Brandon Ambrose is a 23-year-old music artist from London. Based on his latest single “Keep Me Breathing” he is very much the tortured artist and most definitely for real. The lyrics deal with his own struggle with addiction and how he finally found redemption. These words are brutally honest and pull no punches. It is a magnificent track and will be played regularly by me in the coming months. Stylistically I sensed some Sam Fender, Jake Bugg, Just Jack and perhaps digging a bit deeper the Red Hot Chilli peppers too. While the subject is dark the song gets into your head via some great hooks and melodies
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Gregory Hoepffner has just released a new single from his forthcoming EP “Why Does Anyone?” He is now recording and releasing under his own “G.H. Francis” nome de plume. It is called “The Only Queer In The Van” and it documents his experience while coming out on tour with a rock band. Hoepffner has toured the world with a diverse range of bands and artists including Almeeva, Sure, Ghoster, Kid North, Time To Burn, and Kabbel. He has also performed with the man who invented the laser harp, Bernard Szajner. The song is a delightful track with some great guitar and some great Pet Shop Boys musical moments with a vocal performance reminiscent of Beck at his finest. The hooks are abundant and bring out the fine melodies and lyrics. The track is ethereal and anthemic with some gorgeous multi-tracked harmonies. I can imagine that Gregory’s experience of coming out in these circumstances was difficult, but that experience has helped give birth to a fabulous song!
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“Cinderhaze” the new track from ambient genius Stumbleine is a taster for his new studio album, his 8th, ‘Deleted Scene’. It is scheduled for release on 14th June via Monotreme Records. The song bathes you in a gorgeous mix of sound and sonic swirls that swim around your head before taking up residence in your mind. It is emotional, reflecting all sides of the spectrum from happy to sad and back again and again. The vocals and bass synth riff are as close to perfect as it is possible to get. One of the most beautiful tracks I have heard this year so far!
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Past Life Romeo is the new solo project of Camila Djadja, a singer-songwriter who was formerly in the rock group Sugar Pills. She has also composed film soundtracks. The track “Drew A Heart <3” is the second single from her EP, ‘You Look Just Like Me’, scheduled for release in May. It is a haunting electronic song with some light Drum ‘n’ Bass touches. This tune wears its pop hat proudly and has an array of infectious hooks. Is it a song about unrequited love? Maybe, that is certainly my take on the song. But what a gorgeous single this is, from the music, to the voice, to the production, and some great lyrics. I particularly love “I get high while you come down listening to My Bloody Valentine“. You need this song, even if you don’t know you need it!
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The Sohodolls are back, not just with a bang, bang, bang, bang but with a multi-megaton explosion of a single. This is how Kylie might have sounded if she had taken a more punky, edgier direction. Maya Von Doll wrote the song when she was in a really bad place in her life and it seemed like her musical dreams were completely over. Apparently, the track’s themes explore the feeling of your life slipping away and thinking the only place you’ll find excitement is in your daydreams. I can relate to that, can you? I am reliably informed that “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” one of Billy Ocean’s 80s hits is also an inspiration behind the song. Other than the occasional lyrical similarity, that is not obvious. Whatever the influences it is a stunning track that packs many genre punches (punk, pop, rock, electronic, and maybe dance). The riffs and hooks are simply sublime. I love this tune and the Sohodolls! I hope we are due a new album from them soon.
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Mieko Shimizu‘s new single is a gorgeous slice of ambient, electro, and orchestral music which might have come from a Bjork side project. It is a haunting track that sits with you long after it has finished and after that first hit of “My Tentacles,” you will be craving another high from it. It has already garnered airplay on BBC 6 Music and is the first release from her next album, which will be called ‘My Tentacles.’ Mieko is a Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and composer based in London. Before this, she had huge success as alter ego Apache 61 and she has remixed Coldcut and the Yellow Magic Orchestra to name just a couple. She has also collaborated with Mick Karn (Japan), David Cunningham (The Flying Lizards), Nitin Sawhney, and Robert Lippok (To Rococo Rot). Mieko has played at Sonar, alongside Kraftwerk, and has supported Goldfrapp and Massive Attack at their Melt Down Festival. She is currently the artist in residence for Wonky Plonky Electronk, an experimental, electronic live event that is touring the UK throughout 2024, the next show being on 28th March at The Cinema Room at All Is Joy in London.
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Line Beauclair has just released her first single, “Soft”. It is a gorgeous concoction of love, emotion, fragility, and an almost transcendent and succulently sultry vocal. It is the kind of song that comes along very rarely that can open your heart and step right in, the hair on the back of my neck stood up throughout every play. The minimalist instrumentation helps create a perfect backdrop for lyrics that describe that point in time in a relationship where both parties are completely vulnerable with each other. Line said of “Soft” “I think this song captures the universal feeling letting go and being truly ourselves with another person, something that becomes harder every day in a society where appearances carry such weight.” She also said that it is “A song that I hope helps people be more open and vulnerable – something to remind you that putting up a front can sometimes be very detrimental and that we all need to be gentle with ourselves and others from time to time.” I love the lyrics, particularly the lines “And the world was rough. It scarred us. So we built our own. We don’t need to be tough. Just needed us. To have a home“
Line was born in northern France, her mother is French and her father is American. She appears to draw influences from both countries with shades of Jane Birkin and Lana Del Ray. Line lives in Paris and adds French cool and style to sublime US balladry and songcraft. Line describes her influences as ““Growing up I was surrounded by 60s French music and was heavily influenced by their ability to craft intelligent songs with deeper meaning all while creating a magnetic vibe and atmosphere. It really helped me integrate the idea that lyrics do not need to sacrifice melody or energy. I was able to understand that further thanks to American artists like Lana Del Rey or Taylor Swift, that are able to brilliantly combine both to create true pop anthems. I am now based in Paris but have lived all over France, which has inspired me greatly, and writing in places such as St Tropez and New York City have truly helped me refine my musical style.” Take a listen, if you love great music, you will adore this track.
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The esteemed Louder Than War referred to POLEVAULTER as “Sleaford Mods without the cringe”. Perhaps a bit harsh on Sleaford Mods, but probably true. POLEVAULTER is the perfect example of dance-punk done brilliantly well. Yes, there are some Sleaford Mods in their sound, plus the Prodigy, and the Shamen. It is impossible not to move to new single “Violently Ill”. This is a sonic attack on an industrial scale. If this track had any more power it would leave a mushroom cloud above the dance floor, it is incendiary in the way it hits you. Listening to this tune did not make me violently ill, in fact, it made me ecstatically happy. The electro beats and synth hooks pummel you into submission. This track is made to be shouted across festival fields across the world. I know that this is a dark sound, but if you want to cure your ills and make your life better, then listen to “Violently Ill” by POLEVAULTER. The video which accompanies the track is deep, dark, disturbing, delightful, and DIY. It was directed by Jon Franz and shot and edited by Lucie Armstrong. The band’s debut album hits the streets on 26th January and last week they performed the album on repeat for 8 hours straight from 4pm to midnight on 13th January via a live stream to raise funds for the Gaza Sunbirds, a para-cycling team based in the Gaza Strip. The team is currently providing emergency food parcels and aid to families sheltering around the Gaza Strip. For more info and to donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/polevaulterforgazasunbirds
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 