No two ways about it: Italian-born Alessandra Boldrini’s calling has always involved music. Starry-eyed and ready to turn dreams into reality, she packed her bags and headed to the UK in 2016 to pursue a degree at BIMM Institute. Since then, she’s gone on to amass over half a million streams across her tracks and positioned herself as one of Pop’s most exciting rising stars.
Inspired by the likes of Dua Lipa, Nono, Mabel, and Clean Bandit, Boldrini’s EDM-meets-Pop sound pivots around her enchanting yet confident vocal palette that oozes with charisma. Showcasing a vocal maturity way beyond her years, Boldrini’s lyricism explores the human mind, often subconsciously writing songs from the perspective of others. Hailing from the small Italian village of Fabriano, Boldrini’s lofty musical ambitions left her feeling like a big fish in a small pond. She spent time singing in her local choir during childhood, and while her musically inclined family ignited her passion, Boldrini decided to move to London and study at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute in pursuit of her musical dreams.
The new single “What You Wanted” is a wash of refreshing honesty, recounting the feeling of despair and disdain surrounding toxic relationships. Detailing the hurt of holding yourself accountable for the fault of others, and the fallout and frustration that’s triggered by gaslighting, Boldrini admits, “I was in a relationship a few years back, and towards the end, I found myself giving and giving and giving and for what? Nothing, as the other person couldn’t even bother to try and make things better.”
For Boldrini, music is more than simply structured noise; it’s also therapy, a vessel that supplies her with a consistent stream of confidence and motivation to fuel her determination to succeed, which is clearly evident in this new track. The singer’s pop influences shine through in the catchy up-beat melody, bursting with a feel-good and intoxicating energy, creating a meaningful contrast to the somewhat dustier lyrics. Emitting confidence and illustrating the taking back of control in a relationship, she sings, “You tell me baby don’t you over analyse / But I know what you did, come show your face / It’s time for you to take the blame for all the lies you said”.
“What You Wanted” holds an empowering notion to celebrate our authentic selves, with the songwriter wanting to “embrace my unique personality and be loved for who I am… if you don’t like it, that’s absolutely fine – but don’t put it on me!”
Swedish indie-rock global crusaders Tribe Friday today release “for real?” the third single release from the trio’s upcoming bubblegum emo album, and they’re kicking the year off in style with bounding guitar hooks, crashing cymbals, sugar-sweet vocals and a liberal dose of bright harmonies.While very much another energized leap forward in the developing Tribe Friday sound, “for real?” also captures the pure, unadulterated youth of vintage Tribe Friday tracks. These are the turn-of-the-millenium indie guitar hooks and earworm melodies that caught the ears of tastemakers from eastern Europe to the western United States and beyond while Noah Deutschmann was still a teen in the northern Swedish woods. Those trademarked cuttingly-honest self-deprecating lyrics are back in play too as Deutschmann bemoans “I do things right for all wrong reasons, stay sad so she’ll wanna see me, treat me like someone you care for, it doesn’t even have to be for real.” He explains that “for a very long time, I didn’t like myself very much. So I’d turn towards external validation and trying to feel cool to make up for it. And then in turn I’d resent myself for making shitty decisions. I don’t know. It’s all just one big self-pity party. Which pains me to say out loud – because I realize I have a very, very good life. I’m an extremely lucky person. So I feel bad feeling bad about it sometimes. Self-pity can be such an ugly emotion. I guess that’s why I like writing about it.“
AMON“Millie Slims” & “BLB“• 2022 marks the year of Amon. With many more records to drop, Amon kicks off the year with a 2 pack – “Millie Slims” and “BLB” – upbeat, easy-listening rap that “makes you want to achieve something” according to Amon.• Amon will be releasing new music every 6 to 8 weeks throughout the year.• Amon’s recent collaboration with PJ Morton and Smooth Blaq “All My Life” was featured as the end credits of the recent Muhammad Ali documentary, City Of Ali.
Amaya Santos is an R&B, pop artist based in New York. Blending the rich, soulful tones from the Caribbean music she grew up listening to, with hypnotic hip hop beats and sultry, velvet vocals, her music is a unique interpretation of her roots, with a fresh and modern twist. Taking inspiration from the likes of Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, Aaliyah and Amy Winehouse, Santos delivers an equal amount of soul and sass, with her impressive vocal range soaring atop her move-inducing melodies.
Her latest single “Carousel” was inspired by the story of her friend’s unstable relationship. Constantly breaking up and making up, the relationship was fueled by arguments, with Santos sharing, “It made me reflect not only on amorous relationships but on my overall relationships with other people and how sometimes we fail to distinguish the never ending cycles of unhealthy friendships or remain in one sided relationships.”
Sonically, the single mimics the motion of a carousel by adding and removing instruments to give it that build up and decline. With a subtle hint of the 90’s, twinkling guitar melodies and shimmering synths, the infectious chorus plays on the back and forth of the narrative, as she sings “I love you, I hate you, but no matter what I do, I just can’t forget you, we go round n round.”
Santos hopes her music will encourage others to express their emotions, value themselves and feel understood. She confides, “I think sometimes when we are in a situation like “Carousel”, we are blind to it. I would hope this song could be a wakeup call to anyone who is in a similar situation and that it could help to know they aren’t alone and that there are other people feeling the same way or going through similar situations. I also hope it would help them realize they can move on from them.”
Having already racked up streams in the tens of thousands, Amaya Santos is quickly becoming an artist on the rise, with 2022 set to be an exciting year for the young East Coast artist.
the Nashville based pop-rock band, The Revelries share “Nicotine,” the fourth original song to be released by the band via EDGEOUT Records. “Nicotine” follows the 2021 releases of “So High,” “Cliche,” and “Little Things,” which was featured throughout the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs during game broadcasts, highlight reels and commercial bumpers on NBC, NBCSN and NHL Network in the U.S.; Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada; and across the NHL’s social media channels.
The Revelries combine lyricism with full-sounding, guitar-driven Pop-Rock that recalls the sound and influence of successful Eighties Arena Rock, Power-Pop and Alternative artists.
You may recognize my work under the name LaFlamme. Now, I’m gearing up to release a full-length album, Is This How Memories Work?, as singer-songwriter James McLeod.
Is This How Memories Work? has to do with how we feel in the moment, and how those memories get distorted over time. The only thing we know for sure is what we sense in the present tense.
I’m blending ‘folktronic’ sounds with pop sensibilities, which you can hear in my new single “Parkdale,” about a night on the town recounted as a dream. So many debaucherous nights took place in this Toronto neighborhood! Upon reflection, I realized in my 30s that all of the seemingly friendly strangers I’d met in my 20s more closely resembled monsters.
Deliciously intoxicating, “Parkdale” is about leaning into your vices even when they no longer serve you merely because it’s convenient to. In the closing line, it’s revealed that the narrator feels right at home in this nightmare, giving thanks for its seductive destructiveness.
Thanks for listening,
James McLeod
19-year-old singer, songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Peach Martine shares her powerful new single, “I Would Have Given You the Moon.”The track is a love letter to anyone who has ever been told they’re too much to handle. With heartbreakingly confessional lyrics like “she’s a candle flame and I’m a wildfire / she’s always just enough, I’ll always be too much,” the piano-driven ballad shot to viral success on TikTok last year, resonating with hundred and thousands of other young women who have found themselves in similar situations. “I had thousands of people telling me they’ve been through the same thing and it really struck how being called ‘too much, isn’t a bad thing in love,” says Peach.
Toronto dream pop/indie rock duo are back with a brand new single and video ‘More More More’, out now on all digital streaming platforms. Watch video here. ‘More More More’ is the first single from Soft Set’s new album Still Life set for release this summer. The bright, melancholic track features Mark Crozer (The Jesus and Mary Chain) on bass and was mastered by Simon Scott (Slowdive) at SPS Mastering studio in the UK. “‘More More More’ is about loneliness and how people generally cope and sometimes never find happiness,” says vocalist Nathan Athay. “Most of the time, life doesn’t have Hollywood endings and you should cherish what you have and not waste precious time looking for things you don’t.”The origin story for Soft Set begins with James Gray and Nathan Athay meeting for the first time in high school in Barrie, Ontario. It didn’t take long in their friendship for them to realize that they had a lot in common, especially when it came to their taste in music. Drawing on influences from iconic artists that have inspired them on their musical path—The Stone Roses, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine, RIDE, Slowdive, Happy Mondays, The Boo Radleys, Mercury Rev—Soft Set’s music has something for everyone!
Irish born, Berlin based Wallis Bird is thrilled to share “What’s Wrong With Changing” and “Pretty Lies” from her upcoming album HANDS.
Hands (Nine and a Half Songs for Nine and a Half Fingers) is due out on May 27.
“What’s Wrong With Changing” appropriates the rhythmic discipline of Janet Jackson’s Control, Rhythm Nation 1814 and janet and “Pretty Lies” – a standout on the album that showcases an intense euphoric conclusion powered by forty chunky chord progressions.
HANDS finds BIRD turning the spotlight onto herself, raising issues that are sometimes far harder to confront, only to emerge optimistic and whole. Among these are issues of trust, alcohol abuse, stagnation, self-censorship and self-improvement, some addressed through personal recollections of crucial moments accumulated over the last two years. Each, however, is delivered by a voice uncommonly blessed with joy, ingenuity and empathy.
The front cover of the new album features a black and white photograph of a hand. A cursory look might not reveal anything unusual, but it only takes a moment to recognize it’s no ordinary hand. In the shadows, there’s a stump where the little finger should be, and something seems off about the other digits too. Some will understand its significance: they’ll have seen it strumming an upside-down, right-handed guitar, picking in unorthodox style, forming unconventional chords. The hand, you see, is WALLIS BIRD’s, and it’s there because, having spent much of her life trying to exist despite its restrictions, she’s reached a point where she recognizes that, in many ways, it’s always been vital to her lived reality. With this has come a realization of “who I am, what I am, and what I don’t want.” HANDS documents her subsequent process of change, and its consequences, with typically distinctive style, making it – hands down, naturally – one of the most honest albums you’ll hear at a time when honesty is at a premium.
“HANDS for me is a symbol of humanity, connection and time,” BIRD elaborates. “Humanity because, as babies, a first sign of our knowledge of existence is through our connection when we grip another human’s finger. If we don’t have hands, are we lesser humans? No. Connection, because hands represent tactility and expression, a physical language that links our imagination and our reality with each other’s. Finally, time, because some of the first examples of civilizations were hand paintings on cave walls, some of those hands missing fingers, celebrating their story of existence.”
neillfrazer@hotmail.com
