‘She Knows’ from Canadian singer/songwriter MIRANDA JOAN, is a celebration of female friendship.
Miranda confides, “Being a woman comes with a complex set of stories that push and pull us in so many directions. The undercurrent is one of immense power, but often its surface is restless with questions of worth in a world that often challenges our value and undermines our personhood. I am increasingly in awe of and grateful for those who live in strength and self-knowing and remind me of our power. This song is in honor of the friends who can see through choppy waters and into the crystal clear hues of your humanity; those who truly see you, who love you, who know you.”
Miranda Joan has found success sharing the stage with high profile artists including Andy Grammar, Lorde, Shawn Mendes, The Killers and more. She has received acclaim from the likes of Consequence, NPR, BBC and LADYGUNN to name a few. Have a listen to the stunning ballad below…
Singer-songwriter LILITH MERLOT shares the live music video for her single ‘Easier To Fight’. The single is taken from her EP, Shades Of Blue, out now.
‘Easier To Fight’, as a song, is timeless and heartfelt. Merlot’s vocals are encapsulating and soulful, oozing an incredible emotion over the subtle instrumental of Wurlitzer keys and cello. Topically exploring the themes we all feel when stuck in a relationship, it’s an emotionally charged ballad with an incredible message.
The music video is no different. With the audio being a completely fresh and live rendition of the track, it features Merlot shimmering atop an imposing man-made structure as she delivers her sublime vocals with a raw yet gentle delivery befitting of the video and the song. It is slow paced, with incredible panning and shots, putting Merlot at the forefront while the Wurlitzer and cello are performed live alongside her. With the sky bursting with colorful hues amidst a glistening crescent moon in the background, the cinematography is nothing short of epic, a perfect fit for an anthemic love ballad.
Known for her timeless voice, Dutch singer and songwriter Lilith Merlot has been enchanted by harmony and melody from a young age. During her Jazz vocals studies at the Rotterdam Conservatory, Lilith performed in front of American singer Renée Neufville (known for her work with Roy Hargrove, RH Factor), who remarked: “Your voice is just like a Merlot; it’s so warm, deep, and round”. This inspired Lilith to use Merlot as her stage name. Since releasing her debut EP in 2017, Lilith has been experimenting with various genres, from Jazz to Pop and Soul, influenced by Lizz Wright, Jeff Buckley, and Norah Jones, to name a few, creating music reminiscent of Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, and Madeleine Peyroux.
With nearly 5 million streams across platforms and support from tastemakers METAL Magazine, her music has aired across a number of stations under the established Netherlands public broadcaster NPO, earning spins on NPO Soul & Jazz, where she has previously featured as a guest speaker, and NPO 3FM Radio. In the past, she has performed live on the Roodshow on NPO Radio 2, NPO Radio 5, NPO Radio 1. Not to mention airing on Sublime FM. While on Spotify, her music has landed on the editorial playlist Sad Covers.
Land of Escape’ is the first single released by Irish-Dutch vocal group, MOON SISTERS. The song is about inter-connection on a deep level; people need people to talk to, to laugh with, to cry with, to miss, to love, to depend on and to support, without bias or judgement.
Moon Sisters express this as ‘a connection of hearts and minds’. The song is also about hope, which thrives on human connection – hope for wishes to come true, and for a dreamy escapeland: a better world! The song is inspired by the mutual bond that the three singers formed in a short time after meeting via the online social singing app ‘Smule’.
Moon Sisters are Julieanne Black Reel from Ireland, Eva Stultjens and Ilona Dekker from the Netherlands. Through song, the girls instantly connected and formed a beautiful bond, much like sisters. The girls were recognised on social media by a festival organiser in Ireland. He flew Ilona and Eva over to perform a full live concert with Julieanne at the Muckno Mania Festival (Castleblayney). This was the first time that the girls met and sang together physically. They received a standing ovation, and the concert was a magical experience for them. This was just the beginning of their musical journey! Have a listen to their stunning debut below…
LYDIA RENÉ‘s single, ‘Leaving’ is a deeply emotional account of what it feels like to leave a relationship in turmoil. The piano and strings, along with Lydia’s increasingly soaring vocals, create an atmosphere that draws the listener into a very intimate space of heartbreak.
A Jersey native (currently residing in Los Angeles), René was recently featured on BET.com as an artist on the verge and she’s been seen and heard on Apple TV + , Amazon Prime (Man In the High Castle Final Season 4.4 million views on Youtube), Disney + (Lady And the Tramp Trailer 7.9 million views on Youtube) and many more. Lydia René has also recently worked/collaborated with Ledisi, Lukas Graham, Bobby Brown, Mike Posner and many others.
London alt rock band SAD BOYS CLUB‘s latest single ‘Lumoflove’, is a powerful and vulnerable piece of their upcoming debut album Lullabies From The Lightning Tree, out 5th May via Modern Sky.
Radically changing up from their previous singles and back catalogue of music, ‘Lumoflove shows Sad Boys Club, and particularly lead singer Jacob Wheldon, at their darkest, but also most alluring. Paring sparse piano and murky production elements with bursts of vocal passion highlights the dichotomies of love and lust.
Dark, mysterious and brooding, Sad Boys Club are set to have their breakout year. The band’s upcoming debut album Lullabies From The Lightning Tree builds upon their previous string of EP releases that have seen them co-signed by the likes of Fred Macpherson, Matty Healy, Phoebe Bridgers and more.
Speaking on the album – Wheldon says: “It’s almost like a little bit of a coming of age record, it’s just 10 years later than it’s supposed to happen. It’s just for your late twenties and realising the ephemerality of all of that stuff, at this age we’ve all had relationships that haven’t worked out that we thought would last forever, we’ve all loved bands that we thought we were gonna love forever, we’ve all seen beauty in different ways.”
The story of Sad Boys Club is one of yearning, the feeling of reaching, but never quite touching. The constant ebb and flow of euphoric success and seemingly inescapable set-backs. Debut album Lullabies From The Lightning Tree not only marks a journey of four friends, but a generational rallying cry for self acceptance and love for those lost in the quagmire of their mid-to late twenties.
As Milan Kundera writes in his 1984 classic ‘The Unbearable Lightness Of Being’: “Anyone whose goal is ‘something higher’ must expect someday to suffer vertigo. What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than fear of falling. It is the voice of the emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves.” Kundera’s comical scepticism of life is an ever present theme for Sad Boys Club on their debut outing.
Combining The Cure’s penchant for emotionally vulnerable rock anthems, The 1975’s lyrical aptitude and driving guitar based sound of Death Cab for Cutie, Sad Boys Club have cut their teeth on the live circuit for a number of years, supporting Spector, Swim Deep, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Slow Readers Club to name but a few. Their live shows are dynamic, dramatic, and with a wealth of new music to play for the first time, they’re set to be one the UK’s “must see” live shows from a break-out group.
For their previous releases, Sad Boys Club have garnered support from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, The Independent, CLASH Magazine, Dork Magazine, The Rodeo, Gigwise, The Line Of Best Fit, Whynow and more.
Sad Boys Club’s debut album Lullabies From The Lightning Tree is out 5th May via Modern Sky. New single ‘Lumoflove’ is out now. Sad Boys Club embark on tours of the UK and Europe in the spring. Have a listen to their stunning ballad below…
