“Tablecloth” is the second single release from Moka only’s new album “In and of Itself” available via URBNET on May 19, 2023.
Moka Only’s music is eclectic, drawing inspiration from a variety of genres such as hip-hop, jazz, and soul.
He is known for his smooth, laid-back flow and his witty, introspective lyrics. His music often deals with themes of love, relationships, and personal growth.
Finnish alt-rock outfit Heart Tide is sharing their thunderous new single ‘Carousel’. Bolstered by darkly comedic lyrics, fierce delivery and a glass-shattering breakdown, the new song features a much heavier sound for the band than it has had before. The accompanying lyric video released on the same day reflects this with its foreboding menace while also introducing new shades to Heart Tide’s visuals.
”Keep your friends close and your enemies in the trunk of your car.” – A line that quickly establishes the single’s overall tone. ”It felt right to make something that has more intensity. I really wanted to explore musically—and I definitely think this is something new and exciting for Heart Tide and myself—but also combine that with tragicomedy that I enjoy when writing lyrics and performing them. That juxtaposition I think serves the track’s fluidity when it comes to genres it’s exploring as well. Hopefully it all makes you think.”, frontperson Samu Hietainen tells us about the song.
Following their first announcement for 2023, Iceland Airwaves have today shared a whole host of new names who will be heading to Reykjavík’s iconic downtown home for the beloved tastemaker festival this year. Bringing together the best in local Icelandic talent alongside emerging and much-celebrated global acts, this year’s Airwaves event happens from 2-4 November 2023. The festival is vital in capturing Europe’s appetite for new music with 2022’s iteration heralded as “one of the most idiosyncratic festivals in the world, and one which will keep calling you back,” by NME.
Much-loved indie outfit Bombay Bicycle Club lead today’s announcement of 34 new names for Iceland Airwaves 2023, with the promise of a set brimming with sparkling indie gems spanning a career of almost two decades. From the exciting urgency of their breakthrough debut album ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’, to the more intricate, yet still just as catchy, musings on their most recent full length LP ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’, pairing the band’s alternative indie ethereal tracks with the stunning surroundings Iceland has to offer is sure to make for an unforgettable experience this November.
Cementing the festival’s status once again as a vital point of discovery for new music on a global scale, Irish garage punks Sprints, Franco-American brothers Faux Real, Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf, indie electronica from Montreal Ghostly Kisses, Norwegian popstar SKAAR and German bedroom producer Donkey Kid also join the bill for Iceland Airwaves 2023 today. Appearing alongside previously announced names such as Yard Act, Blondeshell, Balming Tiger and Squid, it sets the event up for another electrifying takeover of downtown Reykjavík this winter.
With even more emerging talent from the local areas also included in this latest line-up announcement, Iceland Airwaves are once again showcasing the best of the best when it comes to Icelandic talent. Taking inspiration from fellow Airwaves 2023 performer Andy Shauf and Aldous Harding, Árný Margrét hails from Westfjörds in Iceland, a fact which comes to fruition in her music as she reflects on what it’s like living in an isolated location.
In stark contrast, earlier this year she travelled to America to take part in the Airwaves showcase at SXSW. Preparing for the release of their second album ‘The Light’, Eydís Evensen will also be appearing at Airwaves this November, where she will prove just why her ‘KEXP at Home’ session is the most streamed from the COVID pandemic period, alongside the solo project of acclaimed composer and producer Herdís Stefánsdóttir, Kónguló who will be making their debut appearance at Iceland Airwaves 2023. They’ll also be joined across the festival by fellow local acts Kusk og Óviti and Kári Egilsson, as well as elective Icelandic habitant Jelena Ciric.
Recently crowned Best Indoor Festival at the 2022 European Festival Awards, Iceland Airwaves continues to solidify its reputation for one of the most experimental and captivating tastemaking festivals the world has to offer. Set against the stunning backdrop of Reykjavík, you can expect everything from secret concerts, fashion and art shows, poetry readings and maybe even an appearance from the aurora borealis, alongside the event’s compelling music programming. Iceland also offers unique experiences unlike anywhere else in the world, with the capital surrounded by a natural world quite literally exploding with geysers, volcanoes, waterfalls, geothermal pools and more.
All the iconic venues and cornerstones of the festival are confirmed for the official programme, including Reykjavík Art Museum, Gamla Bíó, Iðnó, Fríkirkjan Church, Gaukurinn and Húrra with more to be revealed as the line up grows.
Iceland Airwaves is dedicated to booking gender-balanced line-ups as part of the festival’s ongoing work with Keychange, and having honoured the pledge just as soon as it was signed in 2019, gender-parity still remains a vital part of what the festival represents and the community of creatives that it reflects.
Tickets are on sale now, and soon with a range of international travel packages via Icelandair also available.
For more info visit: https://icelandairwaves.is/tickets/
Minneapolis hip-hop pioneers Atmosphere have released their new album So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously via Rhymesayers Entertainment.
There’s an unmistakable sense of unease from the outset that continues to evolve throughout the record, an almost unnerving excavation of paranoia inspired by the general malaise of a pandemic weary society full of civil unrest. The tension in these songs is palpable, but the album’s mere presence is a testament to the hope that has to underpin even the most stressed out epiphanies.
On the new album, rapper Slug says “we made a new album where we addressed a bunch of items we found in stacks of moving boxes that had become furniture. written and recorded over the duration of 2020 distancing / paranoia of 2021. Mixed and mastered during stolen moments of 2022.”
Alongside the album release, the duo have shared a new Marmo Films directed video for “Holding My Breath.” On the video Slug adds, “We lift our juice boxes to the sky in celebration of the Sad Clown’s return. Have you hugged your therapist today?” Watch the video below, as well as previously released videos for “Bigger Pictures,” and lead single “Okay,” which was praised by Stereogum, Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, 2DopeBoyz, and FLOOD Magazine who wrote that “Atmosphere balance optimism, pessimism, realism, and all other -isms on their latest single.”
The duo recently announced Summertime 2023, a North American tour with Slightly Stoopid, Sublime with Rome, and The Movement, which comes on the heels of their European tour, The ConTour. The European tour begins at the Electric Ballroom in London, UK on 11 May and finishing in Oslo, NO at Parkteatret on 21 May. This will mark their first Europe tour since 2019, Slug adds “…it’s been four years too long, we are coming back to Europe to make party, this May!” Atmosphere will be joined by HEBL and special guests.
Prior to the run of North American dates, Atmosphere will appear at California Roots Festival, Summer Greens, and have announced two shows at Williwaw Social in Anchorage, Alaska. The run of tour dates will culminate with a headline show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on September 17th, supported by Danny Brown, Souls of Mischief, and more. Atmosphere currently holds the record for the most sold out shows at Red Rocks for any Hip Hop artist with nine sellouts since 2011.
Purchase So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously here, and check out exclusive t-shirts, sweatshirts, youth clothing and more available at atmospheresucks.com
Vice Beats’ third single from his forthcoming album Aspects is entitled ‘Hollow’.
A deeply reflective, soulful track featuring Southwest based singer/songwriter Mac Lloyd on vocal, guitar and bass. The song explores the challenging moments in life, and emerging from the darkness to find a new path.
The Mellow and Boom-bap infused track sees Vice Beats’ signature sound fused with that of Mac’s authentic soul sound, floating over the beat.
With both artists having already received extensive international airplay and support, Hollow is set to be a smooth and introspective track for the summer season.
FRANK is a modern pop artist and songwriter from Indianapolis, U SA . The moniker of 25 year o l d Sydney Elliott, FRANK’s work has been shaped by a deep well of pristine soul and rock artists, from Billie Holiday, to Blondie, to The eurythmics, influence her work.
Now The Absorb. label is thrilled to announce the debut single release of recording artist FRANK.
Josefine Landelius is a Swedish singer-songwriter based in Stockholm Sweden. Her interest in music began at a young age, singing and performing was all she dreamed of as a child. At the age of 22 she decided to follow her dream and enrolled an education in singing, that slowly developed into Josefine writing her own songs. She found her way of letting emotions take place and created music based on those emotions.
The debut called ”Home” was released in 2018 and a year later she followed up with the success ”Who’s to say”. In 2020 she released her Debut EP called. ”Breathe” and today she has over 400 000 streams from all over the world. Josefine is currently studying at ”Songwriters Academy of Sweden” in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. She’s inspired by artists as LEON, One Republic, and Coldplay among others and describes her music as honest, powerful, hopeful, emotional and dreamy.
Following an epic few months including collaborations with Rob Sonic, DJ Sol Messiah, and extensive media attention for his critically acclaimed previous release ‘Jehovah’, Hiphop artist Lane Shuler is returning once again.
Alongside playing major festivals such as Big Ears Music Festival with Billy Woods and Tank and The Bangas, as well as NACA Spokane, he’s also been hard at work finalising upcoming releases at The Hideaway in Minneapolis alongside legendary producer Joe Mabbott.
Now, Lane is kicking off his latest phase of releases with the song Mathematics, featuring Good Guy Collective MC Michael Deon. The song is a nod to classic boom bap style, a departure from Shuler’s more progressive sound of his previous records, and features a driving sample from Johnny Mathis‘s 1957 song “It’s Not For Me To Say”.
Get ready for a mind-bending trip through the Hiphop cosmos with the one and only Kool Keith.
Black Elvis is back with his long awaited sequel.
Kool Keith takes his information-age rhymes to a whole new level, with a sound that’s equal parts streets and space. Featuring collaborations with Marc Live, Raaddrr Van, Dynamite, Agallah, and the legendary Ice-T, this album will leave you reeling.Plug in your ethernet and dial up to travel through Kool Keith’s multi-verse.
Alt.Pop artist Little Hurt (Colin Dieden, former lead singer of The Mowglis) has released his new album Lovely Hours, out now on Century Family.
Today, he is sharing the high energy, bursting with color video for “I Can Do Better Than You”. The zesty & spirited clip features Dieden and his band cutting loose, jumping around, having fun, and letting themselves be taken away by the song. The empowering track, which is a defiant take on ending a bad relationship and moving on to something better – features an addicting snyth line throughout, which pop-punk guitars and crisp drums.
Dieden says “Sometimes writing songs feels like a regular job, but the upbeat energy of “I Can Do Better Than You” flowed from the start. There is something truly cathartic about just putting yourself into a song and letting it fly.”
He continues “When we were talking about this video we went through a few different concepts but ultimately we landed on the idea that we wanted it to just be pure energy. We wanted people to have fun watching it, and feel good. Not have to overthink it, just be in the moment.”
The video was directed by Kyle Vorbach, who has worked with the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled, and Jagwar Twin. In talking about the concept of the video, Vorbach says “Colin called me in the middle of the night and said he had the idea for ‘I Can Do Better Than You’ figured out. He said ‘color and energy.’ So, we did just that—we shot in a location in LA where the ceiling is entirely comprised of colored LED panels, and in post-production we saturated every shot as much as is physically possible. The end result is some visuals that are as arresting as the song is.”
The Lovely Hours album has been 2 years in the making and includes the singles “Buttercup”(Featuring The Ready Set), “Cooler If U Did”, “Get Out Of My Life”, “Pineapple Pizza” and “See You Again”.
Summer tour dates are currently in the works to support the Lovely Hours LP.
pop rising star Curtis Waters shares two new singles “HIMBO” and “GOD’S LONELY MAN”. The dual release of such diverse tracks showcases the way Curtis’ unique talent spans across tone and genre. Along with the tracks comes the official announcement of Curtis’ BAD SON album (due June 23rd), a full-length project that celebrates the duality of Curtis’ creativity and the life experiences that shaped his unique point of view.
“HIMBO” is a delightfully audacious bubble of sparkling pop perfection, bolstered by a bouncing, throbbing beat that makes movement mandatory. Waters’ lyrics are charmingly tongue-in-cheek, packed full of pop-culture references. The verse “I play hoes like Atari/I play both Ken & Barbie/They ride me like a Harley/On tape just like ICarly” perfectly displays Curtis’ unique talent for melding both nostalgic and topical imagery into unforgettable lyrics.
Curtis says this about “HIMBO”:
“I first started working on the original demo of ‘HIMBO’ right after my original viral success with Stunnin’. This was when I was still riding the high of my success so I wanted to make a follow up cocky song. I knew it wasn’t fully serious. It was this sort of character that had not fully developed yet but since it wasn’t tied to an overarching story it didn’t feel like it was worth dropping.”
On “GOD’S LONELY MAN” Waters takes a more introspective, vulnerable tone. The melancholy refrain is paired with a powerful bass line, creating a truly unique track that is somewhere between a stadium anthem and a funeral dirge. Lyrically “GOD’S LONELY MAN” is as vulnerable as a diary entry, with Waters describing the way his obsession with success damaged his mental health. However, the somber track does find a glimmer of hope, closing with the powerful words “Life is great/without it you’d be dead”.
Curtis says this about “GOD’S LONELY MAN”:
“I made ‘GOD’S LONELY MAN’ about a year after my viral success when I had started feeling the downfall of this explosive attention. It came from a place of desperation in trying to maintain this new found popularity. In my head this external attention had finally validated my existence and feeling it slow down was destroying my ego. I started thinking about why I had always been so desperate about becoming famous growing up. Ever since I immigrated to Canada when I was 10, I had this idea that I would become rich and famous and be able to support my family and that pressure didn’t go away even after finding that success. I was very scared I would feel like nobody again.”
Canadian pop artist Kyle Richardson is celebrating the recent release of the official music video for his current single “Can You Hear Me” – which is available on YouTube.
“Can You Hear Me” Music Video Link: youtube.com/watch?v=Pq1xJZqzUns
Written by Richardson and fellow Canadians Andrew Allen and Grammy-nominated Jeff Dawson (who also produced), “Can You Hear Me” is the first of three planned singles to land from the artist’s debut album, “Louder Than Words”, which arrives later this year.
Coasting on a modern pop vibe with a rock edge, “Can You Hear Me” boasts minimalistic bouncy verses leading into call-and-answer chorus vocals with big harmonies, and an appropriately energetic percussion throughout. The music video was produced by Roadhouse Productions.
Richardson says, “This song is a strong musical representation of my direction as an artist. It’s about confidence, hope, and inspiration – all major themes that the album touches on as well. For the video, I really wanted the visuals to be kinetic and colourful to really emphasize the urgency behind the lyrics. Working with AJ Astle and Roadhouse Productions, we found an edgy studio location filled with modern aesthetics and bright neon signs to really bring the bold sentiment of the song to life.”
As the first new music for the Vancouver-based LGBTQIA+ artist since 2019, “Can You Hear Me” is a re-introduction of sorts for the artist and dedicated songwriter. Having written with a wide range of Canadian artists, including superstar Carly Rae Jepsen, WCMA-nominated DYLN, and rising star Garrett Neiles, Richardson previously released two singles of his own to Canadian radio (“Painkiller” and “So Hot It Hurts”) and has lent his talents as a guest vocalist on a number of collaborations, including Bobina’s 2016 single, “Love is the Answer” and its accompanying remixes, which have earned over 1.5 million streams on Spotify.
Having performed at multiple Pride events around his home city (including 2019’s New West Pride), Richardson also wants “Can You Hear Me” to serve as a calling card and a proud statement for the LGBTQIA+ community – especially fellow artists and creatives – to follow their inspirations. Ultimately, his aim is to guide others to live boldly, while also leaving them ready for more music.
He says, “I want to give all of us the confidence to live loud in the moment, make memories to hold on to, and celebrate the good times while you can. Treat every night like it’s your last night, so you won’t have any regrets.”
“Can You Hear Me” from Kyle Richardson is currently on Canadian radio and on all digital streaming platforms. The music video is available on YouTube.
“Night Fever” is a love letter of sorts. A Love of the days of youth, when time seemed to be less fleeting and life seemed a bit more simple. It is also a celebration of our love of hip hop music.
Chubb Rock is vocal in his celebration of the 50th year of Hip Hop being this year (2023), and as life long fans of a variety of hip hop styles, Savile Row acted to recruit Chubb, Open Mike Eagle and Milyssa Rose to take part in the celebration with them. Chubb Rock was one of the very first hip hop artists the members of Savile Row can remember hearing, Open Mike Eagle is an artist that G. Mike Jr. became heavily interested in in 2013 or so, and Milyssa Rose is a Georgia based singer songwriter that came onto their radar within the last year.
Being young, nostalgia, celebrating life, celebrating music – these are all themes of the content of ‘Night Fever’. The team brought these themes together in an exciting dance heavy hip hip/soulful track.
Night Fever is out now- https://song.link/i/1684182577
Savile Row are veterans in the Florida and US music scenes. With branches into the metal, hip hop, punk and pop music scenes, members G Mike Jr. (vocals/guitar) and Karizma (production/synth/guitar) had long been performing with previous acts throughout the USA before coming together in 2021 to form the group.
Their debut EP ‘Steak & Lobster’ dropped last summer and features a plethora of features including Kool Keith, Sadat X (Brand Nubian), Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox), Michael Christmas, Princess Superstar, A-F-R-O, and Mr Muthaf**kin’ eXquire. The results are a tapestry of hook-laden, thought provoking, fun and emotive tracks that stand at a junction of hip hop, pop, alternative and dance music.
Savile Row plan to release their debut full length LP in 2023.
rising UK rapper Spencer Elmer drops audio for anticipated single “Calm Like Kim”. Get it HERE
Spencer Elmer returns with “Calm Like Kim”, the second single off his forthcoming EP and track hot on everyone’s lips as it picks up big heat on socials. The single is an energetic drill track with tongue-in-cheek lyrics referencing pop culture icons, paired with an undeniably catchy flow and instrumental – features that have become synonymous with Spencer’s discography so far.
Experiencing huge up levels in his music career, the new single follows Spencer’s recent track “Far From Rude” featuring one of the UK’s most respected rappers and songwriters JAY1, alongside signing to LA-based record label 10K Projects earlier this year. In the midst of some of the biggest transitions of his life, “Calm Like Kim” shows Spencer can still keep things light-hearted and fun, qualities that made his dedicated fanbase fall in love with him from day one.
“With the talent, look and work rate affirmed, we see Spencer Elmer drifting close to the upper echelons of UK rap this year.” – Wonderland Magazine
“As 2023 unfolds, Spencer Elmer’s creative genius and passion for his craft continue to propel him towards even greater success.” –Earmilk
“Spencer’s introspective approach to music has made him a popular emerging figure in the UK rap scene and the sincerity and personal touch in his music have endeared him to his fans” – GRM Daily
Email: neill@outloudculture.com
