July 3rd, 2021
single track
Maisie Peters – Psycho
Maisie Peters’ career made a very promising start in 2017. Her debut single Place We Were Made clocked a staggering 41 million streams on Spotify alone. Single #3, Worst Of You, even stands at nearly 100 million streams. Long story short: all of her singles so far attracted a multi million audience. A few of her fans include Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, Sam Smith and… Ed Sheeran. After a few mutually inspiring writing sessions he decided to sign her to his label Gingerbread Man Records. In that respect, her new album (out on 27 August) has a funny title: You Signed Up For This.
It won’t come as a surprise then, Peters’ new single Psycho is co-written by Ed. Multi-award-winning producer and songwriter Steve Mac is on board as well. He got his break in the music industry in the early 1990s when he wrote and produced the Nomad hit (I Wanna Give You) Devotion. In 1992, he became part of dance-pop act Undercover, who scored big with their Baker Street cover. You won’t believe the number of hits he wrote and produced since those days.
Here is the next one: Maisie Peters’ new single Psycho. Remember Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen? This is an equally clever pop song. It combines punchy production and an instantly memorable chorus, which sounds like a winning formula to me. Lyrically, it reflects on toxic relationships and gaslighting exes. She explains: “Psycho tells a dramatic story of someone whose lies catch up to them, and who seem to feel very little when they hurt other people. I think this is something near enough everyone in the world can relate to, myself included.”
Follow Maisie Peters 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
Romes – Alittle
Music-wise, Australia and Canada are two of the most interesting countries at the moment, as far as I’m concerned. This is another great example which, I hope, proves my point.
Jacob and Nicolas Bitove are two brothers from Toronto, who formed Romes in 2015. Initially, Irish friends James Tebbitt and Andrew Keyes were part of the group as well. They met while attending school in Wicklow, Ireland before relocating to the Bitove’s home country. Following their self-titled 2017 debut album, they’ve released numerous singles. Next up is their second EP My Demons Are My Best Friends, which will be out on 6 August.
Last May, Romes released the EP’s first single Chillthefuckout. The follow-up is out now. Alittle is a quirky pop track full of fun production gimmicks. If Billboard’s recent description (‘a prototypical song will usually sound like the meeting point between experimental sound design and EDM influenced pop from the 2010s’) is anything to go by, this is as hyperpop as hyperpop gets.
Recommended as well:
Romes – Out Of It
Follow Romes 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
Emily Burns – I’m So Happy
Remember Pain Is So Close To Pleasure by Queen? UK pop star on the rise Emily Burns has come to the same conclusion. She says about her new single I’m So Happy: “I clearly remember the day I wrote I’m So Happy. I went into the studio and was in the best mood ever. I said to the guys about how good I was feeling, and how everything was going right in my life that day (…) We started talking about the fear that comes hand-in-hand with overwhelming happiness, the worry that something is bound to go wrong, even when it might never. That’s where the idea of ‘I’m so happy, it’s a problem’ came from. The idea that sometimes happiness can be painful, because you feel like you’ve got so much to lose. It’s like being on a tightrope and knowing that one wrong move could cause the end of it all.”
Burns was born in Scotland and raised in Warwickshire. She developed an honest, captivating and accessible song-writing style, reaching 50 millions streams on Spotify alone.
Follow Emily Burns 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
Fabio Rovazzi feat. Eros Ramazzotti – La Mia Felicità
It’s July, the holiday season has started and COVID-19 restrictions are being relaxed in many holiday countries. High time to start looking for potential summer hits. Is this the song tourists will bring home from Italy?
After two years of absence, singer and YouTuber Fabio Rovazzi is back with a great track and a huge collaboration. La Mia Felicità (‘my happiness’) is a duet with ‘good old’ Eros Ramazzotti. A fresh, funky and light-hearted pop song, it deals with the unstoppable desire to return to life.
For songs from countries like France, Spain and Italy to become international summer hits, it’s important to have a title that easy to pronounce. Even for DJ’s that don’t speak foreign languages. They simply don’t like to stumble on the airwaves. To me, ‘La Mia Felicità’ sounds do-able 😉
Follow Fabio Rovazzi on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Follow Eros Ramazzotti 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 trackPäter – float.ing
Päter – float.ing
The world is changing, and young Canadian singer-songwriter Päter doesn’t only describe and oppose the consequences, she’s evolving herself as well. Not indifferent to the things happening around her, her lyrics always came from a very personal place. But often, they dealt with subjects in the outside world. On her new single, she invites us into her own realm. She describes float.ing as ‘a song very close to my heart’. “It was inspired by the bittersweet joy of being with someone you love, knowing it’s not going to last.”
Obviously, this subject matter demanded a mellower musical direction. Expect a lovely, folky, indie-pop song. Simple, but with a delicate string arrangement.
Just over a year since the release of her debut single Dam, Damn, Päter keeps developing impressively, gradually revealing more of the real person behind her musical project: Iran-born, Toronto-based Parmida Kakavand. A brave step forward and a promising start of more to come!
Recommended as well:
MTL (feat. Alexandra Willett)
Earth In Revolt
Sleep
Follow Päter 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
The Vaccines – Back In Love City
The Vaccines finished their fifth album early in 2020, but postponed the release due to… well, you know. It was produced by Daniel Ledinsky (who worked with Tove Lo, Rihanna and TV On The Radio before) and mixed by Andrew Maury (Lizzo, Post Malone). 10 September it’ll be out at last.
Explaining the album’s title, Back In Love City, frontman Justin Young said: “In some obvious ways we’re more connected than ever. But we’re also more polarised than we’ve been for 100 years and the world is getting colder. What if there was a place where love and other emotions had run dry – but you could go to Love City to get them?”
Following Headphones Baby, the title track is the album’s new single. It contains the band’s trademark surf swagger. The modern world never needed (The) Vaccines more than now.
Recommended as well:
All My Friends Are Falling In Love
Your Love Is My Favourite Band
Follow The Vaccines 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
Weiss feat. Sharlene Hector – Lift Me Up
You may not know Sharlene Hector’s name, but I’m sure you’re familiar with her hits. Apart from fronting Basement Jaxx since 2001, she’s cooperated with a long and varied list of artists. Clean Bandit, Duke Dumont, Natasha Bedingfield, Nicole Scherzinger, Mark Ronson, Paloma Faith, Primal Scream, Royal Blood… Her voice attracted tens of millions of streaming listeners.
DJ/producer Richard Dinsdale, professionally known as Weiss, isn’t exactly an insignificant artist either. With his solo singles and collaborations with the likes of Becky Hill, he’s good for tens of millions of streams as well.
In other words, together, they’re a 2-piece super group. Their single Lift Me Up is ever as uplifting as you’d expect. It combines beats and a house piano straight from the early ‘90s with Hector’s stellar vocals. If you enjoyed Moby’s Go and Bassheads’ Is There Anybody Out There?, make sure to check this energetic track. It’s sure to evoke nostalgic feelings, and bring you back to the formative raving years.
Weiss says about working with Hector: “Sharlene’s been the voice behind so many of my favourite records over the last 20 years, but her name’s often been behind the scenes. I thought Lift Me Up was the perfect record to compliment her powerful and soulful voice. I’ve been a long-time fan, buzzing to have finally been able to work with her and feature her amazing talents on my production.”
Follow Weiss on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Follow Sharlene Hector on 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.
chart
Your favourites (June 2021)
Below, you can find all 10 of your favourites in the month of June; my recommendations that you read the most during that month. Great choices!
The links bring you directly to the original posts. Each of them features a player that allows you to listen to the track via the platform of your choice. Enjoy!
- Super db – Wait For Me
- Drew Sycamore – 45 Fahrenheit Girl (WC)
- Just – Walk Slow Smile More
- Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu
- The Blue Stones – One By One
- Niko Rubio – Bed
- Laura Mvula – Got Me
- Japanese Breakfast – Paprika
- Drew Sycamore – Jungle
- Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda (WC)
(WC) ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard
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.
