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INsiders Guide

INsiders Guide: SCOTT C. PARK, Cj Pandit, Julian Lamadrid, Mae Krell, Devin Kennedy, Erika Tham, Betta Lemme, ROMAN ALEXANDER, Lani Renaldo, Psychs…

SCOTT C. PARK – returns this Autumn with new single: “Slide”, a track of surficially sanguine slacker-pop that fires subversive pot-shots at organised religion from the sidelines.

LISTEN TO “SLIDE” ON SPOTIFY HERE || WATCH THE OFFICIAL VIDEO HERE

Taken from a new 7-track EP entitled ‘Scampy Lampy’, it’s a release that confirms Park as one of most exciting alternative singer-songwriters currently operating under-the-radar. Out 12 November on Charlie Clark’s No Big Deal label, the single and EP are available to hear now as follows:

LISTEN TO THE ‘SCAMPY LAMPY’ EP ON:

SPOTIFY || APPLE MUSIC || YOUTUBE

Described by Park as “the smirking soundtrack to my exit from Christianity”, “Slide” is a song that finds the Isle of Lewis artist turning down communions to instead turn-up the gospel according to Metallica. A daringly damning indictment of the Church, its Parquet Courts-esque call-back chorus of “joining is easy… the hard part is leaving” is likely to convert plenty of believers to Park’s songwriting abilities, less so the big man upstairs.

Adding personal context to “Slide”s revelatory, if controversial, subject matter, Park reflects:

In the churches I grew up in, doubting one’s faith was called ‘backsliding’. You’d hear murmurs at the after-church tea & biscuits about such and such a fellow who was spotted out drinking in such and such a bar at the weekend, snogging some heathen lout. Textbook backsliding. It’s a term that bothers me because it implies passivity — like the only conscious choice is to believe in the Bible, and anything else is seen as a form of giving in to the inevitable temptations of ‘the world’. For me ‘backsliding’ was a choice to move away from something that was making my mental health worse, was enforcing upon me a worldview that felt at odds with my inner morality, and most of all — was clearly (at least to my own judgement) historically untrue. In the song I kind of touch on examples of backsliding behaviour, and reclaim the humanity and inherent goodness in these moments. Pretty much; if I’m backsliding, it’s a pretty fun slide.”

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After a long and winding pandemic, Cj Pandit has been making every moment count. 

He kicked off this year with inclusion in The NME’s 100 emerging artists tipped for 2021 and went on to release his debut EP ‘Just Before You Disappear’ back in May. Now he’s back and he’s kicking the door down with a new single to blast you straight into 2022.

Squelchy bass, soaring vocals and exquisite songwriting make ‘BoyfriendCj Pandit’s biggest moment yet. Playful and groove laden, it’s a flawless next move for this exciting, rising artist. Sharing a little more, Pandit explained: “Through the whole process of writing these songs, I wanted to embrace imagined personas, build scenarios and ask questions in my head that we could then leap from. 

For Boyfriend, it was what would happen if Prince, Bowie and Peter Gabriel all got fucked up and wrote a song together. And every time something would make us laugh, or question whether we were pushing things too far, we dialled them up more. I wanted to embrace the outrageous ways of performing, the escapism of the wild nights we’re all getting back to. 

To me it’s the song to strut around your bedroom whilst you get ready, and is playing loud whilst you walk into CBGB’s for the night of your life.“

Already winning the hearts of many with his ever-evolving art-pop sound, this new chapter looks to firmly secure Cj Pandit as one of the UKs most intriguing prospects. 

Inherently driven by the same escapist spirit as Bruce Springsteen, the curiosity of Talk Talk, and the lingering late night lyricism of Leonard Cohen through a truly modern lens, Cj is an anomaly and authentic to his core.

Finally able to perform again, Pandit already has a sold-out, headline show under his belt, which will take place in his hometown of Leicester on the 26th of this month and on the 12th of November he will be supporting Saint Raymond at London’s Iconic venue ‘Heaven’.

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Mexican singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Julian Lamadrid releases his sophomore album, Rebels of The Neon God, on Arista Records. Rebels of The Neon God serves as the follow up to Julian’s 2019 debut, Mala Noche. Featuring past singles like “Teenager,” “One More Trip,” “Cigarette,” “Patience” and “The Neon God,” the 12-track record is a masterfully executed record unbound by genre or expectations. “The album is centered around the dichotomy between frustration and dance, vacancy and ecstasy; enlightenment through pain,” says Julian. “I have glimpsed into the eyes of The Neon God, pierced through the void and come out the other end, desperate for connection, hungry for the eternal.”

New York-based singer-songwriter Mae Krell returns today with the release of their new single, “phantom limb.” Alongside the new single, Mae is also announcing a North American tour supporting Ethan Jewell.“phantom limb” is an achingly beautiful listen. Atop melancholy piano and scintillating production, Mae poetically unfurls a heartbreaking tale of drug addiction and recovery: you’re still here like a phantom limb / an itch I can’t scratch / because I’ll tear up my skin / I know one is too much / but I’m always tempted / by the simple idea / that this time might be different”People often expect me to be ‘healed’ now that I’m sober, not realizing that my disease will continue to trail behind me for the rest of my life,” Mae says. “‘phantom limb’ speaks to my recovery, and what it’s like to choose to carry something difficult with you instead of letting it go untreated.”

Los Angeles based artist and producer Devin Kennedy has released his heartfelt love song titled “Warm Fuzzy”.Listen to “Warm Fuzzy” HERE!About the new song, Kennedy says, “I wrote ‘Warm Fuzzy’ about that person in your life that lights you up and makes you completely nervous all at once.”Devin has collaborated with many other artists outside of his own artist project, including Ryan Tedder, Ben Platt, Alex Aiono, EBEN, Andy Grammar, R3HAB, Jake Miller, and more.Devin is coming off the release of his acclaimed EP “SunDayDreams”, which had songs added to Spotify‘s New Music Friday, soda, Chill Pop and Fresh Finds, Apple Music’s New Music Daily, New In Pop playlists, Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Pop and Brand New Music editorial playlists and more. Devin was also named to MTV’s Biggest Pop, Vevo’s Incoming Pop, and Shazam’s Best New Music.

LA-based triple threat, singer-songwriter and actress Erika Tham releases her stripped-back performance of her recent debut single release “Admit It.” The track debuted with incredible support from tastemakers such as Azeema, HollywoodLife, Raydar, Viper, Wonderland, among others. The brand new live acoustic rework featuring GRAMMY-winning record producer Brian Kennedy (Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson) brings a whole new vibe and energy to the track. Erika’s superb gut wrenching songwriting ability, plus her spellbinding vocals, shine atop the piano rendition.

This visual is the Chinese/Malaysian/Dutch/Ukrainian-Canadian talent’s first official video lifted from her forthcoming debut EP in the works. This personal and intimate performance takes influence from the artwork and the white Ferrari Testarossa featured in it. Erika elaborates, “It’s almost like a live re-enactment of the story. The entire record I felt related so much to cars… to me it sounds like what speeding down a dark road alone feels like, so I’m really glad we got to honor that with the visuals.”

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Ahead of World Kindness Day, global pop and electronic-tinged sensation Betta Lemme returns with her sophomore EP Ready For The Weekend and new single “I Love The Weekend” out now via Ultra Music

The new EP is prismatic as the Canadian artist dives fearlessly into her own psyche with acute self-awareness. Betta Lemme surges with intimate and expansive ballads that ebb, flow, and burst with lyrical wit that hits all the emotional pressure points. A maverick at heart, Betta tackles themes of mental health, identity, love, and loneliness with both playful curiosity and pensive finesse as she reminds us of the fleeting ever-flowing nature of the human condition. Just by its title it may seem like another bubblegum pop record, but within seconds listeners will realize Ready For The Weekend is a masquerade for the hidden angst and uncertainty many wrestle with when they’re trying to believe in something so fragile and impermanent.

“I remember being a kid and going to school, and looking forward to the weekend. But as I grew up, I noticed how the work week would take my mind off of real life depression or anxiety,” Betta explains, “I began staying busy or keeping busy as a means to stay afloat in order to power through these emotions. I started to notice myself feeling worse as time slowed down on a Friday afternoon. Ready for the weekend (even though it sounds like something to be excited for) was more of a way of hyping myself up for the two days that felt like silent agony.”

ROMAN ALEXANDER“Better In A Car” (Official Music Video)• “The music video is a combination of my favorite things, old cars and classic vibes. I want you to feel and experience why life is better in a car.” – Roman Alexander• This is the first official music video from Roman Alexander. Featured in the video is dancer/model Mariah Crom.• Director and Editor, Cooper Smith, brings Roman’s vision to life visually capturing the nostalgic feeling highlighted in the lyrics and emotion of “Better In A Car”. Cooper has worked with Sam Hunt, Adam Doleac, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, and more.

Los Angeles based artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lani Renaldo artfully fuses a diverse mix of grunge rock, bedroom pop and experimental sounds for a wildly eclectic and progressive swirl of cathartic ecstasy. Inspired by artists such as Tame Impala, Prince, Fleetwood Mac, Hayley Williams, and SZA, as well as producers Timbaland, Pharrell and Greg Kurstin, Lani shows us an insight into their love of a myriad of genres that permeates into their own music. Lani’s music often explores themes of hardship, relationships, emotional growth and finding and accepting your true identity. They state,”I think the light at the end of the tunnel has been really finding myself through the music and being able to come to terms with my identity as a non-binary person, wanting to change my name and wanting to physically change things about myself. That was all a part of this journey.”The singer-songwriter’s passion and talent began at a very early age, when they was chosen as one of six songwriters to attend GRAMMY Camp at Converse Rubber Tracks in 2012.  From there, they then went on to study at USC’s Thornton School of Music, which further catapulted their musical education and career. Lani found solace and an outlet for their emotions through music, which became a driving force fueling their passion for music.Lani Renaldo’s critically acclaimed EP NOHEARTBREAK2020 is an exploration of being in your 20’s. Entirely produced, written, and performed by Lani, the EP is about accepting where you are in the moment and not being so hard on yourself. The EP touches on humanity and queer sexuality, emphasizing the significance of being comfortable with who you are, whatever that may be. Through unbearably honest lyrics, their goal is to show others the importance of self-acceptance and to encourage others to be themselves, be uncomfortable and be truthful. Now, after a period of deep transformation both personally and musically, Lani Renaldo has released their highly-anticipated defiant new single “Help!”.  On the releases, Lani confides, “I think I’ve always been this person but it was coming to terms with that and allowing people to see those parts of myself. I was becoming comfortable with my identity and expression. There was a sense of just feeling unapologetic especially within the songs. And I think I didn’t want to feel bad for myself, I wanted to feel empowered by the fact that I was learning how to deal with my emotions for the first time.”

For the few who don’t know who up and coming rapper Psychs is, you definitely will soon. There isn’t many that aren’t trying to get him featured on their music platform since he caught his biggest buzz during the Coronavirus pandemic with his popular single ‘Spreadin’.

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STREAM/ DOWNLOAD: PSYCHS – ‘TARGETS MET’

Although Psychs has been releasing songs for a few years now, some may be surprised that he is only 18 years old – with fans calling him a prodigy. The release of ‘Spreadin’ (which reached over 1 million views!) really gave him the exposure that kick started his experience in the industry. For obvious reasons being that we were all in a global pandemic and it was a relatable song for all, the energy he shows, and the catchy chorus instantly made it a hit.

MUSIC VIDEO: – PSYCHS – ‘TARGETS MET’

neillfrazer@hotmail.com

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