Hailing from London, experimental producer TOM B‘s single ‘Cold Water’, featuring long-time collaborator, Lucy Wroe, is an unapologetic statement on the music industry as an independent artist. It embodies all the frustration towards gatekeeping and the devaluation of independent artists. Cold Water can also be felt as an ode to women in the industry, trying to navigate the border between ‘playing the game’ and maintaining self-respect.
Lucy says: “The title itself is a metaphor for the industry. Feeling submerged in Cold Water; regularly feeling the numbness left in the wake of bad experiences, which are all too common on the independent music scene”
Tom says: “You spend enough time in a scene or a circuit, you slowly figure out what the game is and how to play it. Eventually, we got to the point where we thought ‘do we make music because its what we want? Or do we make music to entertain promoters and get more gigs where we have to sell all the tickets?’”
‘Cold Water’ was exclusively available on Bandcamp from 22nd May and was released on all streaming platforms from a week later. All Bandcamp profits was donated to The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.
British-Spanish singer-songwriter ALBA‘s debut EP, ‘Questions Unanswered’, is a conceptual collection that goes on a journey of introspection and self-discovery, while delivering ALBA’s signature blend of guitar-driven pop-rock infused with sunlit soul and R&B. From to the inward-looking musings of ‘Am I enough?’ to the empowering feminist anthem in ‘Are you really free?’, the EP explores topics such as love, authenticity, self-liberation, societal expectations, and the search for meaning.
The EP has been produced by ALBA and rising star edbl, and recorded at Europe’s first solar-powered studio “The Premises”, with a special contribution from the London African Gospel Choir.
To celebrate the release of ‘Questions Unanswered’ ALBA will be having an EP Launch Party at The Old Blue Last in London, UK on 13th July. Get your tickets here.
‘Questions Unanswered’, out now for your pleasure across various music platforms. In addition to the digital release, ALBA has shared an exclusive limited vinyl edition of 100 numbered copies – so grab a copy while you have the chance!
Lithuania-born, Manchester-based artist GRETE has perfected her own brand of alt-pop – culminating in the fresh, unique and exciting 5 track EP that is ‘Grey’.
While the EP successfully executes a huge variety of musical styles and each song is entirely distinct and standalone, there are several themes that span across the tracklist, tying ‘Grey’ together and turning it into a cohesive, emotionally vulnerable story. Each song focuses on a different low point in Grete’s past, conveyed through cuttingly honest lyrics and reinforced by moody, mesmerising and sometimes even manic instrumentation.
Grete’s debut single, ‘With u’ is a hybrid of many different popular styles including RnB, jazz and pop, akin to influences such as Yebba and Maro. The live instrumentation invokes a warm, emotional sensation and the dynamic vocals encapsulate the intended emotion perfectly. ‘With u’ is a heartfelt ballad in which Grete is comparing her current life to a previous time.
Second single, ‘How Long’ progresses into a darker, more twisted space. This is brought to life by dissonant chords, biting and distorted guitar leads and Grete’s soaring vocals. The track is punctuated with glitchy details and electronic sparkles, complimenting the instruments and contributing to the cosmic scale of the song.
Grete’s latest single, Cz u don’t’ is a forward thinking, experimental yet vulnerable track influenced by artists like Halsey and Hiatus Kaiyote. The song winds through various sections with a beat in 7 as the backdrop, culminating in a whole-band-polyrhythm to end. The protagonist of ‘Cz u don’t’ is searching for reasons to leave an unhealthy relationship.
Grete started singing when she was only three years old, beginning her performance career in small ensembles and bands. She was quickly spotted and invited to the biggest stages in the country, such as nationally broadcasted competitions, top level musical theatre productions, international concerts and contests, even reaching the finals of ‘The Voice’ Lithuania 2018. Gaining local fame opened many doors for function gigs and session work but that was not the career she truly wanted to pursue.
Grete chose to leave Lithuania and start fresh in the UK. Now she is studying pop music vocals in RNCM. Influenced by artists like Jazmine Sullivan, The Weeknd and Yebba, she began writing vocally colourful and harmonically intricate songs with strong messages and old R&B references.
Why not have a listen to Grete’s stunning EP below…
Rapper IZ comes through onto today’s top spot with a monumental, catchy, party single for the Summer ‘Outside’ released on RCA Records.
Following on from single ‘Big Dreams’ at the top of the year which is sitting on over a huge 2 ½ million streams on Spotify alone, IZ has set the pace for his future music.
A party rap track set to hit the clubs and festivals for the Summer, IZ brings the heat with his new scorching sizzler of a track. With a banger of a hook, IZ proves with ‘Outside’ he can bring the more light-hearted tracks whilst keeping his hard bars flowing.
“Outside is about enjoying yourself and in indulging in all the fun and crazy activities that make up a summer holiday. The track is based around the fact that a single lady will have more fun in summer and can do whatever makes her happy and think about herself and herself alone.” – IZ
Produced by Cassell Beats & K Beats, ‘Outside’ is taken from his outstanding debut mixtape, which will include 10 tracks showcasing IZ’s signature style and flow coupled with old skool hip hop beats.
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