Song of the Day: Afro – IThinkThatsRio

Introducing up and coming UK artist ITHINKTHATSRIO with his debut single ‘AFRO’! The melodic rap track comes six months after the London native burst onto the scene late last year with his ‘Prayer’ freestyle that caught the scene’s attention. ‘Afro’ sees IThinkThatsRio waxing lyrical about having the freedom to do what you want, whether that is with your hair or with your career.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Afro’ and how the song came together, IThinkThatsRio says, “creating ‘Afro’ was such a vibe. I was in the studio with TheLifeOfKG when this Grossgod beat came on, and the first thing that came out of my head was ‘take out my braids, just roll with an afro’, and the rest came together from there. As well as the track just being a vibe, I believe the message behind it, which is that we should be free to make our own choices, without fear of ridicule or judgement from other people – in my case, it’s how I wear my hair sometimes”.

Originally from Chadwell Heath in East London, IThinkThatsRio has always had a passion for music, but he has been on course to become a professional footballer for a good few years, but after turning 20 last year and realising that music had the power to help him express his feelings, and how that made him feel, he began taking music seriously, and quickly charted a new course from a footballer to a musician.

Check out the accompanied music video below, collaboration between IThinkThatsAfro and burgeoning London-based visual director and photographer EazyVisuals (Ebenezer, B Young, Ryan De La Cruz, Michael Ward).

Song of the Day: Trust In You – V’Nessa

Her debut single ‘Helpless’ produced by ENZ Sounds amassed over 170,000 views on YouTube and over 68,000 streams on Spotify with no mainstream push, and now 17 year old V’NESSA returns with another stunning single ’Trust In You’. Centered around mistrust, she opens up a three minute dialogue addressing the struggles young people face during the course of a relationship.

Born in Italy, but raised in South London this exceptional young woman grew up as one of five siblings with a passion for singing and remembers practising every day to perfect her craft. V’Nessa’s ability to sing, write and produce her own music inspired her to study at BCE college where she has been able to enhance her knowledge of music and skills. A prolific songwriter, V’Nessa pens mesmerising R&B songs about lost love, broken trust and youthful ambitions sitting somewhere between Rihanna, Jhene Aiko and Summer Walker with a distinctly London vibe.

Look out for her debut EP dropping this Summer. For now, check out the official video for the single below…

Song of the Day: Sad Girls Club – I M U R

I M U R creates genre-bending make-out music, weaving alt-R&B and avant-pop into undeniably catchy songs that fit just outside the box. Composed of singer/songwriter Jenny Lea, producer/guitarist Mikey J Blige, and producer/multi-instrumentalist Amine Bouzaher, I M U R’s sound is a cinematic blend of smooth and sultry, tussled together with texture and bounce. Their lyrics tell a story of self-reflection, strength in vulnerability, and the courage to tackle taboo subjects like addiction/recovery and female sexuality.

Taken from the trio’s forthcoming album, ‘My Molecules’, new single, ‘Sad Girls Club,’ is about the trickery our subconscious mind plays on us when we’re feeling low. It’s about self-deprecation, unworthiness, and being burdensome.

Check out the official video for the single below…

Song of the Day: Strange Love – Cautious Clay (ft. Saba)

Singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist CAUTIOUS CLAY‘s track, ‘Strange Love’, featuring rising Chicago rapper Saba, is about the push and pull of identity in late capitalism.

Cautious explains further. “We’re constantly told we need x, y or z to let the world know who we are, inundated with information about what the latest and greatest and coolest is. I love fashion and clothes and putting them together to telegraph myself to the world, but sometimes it’s hard to separate what I like from what I’m being told to like. I think it’s a struggle lots of people can relate to.”

The smooth R&B/pop banger is taken from his long-awaited debut album, ‘Deadpan Love’ – out now independently via The Orchard – includes previously released singles ‘Wildfire’, ‘Karma & Friends,’ ‘Roots,’ ‘Dying In The Subtlety,’ and ‘Agreeable,’ and wraps influences from R&B, hip hop and indie pop in Cautious’ trademark sophisticated songwriting and jazz- and blues-inflected instrumentation. The album finds Cautious collaborating with a host of notable co-writers for Deadpan Love including Tobias Jesso Jr. (Adele, HAIM), Jim-E Stack (Caroline Polachek, Empress Of), Daniel Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo, FINNEAS), Jesse Shatkin (Sia, Kelly Clarkson), Ammar Malik (Maroon 5, Halsey) and Sir Nolan (Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez).

Since the release of his breakout debut single ‘Cold War’ three years ago, the 28-year-old has been on a whirlwind ride. He’s released three EPs—Table of Context, RESONANCE, and debut Blood Type—that have earned critical praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR, TIME, Complex and many more. His songs have soundtracked key scenes in films like Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and TV shows like Issa Rae’s “Insecure” and Selena Gomez’s “13 Reasons Why.”

Check out the video for ‘Strange Love’ below…

Song Of the Day: When Will I Learn – Tora

Australian band TORA‘s single ‘When Will I Learn’ – the second cut from their upcoming album, ‘A Force Majeure’ – is laced with melancholic but calm dynamics with dark harmonic undertones, which lyrically examines human self-reflection and self-care amidst trying times.

Speaking on the new release, the band said: “’When Will I Learn’ is about the harsh realities that we all have to face at times in our lives, it’s about going inwards and engaging in self reflection, which becomes the catalyst for rapid growth and expansion, and how sometimes you just need to face problems head on to solve them.”

In early 2020, Byron Bay’s Tora relocated to Amsterdam, set to make the city their base; an anchor around which a full year of European and American touring was to revolve. Soon after their arrival however, the threat of COVID-19 became a very real presence, forcing Tora to cancel their entire tour schedule, but also retreat into a strict new locked-down lifestyle.

Though the opportunity to perform was taken away, the band’s love for creating music remained and so, across the next eight months, Tora’s focus became set on A Force Majeure. The 11-track project follows their richly-textured 2019 album ‘Can’t Buy The Mood’ and their 2017 debut full length ‘Take A Rest’. Over the course of the two albums the band have received support from respected members of the international music community including both Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1) and Sir Elton John (Beats 1), press from The Guardian to Pigeons & Planes, with their catalogue now boasting upward of 150 million streams.

‘When Will I Learn’ is taken from album, ‘A Force Majeure’ slated for release 3rd September. Check out the official video for the single below…