WATCH: Girl Ray - 'Give Me Your Love'

The sunny bank holiday vibes of the past few days make me wish I was at the seaside (or... anywhere, right now) and that thought provides a tangible link to a memory relating to today's post... Rewind a few years, and I was at The Great Escape with team Tigmus. Late one night, we took a chance on a band that none of us had listened to (as is the charm of such a festival) at The Haunt (which a quick Google search tells me has since closed, moved and rebranded?!) That band was Girl Ray, a North London based trio whose first album was the delectably named Earl Grey. I enjoyed their set and have kept a vague eye on their work since, and I'm reaaaaaaally digging this new track which found its way into my inbox this week. 

Over to Poppy for some words on the track... "we worked on this song with Al Doyle and Joe Goddard from Hot Chip in their studio off Brick Lane in London. We had one day left with them, so thought we'd unearth an old demo of a slightly house-leaning song I'd been working on a few months before. It had a really loose structure but the feel of the chords was good so we decided to try fleshing it out. 

It was a really long day filled with a lot of playing around with the mountains of synths that fill their studio. Sections became longer... steel drums were added (along with some wonky backing vocals) and eventually it started taking shape. With all the awfulness of 2020 in our heads - it was important to us that it sounded optimistic and hopeful; a song for future summers where people can dance and enjoy music together one again."

Of the video, which features the full 8-minute long version of the track, Sophie and Iris explain: "We teamed up with our good friend and amazing director Alex Cantouris for another intricate and somewhat ambiguous love spectacle. Though this time we thought that 8 minutes of us acting would probably be unwatchable, so decided to get some professionals involved to deal with the main plot. What started off as a story about a woman having fun at a party, somehow soon turned into a romantic take on Midsommar, without the death and magic mushrooms. A queer Midsommar Night's Dream if you will. We had the best time making it, and discovered a new found love for the Kent countryside (even though one of the shoot days was literally the windiest day of the year." 

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WATCH: Holly Humberstone - 'The Walls Are Way Too Thin'

You all know how much I love Holly Humberstone by now... right? If you're not on the HH train yet then where on earth have you been hiding?! It's not too late though... you're here just in time to fall in love with The Walls Are Way Too Thin, her latest single, which she performed on last week's Later... with Jools Holland. Might be my favourite of Holly's tunes yet. Things are already looking pretty great for her and I'm loving watching her thrive with each new release. That debut album, when it comes, is going to be something really special. 

Sharing the track online, Holly wrote: "I wrote this song about moving to London on my own and feeling very lonely & claustrophobic in my tiny lil room. Everything I knew to be normal had shifted, I didn't really have any friends and felt quite lost so writing this song was hugely comforting and really helped me to cope with everything that was going on around me." 

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WATCH:: Mysie - 'Seven Nights'

Enormous earworm alert. Heck, I might even roll out 'bop'. I can't shake the new single from Mysie and I'm not sure that I want to... Seven Nights is taken from the new EP, Undertones, which was released via 70Hz on Friday. The label is owned by Mysie's mentor, producer and close collaborator Fraser T Smith. Having won the Rising Star Award at the Ivor Novello Awards last year, you know you're in safe hands when it comes to a new Mysie tune... and this is no exception. My favourite yet!

Speaking about the track, she shares that: "Seven Nights is about the excitement of fast love. It's about doing something out of the ordinary, booking that plane ticket and chasing a love that you want but have no clue as to where it will end up. It's about staying in the moment and enjoying every little part of that love, no matter what the outcome may be." 

Listen to the Undertones EP here.

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WATCH: Chloe Foy - 'Work of Art'

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." 

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WATCH: Vanessa Gimenez - 'Make It Rain'

I am genuinely delighted about this news: Vanessa Gimenez, who some of you might recognise as the vocalist of Swimming Girls, is back with new music! The band had a brilliant few years, taking in shows around the country (I caught them from the back of a *very* busy pub at The Great Escape back in 2017) before disbanding in 2019. I'm incredibly excited to see that Vanessa has been working on a solo project - Make It Rain is her debut single, and it marks a confident return to the scene. Can't. Stop. Listening. 

On the track, Vanessa shares: "Make It Rain was the first song written for this project. To me it's about retaining that childlike sensibility that is full of hope and dreams. A mindset that a lot of people lose once they grow older." 

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WATCH: John Myrtle - 'Spider on the Wall'

Most songs even ever-so-slightly inspired by our lockdown experiences make you want to roll your eyes back into your head too, right? How does a track from the perspective of the spider on your wall sound? The master of quirky musical narratives, John Myrtle has written just that, and tis a dream. Playing on the themes of isolation and, you know, being stuck inside your house, the imagined spider in the song finds what it sees of a human household to be ever so slightly underwhelming. Spider On The Wall is taken from John's debut record Myrtle Soup, releasing on 18th June via Sad Club Records.

John shares: "I thought a song that told a story behind closed doors was very fitting for the time we were all living in. With the whole album being written and performed at home in lockdown, writing and singing as a spider was freeing in a weird way. I was able to leave my house and go write about someone else's. Instead of envying the other people's lives, he's disgusted by them, and finds out that his home is the most comfortable of all." 

 

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WATCH: Wallice - 'Off The Rails'

"I'm doing fine, stop asking me what's wrong. I live my life like I'm the only one going off the rails." 

It feels like mere days since Hey Michael and 23 (both absolute tunes) were released into the world but Wallice is back with a new tune which is guaranteed to brighten up your Thursday. Off the Rails is the title track taken from her forthcoming debut EP, due to be released independently on 4th June. Lyrically, this one looks at the choices we make and their consequences, which we might try to blame on external forces. The music video, directed by L.A. photographer and creative Jerry Maestas, reflects the lyrics, and sees Wallice in a Sims-esque game being placed in situations that she can't control. 

"Off the Rails is about feeling like you don't have any control over your life and that the world is against you - and that you're the only one that feels that way. Sometimes there are periods in your life when it's easy to think your life is falling apart, and there's nothing you can do to stop it or fix it. I think sometimes it's okay to sit in that self pity, but also at the same time you have the power to control it and take responsibility for your actions, at least to an extent. Sometimes there are just rough patches, and you have to do your best to get out of them, roll with the punches, and try not to be a shitty person." 

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LISTEN: Max Bloom - 'Palindromes'

I have to say, this new one from Max Bloom is a complete delight. Palindromes is the second single to be taken from his forthcoming record Pedestrian, due on June 18th. The record is releasing via Max's own (and new) label Ultimate Blends, the new home for his future projects. The DIY ethos extends to the visuals - he's designed individual artworks for every song on the album, as well as animations (like the below) for the singles. At the heart, this one is a tender and romantic tune and my heart feels a little fuzzy.

On the track, Max shares: "this song is about how I got together with my girlfriend Anna, who also plays bass in my live band (and co-wrote two songs on the album). We were best friends for years, then she broke up with her boyfriend and we got together quite suddenly. It was completely unplanned, but when it happened it felt like a lucid dream. I wanted to write something to commemorate it (Anna has also written a few songs about it too), and after the darkness and grief of Perfume, it felt cathartic for me to write this song." 

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ALBUM NEWS: Merpire - 'Simulation Ride'

"Sometimes it still wavers but I've worked hard on building my confidence, telling myself over and over through this song that it really does take a village to love someone." 

I absolutely adored Dinosaur, the recent single form Melbourne's Merpire, so I'm delighted that she's back with Village, and news of her debut album. Simulation Ride is due on 23rd July via Warner's ADA. Continuing in a lyrical theme, the new track tackles deceptively simple themes of self-doubt and comparing yourself to others, reflecting Rhiannon's own battles with anxiety and self-confidence. The single arrives with a video directed by Nick Mckk, which is below...

On the track, Merpire shares: "I used to have a day job punting people around the lake on a boat in the Royal Botanic Gardens in South Yarra, giving them a guided tour of the lake. There's one island we pass on the route we nickname 'Bell Bird Island' because the bell birds pretty much own it, very territorial. They're basically farming an insect called a psyllid and protecting it from other birds eating it. They have a symbiotic relationship. The psyllid produces a sugary coating like a cocoon and the bellbirds lick this sweet treat, not eating the whole insect so that the psyllids keep producing the sugar." 

"This loosely inspired the idea of it taking a village to nurture someone. Sometimes I would get so caught up in self doubt, seeing qualities in people that I didn't think I had, that I forgot to see what qualities I had that they might love me for. I constantly put pressure on myself to be happier, more energetic, more sociable. I didn't see myself as an interesting person without that or without my music and when I was feeling tired or withdrawn I'd beat myself up about it, not feeling worthy of company and thinking I was just a boring person who happened to be a musician (and punt people around on a boat in the gardens apparently?!) This affected my relationship. I didn't believe someone could be in love with me when there seemed to be way more interesting people out there."

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WATCH: Premium Leisure - 'Easy FM'

I live in a perpetual state of being in awe of the music coming out of Oxford, I swear. Forgive my slight delay in sharing this one but... a big fat yes to new Premium Leisure. With contributions from local indie contemporaries Willie J Healey, Ash Cooke (BE GOOD), Casper Miles (Catgod), Mike Monaghan (Gaz Coombes), Jack Kendrew (PETSEMATARY) and Harry Deacon (Palace), Easy FM is the latest tune to be taken from a forthcoming EP, due this summer via Plum Cut Records. 

As ever, it's a delight, leaving me somewhere between wanting to replay this one over and over and needing another new track, pronto. Luckily for me, there's plenty more Premium Leisure to dive into before the EP arrives. On the track, Chris shares: "The song is a comment on the ease of following trends. And the difficulty of consistently staying true to what really pushes our buttons." 

The video for the track flicks between green screen and live action, and was conceived and directed by Henry Dartnall and Tom Bonsu-Dartnall of Young Knives.

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