyWhat-produced single follows on from her recent EP, Drug Music, and a string of standalone singles which have found her opening for the likes of Chiiild, R.A.P Ferreira and the cyborg rapper, Orrin. Merlin’s music ties together a diverse set of influences, spanning from the likes of Childish Gambino and SZA to Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Hyukoh’s 23, and Tim Maia’s World Psychedelic Classics, Vol. 4 knotting together this scintillating web of syrupy R&B and experimental electronic textures.

Magi uses her music as a way of processing deeply personal emotions, it’s a method of catharsis with this particular single also marking one of her more intimate cuts. “I tend to overshare through my music, I use it as a tool to process the more important moments in my life,” she explains. “‘To The Beach” is the perfect example of that creative process. I’ve always had a difficult relationship with my father. I wrote this song after deciding I no longer wanted to speak with him. This track allowed me to sing my way to catharsis.”

Watch the official video for the single, directed by M A Ï L I S

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Song of the Day: Live With It – Kim Kazee

KIM KAZEE‘s single, ‘Live with It’ is a personal, raw statement about the struggle of feeling alone with your thoughts, and it’s vast and skillful creation paired with Kimi’s melancholy and poignant lyricism make this single an instant standout for the up and coming pop artist.

Although she may be a fresh, new artist, Kimi Kazee has a unique sound all her own and is crashing into the music industry. With her background in audio production, Kimi creates every beat from scratch and developed her craft during her post-secondary education. Kimi started her career in 2017 and her songs always come back to identity, individual growth, complicated relationship dynamics and mental health.

Have a listen to one of her works below…

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Genre-Bending Duo Pink Elefants Drops Single, ‘Foolish’ + Video

Packed with funky guitar licks, atmospheric hip-hop beats, swooning synths and catchy pop melodies, ‘Foolish’, the latest single from PINK ELEFANT which illustrates their effortless ability to incorporate a wide range of inspiration into one song. Lyrically, the song is an ode to authenticity, specifically as it pertains to dating. Breaking down the meaning behind the conversational-styled lyrics, the duo says, “the song is simply saying, ‘hey, I am not like those other guys, you know, the type who hit you up at 3am.’ This is an anthem to the people who are authentic and who will actually work for the ones they love.”

Pink Elefants is the project of long-time friends Finch (Flores) and Illeven (Joshua Matthew). Previously performing in the rock/metal band Megosh, the duo created Pink Elefants as an outlet to explore other genres and, in the process, quickly became experts at defying genre boundaries, pulling widely from a plethora of influences. The band name was inspired by the “Pink Elephants on Parade” sequence in Disney’s Dumbo (1941) and much like the transformation of the elephants in that scene, the band’s ethos is to be ever-evolving with their sound and the world around them.

The band made their debut as Pink Elefants in 2019 and have continued to pump out a steady stream of singles since. Pink Elefants’ true passion lies in the creation of the music — “writing together brings back a lot of the fun for us,” they say. “The limitations are removed and we can just write without worrying too much about all the other hoopla that comes along with being in a musical entity with business-like endeavors. This project is a dream team of passionate and hungry musical virtuosos.”

Check out the video for ‘Foolish’ below…

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Song of the Day: Menace – BXKS

Hailing from Northampton via Luton, BXKS is a sonic breath of fresh air in the UK rap scene. Her astonishingly quickfire bars and a slick, sharp assurance alongside genre bending and experimental beats full of dreamy samples are all heard through her single, ‘Menace’ produced by P-rallel.

Speaking on ‘Menace’ BXKS says: “Menace is a story about me. It’s about me being aware of my abilities and doing what needs to be done to accomplish my set goal – “please don’t play me”. It’s also a rhetorical question to the listeners :). The artwork (by cocoa juice) is based on “neon genesis” the anime.”

‘Menace’ forms part of BXKS’ debut mixtape ‘Full Time Daydreamer’ released on Friday, 11th June via Marathon Artists. Including previous singles ‘Packed In’ and ‘Work Like ft. KISH!’ which were widely supported by i-D, Target, Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova and Rinse FM (playlisted twice), ‘Full Time Daydreamer’ is an eclectic eight-track “playful playlist” crafted mainly with producers TK and P-rallel, lyrically covering everything from rap brags to being broke, all with a bouncy, deft ease to her delivery, mirroring the fun escapist world BXKS wants the tape to represent.

Here’s your first taste to the mixtape; have a listen to ‘Menace’.

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Song of the Day: Forgiveness – The High Breed

UK-based hip-hop collective THE HIGH BREED make their return to the scene with single “Forgiveness”, their first release of 2021. The track showcases the collective’s unique hip-hop style, effortlessly blending conscious, relatable lyricism with hypnotic, trap-infused production.

‘Forgiveness’ starts with an organ-inspired synth that instantly connects you to the song’s biblical theme, with the rolling drums and piercing hi-hats giving the song the punch it needs to deliver its weighty philosophical message.

Speaking more on the track, The High Breed say, “‘Forgiveness’ is an honest dialogue about what forgiveness truly means to the individual who has done wrong in a world full of self-denial. It is an expression and an acceptance of the ‘shadow self’, a vulnerable confession about the darker nature of our humanity and a poetic discourse on the morality of the human soul, highlighting the battle between virtue and temptation that no person throughout any age has ever been free from.”

Having gained traction with a string of releases last year, such as ‘Star Dwellers’ and ‘Meet the Gods’, and receiving support from BBC Introducing, the independent DIY collective are set to continue their momentum with single ‘Forgiveness’, now on all platforms.

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