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ALICIA WALTER |
Having already gained enormous notoriety as the lead singer behind the Chicago-based art-rock outfit Oshwa, singer and songwriter Alicia Walter has now announced her plans for her first solo studio album ‘I Am Alicia’.
Showcased by the new single ‘Prelude’, ‘I Am Alicia’ looks to see her branch out from behind the confines of her previous outfit to explore a more multifaceted direction. Exploring a diverse array of genres including jazz, hip-hop, as well as her own distinct approach to alt-pop, her new collection sees her in her most adventurous guise yet.
The new track ‘Prelude’ perfectly sums up what we can expect from her forthcoming full-length. Expertly produced by Walter and Devin Greenwood (Sufjan Stevens, Steve Reich, Norah Jones), it sees her reach to the furthest corners of her creative minds and pull back something captivating from start to finish. The video, directed by Lisa Schatz, is a vibrantly colorful odyssey that sees Walter transcending different life forms on her path to self-actualization and enlightenment.
Speaking about the new album, she said, “I wrote my album I Am Alicia sequentially, starting with ‘Prelude’! This song kicks off a wild journey exploring my identity, consciousness, and everything that makes me tick. ‘Prelude’ is about letting go of any inhibitions holding me back from evolving into who I want to be and remembering that sometimes real wisdom lies in not knowing, rather than assuming I do.”
With an other-worldly force guiding her, Walter self-imposed a deadline for completing what would properly present her as a solo act, taking all elements of production on herself for the first time. From March to October of 2018, the challenge of bringing such an ambitious project to life took her from her new surroundings in NYC to the quiet of the Catskills upstate; the frenetic pulse of storied concert halls like New York’s Village Vanguard and some of the apartments of the 18 musicians she met and collaborated with throughout her recording process. Facing burnout just two weeks before she was to wrap the LP, Walter met producer/mixing engineer Devin Greenwood –and was again reminded the voyage is just as, if not more, important than the destination. Together, the two re-worked Walter’s version of the completed album for another full year at Greenwood’s Brooklyn studio, The Honey Jar, and finished the journey with album mastering by the highly sought after engineer Heba Kadry (Bjork, Japanese Breakfast, Mars Volta).
Alicia Walter’s new album ‘I Am Alicia’ will be released on the 17th September via Sooper Records, with the lead single ‘Prelude’ already out!
WATCH “Prelude”:
LISTEN to “Prelude” here:
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BAWO |
West-London native and multi-talented rapper Bawo follows up his recently acclaimed single “Starts With A Text” with a stunning soundtrack called “Building Castles” taken from his brand new and highly anticipated EP Live & Let Thrive – out NOW!
The UK-based hotshot continues his good form with a captivating take – “Building Castles” – throughout which the young-star effortlessly describes the atmosphere and environment of a night ahead with a lady, becoming more familiar with her and her body language, while building the setting and suspense through neat lyricism and smooth vocal samples layered upon effective synth work and striking drums – providing just a small taste of his brand new six-track record.
Bawo’s Live & Let Thrive EP showcases a collection of intricate tracks that represent an overarching mood – continuing despite adversity and striving to persist even when an end goal might not be in sight. Renowned for his distinct vocals and immaculate production methods of blending a multitude of genres from Trap and Drill to Garage and Baile Funk, his new project acts as a timely reminder of the young artists’ innate skill in crafting a sense of vintage nostalgia, poignant in today’s society.
Bawo is regarded as one of the most exciting and unique rappers in the game right now, having shot to prominence with his early Soundcloud productions and has since garnered a huge amount of radio support from the likes of Jamz Supernova and Snoochie Shy on BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 1’s Shay Sade – simultaneously being selected as an artist to watch for 2021 – Rinse FM, No Signal and Reprezent Radio.
With regular backing from Spotify’s Fresh Finds and Fresh Finds: Hip Hop playlists, the rapper’s most popular song “Brasileiro” has amassed 400K Spotify streams since last August with previous releases “You Get It” and “No Sleep” clocking support from Apple Music – the latter receiving airplay from Rebecca Judd and Zane Lowe.
Boasting further support from global superstars Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom to name a few, Bawo continues to push the boundaries of the contemporary UK rap scene with his captivating productions and aims to level up even more with his brand new productions.
WATCH “Building Castles” here:
LISTEN TO “Building Castles” here:
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REAL SICKIES |
Edmonton’s preeminent power-pop, party-anthem punkers Real Sickieshave just dropped their latest offering of tunage for your summertime listening pleasure. “Love is for Lovers”is the second single and title track of their forthcoming album on Stomp Records. Recorded in Edmonton at Rob Lawless’ Physics Lab Studios, the album offers songs that straddle the border between Ramones style aggression and Strokes reminiscent vocal takes. Due out on July 9th, this color-vinyl release includes everything from explosive rockers to heart-wrenching ballads.
Lyrically the album is a collection of stories about life on tour, wins and falls between friendships and relationships, growth, steps backward, addictions, and moments of sobriety. Singer Ben Disasterdescribes the theme of the album as “working through the ups and downs with those you love with the overall view that love is for everyone not just what is stated by outdated laws and beliefs.”Regarding the title track “Love is for Lovers” specifically, Ben explains, “I really wanted to address some homophobic comments left on some of our videos by a specific individual. So funny to troll people about that, who are very open ended, so it was finally time to address that and the politics around love.”
The Real Sickiesare itching to get back on the road, and their touring history is proof of their dedication to pounding the pavement. The boys have been on the road with influential and acclaimed artists like Stiff Little Fingers, Subhumans UK, Chixdiggit, Real Mckenzies , Guida, 88 Fingers Louie, Mean Jeans, Ten Foot Pole, and a host of others. As the pandemic seems to be coming close to an end, expect to see Real Sickies in a town near you soon. And as Ben Disaster would have you remember “No matter who you are you deserve love. Love is for Lovers, so go out and get yours today!”
FOLLOW The Real Sickies here:
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SHIFT K3Y X DILLION FRANCIS |
Continuing to lead the way in British dance music, phenomenal dance icon Shift K3Y collaborates with polymath Dillon Francis and Marc E. Bassy in new sizzling summer-ready single ‘Love Me Better’ – the second offering from Francis’ forthcoming full-length house project – out NOW!
Trailing the success of previous release ‘Love Line’ featuring internationally renowned artist Tinashe, ‘Love Me Better’ is an energetic earworm dance number featuring an infectious beat and euphoric melodies. The song is yet another example of Shift K3Y’s deft skill at melding house, garage, pop and RnB into instant bangers.
First bouncing onto the scene in 2014 with platinum-selling ‘Touch’, Shift K3Y has since made a name for himself as a prolific producer of world class beat-driven dance tracks. Last year he combined talents with singer Becky Hill to create the smash-hit ‘Better Off Without You’ which has reached over 76M streams on Spotify alone.
Shift K3Y continues to garner support from publications such as NOTION, THE GUARDIAN, and BILLBOARD – having previously collaborated with the likes of industry titans Becky Hill, Craig David and Stormzy as well as producing no.1 singles for Zara Larson, Tinie Tempah and Jess Glynne, Shift K3Y continues to prove himself as an unstoppable force in the dance music game.
WATCH “LOVE ME BETTER” :
LISTEN “LOVE ME BETTER” on any of your favorite platform HERE
More on Dillon Francis
Creative in the extreme, Dillon has marked himself as a force to be reckoned with across the creative industries. Initially rising through the musical ranks in the early 2010s, Francis has become known for his genre-blending hits such as ‘Get Low’ with DJ Snake and providing remixes for icons such as Dua Lipa. Constantly evolving, Francis’ major label 2014 debut was met with widespread critical acclaim and his 2015 follow-up This Mixtape Is Fire reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums Chart. More recently, Francis shared his Very Important Music EP as the American hotshot gears up towards his “Sugar, Spice and Everything Ice” U.S. tour with co-headliner Yung Gravy – coming in 2022.
More on Marc E. Bassy
Since releasing his first solo endeavour in 2019, versatile singer-songwriter Marc E. Bassy has released laidback electronic tracks ‘Atmosphere’, ‘Zone’ and ‘Trouble’. Never one to be boxed into one genre, his versatile group of collaborators include Kehlani, G-Eazy, The Martinez Brothers, Ty Dolla $ign and more.
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