Song of the Day: Worth It – Paige Bea

London-based singer, songwriter and producer PAIGE BEA‘s single, ‘Worth It’, is a dark, feminist ode to the frustrations of not knowing where you stand at the start of a new relationship. On ‘Worth It’, Paige is characteristically direct, asking outright rhetorical questions that ask for frankness in where this new romance is heading, paired with bold, honest statements about her own intentions: “I’m not here to convince and coerce / make things nice and give birth / I’m a difficult person”.

Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind ‘Worth It’, Paige said: “The lyrics for Worth It came shortly after a date I’d just been on. I was already just so anxious about when I was going to get the text back and how much longer we were going to have to do this silly dance before we just gave in to falling in love and seeing what happens. It felt like we were both coming into the start of it with a lot of trepidation given past relationships we’d been in, and we were trying to be adults by taking it slow, but it also felt like that was sucking the fun, spontaneous joy of starting something new out of it? I was also thinking about expectations of women in relationships, the peacemaker, the homemaker, the PA, the mother (I’m not here to convince and coerce / Make things nice then give birth / I’m a difficult person) and I wanted to make a statement that I probably won’t fit into the idea of who you think I am and I want to make that clear, but I’m also up for just leaning into this new feeling and taking a leap of faith if you are? I think our generation has this tendency to think that because they are grown and therapised, it means we can micro-manage all our relationships and behaviours and I’m far too impulsive for that. I’m much more about throwing myself in the deep-end and seeing where it takes me.”

Across her work to date, Paige Bea has seen excitable airplay and support from BBC R1’s Jack Saunders, Tara Kumar, Sian Eleri, BBC Introducing London’s Jess Izsatt, and BBC 1Xtra’s Jamz Supernova (who invited her into the studio for a Late Night Discovery interview), as well as esteemed publications and outlets such as COLORS, The Line Of Best Fit, Wonderland, The Independent, CLASH Magazine, Wordplay Mag, enfnts terribles, The Rodeo + more.

Upon the release of ‘Worth It’, Paige Bea announced her new EP ‘Flutters’ which was available from Wednesday (17th July) via DMY Artists. Why not listen to the avant-garde track below…

Song of the Day: avoid! – Sion

German-born and South Korea-based multi hyphenate SION has returned with the release of his highly anticipated EP, ‘Sociavoidance’. Marking a transformative period for the hit-maker, ‘Sociavoidance’ goes against what we’re accustomed to, navigating a variety of genre-bending sounds; the 5-track project is a step in a different direction for the storyteller. Following on from the February release of ‘O.o’, we dive deeper into Sion’s unpredictable world. With an EU tour on the horizon later this year, ‘Sociavoidance’ is a glimpse of what to expect on stage.

Exploring the disassociation in modern-day interaction, Sion bares elements of vulnerability as he confronts his fears and desires surrounding social interaction and relationships, forming a comforting familiarity for many that’s enriched with depth and emotion. Boasting a refreshed creative flare, ‘Sociavoidance’ finely blends indie electronica, abstract hip-hop, alt R&B, and glitch pop yet still remains cohesively structured. After hours of refining the smaller details, this project reflects a time of great significance and self-reflection.

Opening the EP with “avoid!”, Sion instantly sets the tone as he acknowledges his disillusionment with modern-day relationships. Confronting his difficulty with human connection, he shares that his existing relationships are strained because of it.

”When asked about the difference between this album and previous projects, Sion explained, “This project marks the beginning of a new journey for me musically. I dove into different subgenres such as indie electronica, abstract hip-hop, alt R&B, and glitch pop, while trying to bind together all these different sounds in a cohesive manner through tons of sound design. I’m not sure, and kind of scared about how it will resonate with my audience right now. But at some point, I needed to progress, and this work certainly gives me the courage to experiment with even more genres and styles going forward in my career. I want to be remembered as an artist who has many facets but maintains a distinct colour, and I’d like to believe that this album is a good start in the right direction.”

Listen to ‘avoid!’ below…

Grete shares her beautifully raw EP, ‘Grey’

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…

Must Listens: How Long, With u, colder Summer

Song of the Day: Picture – Earthquake Lights (ft. Lindsey Lomis)

Brooklyn-based rock outfit EARTHQUAKE LIGHTS barely fits within its self-described alt-rock genre. Orchestral strings litter the dense arrangements, elevating the songs to something more refined and nearly classical feeling. But there’s a distinctive jazz influence to the grooves and harmonic richness that the band is hesitant to compare to jazz, though the comparison is something they contend with regularly. Still, the rock influences are clear, and Earthquake Lights sounds something like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and Beck.

Their music has garnered millions of streams to date. Their latest album Desert Bloom charted nearly 30 times on the iTunes and Apple music charts, and somewhere along the way they managed to snag a feature on Vulfpeck’s The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate. They have also received praise from the likes of Wonderland Magazine, NOTION, The Line of Best Fit, Ones to Watch and Earmilk to name a few.

In an age when mental health is waning, Earthquake Lights gives us a look at the cultural phenomena of social media and how it affects all of us through their latest release ‘Pictures’ featuring Lindsey Lomis. Written allegorically, ‘Pictures’ tells a story of mutually unrequited love. The song loosely examines a personality that reluctantly romanticizes the nostalgia of a past relationship, friendship, acquaintance or fling prolonged by the ever-present role social media plays in our lives.

Rodenhouse explains, “Maybe you only feel connected to that person because of how immediate the internet and pictures have seemed to make them. But seriously what even are these connections you have with other people on the internet? Just because you see a picture of them it doesn’t mean they’re actually important to your life.”

Tinged with a dark and moody undertone, ‘Pictures’ features an enchanting melody, where sultry, velvet vocals collide in perfect harmony. Lomis sings, “Am I just a picture? Do you ever look for me? And I wonder if you saw me, would you tell me you remember my face?” Rodenhouse shares, “The lyrics were inspired essentially by an era that’s defined by pictures and feelings of missing out, or wondering about someone that may be in some memory, possibly just out of reach but still barely relevant. Wondering if they actually care to remember you, or if it’s even worth remembering one another and losing any sleep over.”

Speaking on Lomis, Earthquake Lights share, “She’s an athletic, excellent singer. Her unapologetic focus on her vocal ability really makes her a perfect fit for this tune.” Lomis was featured on Jacob Collier’s latest album on the song “Cinnamon Crush” and is about to embark on a tour with him in April.

Have a listen to ‘Picture’ below…

Song of the Day: In The Dead Of Night – Action Forever

The idea for ACTION FOREVER‘s latest single, ‘In The Dead of Night,’ was to bluntly reflect on the obvious downsides of being in a long distance relationship – not being able to hold your partner in your arms, look into their eyes, or hear their voice next to you.

Frontman Sim Bansal confides: “I was in a relationship a bit like that. Later, I realized after I went over some of the lines, like “be a shoulder for the secret pain inside” and “I feel my heart begin to break in two until the moment I hear back from you,” I started to believe that the seed for the song, in part, came from a feeling of co-dependence. When I looked back at what I’d written – in the moment, sort of quickly and instinctively – those lyrics struck me as more troubled than romantic.

The semi-autobiographical character in the song is very much distressed. He feels the tension between him and his partner and it’s unsettling.

Sim explains: “I wanted to make something upbeat and danceable to accentuate this feeling of stress and urgency. I also tried to pick synthesizer sounds which seemed to have kind of a lonely quality. For example, the counter melodies in the second verse were inspired by those little musical carousel toys that play chimey lullabies.”

Have a listen to ‘In The Dead Of Night’ below…