LA songwriter and artist Simona Shao blends acoustic and contemporary pop qualities through a softly evocative realm, and the results are sublime. Her latest three-track EP Waves presents three parts or chapters of a story, reflecting on the highs and lows of an impactful romance, and balancing calm, poetic imagery and ideas, with personal experiences that feel both relatable and profound.
Rebecca Cullen
Themes of disconnection and lostness resound amidst a juxtaposed musical optimism. Kikimora confront the devaluing of love, with the funky soul and jazz tones of No Loving.
Raw British humour, fearlessly unfiltered – heartfelt and comical in equal parts. The Hero Complex Podcast takes the essence of a very distinct niche and fuses it with the loveable building blocks of many a British TV panel show.
Conceptually united expressions of love, connected by stylistic threads of reverb and playful design – an aptly-titled artistic corner… Still Haunted presents stories of wonder, nostalgia, and inspiration, with Aren’t All Songs About Love?
Acoustic musician and songwriter Summer Redstone leads with a much-welcomed dose of clear authenticity as a modern artist. The sheer feeling and delicate intensity of her two recent singles highlight a sense of talent and purpose in the field, Summer’s voice meandering through long-form melodic musings, backed only by an acoustic guitar, and delivering a fine balance between the familiar and the impressively original.
Inspired by each other, the global uniting of communities all with a shared focus on ensuring brighter tomorrows for all of us. This coming September 14th, PlanetHike unites participants far and wide, for the world’s largest sneaker and white T-shirt climate walk.
Deeply moving vocal harmonies and organic keys present a crisp ode to simpler musical eras, as songwriter Tony Stewart delivers a heartfelt and poignant dedication to his late wife. Brilliantly creative from a melodic and structural perspective, Special Day meanders carefully between melancholy and optimism. The set-up has hints of both The Beatles and Queen … Continued
Tropical acoustic pop with summer rhythms and distinct, delicate vocals – Matias Malta captures the colourful calm of oceanside living and serenity, with Canção Pela Paz.
From their latest album What It Takes, a live capture and classic folk-country song and groove – The North Sound engage and entertain beautifully, with the rather faultless earworm Hard Way, Easy Livin’.
Something conceptually fresh and creatively engaging is hard to come by. Thoughtful reflections, relatable but new, framed in a way that’s distinct but also musically satisfying. Enter Atryp, with a colourful and catchy approach to hip hop, and a storyline built around the globally renowned pain chart found in doctors offices.
McKay are an act upholding the realness and talent of organic, man-made bands and songwriting, at a time when we need that more than ever. They write youthfully fearless, thoughtful and intelligent lyrics, with fresh melodies and blissfully harmonised performances, and for all of these reasons, they’re a personal favourite act from the past couple of years, and Casino is incredibly special as an original project.
To introduce the unique composition style and playing of Parachute Eyes, Thoughts Escaping is ideal. The release opens up with a sincere and distinct, undistorted guitar tone and melody, and sets a likeable groove for around three minutes, before shifting suddenly but fittingly, to a more distorted, power-chord and structurally intense approach.