Oh hello! Francis of Delirium are back and all might be alright, if only for a moment?! New track The Funhouse arrives with another brilliant self-directed video from Jana, and just when we need a dose of their honest no-holds-barred reflections on modern life. As always, every aspect here is superb, right down to Jana's closing "slow it down, slow it down." Perfect.
On the track, Jana shares: "The Funhouse is largely about how we are adapting to the chaos that is present in our everyday lives. The way it can feel that the world is crashing down around us and in order to protect ourselves, we become numb to the sheer terror of it all. Sort of like walking through a funhouse and attempting to remain unphased by the mayhem that surrounds you."
Last week was a bit ridiculous for new music, right? We saw the return of Florence + the Machine, Rae Morris and Nick Mulvey for one - and I am a little bit obsessed with the new Gang of Youths record too. Another new track which has been taking up space in my headphones this weekend is the new one from Ailsa Tully. Released via Dalliance Recordings, new track Salt Glaze touches on themes of family, friends, new relationships and home - it was written while Ailsa and her partner spent time living in her Grandma's old house during the lockdown in January last year. A beautiful home-made video captures this time and sits perfectly alongside the track. It's all just reaaaaally lush.
Talking about the track, Ailsa shares: "My Grandma passed away a few years ago and the house remains unchanged, it was like a museum of salt glaze ceramic and abstract art pieces which began to absorb into my creativity. This song is about that space and how my partner and I tried to make it feel like home during that period while also knowing that it wasn't ours. It's ultimately a song about acceptance, balance and letting things be."
Exciting news time! My pals at Balloon Machine have only gone and announced a record by an artist that they love, and who I think you're all going to fall for too... not to mention the music video I'm about to share is full of dogs. Exciting news all round, I reckon.
I enjoyed recent single Valkyrie (which features a bottle as a the percussive string holding the track together - we love an unusual instrument!) but have SO much love for new single Uppercut. It feels like the perfect introduction to Lou as an artist. Confident, experimental, joyful and unapologetically herself, the track is taken from Lou's debut album Pure Chaos (an ode to finding joy) which was co-produced alongside Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties and is due via Balloon Machine on April 29th. Can't wait!
Now, dogs! A brilliant song! Go forth and enjoy...
I don't know about you, but I've been completely rinsing the Self Esteem record lately. Fucking Wizardry is, to be frank, a fucking bop. As is the entire record. Unsurprisingly then, my interest was peaked on the arrival of the latest brilliant submission from Paddy at Stay Loose... the debut solo track from Sophie Galpin, AKA SOFT LAD, AKA multi-instrumentalist and musical-collaborator for the likes of Self Esteem, who she's currently on tour with. Fourteen years in the industry, collaborating and playing alongside a variety of artists, has led to this moment... dare I say it was worth the wait? Really digging this one.
On Singapore, Sophie brings every aspect of queer love together into a four-minute (I'm saying it again...) bop. Singing along is optional, but difficult to resist. The track arrives alongside a video directly by Olivier Richomme and Sarah Jenny Johnson.
About the track, SOFT LAD describes: "this song describes a break-up and that bit initially after where you look back for one last time then take that first step forward as a person on your own in the world. You feel like shit, and your friends tell you that you're going to be fine and although intellectually you can rationalise it, you can't truly feel it for a while until you get the perspective. And intertwined with that feeling of loss, you also have this feeling of relief of at least knowing where you stand and breathing it all out. You suddenly have time and re-realise you can do whatever you want at any given time."
Psssssssst. Good news. A new track from Francis of Delirium arrived yesterday. Rejoice. The brainchild & alter-ego of Luxembourg-based 20 year-old Jana Bahrich, FoD has been one of my favourite discoveries of the past year, courtesy of Stay Loose, with EPs All Change and Wading. A torrent of creativity has ensued across the year, with various self-made music videos that are well worth your time over on Youtube. The new track arrives just in time for the UK tour, starting in a couple of days...
Mixed by Jolyon Thomas (Royal Blood, Slaves) and mastered by Joe Lambert (Sharon Van Etten, Deerhunter) the track is genuinely one of my favourite Francis tunes yet.. I think I say this every time but they're all just so damn good.
On the track, Jana shares that it is "about dissociating from what your present moment really looks like. Sonically, I wanted the song to sort of reflect that and feel like a big wave of sound that sweeps you up and carries you away from that reality and anything that feels painful to think about. That suspended feeling is meant to be shown via the looping video I made to go alongside the song, which highlights that feeling of floating then falling away."
The UK tour starts in Brighton on Saturday (16th) taking in some solo shows before a run of dates with Coach Party, concluding at Omeara on the 28th. If you can't make the shows over the next couple of weeks, a headline show has just been announced at Sebright Arms on 3rd Feb. All dates here.
Poking my head above the parapet to share a track I'm a little bit in love with at the moment... taken from the upcoming Bloodbag EP (due 28th October via 7476) the track is Sleeptight from IMOGEN. Transitioning from the tender piano-ballads and acoustic numbers of her earlier releases, she's experienced somewhat of a musical and personal rebirth - the tracks, videos, performance and image all combining to present us with a powerhouse to be reckoned with.
Following complex surgery for a condition she was born with, Imogen became temporarily infirm, and the experience inspired her to investigate the agency that women have over their own bodies and health. Title track Bloodbag and follow-up Lioncub looked at questions of identity and bodily dissociation.
On the new track, she shares: "Sleeptight deals with the societal treatment of women's bodies and the reluctance we have to believe women's accounts of misconduct. The premise being 'if you don't believe me, I hope it haunts you.' It was a conscious decision to set this anger against a big pop track. I guess I found the easiest way to process and deliver the message was to create something that people could dance and lose themselves to. My favourite pop songs are often like Trojan horses. In 'Sleeptight' I want people to be able to find empowerment and release. It's definitely one of my favourite tracks to perform live."
IMOGEN plays an EP launch show at Bermondsey Social Club on 27th October - tickets here.
I'm still here! Kinda. Finding it a bit overwhelming to try and slot back into my usual routine of a few posts each week and frankly a little confused how I ever had the time to do two jobs alongside the blog and various other bits. Not to worry - I'm being patient with myself (so please bear with if you're waiting on responses to emails etc) and posts will likely be a little bit sporadic for the time being. Not right now though, a post awaits you...
Writing this on Wednesday evening, I've been working from home today... and I've had this track, the new Muna and Phoebe Bridgers track and Jump Off The Top by The Vaccines on a near-constant repeat. Come Out And Play is the first new track from Francis of Delirium since their Wading EP earlier this year. They never put a foot wrong - each track is a pure delight, and they usually arrive with a brilliant homemade video. This one is no exception! In fact - the behind the scenes here is just as good as the video itself. All hail Jana, I say.
On the track, Jana shares "I kept thinking about clowns when making this song, I watched Felini's '8 1/2' and the closing scene where a procession of clowns play in a band stuck with me. I had them in my mind for months, thinking about the way they hid behind painted faces, keeping so much hidden from the audience, and also just how sad they seemed. I wanted this song to feel dark and to have an eeriness that would make sense in the background of some weird art movie about funhouses and carnivals."
Don't say I never treat you... brand new Karima Francis to ease you into the week. The crazy times we've all been living through have pushed me to seek comfort in music, and this one certainly fits the bill in that respect. Say is the fourth single to emerge from Karima's time in LA, where she headed in search of her new sound after hearing The War on Drugs' Lost In A Dream. Local artists, new and old, proved inspirational, and the results - previous single Carelessness Causes Fire included - are stunning. Carrying you along on those soothing vocals like some kind of wispy musical cloud, before you know it Say is over and you've already hit repeat. It'd be rude not to.
On the track, Karima shares: "'Say' is about the isolation caused by Covid-19 and how that can impact relationships closest to you. The song lyrics came to me whilst I was on my daily run, the whole cycle of Covid repetition was becoming overwhelming. My ongoing battles with CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) became more outward and started to impact those around me."
Another day, another example of me using my 'bedtime' before a day at work to write a post for the next day... you can't fault my dedication to the cause (of sharing brilliant music with you all, of course.) Aforementioned brilliant music is the latest offering from duo (& couple) Gina Leonard and Ryan Rogers, AKA Mumble Tide. Good 4 Me arrives with news of their mini-album Everything Ugly, due 3rd December, around which time they're heading on a small run of shows in Manchester, Bristol and London. The track's self-directed video (below) is just the tip of the iceberg for the fiercely creative duo, who also produce their own music and create the artwork.
On the new track, Gina shares "'Good 4 Me' is one of our favourite songs that we've written so far. It fell together late at night during lockdown in our dressing gowns. The vocal is more or less the first take we did where I just let it all out. I guess it's about how the years don't always bring you the answers you thought they would. It's kinda sad but there's also this nostalgia and excitement underneath."
Launching just in time for Bandcamp Friday - you can pre-order a limited orange vinyl pressing of the mini-album here.
Pure magic: Ailsa Tully has done it again. Released last week, Sheets is taken from her forthcoming EP Holy Isle, due via Dalliance Recordings on 20th August. Close your eyes, lie back on your own sheets and let those stunning vocals transport you - "we have nothing but time." I'd like to write some long descriptive sentences but I'd rather you just listened... let the song do the talking.
On the track, Ailsa shares: "Sheets is about restlessness and trying to let yourself be still. It's about waking up and feeling the anxious urge to be productive, to wash your clothes, to make your bed, but forcing yourself to slow down in order to share a moment with someone."
Concentrate just hard enough, and you'll hear the (topical) whir of a washing machine - elsewhere across the upcoming EP, other field recordings bring together the tracks. Winds, bristling leaves, the song of a cuckoo (hell yes!) and more tying together Ailsa's harmonies and instrumentation. I can't wait to hear more of it.
Contender the most gorgeous debut you'll hear this week coming right up... I'm loving Hey Stranger from Billie Flynn, the latest signing to Gabrielle Aplin's Never Fade Records. Sharing the track online, Billie explained that it was written a few years ago, and that she'd always wanted it to be the first track she officially release. For me, it was the beautiful instrumentation that immediately grabbed my attention... as piano and acoustic guitar build into a richer soundscape filled with strings. Come from the strings, but stick around for Billie's exquisitely intimate vocals. At once, the track feels as if Billie is singing directly to you, and as if the track should be occupying a film soundtrack, playing over footage of the Cornish coast that Billie calls home. In short: it's lovely, get listening.
"This song came to me in a dream, I dreamt the melody and woke up frantically trying to find my phone to record a voice note, I still have it. It's about seeing someone again that isn't in your life anymore and hoping that they're proud of who you are now."
I'm increasingly of the opinion that there is simply not enough time in the day. That, or I am particularly bad at managing my time at the moment... by the time I get home from work, tend to the plants in my greenhouse (hey, I'm a gardener now and growing more in love with it by the day) and had some food it's 10pm and almost time to sleep and repeat the whole process. Currently finding quick snatches of time to catch up on new releases, glance at my rapidly growing inbox and to scrawl (type) a post for the following day.
Today, that post is here, courtesy of late last night and featuring one of my favourites of a collection of wonderful new singles all released on Wednesday (Evergreen, Liz Lawrence, Anna Leone - I'm looking at you...!) Here, Mumble Tide with Breakfast. Yum. An instant favourite for the opening sound of swans squabbling and the line "everyone's an arsehole." I'm saying nothing...
On the track, Gina shares: "we've experienced a lot of disharmony in the past few years and at times, I've been pretty upset by how people have treated each other. I don't deal well with conflict and this song is about accepting that you aren't always going to see eye to eye with people and that it's ok to be on different pages sometimes, like it doesn't make you a bad person."
A lovely bit of serendipity for you today, with news of sorts from two artists who have overcome their fair share of adversity, and brought us beautiful music along the way. I'd planned to share the new track from IMOGEN, and to write about how I'd first discovered her through her support set for Sivu at a London show a few years back. With Sivu firmly on my mind, it was a surprise (and a delight) to find a new documentary style clip on his socials yesterday. The clip explores his Meniere's Disease diagnosis (an ear condition which can lead to dizzy spells/vertigo and hearing loss - less than ideal for a musician), his use of hearing aids and his journey back to creating music with producer Charlie Andrew.
More on Sivu soon, I hope. For now: Imogen. She too has a similarly inspirational (but entirely different) story, with surgery a few years back leaving her needing to learn to walk again. If I remember correctly, the show I caught her at was her first after having had surgery. Brand new track Bloodbag, her first since 2019, focuses on the adversity she has overcome, reflecting the trauma she has lived through and the strength and power she has found through the experience. Moving away from the piano ballads of old, the track is awash with drums, brass and synths, creating somewhat of a cacophony at the track's climax.
The video (below) was directed by Harv Frost (Matilda Mann, Phoebe Green, Molly Burman) and portrays Imogen ascending a spiral staircase into an endless light.
On the track, she shares: "I wanted to write something that depicted the feeling of being out of kilter with yourself - grasping for some sort of control over your mind, body, existence. I took my literal experiences and used them as imagery to explain some complicated feelings, what happened in the end was an exorcism."
Not only is Imogen creating gorgeous music (and there's plenty more where this one came from) but she is a director on the Ivors Academy Board and co-chair of the Youth Council. Through both, she is a passionate activist within the industry, working to make the industry safer and more accessible. I absolutely love this!
Favourite music video of the week alert. New Chloe Foy is a treat for all the senses. The fittingly titled Work of Art arrives ahead of her debut album, Where Shall We Begin, due June 11th. An ode to gig-goers at its core, the track celebrates the confidence that playing live has given Chloe. Ah, gig-goers... I'm living in a state of perpetual jealousy of those who've been heading back to distanced gig in the past week. Oh to live in a city with an almost non-existent live music scene at the best of times. Tell me what a gig feels like?!
On the track, Chloe shares: "For me, music can't fulfil its true meaning without sharing it in a room with others. That is the magic. When I'm singing "Bodies glow, you're a work of art", I'm talking about music lovers together in a room. I had a bit of an epiphany while on tour with Jesca Hoop when I realised you've either got to let go and enjoy it or go through life never enjoying the moment. This was all because of this beautifully warm reception of the crowd each night and their willingness to take me as I was."
Another day, another of my favourite releases from last week via the ever-wonderful Stay Loose PR. I'm loving Sucker from Mumble Tide, AKA duo-come-couple Gina Leonard and Ryan Rogers, who met via Gumtree (true story) when Gina put out an advert searching for a bassist. The track, released on Nothing Fancy Records, follows their debut EP Love Thing, which garnered the duo support from the likes of Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamacq and various blogs (including this one...!)
Creating music from their bedroom in Bristol, the pair make music in an environment free of the creative judgement that both had experienced in the past. They oversee every aspect of the project - producing, making their own videos and their own artwork. Carefree, slightly chaotic and all sorts of brilliant, Sucker is required listening. Get it into your ear drums with haste.
On the track, Gina shares: "This one is just a super fun track we threw together. It's about feeling confident and free and moving on (or at least trying to). It's about throwing the baggage off your shoulders and strutting away... but also accepting that it's not that easy."
Life feels all kinds of overwhelming at the moment. Everything seems to be happening at once and there are definitely not enough hours in the day. The blog turns 6 tomorrow (for those who I've bored with the ~origin story~ in the past, it's technically a couple of years older than that, but tomorrow is the anniversary of when I started the site here on Blogger with this URL. I'll probably (when I find some time, or something to procrastinate doing) ramble a little about that soon, but, wow. It's difficult to keep on top of submissions etc at the moment but it is worth it when I stumble across something beautiful in there...
Today, that comes in the form of this utter slice of heaven from Rachel Sermanni. As I type this late on Wednesday night, it's giving my wearied soul some much needed peace. She's a star. It's a really special new tune taken from her upcoming Swallow Me EP, which is due 2nd June. Much of the EP was written while Rachel was pregnant, and this track finds her mourning a particular way of life that she was about to lose to face the unknowns of motherhood - "I've travelled around but I never thought I'd stay."
On the track, Rachel shares: "I was staying with a beautiful family in Portland when I wrote Travelled. This is definitely a depiction of the dark night of the soul situation I was having at that moment in coming to terms with my choices."
Kicking off in London at Omeara, Rachel tours the UK through to December. Tickets/dates here.
I've said it before... Stay Loose are absolutely smashing it with their
PR roster right now (as ever). Latest addition is bonafide folk legend
Rachel Sermanni. I've (shamefully) not given her back catalogue much of
a listen yet but I caught Rachel playing at a Sofar Sounds show a few years back in a tiny Oxford art gallery and remember being left
completely under her spell. Excited to share that she is releasing a new EP
entitled Swallow Me - and has today released the title track. Rejoice!
The EP was written predominantly while pregnant on tour in the US, and charts
the experiences of pregnancy, and of losing things which had played such a
large part in her life for years. Travelling the world, creating without
limits, living life on a whim. On the EP she shares
"the thread that weaves most clearly throughout this collection is one of
letting go. Jellyfish go where the current flows. It takes courage to be
passive. If you can accept everything, you can embody the jellyfish."
"This song is me asking for some sort of relief, or maybe release. I'm
basically asking that the universe give me a break or, at least, a pat on
the back. Some form of divine acknowledgement of the heavy lifting I'd been
doing (physically and psychologically) in coming to surrender into the
changes - of becoming a Ma - and finding love in what felt like a scary
situation. In its entirety, with the chorus woven in, it is a balm in that
it accepts that this path is my path."
I must admit that I was really excited when Paddy from Balloon Machineand Stay Loosesent this track over to me. The track is (a) wall by heka, the latest artist to sign to the Balloon Machine label. Based on how much I loved the Laura Fell record they put out last year and knowing Paddy's exquisite taste, I was already basically sold on it - but the mention of Hailaker being involved only served to pull me in deeper.
heka, AKA Francesca Brierley, a solo artist living in London though raised in the Italian hills, has announced her new EP (a) and this is the first track from it. Co-produced with Ed Tullett (of Hailaker) and with Jemima Coulter (of... you guessed it) on trumpet, it's a really special tune. Very much unlike anything else you'll listen to this week and that you might have listened to for a while. In the best way. The blend of vocals and production is at once enchanting and haunting. A thrilling combination - I was enthralled from the first listen, dived straight into my stream of the EP (due 19th May) and listened all the way through twice in a row almost without realising. Check out the single below...
On the track, heka writes: "I guess the song is an ode to anger. Not in an absolute sense but as the cathartic alternative to the numb powerlessness that can take over and swallow every other emotion when we find ourselves in a painful or shocking situation. 'Hate' in this sense is seen as a way to eventually move past the grief, especially in the face of someone else's lack of action, or evasiveness, which can be overwhelmingly paralysing."
I don't think that I'l ever tire of sharing new music from Francis of Delirium. The Luxembourg duo are back with Red, the latest release from upcoming EP Wading, due on April 9th via Dalliance Recordings. Originally a bedroom project of then 18-year-old Jana Bahrich, originally from Vancouver, she later invited drummer & producer Chris Hewett, originally from Seattle, to join. Their musical styles and experiences blend to make a sound that I simply can't get enough of, and Jana's vocal delivery is some of the best I've heard in a long time. So much power and passion conveyed through vocals which feel intimate yet would certainly feel at home in a stadium.... remember those?
On the track, Jana shares: "Red is the pushing away of someone and justifying it with your anger rather than rationally discussing your feelings. It's believing something you thought to be true and then that being switched. It's the loss of trust in a relationship. You're left angry and confused, unsure of yourself, or who to trust. Instead of communicating effectively, you start to push away, preemptively moving into isolation as a defence mechanism to stop yourself from more hurt."
"Simultaneously the song challenges the goodness I see in myself, as a good friend, someone filled with love is gone, which distances you from this idea of yourself even further. So you're pushing away someone else and pushing away a version of yourself you enjoy."
Exciting album news time! Gloucestershire-via-Manchester singer-songwriter Chloe Foy has released new single Shining Star and announced news of her debut album, Where Shall We Begin, due for release via her own label on 11th June. The record represents a piece of work many years in the making, carefully thought through, releasing into the world not a minute too soon. The album was recorded at Pinhole Studios in Manchester alongside an army of musical collaborators, with Chloe co-producing alongside musical collaborator Harry Fausing Smith, who is also responsible for the string arrangements.
Chloe shares: “For me, this album has come out of a decade of hard graft, trying to balance my craft with making a living, whilst taking my time to get it right. All whilst dealing with the fallout of a huge bereavement in my most formative years. I was finding it hard to work out who I was within this new, alien context of losing a parent. These songs are my most inner and deepest secrets. The kind of things I only express to those closest to me, but for some reason in song, I can be open with the world.”
On lead track Shining Star, Chloe reflects on her father's decision not to pursue his passion in life. She shares that: "my dad was a talented artist and potter, but instead of following that path, he worked an office job in the pursuit of money which ultimately made him very unhappy. It gave me an early life lesson to follow a creative path if it presents itself and to ignore the pressures of society to conform to a certain life. Because it won't necessarily make you happy."
