Song of the Day: Other Side Of The Room – Harve

South East London based non-binary artist HARVE sparsely blends R&B and electronic music with single, ‘Other Side Of The Room’. Accentuated by Harve’s signature play with distorted vocals and layering, this track was written whilst they were in a long term relationship – lyrically it explores gaining a new perspective and taking a step back to see things a little more clearly.

Speaking on the track, Harve says: “OSOTR is both a song I wrote entirely for myself; about finding home within, listening to my own needs. But it was also my final attempt to let my then partner know how I was feeling. OSOTR is about checking in with yourself, it’s about knowing when to let go, it’s about stopping yourself from being left behind, and finding yourself in your loneliness.

An incredibly exciting new talent, the past few years have seen Harve in all the right places including supporting Celeste alongside Fredwave at one of her first headline shows and stunning a packed out Hoxton Bar and Kitchen with a stripped back set for Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce. Coming straight outta lockdown #1, they debuted music from their EP live on Sofar Sounds and begun to host a regular slot alongside non-binary artist Attz on Polyesterzine called ‘ENBY CHRONICLES’ discussing all thing non binary.

Early singles ‘City Scapes’, ‘Caught Up’ and ‘ReAD’ and caught the attention of key tastemakers including XL Recordings, COLORS Berlin and Glamcult as well as garnering multiple plays across NTS and Reprezent shows and support from Jamz Supernova, Mary Anne Hobbs and Phil Taggart on 1Xtra, 6Music and BBCR1. Blending elements of R&B, Soul and electronic, through ardent lyricism, Harve dissects what it is to be a queer person; the self-acceptance, the relationships, the doubts, and the love.

Coming up this year they have a new project in the works and will continue to co-host Smooth Operator on Foundation FM with their podcaster sibling Nic Desborough; playing new and old music from around the world with a focus on highlighting queer artists.

Check out ‘Other Side of the Room’ below…

Song of the Day: Sunlight – Your Grandparents

Comprising of vocalists DaCosta, Jean Carter and producer ghettoblasterman, Los Angeles-based R&B/Hip-Hop trio YOUR GRANPARENTS make music that hints to the nostalgia of previous decades without feeling dated – and their single ‘Sunlight,’ is a true testament to that statement as the single oozes a smooth neon blend of hip-hop & neo-R&B which arguably takes you back to the nineties.

Sunlight is taken from their album, ‘Thru My Window’, out now via The Orchard. Nodding towards the realms of funk, soul, hip-hop, rock and blues, the self produced/written album is an alternative commentary on love in early adulthood. Illustrated through the joint perspective of Your Grandparents, the narrative portrays the origins of a budding relationship and its potential complexities.

Why not check out the video for ‘Sunlight’ (highly recommended):

Song of the Day: Lost – Swindle (ft. Loyle Carner, Kojey Radical & JNR Williams

South London native SWANDLE‘s single ‘LOST’, is bright and emotive, offering lush with bubbling brass, funk laden basslines and soaring synths and strings. The track sees Kojey and Carner exchange conversational bars exploring the themes of success and loss, with JNR Williams smooth vocals on chorus duties – “oh they lost themselves in lying”.

‘LOST’ is Swindle’s first solo release since his 2019 critically acclaimed album No More Normal, that was praised widely by the likes Loud & Quiet, The Wire, Q and CLASH, ‘LOST’ was written last Summer as England’s lockdown lifted breathing new life into a community of artists isolated and able to once again collaborate.

An exceptional stalwart of UK music, throughout his career Swindle has released on a plethora of labels from Butterz, to Deep Medi Muzik, to Brownswood, and collaborated with everyone from D Double E, to Ghetts, to Amaarae, to Mahalia, to Celeste and more. A true sonic chameleon, his efforts has been continually praised across the board with champions in the likes of NME, Resident Advisor, FACT, DJ Mag, RedBull, CLASH as well as major support from BBC Radio 1 tastemakers including Annie Mac, Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Target and Clara Amfo.

Expect more music and news coming from Swindle very soon…but for now, have a listen to ‘LOST’ below…

Song of the Day: Mine – Kute Lee (ft. Tonee C)

Mine is the lead single from KUTEE LEE‘s EP ‘0 4 6’ which features rap prodigy Tonee C. The alternative rap song sees both artists discuss the affinity of a love interest for money and how that isn’t a problem for them on a quest to win her over. It’s one of those songs where the first and proceeding lines of the chorus could live rent-free in a listener’s head, with lyrics like “You got a fetish for dollar signs”.

A native of Anambra State but Based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria; Kutee Lee – whose real name is Chibuike Paschal Metu – began making music professionally in 2019 after he made a crucial decision of making a switch from his medical profession to building a career in music – a decision that wasn’t met with good reception from his family, but his affiliation with the renown creative collective Black Federation has been his center of support on a musical journey that has had it’s fair share of ups and downs.

He’s an artist with a voice that can fill a packed arena, firm, bold and unruly. His style of music could be described as Alternative because he plays across diverse genres with his music, and at each point tend to pass his message which mostly touches across subject matters like family, love, betrayal, life experiences especially back in the hood, amongst other things.

So here’s your chance to get acquainted with Kutee Lee; have a listen to ‘Mine’ below…

Song of the Day: Essence – AC3 (ft. JAY.P)

AC3‘s second solo single ‘Essence’, sees the Irish rapper taps fellow rap artist JAY.P to work their magic on a summer-charged, Afroswing beat by JBJ.

AC3 displays his vocal capabilities with flowing melodies while singing about a broken relationship. Upon completion of recording, he felt something was missing and approached JAY.P about laying down a verse. JAY.P spices things up with his straight to the point rap verse.

Expect a string of pumping music and striking videos from this promising upriser…but for now, check out the video for ‘Essence’ below…