INsiders Guide

INsiders Guide: KTJ & CARLY, Wax on Water, Au5, Nox Holloway, Chloe Florence, Virginia To Vegas, Tall Heights, DJ Swamp Izzo, LITTLE LOVER FRIENDS….

Powerhouse indie-pop duo KTJ & CARLY debut an intense story of opposition on new single “Reckless.”  Known for unforgettable melodies, the talented songwriters and producers continue to prove themselves with each subsequent release. They’ve been praised in American Songwriter, Rolling Stone IN, and Euphoria and featured on Spotify’s popular playlist Fresh Finds: Pop. Beyond writing hooky tracks they’ve recently started composing original music for the feature film, “God Save The Queens,” directed by Jordan Danger.

“Reckless” is an in-your-face rebellious track about digging your own grave. The duo kicks it off with a powerful R&B-style vocal that bursts forth with fiery intensity as soon as the beat drops. A wildly danceable track, the beat lulls you into a sense of security while the lyrics warn of the deep-seated need to revel in bad behavior rather than overcome with vulnerability. Their quintessential harmonies belt in perfection as they warn, “If it gets heavy/I’d make it stronger/If it’s not smooth/I’ll make it rough/You wanna window/I’ll make a door/My middle names more.” For anyone that’s ever given over to the dark side if only to hide from the light, “Reckless” is a sing-along autobiographical track you won’t soon forget. Check out KTJ & CARLY’s “Reckless” out everywhere.

Vancouver-based indie artists Chris Clute and Victoria Groff are teaming up to release their first ever duet this September 30th 2021.

‘Super Power’ was written earlier this summer when the pair entered and finished as finalists in the 7th and final year of the Canadian Songwriting Competition, a project of the Canadian Council of Music Industry Association. While most teams took the theme ‘Golden Hour’ to mean the ‘period of daylight right after sunrise or before sunset’, Victoria and Chris took this chance to make this term mean a lot more.

As a pediatric nurse in her day job, Victoria knows the term ‘Golden Hour’ to mean the short time following a major medical incident where treatment is most important to prevent further complications or death. This theme brought Victoria and Chris back to May 2020, when Victoria’s mom was found unresponsive in their family home and was rushed to hospital. It was unknown what happened and the circumstances and outcome were uncertain for weeks.

‘Super Power’ is a call and response of two partners navigating a medical crisis. Combining a singer-songwriter vibe with a synth pop energy, listeners can hear the raw emotions of grief, sadness and confusion experienced by the couple through the verses, while holding on to the ray of hope heard in the choruses. With the past year and a half being difficult for most around the world, ‘Super Power’ provides us with a vibrant reminder that even through devastation, we are stronger together

Super Power by Victoria Groff

Wax on Water are an Alternative Rock band hailing from Camden, London, UK, that draw from grunge, electronica, and industrial sounds, mixed together with layers of strings, piano and intense guitars, to make a heady and unique ‘Electro-Grunge’ sound that is all their own. All songs are written, performed and produced by lead singer Maya Damaris with Steven Blessing working his dark magic on guitar. The band are set to release brooding new single “Seventh Son” on 17th September 2021 with a strategic ‘drip, drip, drip’ single releases to follow, with “The Drip Part” EP being released on 12th November, followed by later releases, and culminating in their full album “The Drip” – set to land in May 2022.

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Maya Damaris is a multi-faceted creative talent: not only is she a consummate singer, performer and a versatile multi-instrumentalist, she also writes and produces all the musical output for the band. Originally from London, Damaris was a classically trained pianist and singer but started Wax on Water in 2012 because she “…wanted to create music that causes a reaction in people, in the same way that the grunge, rock and industrial bands that I grew up loving did to me”.  Her influences are eclectic but classic: the Motown greats, Blues singers like Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday, pop and rock ground-breakers Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Kate Bush and Iggy Pop. Later, inspiration arrived in the form of experimental electronica: Kraftwerk, CANLaurie Anderson and Throbbing Gristle as well as metal, grunge and industrial bands My Bloody Valentine, The Cure, Soundgarden, Slayer and Nine Inch Nails. Maya expertly weaves all these formative influences to create the unique sound for Wax on Water.

Hailing from South-East London, prodigious guitarist Steven Blessing became a professional guitarist by the age of 15. After getting a music degree he started touring with the rock band Estrangor, for which he was the founder and main songwriter. Since then, he’s performed with a wide range of bands and worked in the studio with a variety of independent artists before joining Wax on Water in 2019. Steven’s guitar playing is heavily influenced by the classic rock and metal guitar greats Jimi Hendrix, Dimebag Darrell, Randy Rhoads and Jimmy Page.

Melodic bass tastemaker and Monsteract vet Au5 returned to the label today with his genre-defying new single, “Awaken (feat. NOHC).” Drawing inspiration from trance, dubstep, and future bass, “Awaken” fuses his earliest electronic influences with his modern-day sound. Au5’s meticulous attention to detail is on full display as NOHC’s beautiful vocals sit perfectly in the mix, soaring above the vibrant chords, deep basses, and thumping drums. Having mastered an instantly recognizable sound that evokes emotion and impressive technicality, Au5 has played a formative role in shaping the melodic bass scene whilst paving the way for generations of producers. “Awaken” is a powerful reminder for listeners to look within themselves for inspiration and motivation to overcome the challenges life throws at them. 

Au5 shares, “The song to me is about the will to find truth in oneself and the world in spite of the challenges and pain that come with it. It is vulnerable, heartfelt, and unrestrained.

, alt-pop duo Nox Holloway release their debut EP, If Only The World Didn’t Spin So Much alongside the music video for their focus track ‘Montana’. Watch Here

The 7-track EP is more than a collection of songs. It’s a world of stories and poetry that can’t fully be told without the musicianship that brings the lyrics to life on singles such as “Separate Ways,” about that summer love fades out, and paying homage to the iconic Audrey Hepburn on “Audrey” and now, ‘Montana’ [Stream EP Here]

Discussing the latest focus track, Nox Holloway said, “as we grapple with the expectations of life as we know it, the thought of leaving it all behind in fear of failure is always in the back of our minds. The simplicity and security of the Big Sky state is representative of that kind of ideal escape. The instrumentation of a live bass, drums reminiscent of funk, and electric guitars contributes to the authenticity we wanted to convey,”

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An Ego Pleaser” is someone who succumbs to the insatiable desires of their ego at the expense of their soul. It’s also the title track of my brand new EP. It is so easy to get caught up in your appearance and social status when the image you present of yourself online is primed and perfected. Rather than focusing on inner growth, you can deceive yourself into a fake sense of confidence.

Scarred by the actions of a past lover, the main character makes a vow to remain independent. She goes from craving power and madness to humility and peace in the journey of recovery and rediscovery. Up to this point, Ego Pleaser enjoyed the instant gratification and the chaos associated with pleasing her ego. Now, she feels her soul haunting her dreams, telling her to wake up.

Thank you for your support,

Chloe Florence

Ego Pleaser by Chloe Florence

this sucks. is about running into an ex at a party with their plus one and what that does to you.

 

It’s available to stream everywhere now: https://virginiatovegas.lnk.to/this_sucks

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Watch the official music video on YouTube.

You had love for this person in the past, so you want to be happy for them. In that moment though, all you can say to yourself is “wow, this really sucks right now.”

Thank you for listening,

Virginia To Vegas

Tall Heights have relentlessly built a career from the ground up. Starting as buskers on the streets of Boston and now performing in packed venues across North America, Europe, and beyond, the duo has distilled their sound in an organic and unselfconscious way. The unmistakable DNA of their music draws on many elements, but the blend of their two distinct voices, in both harmony and unison, is what elevates it and separates it from the pack.

Hailing from the Boston area, Paul Wright and Tim Harrington met each other in their hometown of Sturbridge through Tim’s older brother. The friendship blossomed in high school when they both took up the guitar and began working on music together. It didn’t take long for them to see the potential hidden in these casual jam sessions. As Paul recalls, “Tim transformed from kid brother to musical collaborator over the course of a summer.”

Combining Paul’s lifetime of classical training, Harrington’s spontaneous artistic instincts, and the prismatic union of their unique voices, Tall Heights’ sonic imprint is in a category all its own.

Tall Heights’ recordings have amassed over 275 million streams and they’ve toured alongside groups like Judah & the Lion, Colony House, The Paper Kites, and Magic Giant.

DJ Swamp Izzo, the Atlanta-based multiplatinum award-winning DJ, producer, songwriter, A&R, host, and businessman releases the official music video for his latest offering, “3 Cell Phones” featuring Future on Cash Money Records. The video made its premiere earlier this week on BET Jams and is available to watch now HERE.

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The Izzo-assembled track is met with a boisterous visual to match. Izzo and the GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum superstar Future taps back into their natural chemistry as Izzo served as Future’s first DJ back in the day and helmed some of his seminal early mixtapes. Rich Gang’s own Birdman and Young Thug pull up on the scene, adding a special dose of flavor for base-knocking, club-ready offering.

neillfrazer@hotmail.com

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