Late night blog ramblings incoming - stopping by to share a track I've been loving over the past few days... Baby Queen is back with We Can Be Anything, the follow-up to Dream Girl, and another track offering a taste of her forthcoming debut album. I can't waaaaait!!!!! Really enjoying We Can Be Anything, and another brill video too.
I'll let the track do the talking, but also... on the track, Baby Queen (AKA Bella Latham) shares: "I've been having a prolonged existential crisis for the better part of the past 5 years and would consider myself to be a nihilist in many ways, which has made being alive quite bleak at times. I think human beings really crave purpose but there is ultimately no clear-cut reason we're here and if there is one, we're just not intelligent enough to figure it out. Despite it all, life is beautiful and i think our lack of purpose and our insignificance gives us the greatest level of freedom. Society, culture, rules, laws - these are all constructs. I like to believe that as long as you're not hurting people, you do have the freedom and the prerogative to do with your life what you will. That's what this song is about: non-confinement and non-conformity in the face of what is essentially absurdity. I just want people to listen to it and feel free - because they are free."
I've been feeling a bit under the weather the past few days so it's a little quiet here at the moment, but I'm all sorts of excited to find new Baby Queen in my inbox. I've been fully embracing my Baby Queen era since the release of Heartstopper (on which her music features heavily, and for which she wrote the track Colours Of You). Nobody Really Cares is her latest release and it is another solid gold ~anthem~ for a generation. The message? Stop trying to please everybody else, express yourself however you want to - because who really cares?
Speaking on the track, she shares: "Nobody Really Cares is about realising it's okay to be yourself and do exactly what makes you happy because people are selfish in nature and only have so much space inside their brains reserved for you. I think it's really liberating to know that nobody cares about your self expression as much as you sometimes think they do so filtering yourself to please them is pointless."
Consider me more than a little blown away by the vocals on this one. I was intrigued by Red Moon on the release of her single Dogma earlier in the year, and new single Dreamer has left me stunned. Musically it is an epic track, a bold step from a relatively new artist, who recounts the likes of Sia and Imogen Heap as strong female influences in the early moments of her career. The track is taken from the upcoming EP Phase I:XI which is due on 9th October.
Raised in an artistic household in Nittedal, Norway, her mother and grandmother were both accomplished painters and an interest in music was sparked in childhood. Spending time between Norway and Switzerland, she attended a music academy, and has spent a lot of her adult life travelling the world in order to shape her own musical style. I really really like what I'm hearing.
Talking about the new track, Red Moon says "I consider myself a sceptic and highly curious semi-realist and this paradox is explored in the lyric's examination of the human condition; the constant struggle between despair and hope. Now more than ever, when the world can often feel its darkest, we recognise it is a privilege to be able to dream and have hope. The love and unconditional support of my mother was a huge inspiration for me when writing this song and this is echoes in the feeling of power and freedom I feel when performing it. Needless to say, this song is very close to my heart."
Occasionally, and increasingly so at the moment (a good sign I think) I get moments of imposter syndrome via the blog. I keep finding unreleased tracks and videos from some fairly well loved artists, and the idea of getting to listen to them before the majority of people is a little overwhelming... so, with over a million followers online between her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts you could say that AURORA fits the bill there. I found her brand new track and video Exist For Love in my inbox yesterday and was blown away a little. Having started the year on the Oscars stage performing her hit Into the Unknown from Frozen and now being cocooned in isolation she is back, opening the third 'chapter' of her music with her first ever long song.
In a self-directed video (which is aesthetically gorgeous) we see AURORA undergoing an awakening, blossoming into a woman touched by love. She explains that "I thought I didn't have a love song within me, until one day a few years ago, when I realised what a heavenly thing love is. Yes, it makes us human, but it also makes us divine. What you're using that love for. Or who. The touch of it will leave a print in us. It may be newborn love, it might be grief. But still we dare to love. Again and again. And when we get to experience that love, I think we understand why we exist. We exist for love."
Also worth mentioning... my interest in the track was initially very much peaked in finding out that on the track, AURORA's dreamy vocals sit atop a string arrangement from award winning composer Isobel Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Emma). Iso is a legend and the track is stunning. Having collaborated on the track in isolation, Aurora writes that "Isobel understood and respected the spirit of the song. I'm very grateful to have her as another mother to the project."
This one is a debut and a half. Norwegian-Swiss pop artist Red Moon has released her first single, Dogma. Sold to me as somewhere between Florence Welch and Aurora, my interest was instantly peaked and I'm enjoying the track. It is hypnotic in nature and her vocals are stunning... the track invites the listener close, creating a safe space reflective of that which Red Moon feels through her artistic name. She explains that "using a name that isn't a real name makes me feel there are endless possibilities, and a safe place, where I can show my vulnerable sides."
The track revolves around the original meaning of the Greek word 'dogma', which translates as "that which one thinks is true" or "to seem good". Talking about the track, Red Moon asks "can we live an unfiltered life? One where we can be open. It seems pretty unthinkable that it would be possible or make sense, since without all the knowledge and experience from ourselves and our ancestors, who would we even be. Can we be better? And I am not talking about the advanced technology that will bring us to a different level, but the spiritual levels, shared bonds and knowledge and understanding for each human..."
Red Moon makes her live debut at London's Ja Ja Ja on 13th February.
While we've technically heard a stripped back version of this one before, Rhys Lewis has shared new (ish) track Be Your Man recently. I love it. It's got all the soulful vibes you'd expect from one of his tracks, with those gorgeously strong and raw vocals carrying an emotional story of unrequited love, and the feeling of being in a relationship with somebody who still carries feelings for an ex. Rhys is here to tug at your heartstrings again, and I wouldn't expect anything less.
Talking about the track, Rhys explains that it is "one of those songs that I'm still very much connected to emotionally, whenever I sing it live I get taken right back to the way I felt in the relationship at that time. It's horrible to feel like you're not enough for someone, that you're being compared to the person they were with before. I think if she'd wanted something new then we might have had something, but deep down she was looking for what she'd had with someone else. It's been great revising this song in the studio, the original acoustic version is quite tender and soft, so it's been really interesting discovering a darker tone within the song."
Currently in the midst of a US support tour with Julia Michaels, Rhys embarks on his biggest UK tour later this month. Tickets available here.
20th: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
21st: Deaf Institute, Manchester
22nd: Thekla, Bristol
23rd: O2 Institute 3, Birmingham
25th: EartH, London
26th: Komedia, Brighton
28th: O2 Academy 2, Oxford
30th: King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
1st Dec: Button Factory, Dublin
I've got a midweek treat to share today - a gorgeous new session video from Rhys Lewis. After releasing his In Between Minds EP and a couple of singles this year he's been busy playing shows around the UK and further afield in recent months. He found a moment to head to London's famous RAK Studios to record a live session of his recent single What If - with strings and a trio of backing singers to support, elevating the track to something even more special than the recorded version. I'm loving this!
Happy Thursday! I’m really excited to share a write-up of a lovely new album that is released tomorrow, from Aussie group The Teskey Brothers. It’s actually only a few weeks since I first listened to the band with the release of single So Caught Up. The track fell into my inbox, I posted about it (saying that I was “really really digging this one”) and was soon watching the band play a set on the Communion Music stage at Citadel Festival. I really enjoyed their set and was as blown away by frontman Josh’s vocals live as I expected. Maybe more. Despite their mid-afternoon slot, the band managed to fill out the tent, playing to a large audience of adoring fans who were lapping up new music alongside older tracks.
Hailing from the outback near Melbourne, The Teskey Brothers are a four-piece made up of brothers Josh (vocals) and SamTeskey (guitar) alongside BrendonLove (bass) and LiamGough (drums). They started playing music together as teenagers, realising that they shared a love for 1960s American soul music - an influence which remains clear in the music they’re releasing now. They released debut album Half Moon Harvest around two and a half years ago, for which they were awarded ‘Best Soul, Funk, R’N’B or Gospel Album' at The Age Music Victoria Awards (as well as Best Emerging Act). As well as a positive critical reception, the release of the album saw them starting to amass a larger following and play bigger shows, with recent sell-out shows in Union Chapel and Omeara in London.
Run Home Slow is the album’s follow-up and - I think/hope that fans will agree - it is worth the wait! Recorded straight to 2-inch tape, the band are keen to honour the methods and sounds of old school Motown. Presented as a rebellion to the digital age, the album delivers a quite endearing level of authenticity and rawness that is quite rare in our current age where most music is heavily-produced. From the very first notes of opening track Let Me Let You Down a false-start makes it clear that we're hearing a live take. For me, elements like that give the album some character - who wants a perfect take anyway?
The band enlisted the help of producer Paul Butler (MichaelKiwanuka, AndrewBird) who flew to the band’s home studio in Victoria to work on the album. Together they've created a record which sees a sonic progression from the first record, whilst still maintaining the elements of that record which fans had loved so much. Of this process, drummer LiamGough explains that “we were really aware that we didn’t want to alienate fans […] We feel really proud of the first album, but the second album needed to be a step up.”
I think it's testament to the recording process that I'm struggling to pick out favourite tracks on the record - I feel that it works best as a whole. I'm loving Hold Me at the moment, particularly in a gorgeous performance for US show CBS This Morning (watch below) - those harmonies are sublime.As my first introduction to the band and one of the livelier tracks on the record, So Caught Up also remains a highlight for me. Falling around the half-way mark of the album, it enlists a bit more ‘pop’ than fans of the band might be used to. Bassist Brendon Love details that it “was a bit different to what we’d normally play […] but we were also quite excited about that.” Judging by the reaction the track got at Citadel: so are the fans.
Closing track That Bird came to Josh in a dream while he was camping in the Colorado wilderness (you couldn't make it up.) Bringing the album and its themes to a close beautifully, its gentle groove provides the setting for a conversation about, Josh explains, whether it is “better to live in the present and forget about the past or is it better to learn from the past and use those mistakes to grow from?”
To summarise: at various points this album will make you want to dance, sing, cry and play your best air-guitar, all while remaining transfixed by Josh’s stunning lead vocals and the glorious musical talents of the entire band. Be sure to take a listen when it is released tomorrow!
Having sold out Union Chapel earlier this year, they’ve got a sold out Jazz Cafe gig coming up on 3rd September. Be on the look-out for show announcements for later in the year too!
I haven't yet found time to do a write-up of the incredible time I had volunteering for the second year in a row at Bushstock Festival about a month ago - it was a total joy to look after headliners Novo Amor and the rest of the gorgeous line-up we had playing at St Stephen's Church. One of those acts was Rhys Lewis - I've been a fan of his music for years and it was a dream to finally see him live. His powerful and unique vocals carried poignant, emotional lyrics around the church beautifully, performing to a packed out crowd. With the announcement of an Asian headline tour for August and his first ever UK headline tour in November, Rhys is back with brand new single What If. As always, it's a little bit of a heartbreaker.
Rhys explains that the track "came from the regret I felt from letting go of something good too soon. My mind was a mess at the time and I rushed into a decision to end things. Now thinking about her has become a bad habit, a kind of accepted addiction, like checking my phone. She changed me, and breaking up with her changed me, all in ways I'm forever grateful for. So it's hard to keep my mind away from the idea of going back to her, especially when the ways in which I've changed make me feel closer to her. I understand her more, I understand myself more. I never understood either when we were together which is why it didn't work at the time."
Rhys is currently working on his debut album, which is expected for release around the start of 2020 - his UK dates for November are below. Grab tickets for those here.
15th Nov: Roisin Dubh, Galway
16th: Glassworks, Derry
17th: Button Factory, Dublin
18th: King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
20th: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
21st: Deaf Institute, Manchester
22nd: Thekla, Bristol
23rd: O2 Institute 3,Birmingham
25th: EartH, London
26th: Komedia, Brighton
28th: O2 Academy 2, Oxford
Really really digging this one. Australian four-piece The Teskey Brothers are a new name to me and I have a feeling I have certainly been missing out. They may be from down under, but they've been gaining a following here since the release of their debut album back in 2017, with sold out shows in London's Omeara and Union Chapel over the last couple of years. With new record Run Home Slow on the way in August, they've shared latest single So Caught Up - check out the video for the track below! Those fans of a husky vocal will want to give this one a listen - vocalist Josh Teskey (yes - there are actual Teskey brothers in the band) has some beautifully unique gritty vocals on showcase here!
With performances at Love Supreme Festival and Cornbury last weekend under their belts, the group play the Communion Music stage at this weekend's Citadel Festival (can't wait to see them!) and a slot at Latitude on the 19th.
For a couple of years now I've been in a near constant state of admiration for singer-songwriter Rhys Lewis. Shortly after discovering his music I passed up the opportunity to see him playing a hometown show in Oxford in favour of being sensible and writing an essay - a foolish mistake! With a gift for storytelling he consistently bares all in his tracks, which are often explorations of his own experiences (usually those of the romantic kind) - they're relatable and mirror thoughts and experiences that a lot of us have. His honesty is endearing and has earned him a really faithful group of fans consistently selling out his shows, as well as support from the likes of BBC Introducing.
Almost a year after he released the Bad Timing EP Rhys is back with In Between Minds. It's a gorgeous collection of tracks, featuring recent singles Hold on to Happiness, Better Than Today and End Like This alongside new tracks Lonely As Love and Things You Can't Change. You can and most definitely should check it out here - the closing track is above, it's a really heartwarming number centring around the premise that "I love you for you babe, for all the things you can't change."
Talking about the EP, Rhys explains "We're living in a weird time where we're all anxious. Everyone has their own thought and fears, but it's probably the same thing unifying them, and even though that divides us it should unite us and bring us together. Each track on the EP has helped me distill and better understand some of the heavier emotions and anxieties that had been sitting at the back of my mind for the best part of a year [...] writing songs has become a way for me to draw a line in the sand and be at peace with things whenever things get confused in my own head."
If you missed Rhys' London headline show last night, you can catch him at Bushstock Festivalin June alongside a wonderful line-up!
