For Los Angeles-based neo-classical composer McKenzie Stubbert, making music is a little like going to therapy. Both are a slow process of self-discovery: grueling yet rewarding. “You can try to make these adjustments, but the best path forward in making art and therapy is to first listen to who you are and be honest about what that is,” McKenzie says.
On the Emmy-nominated composer’s long-gestating new album, Waiting Room, a rich and elegiac song cycle that draws upon film scores, neoclassical piano, and minimalist composers of the late twentieth century, McKenzie has found that honesty. It’s set for an August 18th release date via Curious Music (Harold Budd, Hans-Joachim Roedelius) on LP/cd/digital.
His video for “Falling”, which combines “Falling Pt. I” and “Falling Pt. II” into a single piece, captures the weight of the personal ethos that acted as the backdrop for the album. It puts Stubbert’s textured approach and toy box take on the neo-classical style on rich display. Check it out on YouTube.
The album’s cover depicts an unusual image of McKenzie himself, rendered in an oil painting by his friend Zachary Johnson(the brother of Knives Out director Rian Johnson). The painting is based upon a photograph McKenzie’s wife and frequent collaborator snapped of him sitting in the waiting room of their marriage counselor. McKenzie saw the image and immediately saw an honest reflection of himself.
“And now the album is called Waiting Room,” McKenzie says. “We were two artists living together, coming out of religion, trying to make art but survive in an economy that doesn’t really support that. It’s pretty complicated. That waiting room was, I discovered, a self-imposed waiting room for me, waiting to emerge.”
Public Image Ltd. (PiL) share new single “Car Chase,” taken from their forthcoming 11th studio album, and first album in 8 years, End of World, due out August 11, 2023 on PiL Official via Cargo UK Distribution/Redeye U.S. The album release will be followed by a 38-date UK and European Tour.
The video to “Car Chase,” gives an insight into the recording of the new album and features handwritten lyrics by John Lydon. Talking about “Car Chase,” John said, “Typical PiL, unpredictable to the last. It’s a fantastic smash-and-grab of a song. It’s about someone who cleverly breaks out of the mental institution every night, unbeknownst to his owners. It’s based on having to go to shopping malls at night for cigarettes and wine and seeing the vast carpark space and lighting surrounded by a little village and a lot of dark trees and country lanes. It’s a really creepy scenario, what if somebody creeps out of there, like a mad lunatic?”
Ahead of a US tour opening for Youth Lagoon in July, LA-based trans artist, producer, and composer, Nina Keith, unveils her dazzling single “Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)”– feat. indie pop artist Barrie, + composer and musician, Qur’an Shaheed. The song is accompanied by visuals from Canadian artist Nik Arthur that follows the movement of evaporating water droplets.With roots in classical music and contemporary experimental production, “Nina’s sounds tip-toe into your ears and dance in your mind” (WXPN).
Watch out for more from Nina Keith in 2024.On the track, Nina Keith offers:“Lately the more I wear the turmoil of my life on my sleeve the more often I find myself in conversations with strangers and loved ones that reach a similar end. I can never be the one to tell someone to burn it down and start over. They see the ash stains on my shirt and ask to borrow a match so they can play with it, save it for later, but sometimes it’s like “girl, the house is already on fire, you can’t stay in there”. This song is sort of a small prayer in lieu of words I can never seem to speak in those moments. Divorce your husband, start an onlyfans, borrow friend’s hormones, take them for fun, sell your stuff, buy rare beanie babies with the money whatever you have to do. There is only so much time left.This song was tracked at Window Room in Philly, at Barrie and Gabby’s studio in Brooklyn, the trailer I lived in for a year in LA, basements and living rooms of dear friends. Recorded and mixed on like 7 different noise music tables.”
Yorkshire-born, London-based singer, songwriter, and producer Ethan P. Flynn announces details of his debut album, Abandon All Hope. Out 6 October via Young, Abandon All Hope pours twenty-four years’ worth of experience into 8 eclectic tracks. Featuring backup vocals from rising singer, Ava Gore, Abandon All Hope is a bold statement to mark Ethan P. Flynn arrival as a true artist in his own right.
Abandon All Hope is the culmination of an intensely fruitful period of personal creativity that has seen the young artist collaborate with a host of familiar names including David Byrne, FKA Twigs, Jockstrap, and Vegyn. 44 minutes long, 22 minutes on each side (intentionally to be the traditional length of a 12” LP), recorded at Narcissus Studios in 12 days, the album is bound together by a unifying theme; an album in the old-fashioned sense. It recalls 70s greats like Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson while exploring feelings of longing and losing power to hope in situations of relationships, love, navigating anxiety, and the coming of age in the 21st century.
The album’s title single “Abandon All Hope” is the first released today alongside a self-directed music video by Ethan P. Flynn and shot by CHILD studio (Pa Salieu, Anaiis, The xx). Reflective of the upbeat single, the cinematic “Abandon All Hope” video sees Ethan P. Flynn and back-up vocalist, Ava Gore, journey through the Yorkshire Dales as they free themselves of the ties created by hope.
On the single, Ethan P. Flynn says “It started as a story about a highwayman in America, going around robbing people,” says Flynn. “He dies, and in purgatory he is forced to repeat the act of robbing his own family, on the road, for all time, until he repents and goes to Hell. The song is obscured and left with the theme of hopelessness. We’re in a hopeless time: war in Europe, Covid before that, and I wanted it to sound heavy as a response. Maybe it’s too rocking, but I was coming back to guitars on this album. The guitar is the focus.” And, this is just the first story to be shared from Ethan P. Flynn’s enriching and ambitious debut album.
| Acclaimed experimentalists Lawrence English and Lea Bertucci today announced that their debut collaborative album, Chthonic, will release on August 11, 2023, via American Dreams. |
| Chthonic is the result of long-distance collaboration and mutual considerations. New York’s Lea Bertucci and Australia’s Lawrence English met in 2019 at the Novas Frequencia festival in Rio de Janeiroand quickly became friends and collaborators, driven by musings on a geological scale, movements – tectonic or otherwise – of the Earth, and subterranean density and pressure. Along with the announcement, the two artists shared “Geology of Fire,” a first glimpse of their precipitous, shifting work. |
| On the collaboration, English shared: “Lea and I met in Rio de Janeiro, we had both been invited to perform a special set of field recordings and site-specific sound on a small island in the middle of one of Rio’s larger public parks. I was very struck by Lea’s approaches to sound, specifically to her ways of contrasting particular qualities in sound she had collected across the city during her residency. Our billing together there seemed like a natural fit and I am positive some of the earliest ideas for a possible recording started there. Throughout the course of our long-distance exchange, I found myself always digging deeper into the sound world we were creating. It was a sense of excavation, seeking things that just sat underneath the first impression of the sounds. Between that and our conversations around sound pressure and density, I think this record took on a form of its own very quickly.” |
We’re excitedly anticipating the release of MAYCE’s first acoustic rendition, “Can’t Get Over Us”. This variation of the single portrays a more personal, deeper look inside the artist’s mind as she intimately shares her emotions. MAYCE has previously talked about wanting to break out of any limitations she could face, and reach a new level of authenticity. This release of “Can’t Get Over Us” is an acoustic version from the singer’s Cry For Help album released on May 8, 2020. There is nothing but authentic emotions behind every aspect of this new interpretation, from the piano arrangement played by MYGUYMARS to the lyrics, to the clear passion in MAYCE’s voice on the track that will tug at the heartstrings of its listeners.
This rendition will hit people where it matters, drawing out feelings that the artist is familiar with as well. The acoustic version of “Can’t Get Over Us” will have you going through every emotion in the lyrics, while being comforted by the fact that MAYCE has felt it all too. As an artist, there can be a risk in being vulnerable in your lyrics and letting the world see this personal side of you. With this version, MAYCE gives listeners a way to break past any boundaries and lets listeners know just what goes on inside her head from a different point of view .
Grammy-nominated Nigerian dance-pop vocalist Kah-Lo releases the official music video for her latest single ‘Karma’ on Epic Records.
Flaunting her unabashed lyricism and playful bravado in a bold choreographed music video, ‘Karma’ sees Kah-Lo imbued with the dominating spirit she’s carried into her new era. Surrounded by strapping men and draped in red, Kah-Lo is a commanding presence throughout, controlling her various romantic contenders with the flip of her wrist. The visual accompaniment to her introspective single reflecting on her own “toxic feminine energy”, ‘Karma’ embodies Kah-Lo’s charismatic persona and empowering messaging. ‘Karma’ is a captivating follow-up to ‘fund$’, which saw Kah-Lo portray a murderous femme fatale and marks the next chapter in Kah-Lo’s summer of villainy and revenge.
Regarding the music video, Kah-Lo said, “I’ve always been into dance as an interpretive form of art, and I wanted to really channel the lyrics through that and color. Red is associated heavily with heartbreak, so there’s a lot of red tones with ‘Karma’. I hope people enjoy watching it!”
Spellemann nominatedFieh, fronted by Sofie Tollefsbøl and consisting of the talented musicians Jørgen Kasbo (guitar), Ola Øverby (drums), Kai von der Lippe (keyboards), Solveig Wang (bass clarinet, moog bass and choir), Lyder Øvreås Røed (trumpet, percussion and horn arrangement), Andreas Rukan (bass) and Thea Arnesdotter (choir), have again created funk songs with great hit potential, and this time with a harder and somewhat meaner sound. Inspired by Steve Lacy, Anderson Paak, Bootsy Collins and soul legend Amy Winehouse, the octet takes us to a retro-futuristic soundscap of funk, neo-soul, pop and r&b. Fieh broke through with the single “Glu” in 2017, which quickly created great international attention and hype around the group. Extensive touring activities brought them to stages all over the world with appearances at festivals such as SXSW and Reeperbahn, and the main stage at the Norwegian Øya festival in both 2018 and 2022.
Their next album IIIwill be released through Jansen Records September 15th, 2023.
A master of playful sonic whimsy, electronic pioneer Mort Garson spent a lifetime quietly pushing the boundaries of synthesis. The latest track to his name, “Zoos of The World,” is baroque and unpredictable. Centered on warm keyboard patches that come together to replicate the tonalities of a retro-futuristic orchestra, the springy cut was taken from a 1970 National Geographic special. The track follows “Moon Journey,”the soundtrack to the live broadcast of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, as first heard on CBS News. Nearly in tandem with the release date, July 20th will mark Garson’s 99th birthday, and the anniversary of the moon landing. Both taken from the forthcoming archival release Journey to the Moon and Beyond, out July 21
The Numero Group has announced the upcoming release of ‘Paper Airplanes, Paper Hearts’, which compiles the complete recorded works of seminal Little Rock, Arkansas queer tweemo band Everyone Asked About You.
The Deluxe 2xLP vinyl includes the band’s ‘Let’s Be Enemies’ LP and their two and a half 7″s released between 1997-2000. The release is now available to pre-order/pre-save (including digital and cassette).
New Your City alterna-punks Baby Got Back Talk are debuting the new single and music video “I’m Sorry I’m a Moron, But Also, Help,” off their upcoming ‘Wince, Repeat’ EP, due out July 21st on Wiretap Records.
Vocalist/bassist G’Ra says, “Rhi, our synth op, is a master baker of ~infused~ desserts by day. One time they left some of their handiwork at my apartment and I mistook a cookie that Rhi made for a normal cookie. As a result I became painfully, unbearably high for the first time in my overwhelmingly straight-edge life. When I realized my mistake, I texted the band group chat “I’m sorry I’m a moron, but also, help.” We thought the immortal phrase was a fitting title for our new single, which is about hoping for compassion even when you know your problems are your fault.”
He adds, “The video for “…Moron” is executed in a single shot, also called a “oner.” The action takes place in one long, unbroken, choreographed shot that we rehearsed for a couple of hours the day of filming. Because of schedule constraints at the set we rented, we only had time to shoot 4 complete takes. Working with my bandmates and director Ross Louis Klein to nail one of those takes before the clock ran out was like a higher-stakes version of one of those recreational escape rooms: nerve-wracking and intense but also super fun.“
Brace yourselves for an electrifying rock ‘n’ roll experience as Norwegian sensations Cocktail Slippers, prepare to release their highly anticipated single, “Good Love.”
Renowned for their stadium rock anthems, captivating stage presence, and unforgettable performances, Cocktail Slippers are set to take the music world by storm once again.
Scheduled for release on June 30th, “Good Love” is a powerful rock ‘n’ roll ode to love and empowerment that delves into the story of a girl who seemingly had it all. Yet, despite all her possessions, she learns that what she truly really needs is something more profound- genuine and good love.
The track echoes the timeless words of The Beatles, reminding listeners that love is the ultimate necessity in life. Recorded live at the renowned Propeller Studios in Oslo, “Good Love” showcases the raw energy and passion that Cocktail Slippers bring to their craft. The band’s impeccable musicianship and the seamless chemistry between its members are evident in every note, ensuring an immersive listening experience that will resonate with rock enthusiasts worldwide.
Drawing inspiration from the energetic spirit of 60s and 70s garage rock, Cocktail Slippers infuse “Good Love” with a raw and captivating sound. The song’s catchy hooks, dynamic guitar work, and anthemic vocals create an irresistible blend that will have audiences feeling the surge of positive energy. With a surprising rough edge towards the end, reminiscent of rock legends like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple, Cocktail Slippers showcase their versatility and pay homage to their rock ‘n’ roll roots.
Colorado-based Allison Lorenzen’s latest track “MTO (More Than Once)” is out today. Weaving some of the most muscular guitar work we’ve heard in Allison’s work around her buzzing synths and rafter-reaching vocals, “MTO” sounds like the final climax of a Mark Fischer-influenced hauntological prom scene. Leaning into the well-deserved Julee Cruise and Kate Bush comparisons, the resonant core of “MTO” is a meditation on the cyclical way patterns retreat and return several times before we recognize them – and make choices to either embrace or change them.
The grace for self required for this work is one that Lorenzen is well acquainted with. After a nomadic stint following the breakup of her band School Dance, Allison wrote this song while contemplating how this era in her life would close. This led her operating a hot springs in Southern Colorado where sojourners come to rest and recuperate.
“MTO” was written and recorded in the shipping container that doubles as Allison’s living quarters and recording studio. Following on the heels of 2022’s “The Fourth Cycle”, and her beloved cover of “Glycerine” with Midwife, “MTO” presages a follow up to 2021’s critically acclaimed solo debut record Tender released on Whited Sepulchre Records.
From Allison:
“𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒
Life has changed immensely in the months since starting writing MTO (More Than Once). The song melds together an existential snapshot of contemplating next-life-steps with a renewed commitment to changing relational dynamics. The diving imagery of Michael Ash Smith’s otherworldly photograph can be viewed as the deep dive into the unknown, the abyss, off the precipice referenced in the beginning of the song – “𝐼 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉”.
A beloved and wise human once told me that in dreams, water represents the emotional body. I often dream of water, and in waking life, I relocated to pour some of my passions into helping run a hot spring in southern Colorado while also working on a second full length album and an ambient album.”
Italian pianist and composer, Olivia Belli is known internationally for her delicate, melodic compositions that draw inspiration from the natural world. Whether reflecting on the sun or the night sky or on her beloved local Italian landscape, this sensitive artist draws her creative impulses from nature which she shares with her audiences through her captivating, filigree-like compositions.
This first single from the Spring 2024 album already gives listeners a hint that Belli is taking things one step further here, representing in music not only the natural world around her but also the deep and meaningful spiritual world within. The word anima refers to an original animating principle or essence, translated from the Greek ‘psyche’. For Belli, ‘Anima I’(pronounced “Anima Uno”) represents that auspicious moment just before a journey of transformation begins.
Says Belli of this first taster from the new album: “’Anima I’ has a calm, elegiac quality. I composed it during a deeply meditative moment, where I was contemplating deeper meanings in life than superficial material gains and was searching for a way to share a more profound and spiritual connection with listeners.”
The result is a restorative, intimate and tranquil track that offers respite from turmoil and stress and welcome balm for the soul.
Born in Mantova and raised in Trieste, Belli studied piano and soon developed an affinity for composers of the 20th and 21st century, such as Glass, Ligeti, Reich and Stockhausen. Always surrounded by art and music, she founded her own arts festival and worked collaboratively across a range of genres with other artists including dancers, actors, photographers, writers and painters. Despite having always performed and composed, Belli had never thought to put her own compositional work into the public arena, having always kept it private. Once she did start sharing her own music on social media and streaming sites, however, she was hugely encouraged to continue by the overwhelmingly positive responses that she received, as ever more listeners connected to her deeply personal musical messages. This process lead to her signing with XXIM Records and an outpouring of her intricate and beguiling music.
Penguin Cafewill release their fifth studio album, Rain Before Seven… this Friday July 7th via Erased Tapes. A sense of optimism infuses Rain Before Seven… not the braggadocios,overconfident kind, but more a blithe, self-effacing optimism in keeping with the national character. Even when all signs point to the contrary, it operates within the certainty that things are going to be alright. Probably. The title comes from an old weather proverb with the rhyming prognostication — fine before eleven — hinting at a happy ending, irrespective of the science: “I found it in a book and I’d never heard it before,” says Arthur Jeffes, leader of Penguin Cafe. “It has faintly optimistic overtones and I quite like it. It’s fallen out of usage recently but it does describe English weather patterns coming in off the Atlantic.” From the widescreen reverie of opener ‘Welcome to London’ with its cheeky nod to Morricone to ‘Goldfinch Yodel’, the self-described “Maypole banger” at the denouement, there’s a welcome sense of sanguinity, always with an undercurrent of exotic rhythmic exuberance. Playfulness pervades, with a titular nod to A Matter of Life… from 2011, the last album title that concluded with an ellipsis. That Penguin Cafe debut is the bridge between the legendary Penguin Cafe Orchestra, led by Arthur’s father Simon Jeffes, and the much-loved descendent, led by Arthur. “Stylistically it’s really satisfying to get back to playful rhythms and instruments,” says the younger Jeffes, who kept the group’s debut from 12 years ago in mind when writing the new album. “Certainly when starting out, I became aware that we’d stopped using quite a few of the textures that had been there at the beginning—and it was certainly there in my dad’s earlier stuff. So there’s a lot of balafon and textures from completely different parts of the world, musically and geographically: ukuleles, cuatros and melodicas that you can hear.” 
Héctor Oaks and SITA have released their groundbreaking single, “Loff Is All You Speed,” a unique collaboration that fuses their distinctive styles.
Héctor Oaks, renowned vinyl-only techno DJ, partners with SITA, a trailblazer who pairs her love of techno and electro sounds with her work in fashion and digital culture. Both artists have gained prominence for their creative contributions to music and culture. Héctor Oaks, known for his exceptional mixing skills and unique style, combines contemporary sounds with carefully curated tracks from the history of rave culture. He has become a fixture in the international techno scene, appearing in lineups of festivals such as Awakenings, Dekmantel, EDC Mexico, Monegros, Sonar, Sziget, Timewarp, and Tomorrowland.
SITA, a multifaceted DJ and producer, merges fashion, music, and digital culture. She navigates between underground nightclub performances in Ibiza and attending high-profile fashion events like Parisian runways and the Met Gala. Sita has DJ’ed some of the most cutting-edge dance floors around the world, from Ibiza’s DC10, Hï Ibiza, and Circoloco, to Las Vegas’ Art of the Wild, and Secret Project ADE. A fierce supporter of global femme and LGBTQ+ culture, she’s performed at Barcelona’s Loom Festival and is a favorite of the He.She.They crew. She kicked off her DJ residency ‘Outopia’ in Barcelona & Madrid as an inclusive space hosting female-led lineups. Sita’s musical journey continues to evolve as she prepares her upcoming EP, slated for release in November 2023.
“Loff Is All You Speed” is a groundbreaking single that draws inspiration from two influential sources: the retro sounds of “la ruta del Bacalao,” a Spanish cultural movement that occurred in Valencia from the 1980s until the mid-1990s, where clubs would open for days and DJs would passionately curate a mix of synth-pop, EBM, electro, and techno music, and the pulsating energy of Berlin techno, reinvented with the use of elements of contemporary styles. Steering towards an exciting future, the track’s pulsating beats and bilingual lyrics encapsulate a spectrum of emotions.
The accompanying music video for “Loff Is All You Speed” is a visually captivating experience written and styled by SITA. Taking viewers through a series of dreamlike scenarios in a mansion, the video offers glimpses of Sita’s artistic vision. The single and music video are now available for streaming on all major music platforms.
multi-platinum Sydney-born LA-based producer Hayden James teams up with Canadian duo Bob Moses to share their new single, ‘Do You Want Me’ out via Future Classic.
‘Do You Want Me’ features a classic vocal from Bob Moses, as warm synths muted down to perfection swirl all around. An ever-present driving bassline builds the track to emotional and euphoric heights as a signature footprint from Hayden James. Ahead of an American summer of festivals and headline shows alike for both Hayden James and Bob Moses, ‘Do You Want Me’ invites you to achieve a state of bliss with those you want near and dear.
Hayden James on ‘Do You Want Me’, says: “I’ve spent most of the year writing in the studio and I’m so excited to finally share my first release of the year with you all. Tom, Jimmy (Bob Moses) and I got together just a handful of times to write ‘Do You Want Me’. This record came together so quickly. We instantly had a vibe together and just had fun in the studio. The song feels like a great representation of both of us. It’s definitely a dream collab for me. I hope you love it.”
Bob Moses on ‘Do You Want Me’, says: “We’ve known Hayden for a bit, and of course have been aware of his work since well before he gave us his killer mix of our track ‘Back Down’ (which we still play all the time btw). We had thought about working together before but somehow never got around to it. But just like that, the window opened and this track quickly came to life out of a few sessions in LA. Hayden is a lovely guy, and we had fun with the process. Hope ya enjoy.”
The Venomous Pinks fight against abortion bans in their newest release, “We Must Prevail”. In collaboration with Eternal Film Productions, and directors Nikki Carmela and Alexander Thomas, the Arizona-based band delivers an unforgettable visual response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Staked full of social commentary, a distraught Lady Liberty gripping a bloody wire coat hanger, acts as a narrator of the video. Through music, The Pinks lead an angry mob of pro-choice protesters who demand immediate change. Symbolizing the injustice many Americans are currently facing, destruction overtakes the infamously engraved words “equal justice under law” that’s displayed above the United States Supreme Court entrance. With anti-abortion laws on the rise, this politically charged anthem encourages the masses to rally for reproductive rights.
Directors Alexander Thomas and Nikki Carmela (known collectively as “Eternals”) have issued the following statement:
“The right to choose is a human rights issue at its core. We stand vehemently against oppression in all forms and appreciate the opportunity to voice our dissent using art. When we first conceptualized this video we based it on a series of photographs we had created when Roe was initially repealed depicting Lady Liberty, bloodied from a coat hanger abortion to represent the current tidal shift of our society. The images, although disturbing, represent the reality that with abortion bans healthcare has been pushed back decades. Combined with images of the Supreme Court house cracking (a blatant metaphor for the disintegration of the “highest law in the land” who’s building is emboldened with the phrase “Equal Justice Under Law”) and the electric music of The Venomous Pinks this video is a protest to abortion bans and the assault of women’s rights.”
Koncept, the Queens, New York raised artist made a name for himself in the home of hip-hop, and then made it known globally. From starting his career working at Fat Beats Record Store in NYC with Brown Bag AllStars, to releasing his album “Awaken” featuring Marco Polo, Royce da 5’9″, G Koop, and more, to his EP titled “The Fuel” released with the support of Red Bull, to then partnering with Sony Music Asia, and touring all over continent, featured on radio and TV, newspapers, performing at Olympic Stadium with Wiz Khalifa, to releasing his album independently titled, “Champagne Konny” and touring globally all over Asia, UK, Europe, Canada, Koncept built a brand with high notoriety all over the world. With songs featuring Eminem / Shady Records Artist, Royce da 5’9″, iconic superstar Rick Ross, and more to come,Koncept is on the way to becoming a household name.Koncept has been in the studio all year working on new music, and he’s now back better than ever kicking off with new lead single “Thriller”, letting you know, “it’s close to midnight.” As soon as you press play the energy will start to move through your whole body. Koncept states in the chorus, “This is his Thriller, come alive!” and that is exactly what the intensity of this track will have you doing. Prepare to feel the rush. He even brings his dad alive for the ride on verse two. The track is produced by George Reichart (known for his work with Macy Gray, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Coast Contra), and Mark “Keitel Jr.” Lowe (credits with Reason TDE, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Westside Boogie, Black Panther Soundtrack, and more). There’s a lot that comes when you arrive at the destination you’ve been going towards. Things you expected, and things you had no clue about.
Turkish-Italian DJ/producer Carlita and Miami-based duo Calussa come together to deliver a euphoria-inducing new collaborative single, “Fell In Luv.” The new track comes via Diplo’s cutting-edge house/techno imprint Higher Ground, a spin-off of the prolific Mad Decent label.
“Fell In Luv” captures the nostalgic melodies of early 1990s rave anthems and will grab a hold of listeners immediately with its irresistible, feel-good groove. Harnessed with punchy percussion, subtle ambiance, a deeply resonating bassline, and an instant-classic vocal, the trio of Carlita and Calussa brings their own expansive influences and energy to the table with this new feeler. “Fell In Luv” is a peak-time tune that perfectly coincides with the longest days of summer.
“Our goal with ‘Fell in Luv’ was to infuse a modern twist into a nostalgic 90s vibe. We’re thrilled to showcase a different side of ourselves through this track, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it.” — Calussa
the brother duo Modern Tales, comprised of veteran producer Jonas Rathsman and singer Francis Novotny, release their new single, “Pretty Little Thing.” The new track comes just ahead of their anticipated debut album, Stars Align, which is set to drop on June 30 via RÜFÜS DU SOL’s Rose Avenue Records.
“Pretty Little Thing” serves as one of the most stirring cuts on the album. Francis Novotny’s vocal talent takes center stage here, accompanied by a chilling piano melody and gripping synths that call upon shades of Massive Attack and Trent Reznor. As the opening track to Stars Align, the new single sets the stage for the album, which goes far beyond danceable indie-electronic numbers. Modern Tales build tension in a cinematic fashion with swelling synths, as Francis sings about someone who wants nothing more than to be with their lover, catching glimpses of them “when the stars align.”
Stars Align will mark a milestone for Rathsman and Novotny both for their artistry and for their relationship as brothers. The two were established artists in their own respective fields, but their individual sounds made it difficult for them to find a middle ground. Motivated to find hope in the darkness of a global pandemic, they were able to shed their egos and write whatever music came to mind. Stars Align was then crafted in the span of just two weeks. According to them, it’s some of the best music they’ve ever written.
“Amidst the delicate keys, ‘Pretty Little Thing’ unveils a heartfelt symphony of longing and desire, where the depths of love embrace the hopeful yearning to be together. Let the piano’s melodies carry you through the emotions of an enamored heart, reminding us that sometimes the simplest words can hold the weight of an eternal connection.” — Modern Tales
Grammy-nominated Nigerian dance-pop vocalist Kah-Lo announces her anticipated debut album pain/pleasure, due out this Fall on Epic Records. The announcement arrives with ‘GD Woman’, Kah-Lo’s latest single and the third off her forthcoming album following ‘Karma’ and ‘fund$’.
The long-awaited debut full-length from one of dance music’s most accomplished vocalists, pain/pleasure is a culmination of Kah-Lo’s experiences throughout her career, cataloging everything from extreme bitterness to thrilling gratification. Vulnerability and authenticity, two qualities Kah-Lo has never shied away from, are the catalysts for pain/pleasure as Kah-Lo fuels her vengeful energy into a tale of female empowerment and self-love. pain/pleasure is all about retribution for Kah-Lo; it’s a story about facing those who have wronged her and coming out on top in spite of them, regardless of the obstacles and the pain she’s faced in her quest for pleasure.
With the announcement of pain/pleasure comes its third single ‘GD Woman’, an entrancing continuation of the brazen and flagrant self-confidence Kah-Lo has emanated throughout her new villain era. Projecting her self-assuredness and carefree attitude across the charismatic beat, Kah-Lo’s flavorful tongue in cheek lyricism takes center stage on ‘GD Woman’. Filled with funky basslines and cowbell breaks, ‘GD Woman’ flirts with elements of pop, dance, and hip-hop as Kah-Lo weaves her empowering female wisdom in a message about positive egotism and vanity.
Email: neill@outloudculture.com
