July 17th, 2021
single trackNiko Rubio – Go With You
Niko Rubio – Go With You
Carte Blanche Music is a one-man operation and all of us are pretty busy otherwise as well. In other words: time is limited, but the pile of new music nearly doubles every week. Luckily is not all equally great, to put it mildly. I only recommend songs I’m 100% behind, but I also like to introduce you to new acts. Although this means I can’t write about each new release of artists I love, there are exceptions. This is one of those…
I’ve been following rising singer-songwriter Niko Rubio since she released her major label debut single You Could Be The One in May. Last month, I thought its follow-up Bed was simply too good to ignore. And now, the 20-year-old California-bred artist is doing it again. How could I not go with a song that’s named Go With You? Especially when it’s another banger in my ears.
Go With You is an alt-rock kind of track, with strumming guitars and a driving beat throughout. The title is accentuated by pounding drums. Hopefully, this song will confirm that three is the magic number.
Recommended as well:
Bed
You Could Be The One
Follow Niko Rubio on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single trackPixey – Sunshine State
Pixey – Sunshine State
Taking DIY to the next level, Pixey writes and produces her own songs, plays the drums, bass and guitar, and sings. Hailing from Liverpool, other artists from her hometown and from Manchester are her main influences.
Take euphoric new single Sunshine State for instance. It’s her first new music since her debut EP Free To Live In Colour, that came out last March. The song has no trouble to live up to its title. With it’s lush guitars and breakbeat-like drums, Sunshine State has a distinct baggy Madchester sound. Only 2’18 long, it’s upbeat from start to finish.
Pixey co-wrote the tune with Pete Robertson, the former drummer of The Vaccines. Since he left the band in 2016, he co-produced beabadoobee’s second EP Space Cadet.
“Sunshine State is a celebration of people coming together through music and being free to start whatever revolution they want, big or small”, says Pixey. “It’s also about that power and mood that music can give you.”
Recommended as well:
Electric Dream
Free To Live In Colour
Just Move
Follow Pixey on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single trackCaroline Polachek – Bunny Is A Rider
Caroline Polachek – Bunny Is A Rider
Singer, songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek has a diverse musical resumé that includes many genres. She’s best known, however as one third of dramatic synth-pop trio Chairlift. Their 2008 debut album Does You Inspire You received an extra promotional boost when the single Bruises appeared in an Apple commercial for the iPod nano. Following the band’s split in 2017, she wrote songs for the likes of Beyoncé, Solange, Travis Scott and Charli XCX.
In 2019, she released her first album, Pang, under her own name. It found her further exploring atmospheric electro-pop and became a blueprint (or an inspiration at least) for the current hyperpop scene. No word about a follow-up yet, but Polachek’s new single Bunny Is A Rider is out now. A smooth and confident track with an unmistakable Christine & The Queens vibe. The walking bass line is performed by co-producer Danny L Harle, whose baby daughter can be heard in the song as well.
Recommended as well:
Caroline Polachek – Door
Follow Caroline Polachek on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Shannen James – Separate Ways
Shannen James is an artist-on-the-rise from Melbourne, Australia. Her 2020 EP Arrows collected all five singles she released the 12 months before, adding one extra song.
Separate Ways is her second single of the year, so far. It’s an energetic, percussive, groove-oriented guitar track with a bright and poppy sound. An alt-pop song by the book, that leaves plenty of room for James’s velvety-smooth vocals. Extremely infectious in a Haim kind of way.
The singer-songwriter says of the track: “Separate Ways is a candid take on when relationships dissipate and for whatever reason run their course. We all make connections with people that after some time you both kind of know that you’re starting to drift apart. It’s nothing to be bitter about. More so just being able to look back on those memories fondly and appreciate what you had with that person.”
Follow Shannen James on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Sylvie Kreusch – Let It All Burn
Belgian artist Sylvie Kreusch leads a double life. She’s both an emerging pop star and a fashion industry favourite, collaborating with brands such as Prada, Miu Miu and Azzaro Couture. I’ll stick to her musical ventures here, if you don’t mind.
Thanks to her grandparents, Kreusch developed a childhood fondness for classic French chansons by the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy and Jacques Dutronc, At a later age, she added more contemporary influences, including Roísín Murphy, Grace Jones and Björk. After stints as female vocalist of the bands Soldier’s Heart and Warhaus, Kreusch started a career of her own. Following two critically acclaimed EP’s, she’s now recording her debut solo album. It’s slated for release in late 2021.
Let It All Burn is her new single. It deals with a failed relationship with a rock star, reckoning with superficiality and groupies along the way. It’s unclear if the story is fully autobiographical, but it results in an energetic, danceable garage rock track.
Follow Sylvie Kreusch on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Pip Millett – Hard Life
13 August, British songstress Pip Millett will put out her new EP Motion Sickness. Following recent single Running, Hard Life is the second track to be released in anticipation. The song mixes gospel, old-school soul and a bit of modern R&B, the same way Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill did. What’s not to like about a song that incorporates organ, guitar bass and a little bit of horns?
Talking about the single, the singer says: “Hard Life is about exactly that. It’s about moving through unresolved trauma and understanding that ignoring those things doesn’t mean they go away. It takes learning and listening to yourself and lots of patience.”
Follow Pip Millett on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single trackVictoria Anthony – Dirty Lipstick
Victoria Anthony – Dirty Lipstick
It doesn’t take an adolescent to make grown up music. 15-year-old Canadian talent Victoria Anthony is the latest up and coming teen to prove this. She first rose to fame aged 12, after a video of her singing at a P!nk concert in Vancouver went viral. Last year, she released her own album Real Life, packed with pure pop tracks.
Her brand-new single Dirty Lipstick shows considerable growth, both musically and lyrically. It’s inspired by artists like Taylor Swift and Adele who, Anthony says, aren’t afraid to be vulnerable. Now, she looking to be more honest in her song-writing herself as well. Based on a break-up with a friend, her latest track is a good example of the new, sincere and self-assured direction she’s taken.
Dirty Lipstick is a rock-based track that captures some raw emotions. She says about it: “I just told a story about my life and that happened to be one where I was really angry. And I kind of just grabbed that emotion in the moment and released it all into that song.”
Follow Victoria Anthony on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, werner's weekly
Wildcard (week 28): Baxtr – In Pop We Trust
Imagine this: three girls who have been close friends for over a decade, decide to start a band. And the next thing that happens is a virus that starts with a C. As a consequence, they’ve been writing, recording and releasing their three singles to date remotely during the last 12 months. And yet, these are all great pop songs that have so far been criminally overlooked.
But all that’s about to change. After a long year, Floss Mackintosh, Bash Powers and Keiko Jackson have finally been able to be together in the same room. During this session they laid down their new single In Pop We Trust, and it’s bigger, bolder and better than ever. Inspired by ‘80s pop and late ‘90s geek rock, it’s equal parts Bangles and Weezer. But the trio also mention Jellyfish as inspirations. How lovely! I bet the girls weren’t even born when Jellyfish weren’t even nearly as big as they deserved to be. Baxtr clearly did their research!
In Pop We Trust is a huge party track that combines sugar-sweet melodies with banging drums and fierce guitar licks. A call for us all to embrace anything that makes us feel good. To me, that’s just what this fun song does, so I’ll embrace it with all that I have. It’s time for a virus that starts with a B!
This week, Baxtr’s In Pop We Trust is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature here proudly and prominently for a whole week!
‘They say trash and we say treasure / There’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure’.
Recommended as well:
Feathers
Bloom
Follow Baxtr on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
werner's weekly
Werner’s Weekly (week 28)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- beabadoobee – He Gets Me So High (Wildcard this week)
- Slothrust – Once More For The Ocean (Wildcard last week)
- Fabio Rovazzi feat. Eros Ramazzotti – La Mia Felicità
- Maisie Peters – Psycho
- Päter – float.ing
- Trunky Juno – Hawaiian Pizza
- Weiss feat. Sharlene Hector – Lift Me Up
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: American Authors with Mark McGrath, Bakermat, Sam Fender, and more.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single trackGrand Corps Malade – Des Gens Beaux
Grand Corps Malade – Des Gens Beaux
Two of my favourite French artists nowadays are Grand Corps Malade and Hoshi. This story starts with the latter. Or rather, this is a story that stars the latter. Hoshi is a very gifted singer-songwriter. Also, she’s a proud member of the LHBTIQ+ community. For open-minded people like you and me, that’s as normal as anything. But you must know that since Hoshi kissed onstage with one of her (female) band members, she received the most appalling threats.
That’s not all, alas. Last April, French ‘music expert’ Fabien Lecoeuvre gave his (sexist) contribution in a radio show. He argued (allow me to paraphrase) that modern popstars are hideous to look at. “Take Hoshi for instance”, he said. “She’s a huge talent without a doubt, but would you hang her poster in your room? She’s scary. She should give her songs to pretty singers.”
(I’ll give you a few seconds to catch your breath…)
Obviously, Hoshi responded to this statement (“You make me puke”), and many French artists denounced Lecoeuvre’s judgments. The most powerful support now comes from Grand Corps Malade. He wrote a song about the affair. Des Gens Beaux is a danceable pop tune, that includes the journalist’s original remarks, combined with cynical lyrics in support of his colleague singer. Even if you don’t speak French, you’ll be able to feel the emotions.
Having said that, at first listen, I thought I heard GCM sing ‘Il faut des jambons’ (we need hams), but the lyrics go ‘Il faut des gens beaux’ (we need beautiful people), which is much more on topic… Don’t forget to watch the great video as well!
Recommended as well:
Grand Corps Malade – Pas Essentiel
Grand Corps Malade – Effets Secondaires
Follow Grand Corps Malade on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
