Intertwine the pulsating bass and beat combo of Gotye with an intoxicating but subtle blend of jazz, trip hop and natural word ambience, and you’re almost on track to imagine the creative embrace of Koyla and Tensky’s Nomads.
Music
Just seventeen years old and already carving out a classic but fresh sound as a modern producer. DJ Jan is set to close down this year’s Monster Energy Catalunya MotoGP Grand Prix, alongside a plethora of other noteworthy appearances to follow, and the sheer intensity and creative edge of TEC quite naturally highlights why.
Soaring nostalgic rock and roll of a crisp style and fast-paced energy – Stefski & Hutch deliver a unique twist on the timeless format, with the indie tones and subtle psychedelic twists of Selling Lies.
Country rock straight from the relatable depths of Liverpool – The UK’s own Liam Doherty masters the sound and style of the genre, and pairs that with brilliantly uplifting, catchy songwriting.
Promising verses more focused than ever, a fast-paced outpouring of scenes that captivate, Trial is a song based around the Franz Kafka novel The Trial, and delivers a breathless encapsulation of that across less than a minute and a half of music.
Spanish flavours and gritty fragments of natural world sound unite amidst the tropical bounce of grant4ore’s Drought day riddem.
Taking Names offers a plethora of deeply poetic, metaphorical and impressive lyrics – the sharpness and intelligence of which permits the song the worthy status of requiring you to listen more than a couple of times to grasp every idea. There are depths to the music, and as such, each time you do revisit, the music and story hit with all the more impact.
For those new to the style, you might find similar vibes amidst the hit movies of eras past – the days when street rap battles, break dancing and colourful clothes hung on the air like a stylish hit of opposition to the mundane. Reis Armstrong recaptures the purity of those days, and does so with original songwriting and a clear sense of unity and passion for the process.
Hailing from Garut in West Java, now creating out of Jakarta, long-time guitarist and songwriter Sonny brings a welcomed twist of humility and heart to alternative rock.
Known for their purely improvised albums, the self-defined instrumental cult Mycena are a Croatian collaborative project with four albums already to their name. Their approach is to fearlessly push the boundaries of musical expression, to find new flavours of psychedelic intensity and depth, and to limit nothing and no one during that process.
Somewhat mildly reminiscent of both Ani DiFranco and Rusted Root, but ultimately not adhering to either comparison for long, Follow The Crow build their sound upon feelings and reflections unique to themselves, and the brilliance of the musicianship in unison with that makes for a beautifully all-encompassing listen.
The familiar ache of desperation, of inescapable self-burden, resounds throughout the fearlessly honest lyrics of the song, and the contrast between these thoughtful, clearly informed verses, and the heavier resolve of the hook, helps the topic and feeling really connect.
It’s a simple but essential take on the matter, and the music sounds immense – hopefully Better Off Alive will reach the right people at just the right time.