Beautifully uplifting, organic pop-rock and country-fusing songwriter and artist Paul James releases an earworm of optimistic energy this summer – a universally relevant dose of gratitude and grounding motivation, in the form of the timeless warmth and wonder of Shortcut To Nowhere.
Songwriter
These recordings feel like single takes, moments captured that can never quite be recreated with the same level of uncertainty and longing. Make It Make Sense is a particularly striking example, but the project in full consistently draws you back to this quality, and as such, it’s addictively understanding, comforting, and heart-breaking, to lose yourself here with Sam.
Taking the time to be still, to listen and let the music and the space surrounding it connect with humanity and heart. Northampton-based singer and songwriter Sali Clinton captures the essence of a moment, with the vulnerability and soulful, intimate waves of So Long.
Play It Forward is a community-centered experience built around individuals, families, communities, and one shared live music moment. The project seeks to provide emotional and financial support for musicians, real-world experience, confidence and purpose, and a sense of being part of something much bigger than the self.
“Instead of feeling tormented by memories, keeping his coffee mug and the sight of his favourite chair, I started to see them as sources of comfort. As a songwriter I like to wrap heavy subjects in a pop sensibility.”
LA-based songwriter and flamenco guitarist Julian Tcherassi – a musician with over 18 years of experience performing and composing, now launching a profoundly inspiring independent single, which brings together multiple genres in a boldly unique but sonically gentle and immersive fashion.
In anticipation of his full-length album WEATHER THE STORMS this coming September, London-based songwriter and electronic-alternative artist LiGHTBRiNGERS – the UK’s own Aidan Woods – launches perhaps his most evocative and moving single yet.
Featuring an eclectic playlist of songs built around acoustic guitar and Brian Elodi’s distinctly raspy, relatable and modest indie voice, this album is something of a time capsule from the artist – a collection of moments years in the making, brought together in honour of his daughter.
If you’re looking for songs that feel real, new, purposeful, fascinating – such as the music of Medium Build, Bo Burnham, Father John Mistry – this album is absolutely one to spend time with.
Long-time musician and artist Austyn Gillette creates a multi-layered indie-jazz aura with his latest project, blending saxophone, guitars, keys, riffs and rhythms, with a kind of Mac Demarco character and voice that’s distinct in both topic and tone.
Settle into this one for the evening – lightly reverb-kissed electric guitar, inviting and warm, akin to the kind of playing delivered by Jeff Buckley or James Bay, but a voice and songwriting style that’s a little more distinctly indie-band-like and engaging for its originality.
An enchanting debut, a breath of fresh air from nostalgic origins – Swedish/Canadian duo FUSES bring a folk-rock charm and fluidity back to modern music, with songwriting and stylistics that appear to draw influences ranging from Larkin Poe to the mighty Fleetwood Mac.