Artist and songwriter Tessa Violet has debuted her new single “YES MOM,” the first single from her forthcoming sophomore album due out later this year. Stream the track everywhere here.An electrifying alt-pop anthem, “YES MOM” is a self-love manifesto infused with dynamic drums and booming bass lines that set a grandiose stage for Tessa’s forthcoming new album. A wink at her meteoric rise over the last few years, “YES MOM” sees Tessa assert her agency and empower listeners to be their own #1 fan. And, Tessa’s self-proclaimed dominance is expressed rightfully so with this highly-anticipated track already gaining major steam before its official release. Bolstered by a self-launched TikTok trend that has now amassed 63K+ unique TikTok creates with 350 million views on Tessa’s creates alone, fans have been itching for the single drop and have even stopped her on the street. Tessa will be back on the road this year as direct support for UK indie-pop singer-songwriter, Cavetown. Together, they will traverse 25 U.S. markets beginning March 22. Tessa has also confirmed a run of 2022 festival dates including a performance at January’s 8123 Fest and an upcoming performance at Bottlerock.
Yiigaa continues her triumphant journey into 2022, showcasing her range as a songwriter, producer and performer with her breakout single Edge. A declaration of self-love and acceptance, the message is one that will resonate with her ever-growing audience.
The afrobeats-inspired track is a statement record that shows the growth in not only songwriting but creative direction, as shown by the bold artwork.
Edge follows Good Enough and Up (feat. KiLLOWEN), both of which quickly became fan favourites as shown at her sold out Christmas party. The event raised over £500 for Care4Calais and saw performances from an array of Yiigaa’s friends including Lucy Tun, Eliza Leganda, KiLLOWEN, and more.
Yiigaa has cemented herself as one to watch in 2022 and beyond, recognised by her peers and creatives who surround her as the ‘Southside Songstress’. She has been championed by BBC Radio 1’s Jeremiah Asiamah (Coldest Records, Coldest of the Year, Watchlist 2022), Rickie, Melvin and Charlie, Jack Saunders (Next Wave), Jess Iszatt (Featured artist) and more, as well as securing a play on Love Island ‘21. She has garnered support from award-winning DJ and producer, Conducta who remixed her single Closer, naming it as one of his favourite tracks of the year. The 2-step banger was widely shared by the likes of DJ Mag, GRM Daily and Trench Magazine.
Raised in Brixton, South London, by her Ivorian master drummer father, Henri Gaobi, and her travel-loving mother; Yiigaa spent her childhood surrounded by music. A fiercely independent and driven creative, by seven years old, Yiigaa was writing her own lyrics and absorbing a varied range of musical styles that would go on to influence her own signature brand of genre-blending electronic pop. In addition to her rich musical heritage, Yiigaa is also an accomplished actor and is part of the coveted National Youth Theatre. In October 2020, Yiigaa featured in the Abdou Cisse short film Damage Control (Enough) which aired on Channel 4 as part of the channel’s boundary-pushing short film strand, Random Acts.
FUTURE CAVEMEN will continue his ascendance this Spring with the confirmation of a new EP: ‘II’, out 25 March 2022 via the Tough Candy imprint.
Marking a vital next step in his evolution, the Bath-based solo artist AKA Joe Tennant teases the release with its captivating lead single: “Gypsy Curse”.
Shouldering a Dandy Warhols-eseque leather-clad cool and vortexing synthesisers straight out of a retro arcade game that Grandaddy would surely approve-of, “Gypsy Curse” is a bewitching alternative-rock cut that will ensnare from the moment go.
Written in a flat-share in an unassuming London estate, it would be the chance acquisition of a vintage synthesiser from a stranger on GumTree that would take “Gypsy Curse” out of its humdrum setting and transform it into something otherworldly. As Tennant says:
“Lyrically, it’s partly autobiographical, part truth, part fiction… I had just purchased a vintage synth (my first synth) from a middle aged man on Gumtree – seemed like a good deal. I remember carrying it home with the bus, it was extremely bulky.”
Hotly tipped Cj Pandit returns with his latest offering and brilliant new cut 1 2 Free.
The dynamic dose of art-pop is a reminder to back yourself and trust your instincts.
Explaining more, Cj shared: When we’re falling head first into new relationships, it’s easy to second guess each other’s expectations and become over reliant on approval, when maybe we should be slightly more selfish. It’s not always a bad word. That’s what 1, 2 Free is all about, relying on your impulses and not holding people back.
I was so heavily influenced by the BeeGees songwriting and recording through the whole process and wanted to cover the song in as many voices and harmonies as possible to let myself float through the messy little world inside my head. It feels like a lift off to me.”
After a long and winding pandemic, Cj Pandit has been making every moment count. From scooping tips from the likes of NME and Rough Trade, to nailing a sold out show and racking up close to a million streams on his debut EP. He’s kicked off 2022 with Radio 1 support and this is just the beginning.
1 2 Free is the second single to be revealed from his sophomore EP, due for release later this year and follows playful, groove-laden single ‘Boyfriend’ that in the words of Jack Saunders is ‘So funky it sounds like it’s been played under water’.
Embracing his curiosity and love of experimentation, Cj Pandit has been nurturing his growing fan base with his ever-evolving sound. His last single ‘Boyfriend’ marked a new chapter of pushing his limits, sharing more, he explained “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.”
Photo Credit: Edward Cooke
London artist ABISHA beckons us into a new era of her music with her latest single and music video “Home To You,” out Friday, March 4th. Soaring over an effervescent soundscape, “Home To You” displays pronounced evolution of ABISHA’s style as she fuels us with buoyant introspection that bristles with warmth and longing. As her first release of 2022, the track stands on a new height of her creativity where she strides into a bolder and richer territory of UK garage. WATCH HERE
“To Me, ‘Home To You’ can be interpreted in so many different ways because everyone has their own personal person, thing or place that feels like home. For me, feeling at home is where I feel safe and comfortable, and can relax at the end of the day and let out all of my emotions, and ‘Home To You’ is about that home being my girlfriend. We wrote it in the Summer when covid restrictions were still in place and we were being optimistic and hopeful about all of the things we could do when we were finally free! I had been doing some reflection and started to step into my own authentic power which has massively helped my confidence, which I think is reflected in ‘Home To You’ and throughout the whole upcoming EP! It’s my favourite on the EP because it’s upbeat and so happy but also still quite deep and emotional.” shares ABISHA.
CAT SFX is back, and they’re f**ked off.As their fifth release on Alan McGee’s tastemaker label It’s Creation Baby, this ain’t their first “Rodeo” by any means. But for those who’ve been following Cat SFX’s evolution to date, their latest is perhaps Cat’s most exhilarating and outspoken instalment yet.PRE-SAVE “RODEO” HEREReleased on 25 February 2022, it’s a track that breaks conventions like Bikini Kill, seethes like Veruca Salt and slams like Sleater-Kinney in full-flight. “Rodeo” is a white-knuckle ride of no-nonsense punk rock and nihilistic rage. As allegations of corruption flood our news feeds day-in/day-out with endless predictability, “Rodeo” sees Cat SFX getting on their soapbox to say: enough is enough. As Cat states: “There’s one thing you should know, this ain’t my first Rodeo” – is my way of saying: we’ve seen and heard it all before mate, we won’t be fooled this time round.”
THE MAIN SQUEEZE REVEAL STUNNING NEW OFFERING ‘MAKE IT RIGHT’// LISTEN HERE
NEW ALBUM ‘ TO BE DETERMINED’ SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 11th
Having collaborated with artists such as 6LACK, Eryn Allen Kane and Gallant, Indiana based genre defying band The Main Squeeze are set to release their new project, To Be Determined, on March 11th. Something of a touring phenomenon who have sold out shows across the US and gained support from areas such as NPR, Rolling Stone and more, the unlikely band have quickly picked up a grass roots following for their unique brand of funk tinged soul. Ahead of the release of the album, the band are revealing funk Rock n Roll smash, ‘Make It Right’ , a beautiful blend of angelic vocals and razor sharp instrumentals. Speaking on the release, the band state:
“This album was all written from 5 minute song ideas in a circle. “Make It Right” came after a couple of drinks and some nostalgia talk”
More on The Main Squeeze….
The Main Squeeze are a five piece band with a decade old origin story beginning on the campus of Indiana University. The Squeeze, who have toured with the likes of George Clinton and The Parliament Funk, String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee and are lauded across North America’s live music circuit. They’ve graced hundreds of festival stages including Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Firefly and many more. Their breakout moment came during the pandemic, the band quickly developing a huge following on tiktok and widespread praise.
Their upcoming studio album, “To Be Determined,” will be out March 11. The album’s lead single “Sunday Morning” saw major editorial support from Spotify, Apple, KCRW, and SiriusXM.
Look out for more from The Main Squeeze very soon.
Solidly embossed within the music business, Brooklyn based artist stevexcooper has credits in writing, recording and performing, with his experience spanning nearly 20 years. His former projects have secured both an indie deal and a major deal (Atlantic Records), as well as collaborations with Grammy nominees (Ricky Reed, Nolan Lambroza) and supporting artists like M.I.A., Royal Blood, Incubus and Biffy Clyro, verifying his incessant drive and indisputable skill.
Launched in 2020, the stevexcooper artist project was created as a companion piece to his production work in New York, London, and Los Angeles, with Cooper sharing, “My goal is to develop an international sonic identity across the production work and artist releases.” Best described as left-wing rap and pop, his music bends stereotypical genres, creating dynamic beats and a uniquely exclusive sound. Tapping into some of his more aggressive electronic influences like SLIKBACK, Giant Swan, and Avon Terror Corps, Cooper reveals, “I grew up on Aphex Twin and Squarepusher and other artists who captured the sound of worlds breaking. I think this song does that, too.”
Four years in the making, the new track “Never silent.” is one of the first songs created between stevexcooper and LIFEOFTHOM after they met in 2018. Coming up with the beat whilst sat outside a coffee shop in Echo Park, Los Angeles, the track is a jungle of multi-layered electronics and reverberating beats. LIFEOFTHOM’s vocals hear him reach a new light while retaining his undeniable grit, emanating Yeezus type energy in sections of the production.
Tackling the topic of violence in both the song and the video (directed by Charles Billot at Porter Studios in Brooklyn), Cooper explained, “We wanted to address violence but with nuance, hinting at its origins and necessity for both survival and affecting change. The lyrics are true to LIFEOFTHOM’s experience but also elicit a type of revolutionary feeling centered on protecting and standing up for yourself and what you believe in.”
Cooper has previously co-produced London’s ATO (MCMXCV) alongside platinum artist EDEN, which garnered on-air support from pop star Tom Grennan and multiple BBC Radio 1 DJs, as well as adding creative director to his resume for L.A. pop singer, sophiemarie.b (300 Entertainment/Crowned), whom he also executive produces. With an endless list of credits to his name, he is definitely one to watch this coming year.
Emerging electronic producer and EMK signee DEFSET unveils his latest fully-fledged single, ‘All The Room And No Space’. As the follow-up to his distinguished debut album ‘Proximity’, which launched to wide acclaim in October 2021, this new single is the perfect follow up to DEFSET’s all-encompassing first LP, fusing his penchant for acidic modular dance trips with a hedonistic, anthemic breakbeat workout that’s hand-crafted for those special moments on the dancefloor. Stream ‘All The Room And No Space’ here.
Meticulously crafted in his new Brighton-based studio, ‘All The Room And No Space’ was “written with the biggest sound systems in mind”, conjuring up vivid imagery of “the sunset, a summer festival, being surrounded by your favourite people, huge system – euphoric, emotive breaks.” It certainly captures that in all its glory, catapulting you into visions of rave-etched euphoria and late night dancefloor debauchery, jet-fuelled by DEFSET’s masterful grasp of modular and hardware synths. All elements are utilised to perfection here.
Underlining proceedings is that blistering breakbeat – choppy, full-frontal and perfectly balanced in the mix, it’s a flawless foundation that enables the rest of the track to roll out to its full potential. That’s one of DEFSET’s very finest qualities, and a sure sign of knowhow and efficiency from this astute sonic tactician – as it all builds into a mind melting crescendo of sound, the DEFSET concept all comes together in front of you in all it’s startling glory.
“This began as a little ambient melodic jam on my Prophet 6 and Atlantis” he explains, “It was just the nice distorted pad and melody weaving in and out, then I recorded it and played it live as the last track of my debut live set on 1BTN radio”. It was an instant classic, with DEFSET noting “I brought in this dirty great breakbeat and the track took off. I then spent a few months trying to recreate what I did live! I think I eventually got there.”
For their first single of 2022, Sydney six-piece Winston Surfshirt deliver their latest blend of funk-soul with the Genesis Owusu assisted ‘There’s Only One’ – released via BMG.
Consistent to their hip hop groove blueprint, ’There’s Only One’ weaves funk beats with vibrant basslines for an addictive 70’s nostalgia. Offsetting Winston’s signature falsettos, the stylised vocals from Genesis Owusu deepen the track into a multi-faceted sonic experience. A soundtrack for your sundowner’s, ’There’s Only One’ lyrically explores love’s loyalty with finding “the one”.
As winner of ‘Best Album by an Australian Artist’ in the BandLab NME Awards 2022, Genesis Owusu is a unique voice on the Australian music scene, generating immense buzz from his stylish artistry. A seamless merge of sounds, ‘There’s Only One’ marks another iconic collaboration from Winston Surfshirt and a new dimension to their genre-blending sound.
‘There’s Only One’ comes off the back of Winston Surfshirt’s recent feel-good bop ‘Complicated’, featuring critically and commercially adored electronic producer Young Franco. With multi-platinum releases and sell-out tours, the collective has laid down a serious foundation while generating credible buzz amongst fans and industry tastemakers including NME, ROLLING STONE, COLORSXSTUDIOS and CLASH.
Originally beginning as a solo project consisting of frontman, singer, producer and rapper Winston, the six-piece group organically came together when he called upon some of his closest friends and local artists to collaborate and establish the globally
cherished musical collective they are today. Since the band’s esteemed debut project and triple j Feature Album, “Sponge Cake”, to the present day, the boys have garnered widespread praise from international music connoisseurs including Beats 1 hosts Zane Lowe, Sir Elton John, Jason Bentley (KCRW), Huw Stephens, Phil Taggart (BBC Radio 1), and Lauren Laverne (BBC Radio 6).
Blurring the lines between soul, funk and hip hop, Winston Surfshirt continue their ascent as one of Australia’s most beloved acts. Adding to their repertoire of unforgettable collaborations with ‘There’s Only One’, this latest slice of funk-soul will be one to remember.
International alt-pop band Yumi Zouma announces today’s premiere of “Where The Light Used To Lay,” the latest single from their eagerly awaited new album, Present Tense. The poignant track arrives alongside the second in a mesmerizing trilogy of official music videos directed by filmmaker Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell, Listen up Philip), premiering today. Present Tense arrives via Polyvinyl on Friday, March 18; pre-orders are available now.
WATCH “WHERE THE LIGHT USED TO LAY”
PRE-ORDER PRESENT TENSE
“‘Where The Light Used To Lay’ eventually revealed itself as a bittersweet song about the agony of detangling your life as you break up and the enticing future, clarity, and lightness that the end of the tunnel can offer,” says co-founder/multi-instrumentalist Josh Burgess. “When we first started writing the song in 2019, we were all in long-term relationships. By the time the final mix was completed in the Fall of 2021, only one of those remained (thanks COVID). It’s funny how songs can end up revealing themselves in surprising ways, even to their writers. It’s equal parts confronting and calming, knowing that the subconscious starts processing long before the conscious comes to it. Regardless, it’s nice to have a moment with a song where you go ‘damn, ain’t that the truth.’
Theo Tams is rediscovering his identity as an artist. With his upcoming EP, the Canadian singer/songwriter demonstrates a remarkable command of R&B-laced pop music, his silky tenor the unwavering guiding light. As evidenced on lead single, “Therapy,” a sticky mid-tempo jam, Tams slides across the melody with an enrapturing charm, and his vulnerability is as much on display.
Two years since his last record, 2018’s Call the Doctor, what is most evident is his fearlessness to cannonball right into fresh sonic waves. “I knew that I really wanted to just dive into this evolution and a different sound. All the new music was an exercise in the spirit of saying yes to new things,” he says. “There’s so many times that I feel the industry or public perception put me in a box. Going into this project, I realized regardless of whether they put me in a box, it was my job to burst out of it.”
Photo credit: Bella Howard
Electro-pop artist and harpist, TATYANA, returns today with a catchy, shimmering new single, “Between The Lines,” that finds the producer, songwriter and performer in a candid moment of self-reflection over an irresistible, syrupy, synth-soaked track. Check out the lyric video here.
TATYANA has already turned the heads of several leading tastemakers as she’s been featured in Bandcamp‘s “New & Notable,” named a “Rising Artist” by Vinyl Me, Please. and makes what Dork has called a “Smooth pop gem.” Cultr calls TATYANA’s music “An astral surprise sculpting her musical dreamland – a vivid wonder that will consume your consciousness.”
Similar to TATYANA’s last single, “Right Places“ “Between The Lines” features the singer’s signature twinkling harp melodies, only this time, TATYANA confesses, “Maybe I overreacted / Maybe I’m in over my head / Maybe I twisted what you said .. I do this all the time / I run away from feelings I don’t like.” Co-producer Joseph Mount (Metronomy), who was an important early influence in TATYANA’s musical journey and has now signed on to work with her as a collaborator and producer assisted in bringing the track to life. “Between The Lines” brilliantly sheds light on the universal experience of self-doubt draped in bright, glossy honesty with an addictive beat and harp-synthy-filled outro.
TATYANA says, “Between the Lines is a favourite of mine. I wrote it after an ex told me I had an avoidant attachment style (lol!!) and I wanted to explore that idea in the lyrics. Making this song with Joe was so fun, I especially love the jammy instrumental outro in the song – those rising synths are so beautiful and it felt necessary to take it out with a shimmery harp solo.”
Gina Naomi Baez is an actress, singer/songwriter, YouTuber and influencer from New York City. With a flourishing acting career having landed roles in Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It, Orange is the New Black and most recently CBS’s FBI. She has also performed in numerous Off-Broadway and Regional theatrical productions, with Baez currently starring in Rattlesnake Kate (written by Neyla Pekarek from The Lumineers). Her love and passion for songwriting and music has always been the true driving force behind her creativity, with the artist using her platform to spread messages of positivity.
“Stick Around” explores the feeling of being undeserving of love, care and attention. It asks the question how someone could choose to stick around for another, even through the toughest and worst times. The songwriter confides, “Showing your truth is such a vulnerable state and when you find someone who embraces you at your best and lowest …well…that is rare and something you should protect at all costs.” The song was originally just one verse and a chorus written and shared on TikTok, however after realizing that the song resonated with so many people, Baez decided to complete and produce the entire song. Featuring delicate piano melodies, heart-wrenching lyrics and echoing back vocals, “Stick Around” is bursting with emotion.
Baez has also seen great success with her YouTube channel which has built an impressive following. Her infamous “Lizzo’s Truth Hurts x Hocus Pocus” parody music video went viral after LIZZO herself reposted it, as well as Bette Midler. The channel features creative, unique original music videos, covers and parodies of popular songs and has garnered worldwide recognition from the likes of PEOPLE, Entertainment Weekly, Access Hollywood, The Huffington Post, MTV, Perez Hilton, FOX, E! ONLINE, Ryan Seacrest, Yahoo News!, Stylist and much more! Propelling in all areas of the industry, Baez is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
Somewhere it is written that the American author James Baldwin said that the English language is the enemy of Black people. Indeed, the straight-jacket of systemic limitations needs to be perceived to be overcome. I hear Guidry’s vernacular as a cultural methodology relevant to addressing the roles of artists making an impact on society today. Their tempered and hybrid phonics renders revelations of beauty, revelations of possibility, validation, self-awareness, creative problem solving, balance of openness with structure and other virtues of Improvisation, as stated by long-time Houston-based, music educator and Improviser David Dove in “Music is the Pedagogy.”
Ambient electronic tracks wait for you like light pools of warmth and resonance. Their placement in a timeline of the album designates them as unique transformative portals and democratic spaces within the narrative. Synthesizing Chela Sandoval’s five technologies of the Methodologies of the Oppressed which incorporates how we see the world (semiotics), make sense of it (deconstruction), relate it to history (meta-ideologizing), formulate new modalities of action (differential movement) to, finally, erect, defend and maintain democratic spaces (democratics). The journey of Radical Acceptance opens your eyes to move beyond sense-making into the creation of knowledge itself and our social environment.
Radical Acceptance sounds like tactical media quilt code from the Underground Railroad. Imagine next to the concrete examples of the “North Star,” the “Log Cabin, the Drunkard’s Path,” and now we have “Radical Acceptance.” The album is a community informatic and liberatory tool for your emancipation and self-determination travel kit from a cultural archive of a disciplined, mind tempest. I believe the album is a conduit distributing the listener into a resonant real or imagined geography. With tracks as appendages, the recording moves on its own: auto-motive. Its own power embodies statements, scars and wisdom, offering a modality for when navigating community accountability. Entropic tracks like “Inner child,” “Why Is Toxicity So Yummy” and “How To Breathe While Dying” are sweetly deceptive and agile transgressions of common arcs in narrative formations of collective performance amidst layered solo versatility adds a nuanced blend of vernacular wisdom.
The poetics of the archival sounding material in “72 Hours,” each feels like an environmental sound design installation reminiscent of Leroy Jones’ (Amiri Baraka, of course) Blues People when he addresses the ownership and limitations of the recording technologies in shaping Black Music today. “Down In The Valley ” and “Voices Of The Ancestors’ ‘ utilize uncommodifiable cultural weaponry that impossible to copyright, like Kente cloth, anchored in transformative tensegrity invoking a limitless healing rooted in African Diasporic indigeneity.
Radical Acceptance is a radical geography that defies the status quo of everyday harm that speaks straight to the senses and emotions of the listener. The organizations of sounds, tracks, rapid fingering and figures of soul-piercing resonance bring our bodies, feelings, and intuition to an evocation of a powerful relationship with those who we’re performing alongside, and those who are listening to us.
Psychedelic indie rock artist, QUESTA, has released his debut single, “Feedin’“, available on all music platforms. Ahead of QUESTA’s debut EP release on June 3rd, 2022, “Feedin’” will be featured on an upcoming episode of the hit TV show Servant, streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. Produced and directed by Academy Award-nominated director M. Night Shyamalan, this psychological thriller follows a married couple coming to terms with a recent tragedy. “Feedin,’” the latest release from QUESTA will appear in season 3, episode 6 of Servant airing Friday, February 25, 2022.
When the pandemic shut down all live theatre performances around the world, Cuesta’s role in NYC as the lead character in I Am Nobody by American playwright Greg Kotis (Urinetown), was put on hold. He dove right into writing and producing music, and he began creating music as QUESTA.
The Galveston, Texas-based band’s lineup is comprised of guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter Jonathan Jourdan, Robb Mars and drummer Dexas Villarreal, who continuously work to bring their fans music that is diverse, full of pulse-pounding riffs, but also infused with melody and lyrical depth. Prior to the pandemic, the band had been touring incessantly, having amassed a large following in their native Texas and doing a successful national tour with the band “Nothing More”. The trio got their big break when a five-day regional run with the legendary group Candlebox, this brought them the attention they deserved and catapulted them to the forefront of the metal scene.
“To Whom It May” has taken much inspiration from their Texas predecessors, including “Down”, who they have toured with in the past, but also from other influences, as they try to incorporate other metal styles into the fold. They are excited to showcase their newest sound with the release of their album “Olympian Gossip” this March.
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