Close and Personal’ highlights soul songbird RÉE CELINE‘s artistic evolution, whilst encapsulating her unique signature style that melds nostalgic elements with a modern, youthful aesthetic. Her compelling duality — being both new and familiar, sensual and substantive — pervades the track. This aspect of her artistry has previously earned her significant acclaim and widespread play on Capital Xtra, BBC 1Xtra, and Reprezent radio.
‘Close and Personal’ is a testament to her success and has already been added to Spotify’s editorial playlists: “We Move,” “R&B UK,” and “Just Dropped.”, following her two previous singles, ‘Downlow’ and ‘Good Without U,’ as well as her debut EP, which launched earlier this year. As Rée continues to make waves in the UK music scene, she underscores her mission, stating, “My music is a safe space to connect with inner thoughts, emotions, alter egos, reflections, and manifestations. It’s important to connect with every ounce of ourselves in our bodies.”
The release off his forthcoming EP, SPENCER ELMER‘s single ‘Calm Like Kim’, is an energetic drill joint with tongue-in-cheek lyrics referencing pop culture icons, paired with an undeniably catchy flow and instrumental – features that have become synonymous with Spencer’s discography so far.
Experiencing huge up levels in his music career, the latest single follows Spencer’s recent track ‘Far From Rude’ featuring one of the UK’s most respected rappers and songwriters JAY1, alongside signing to LA-based record label 10K Projects earlier this year. In the midst of some of the biggest transitions of his life, ‘Calm Like Kim’ shows Spencer can still keep things light-hearted and fun, qualities that made his dedicated fanbase fall in love with him from day one.
Spencer Elmer is making waves in the UK rap scene with his unique and introspective approach to music. What sets Spencer apart is his transparent and honest nature, which shines through in his music. He invites his audience on a deeply personal journey, exploring his past and current relationships, and sharing the challenges that social media can cause to one’s personal life. It’s this sincerity that has made him so relatable to fans. Amassing millions of streams to date, Spencer has found success with tracks like ‘Audacity’ and ’24 Hours,’ while amassing an impressive 25M streams on his collaboration with ARTAN, ‘She’s a 10 But…’
Between his own catalog and collaborations featuring some of the industry’s most exciting names such as Aaron Unknown and Isaiah Dreads, Spencer has quickly made a name for himself in the UK rap scene by showcasing his self-reflective nature and layering his sincere lyrical content over classic UK rap beats. His music takes listeners on a journey that can’t be captured on social media, inviting them to connect with him on a deeper level. With exciting, creative projects on the horizon, 2023 is shaping up to be an explosive year for Spencer Elmer. His boundless creativity and meteoric rise to success in music is a testament to his talent and dedication to his craft. Have a listen to ‘Calm Like Kim’ below…
A rising force on the London pop scene, APRIL JAI returns to her sad girl roots with new single, ‘You Didn’t Notice’.
Fusing delicate acoustic guitars with brooding synths, ‘You Didn’t Notice’ explores the duality of emotion and dealing with the sense of abandonment from the happier half of yourself. Ending with an explosively emotive bridge, the single takes an uphill journey as its dynamics builds towards a heartfelt ending.
Speaking of the inspiration behind the single April says: “Healing from mental illness is not always linear and sometimes dark thoughts creep up when you least expect them. If you’ve ever been in a place where you don’t notice you’re slipping into a dark spiral until it’s too late, this is for you.”
Making her name for herself in London’s pop music scene with chilled productions and emotionally-charged lyrics, April TikTok viral hit, ‘It Ends With Us’ generated over 500K on Spotify. Her previous sultry single, ‘Stop Fighting It’ emerged as her first release since her sold-out tour in December at London’s Troubadour – proving her ability to translate online viral attention into a real life fanbase.
With a growing catalogue of heartfelt releases under her name, April’s pop releases matched with her natural storytelling abilities sees her continuing to attract listeners from around the world, tapping into ups and downs of navigating life and relationships.
Continuing her progression into the pop world, ‘You Didn’t Notice’ is another honest and heart wrenching effort from April Jai. Have a listen below…
PSYKHI‘s new EP, Forest People, was born out of the dichotomy of observing the patterns of human thought and behaviour while also musing on the musician’s own approach to life. The Ghanaian creative is profoundly introspective and that pensiveness is evident through every strain of his punk, indie, rock, and rap laced EP, which features five tracks of pure expression. Now London-based, he has already introduce the EP with tracks ‘Sitting On Ice’, ‘Don’t Disappear’ and ‘Dry’, the last of which was picked up by CMU Daily, Ones To Watch, FAULT Magazine, EARMILK, Notion, Elevator and more. Joining this triad of punk-infused tracks is title-track ‘Forest People’, an anthem for all of those who’ve “gone astray”, and lead single ‘Dyed In Wool’.
Speaking about the new EP, psykhi shares: “Forest people for me felt like the harnessing of spirit. To find love for oneself and to be able to stand up for what you believe in.”
Introduced by an 80s-esque keyboard melody, the focus track takes after the idiom ‘dyed in the wool’, often used to describe someone who is steadfast in their opinions and stubborn to change them; and it’s such a person that psykhi directs his poetic lyrics towards. In his distinct breathy tone, the artist rhythmically delivers uncompromising lines like, “Think you’re flawless since you feel this way/ Tell me what’s expected/ Tell me what’s addictive/ You usually shake your head like a disappointed friend/ I hope you don’t pretend/ You can be more than specific.” Backed by elastic bass and upbeat drums, these cadenced verses ramp up into cathartic choruses in which the instrumentation and psykhi’s usually brooding voice lets loose. The whole track functions on the push-and-pull mechanism in which moments of restrained lyrical potency are exchanged for fiery punk-rock riffs, and vice versa.
The official music video for ‘Dyed In Wool’ was directed by No Format (@no___format). It’s a greyscale performance video that’s reminiscent of the late 70s and 80s punk aesthetic. While the collage effect reflects the disparate parts of psykhi’s creative mind coming together to produce his affecting and unforgettable songs.
‘Forest People EP is undoubtedly a collection for the outsiders; for anyone who has been lost, for anyone who has receded into the overgrown jungle of their mind and come out the other side to tell the tale…Have a listen below…
WXNDCHIME is a British-Jamaican artist from South London who much like the musicians who influence her, utilises her music as a tool of expression against injustice. Having lived in both England and Jamaica, her sound which creates allegorical reggae/neo-soul infused melodies, overtly reflects on the Black/Caribbean influence on British society and the reverberations of this.
She explains her name as the symbolism of making peaceful noise from collisions. She removes the ‘I’, replacing this with the militancy of ‘X’.
‘IG’ is the first single from Wxndchime’s EP ‘IOUSZ’ which features eclectic sounds heavily influenced by the reggae, hip hop and neo soul/jazz she grew up on.
The song is an introduction to the complexity and dynamism that is Wxndchime, with distinctive lyrical verses and R&B hooks inspired by the harmonic arrangements of her gospel choir days. Through upbeat, playful melodies the song explores deeper realities of chauvinism, mental health, and a world heavily focused on image and surveillance.
The song features North London’s afro swing artist Tape, and the music from Alabama producer Yunnie is a collaboration which can be heard throughout her EP along with tracks produced by SpaceAgeRasta and Sena Beats. Have a listen below…
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