Consisting of Thyra Hilden (lead vocals and lyricist), Lucas Caddeo (Bass and production), Martin Drago (Guitar), and Bernado Batalla (Drums), THYRA continues their creation of dreamy pop from EP, ‘Lucid Dreampop’ (which claimed the #2 spot on New Lease Music’s Top Ten Albums of 2023) with latest body of work SENTIMENTAL. The similarity between the two albums ends with what the band calls ‘Existential pop’, as SENTIMENTAL possesses lighter and carefree feel to the downtempo genre, designed to take us on a rollercoaster of emotions.
The band is fronted by Visual artist Thyra Hilden, educated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Denmark, has previously been interviewed by the BBC, CNN, AP, Reuters, Euronews and others for her spectacular visual art. Despite a strong career in visual arts, she turned to music in 2021. Now, just a few years later, she debuted as a musician she has already landed two singles on NEW MUSIC FRIDAY as well as performing with her own dream pop band THYRA.
Speaking of the latest album 51 year old Thyra says, “Lyrics and energy on this album SENTIMENTAL are full of melancholic teen spirit. Danish focus track ALT OG MER is about difficulties to choose direction in life, no matter your age. My album is a tribute to all who wish to stay young by mind”
SENTIMENTAL is now available for you pleasure across various music platforms. Have a listen below…
AMELLE ROSE‘s new single ‘Congratulations’, sees the indie rock singer-songwriter delving into the depths of her experience with postpartum depression. Amelle crafts a melancholic piece that bravely confronts the unspoken struggles many mothers face. Through hauntingly cinematic melodies and poignant lyrics, the song opens a raw dialogue about the internal conflict of embracing motherhood while grappling with a profound sense of loss and identity crisis.
‘Congratulations’ serves as a courageous testament to this taboo subject, offering solace and understanding to those who find themselves silently struggling. Simultaneously, this invitation into Amelle’s world of vulnerability sparks conversations about the often overlooked struggles of new motherhood, pushing boundaries and challenging societal norms through evocative storytelling, ultimately resonating on a deeply human level.
Transforming songs into a powerfully introspective and atmospheric experience, Amelle Rose is able to navigate dreamy soundscapes inspired by deeply intimate memories and experiences, alongside gutsy indie rock songs that take advantage of fiercely honest lyrics and a distinctive, rebellious sound. Described by Clout as “creating a vulnerable and honest energy”, both sides of Amelle’s music are as wistful and brooding as they are strong, bold, and unapologetic.
Amelle is a 27 year-old singer-songwriter from France now making a new home for herself in Bristol. A lot of her work is focused around mental health and the human condition, which pairs beautifully with her distinctively open approach to composition and songwriting. Her debut album, ‘Conversations with Louise,’ released in 2022, marked a significant milestone in her artistic journey, showcasing her talent for fearlessly vulnerable and introspective storytelling. Now, with her latest offering, ‘Congratulations,’ she continues to delve into these themes, navigating the conflicting emotions and grey areas of postpartum struggles with raw honesty.
Two-time platinum-selling Australian band VACATIONS release their long-awaited new album, ‘No Place Like Home’. The record follows an intense period of transformation for the lead singer Campbell Burns, who was diagnosed with Pure OCD (or “Pure O”), a subtype of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder marked by intrusive, unwanted, and uncontrollable thoughts. His experiences learning to live with this while touring the world informed the record, which also engages in nuanced discussions around personal growth and sexuality.
The band tapped Georgia Maq, formerly of the band Camp Cope, for their last official music video for the album release single, ‘Over You’. The band explains, “I thought it would be really fun to lean into this idea of ‘Over You’ as an exploration of self-obsession. The high peaks and low valleys of ego just make for a funnier visual story, I think. We’d saved a silly goofy video until last. I’d originally planned for Campbell to be in the role of protagonist and therapist, but circumstances meant none of us would be in the same city at the same time to work with the director, Jax Anderson, and their wonderful team. To our rescue came Australian darling Georgia Maq, of Camp Cope fame. We were so lucky to have them involved, and their charisma really brought a sensuality and hilarity that was needed.”
Following 2020’s ‘Forever In Bloom’ album, ‘No Place Like Home’ finds the Newcastle, Aus DIY outfit comprised of Burns and bandmates Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzotti, and Joseph Van Lier, expanding their trademark melodic indie rock to new sonic horizons. The first Vacations record to be produced by Campbell Burns and an outside producer, John Velasquez (Zella Day, Broods), it comprises ten shimmering tracks brimming with indie-pop hooks and just a touch of bittersweet sensitivity.
“I had this loose concept of ‘No Place Like Home’ being an Americana-influenced album,” Campbell says of the album’s sonic inspirations. “I wanted to incorporate more pianos, acoustic guitars, Nashville tuning, and country-inspired lap steel, but then also bringing in drum machines and synths and finding a mix between the two.”
The album features singles, ‘Terms & Conditions,’ ‘Midwest,’ ‘Close Quarters,’ and the buzzy radio single, ‘Next Exit,’ which has over 15 million streams.
Formed in 2016, Vacations’ feverishly expanding fanbase has seen the band play host to multiple sold-out UK tours in 2023, including a rapturous headline at The Garage and a slot at All Points East supporting The Strokes.
Vacations have lots to celebrate with the new release. They were picked by Pandora as one of their ten artists to watch for 2024, their single, ‘Telephones,’ was certified platinum in the United States in December, marking their second platinum track stateside (the other is ‘Young’). Recently, the quartet has made their debut TV performance on CBS Saturday Morning.
Vacations’ new album ‘No Place Like Home’ is out now, released today 12th January via Nettwerk. Have a listen to the set below…
Must Listens: Slow Motion, No Place Like Home, Over You
Turkish Post-Punk duo RAIN TO RUST entered the scene in 2019 with critically acclaimed debut album ‘Flowers Of Doubt’. 2020 saw the release of its companion piece, ‘Stillborn Flowers’. Both albums showcased well-crafted Gothic Rock filled with chorus-laden, orchestrated guitars, atmospheric keyboards and deeply melancholic lyrics. After a period of lockdowns, isolation and death, Rain To Rust return with a new album–their darkest and most punishing yet. ‘Martyrdom: Eight Exercises’ takes Rain To Rust back to the intellectual and experimental roots of Post-Punk with a much harsher and murkier sound. It is not meant to be a pleasant listen; on the contrary, its aim is to take the listener for a mental stroll in rat infested, crumbling squats where young people shoot up and die.
Each song is related and dedicated to an artist who died by suicide: Adrian Borland (The Sound), Richey James Edwards (Manic Street Preachers), Ian Curtis (Joy Division), Per Yngve Ohlin (Mayhem), Yukio Mishima, Peter Tyrrell, Osamu Dazai, Robert Ervin Howard – artists who have been providing inspiration to the band for long years.
Inspired by Adrian Borland’s death by jumping in front of a train, the lead single, ‘Tonight I Will Meet My Friends Who Died Untimely ’is a melancholic yet driving tune with a beat that is supposed to give the feeling of a railway ride. In second effort, ‘Cutting Moments’ the band tries to connect to Richey Edwards’ psyche as he jumped down Severn Bridge (it is still unclear whether he did it or not–he is officially declared deadbutabody was never found).
‘The Killing Room’, a Darkwave requiem, sees Ian Curtis speaking to his demons as he is at his wit’s end. ‘Sleep And Death Are Brothers’ connects to Per Yngve Ohlin’s obsession with death and his constant desire to leave his physical self. ‘The Patriot’, taking its title from Yukio Mishima’s story “Patriotism”, is about thinking of self-sacrifice as the purest form of beauty. The samples used in the song show the two conflicting sides of Mishima: his interest in hara-kiri as an extension of samurai code versus his interest in hara-kiri as something erotic.
‘Letterfrack Penal Colony’, the harshest track on the album, relates to Irish author Peter Tyrrell’s traumatic childhood memories spent in a Christian Brothers Industrial School in Letterfrack, Ireland. ‘Penal Colony’ is a homage to Franz Kafka’s short story, in which the convict is punished by getting tied up to a machine that carves his conviction onto his body in a loop, going deeper and deeper as it works. This is reflected in the music through a repetitive drum and bass pattern.
‘The Big Dive’ is based on Osamu Dazai’s suicide (along with his girlfriend Tomie) by jumping into the flooded Tamagawa Canal. His death was already foreshadowed by his novel ‘No Longer Human’ which was posthumously published (and was the inspiration for a song on the first Rain To Rust album, ‘Flowers Of Doubt’).‘The Big Dive’ turns the story into an innocent love song, inspired equally by Suicide and Angelo Badalamenti.
‘And The Ravens Left The Tower (Howard’s Dream)’is the album’s most experimental track. Based around a piano motive that eventually disintegrates into layers of reverb as the song goes along, it sees H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard’s friend and colleague, having a dream where Howard reads him poems and tells him that he will join him in death very soon. The song then disappears in sounds of hyperventilation and coals burning in a furnace.
‘Martyrdom: Eight Exercises’ is out now for your pleasure across various music platforms. Why not have a listen below…
Must Listens: Tonight I Will Meet My Friends Who Died Untimely, Sleep And Death Are Brothers, The Big Dive
Opening with a touch of the psychedelic, THE BURMA‘s latest single ‘23’ (released via The Burma Music Group) is an airy blend of retro-filtered synth stabs and indie rock grooves. The track captures the longing for what could have been dabbed with a touch of nostalgia that brings the work of Beach House, Real Estate, and Beach Fossils to mind.
Offering insight, The three-piece indie rock act from Ireland describes how the song was born: “‘23’” is the first song we wrote and recorded for our second album. It’s one of those songs that came together really quickly. The song you hear now has barely changed from its initial conception, which is a rare thing for us!”
2023 is looking to be a big year for the band: their sophomore album is due for release later this year. Additionally, they will be performing their first-ever live show in the UK on Saturday the 19th of August in London.
Their debut album, Sucker For Stars, was the No. 3 best-selling Independent Irish Album the week of its release, landing on the Irish charts and placing in both the Irish Homegrown Top 20 Singles and Top 5 Irish iTunes Singles.
Named after The Burma Steps in Cobh, The Burma has been praised by recognised webzines such as The Rolling Stone India, CLASH Magazine, Hot Press, Atwood Magazine, NOTION Magazine, and Medium.com/Pop Off and more, while receiving spins on RTÉ 2FM with Dan Hegarty.
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