DAEMON‘s new single, ‘3 Years Sober’ details his bouts with addiction from more than just one perspective, with his video acting out the stages of his emotional odyssey. The result is a powerful piece of art, dynamically representing a deep life experience.
The conscious wordsmith represents St. Louis with tremendous life bars & world class lyricism and has rocked stages along with the likes of Killer Mike, DJ Shadow, & Trackstar The DJ (Run The Jewels). His music has been featured in an array of shows on Netflix, FOX, TBS, & Starz, including Power, The Last O.G., Inventing Anna, & Ghosted, and in XBox’s racing game Forza Horizon 5. Check out the video for ‘Three Years Sober below…
Alt-pop artist MERCI, MERCY shares her third EP, ‘Like An Orchid’, out now via Liberation Records. With this new body of work she delivers sparkling alt-pop anthems with heart, including recent releases ‘Shovel’, ‘Lonely & Horny’ and ‘Silver Lining’, along with unreleased cuts ‘If You Had Any Friends’ and ‘Mouldy’.
The songs bounce around merci’s thoughts on big topics including the ups and downs of relationships, struggles with addiction and anxiety, and everything in between. With support from BBC Radio 1 on Jack Saunders’ Future Artists show and Mollie King’s Future Pop show, on all of her material to date, merci, mercy has never been afraid of exploring emotional vulnerabilities. Navigating mental health issues and overcoming personal hurdles surrounding anxiety and growing up in relationships, she has poured newly gained insights and perspective into ‘Like An Orchid’.
“My new EP Like An Orchid is the roller coaster of emotions you have during your first relationship and how extreme they can feel especially when you are someone who has anxiety. This EP will take you on a journey of my inner demons while also showing you into my heart a little bit. The songs in Like an Orchid are a family in terms of the lyrics but distant relatives in terms of the way they sound. Each story has its own sound.” – merci, mercy.
‘Like An Orchid’ saw merci, mercy once again work with her longtime collaborator and friend, producer Chris Collins (‘Lonely & Horny’ and ‘Mouldy’) along with fellow Sydney-based songwriter and producer Robby De Sa (‘Silver Lining’ and ‘If You Had Any Friends’) and the one and only Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy of The Wombats (‘Shovel’).
With over 24 million streams to her name thanks to the success of her first two EP releases: no thank you, no thanks (2020) and is it me, or is it you? (2022), the demand for new music from merci, mercy has grown in a consistent and organic way.
Widespread support via renowned outlets including triple j, Beats 1 and Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1, Paper Magazine, NME, Clash Magazine, Flaunt and more, has positioned merci, mercy as part of a new vanguard of fresh Australian pop artists who have the potential to establish themselves as a long-standing presence internationally.
Extensive radio support throughout the UK and Europe, as well as continued global editorial playlist support across DSPs (she was one of the first global ambassadors of Spotify’s RADAR series and recently featured on the cover of Apple Music’s Superbloom playlist), has ensured merci, mercy’s front-of-mind status on the radars of industry and a fast-growing fanbase alike.
‘Like An Orchid’ is the next chapter in what has become one of Australian pop music’s most exciting and intriguing stories. Her dynamism was present from the jump but here, merci, mercy holds her space with a rejuvenated sense of self-awareness and ultimate happiness. A moment of blooming we can all wish to experience.
Listen to ‘Like and Orchid’ below…
Must Listens: Lonely & Horny, Silver Lining, Mouldy
‘Sober is Dope’ is the second album by rapper POP BUCHANAN which highlights his entire life and his road to recovery from alcoholism.
Produced by Nudgi-Nudge, ED-APE, Scott Freebase, and K. Miles, the ‘Sober is Dope’ album is dedicated to POP’s late Uncle “Atiim” Lyn Ferguson”, Kevin “Brick Jones” Byrdsong, and the addiction recovery community. Recorded in a unique podcast style, this album brings together the Sober is Dope podcast with POP Buchanan’s music thus bridging together both worlds. With hints of motivation, real-life testimonies, raw Boom Bap beats, and solid lyrics, “Sober is Dope” is an album that Pop hopes can inspire and stand the test of time.
‘Sober Is Dope’ was released last Thursday (29th September) across various music platforms. Check it out below…
South London multimedia artist YV SHELLS‘ single, ‘LOSS’ sees him taking his Neo-Soul and Punk influences to a new level, creating a totally mesmerising sound.
Produced and directed by Yv himself, LOSS deals with the destructive nature of addiction to another person or a substance. Romantic riffs and punchy drums portray how the mind can be fooled into staying in a bad situation. He details the push and pull of abuse, using his captivating vocals to tell the tale. . YV shares: “LOSS is a reflection on an addictive relationship and looking at how you can lose yourself in these situations. It’s a song about trying to separate the bad from the good and the paradoxical nature of wanting to stay in a bad situation.”
Born and raised in South London, Yvonne Shelling (his mother was hoping for a girl) makes music that combines his creative and chaotic energy with a sincere message: love honestly. A true multi-hyphenate, his talents extend beyond music to film, art and photography, having been featured in and supported by the V&A and Venice Film Festival.
Inspired by the likes of Bon Iver, Frank Ocean and Joy Division, it was during times of isolation in the pandemic that Yv started to experiment with playing the piano and began exploring new sounds. He enjoys bringing experimentation to the stage with a range of tracks that span Reggae/Dub to Rock and RnB.
Check check the video for YV Shells’ epic single below…
With a slamming mix of funky house and Afrobeats, MUZI’s brand new single, ‘I Know It’, offers a respite from the darkness of the past year, a sense of hope and optimism for the future – something that is much needed in the current climate. ‘I Know It’ is the 5th single from upcoming ‘Interblaktic’ album, slated for release 1st October.
Released yesterday (8th September) by way of Apple Music 1 exclusive premiere, ‘I Know It’ details Muzi’s obsession with his phone as a way to comment on society’s social media/phone dependency. The accompanied visuals feature the artist locked in a gaze with his smart phone. “During my time of healing, I got addicted to being on my phone and social media to take my mind off of things. I wrote this song to sort of talk about my phone as if it were a woman I was in love with,” Muzi says.
With the ‘Interblaktic’ album just a few weeks from release, ‘I Know It’ brings an exciting precipice of Muzi’s release campaign with fans eagerly anticipating the artist’s 4th studio album.
New Lease Music 