London based artist and producer STATE OF NATION has teamed up with the Legendary Wu-Tang Clan for the rambunctious track, ‘Super Soldier’ taken from State of Nation’s debut album ‘Dark to Light’, to be released at the end of 2022.
Ghostface Killah comes through and rocks a super cosmic opening with galactic level articulation and hype delivery to kick off the journey into the Super Soldier story! In true, unique, Ironman style, Ghost takes us interstellar before the breathtaking chorus locks in the catchy and emotional hook. The depth of the second verse dropped by the ever philosophical Killah Priest is a testament to his expansive knowledge of the universe. The storytelling of Priest captures your imagination in ways that no other rapper can come even close to on this rollercoaster rhyme.
THE SOMETIMES ISLAND are a synth-forward pop band based in Los Angeles and Albuquerque. The exciting and highly visual live band is comprised of charismatic frontman Matt Blankenship Jr and anchored by drummer Nick Lopiano.
Their single, ‘Acapulco’ explores the excitement of beginning a new chapter of life, yet the contrasting sentiment that comes with it. Blankenship Jr states, “I wrote the song Acapulco to capture that listless ennui I was trapped under in Los Angeles, framing it with a fantasy of an ignored lover reaching their breaking point, leaving and abruptly buying a plane ticket.” The narrative almost ironically pairs with a dream-pop backing, harmonic rhythms, John Mayer inspired guitar riff and a truly contagious chemistry.
The accompanying cinematic music video for ‘Acapulco’ mirrors the song’s story, as we witness the demise of a relationship, where one party decides to flee and head for a better, more wholesome life.
Their forms of expression and musical ingenuity make The Sometimes Island ones to watch this year. With their previous EP Beverly & Barbara peaking at #2 internationally on Apple’s Alternative chart, rocketing past even the likes of Billie Eilish, the duo have also amounted over 800,000 monthly listeners, with streaming numbers in the millions. The Sometimes Island are becoming true pioneers of pop as we know it.
Toronto based, accomplished R&B songstress JAYD INK makes a welcome return with her smooth, meditative and self-reflective new single ‘Queen St’. Marking her first release since 2021’s ‘Way to Long’ with Snowk and following on from the huge success of ‘LowKey’ with fellow artist Full Crate, Jayd links up now with none other than SZA’s ‘Good Days’ producer Los Hendrix, to deliver a sentimental track enveloped in class, oozing with flair and dripping in complete and utter finesse.
Demonstrating yet again that she is an exciting contender in the realms of R&B royalty, ‘Queen St’ is quietly confident, intuitive and gorgeously understated. Reminiscent of the unmistakable sounds from the classic 90’s R&B era, Jayd manages to capture the essence of the greats all whilst weaving her own unique threads into the rich, vibrant tapestry of her music.
With more to it than initially meets the eye ‘Queen St’ was penned during the pandemic and became an outlet for Jayd to contemplate her internal, introspective narrative. The single found its name later on in the writing process and if you’re familiar with Toronto you may be well attuned to the place in which it pertains to, as Jayd explains:
“To clear my head, I like to go for a ride, play some music or just drive in silence. This record is about sitting with yourself and going for that late drive to unwind from the day. Queen Street is a popular street in Toronto, it’s where the majority of people do most of their shopping and hang out. During lockdown, it was deserted, so it was a perfect drive and I’d never seen it so empty. Whilst I was going for these rides I found myself exploring my city with fresh eyes, connecting with it in new ways and just learning to appreciate the memories that I’d had here and this particular street struck a chord and really stood out to me, like never before.”
With this newest offering it’s crystal clear that Jayd Ink has nothing to prove, carrying herself with the well earned knowledge that she has carved out her own exclusive path in the industry, in which she continues to bloom, flourish and grow at a pace defined by her. Prepare for a Summer of splendour as Jayd gets set to reveal her upcoming EP ‘Catching Red Lights’.
Check out the official video for Jayd Ink’s video below…
Following on from singles, ‘Forgotten’ (released in April) and ‘Like A Ghost’ ( released in June), dreamy alt-pop act, BITE THE BOXER dishes up his third release, ‘Way Out’, which combines a gritty and melancholic influence from 90s trip-hop with lush synths and vocal production from modern alternative pop, to set a mood that takes the listener on a journey to a dark place but in a comforting way.
Bite The Boxer (AKA Matt Park) often produces his music live on Twitch streams and has this to say of his process: “Writing music live with people watching encourages me to trust my instincts and produce by feel; nobody wants to watch me do fine tuning and tweaks for 2 hours. I try to avoid over-thinking the process. If I can finish a 2.5 hour stream with the bulk of a song finished, and it sounds good then that’s an ideal result.”
‘Way Out’ was released last Friday (5th August) across various music platforms. Check out the video for the single below…
Rising Northern rapper ATO (pronounced: atu) reconnects with his Ghanaian roots as he links up with the Kumasi based artist Jay Bahd for his latest single Courts’.
Created out of a late night session with Kai Whiston, EDEN and stevexcooper in London with vocals sent from Jay Bahd following an online meeting between the two artists, the video was shot during a recent trip to Ghana and sees ATO and Jay roam the streets and beaches of Accra, riding around in a Jeep, quad biking and more interspersed with energetic, docu style cuts of real life in the city.
Following the Flohio remix most recent solo single ‘Cold’. Leeds-based ATO, who is of British-Ghanaian-Danish descent, is set to release his forthcoming follow up EP Side B. coming out this Friday 29th July via MCMXCV. The five-track EP includes new unheard singles ‘nu balance’, ‘Straight Light’ and ‘outro’. Check out the video for ‘Courts’ below…
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