September 29th, 2021
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 39):
Wildcard (week 39):
Foxes – Sister Ray
Sister Ray is a legendary record store in London (worth your visit!), named after a lengthy Velvet Underground song. Now, it’s also the title of Foxes’ new single but sonically, it couldn’t be further away from the VU track.
Coming from Foxes, Sister Ray is a euphoric, carefree dance tune, that sounds like it’s been heavily influenced by Robyn. And that, my friends, is never a bad thing. Drenched in pulsating synths, this banger will most certainly have you put on your dancing shoes.
Foxes, real name Louisa Rose Allen, says of the single: “Sister Ray came from a wild part of me during lockdown that was craving a night of freedom and fun again, a longing to let go. The Velvet Underground reference is a nod to describing the most debauched night you could ever imagine but in its spirit it’s a celebration of the people you can have those indescribable times with. I wanted to encapsulate that energy in a song so I could imagine that feeling forever.”
Foxes’ third album The Kick will come out on 11 February 2022. Sister Ray is the first taster of it, and this week, it’s the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a full week!
Follow Foxes 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 39)
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:
- Mazy – Flowers (Wildcard this week)
- Fickle Friends – Love You To Death (Wildcard last week)
- Andy Grammer – Damn It Feels Good To Be Me
- Bentle – Mondo
- Dubstar – Tectonic Plates
- Foxes – Sister Ray
- Placebo – Beautiful James
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: Louane, Oh Wonder, The Cool Quest, 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 track
Lucky Blue – Daydreaming
Lucky Blue are a quartet from the Dutch city of Rotterdam. They first came to the fore during the pandemic, when all they could do was release their music. Luckily (pun intended) they were noticed by national radio stations KINK and 3FM, which brought them to the attention of a broader audience. Also, they were selected to play travelling festival Popronde. At last, they can now take their energetic show to the stage!
Following their first EP Addictive Minds, released last year, they’re currently recording a full album. The first fruit of these sessions just came out as the band’s new single. Daydreaming is a fresh, four-to-the-floor pop-rock song, combining elements of fellow-Dutchies Chef’Special and Skik.
Follow Lucky Blue 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 trackPixey – Take Me On
Pixey – Take Me On
The more music Pixey puts out, the better you can hear she’s developed her own vibrant sound. Based on anything from the good old Madchester sound, breakbeats and bubblegum pop, but with a fresh and modern twist to it. Pixey writes and co-produces her songs herself, and also plays all the instruments, which she records in her Liverpool bedroom. I imagine it’s a lot of fun to make, and it’s definitely a pleasure to listen to.
Pixey releases her singles fast and furiously, and ultimately collects them on EP’s. Her third EP Sunshine State is set to be put out on 29 October. Take Me On is the third single to be unleashed ahead of it. It opens with a riff that reminds me of Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. But when the drums kick in, it’s immediately recognisable as a Pixey track.
She says about it: “The song is about taking back control when nobody is listening to you or taking you seriously, which I’ve definitely had to deal with a lot in the past. I’ve always wanted to write an empowering anthem with a simple hook, so I was so pleased when the song came together like it did.”
Recommended as well:
Sunshine State
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.
album track
Kacey Musgraves – There Is A Light
Is the flute making a comeback in pop music? And wouldn’t that be lovely? To give two examples: Lizzo is an accomplished flautist and you can clearly hear a flute in Dua Lipa’s Physical. And now, another female powerhouse artist features the instrument prominently. What’s more, it’s used in a genre where you wouldn’t expect it. I may be mistaken, but how many country-pop songs do you know with a flute in it?
Let’s start at the beginning… The artist I’m talking about, Kacey Musgraves, just made a break-up album: Star-Crossed. Based on a true story (her divorce from her now ex-husband Ruston Kelly), it deals with a rollercoaster of emotions. It chronicles the peaks of new love to marriage to divorce to solo acceptance. Be prepared for an emotional ride!
But once you get to the 14th song on this 15-track album, you reach the stage of hope. The title There Is A Light says it all. It’s a disco-influenced pop song with phased drum fills, lush acoustic guitars, bells and all. But still it manages to incorporate a certain country twang. Then, after the 1’30 mark, out of the blue, there is a flute. An uplifting flute. A flute that sounds like the musical equivalent of a middle finger. A flute that says: blow me!
The song brings together so many ingredients, that it stands out in the current musical climate. To me, that would be enough reason to put it out as a single, but in the United States, especially, radio stations might struggle to decide upon the right format for the song. Well, let me help you, dear programmers: this is as pop as pop gets, and it deserves to be all over your radio stations. After all, this is Kacey Musgraves you know? What could possibly go wrong?
Recommended as well:
High Horse
Follow Kacey Musgraves 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 Criticals – Absinthe
Parker Forbes and Cole Shugart had been playing music together in a stream of bands in the Nashville DIY scene for nearly a decade. Then, they decided to form their own band The Criticals in 2018. Although inspired by The Stone Roses, Jane’s Addiction and The Doors, their new single Absinthe sounds a lot like The Strokes playing disco. Or even more accurately: I bet they like The Long Blondes’ Guilt (2008) just as much as I do.
The story behind this funky slice of indie-pop is rather straightforward, according to the band. It was ‘written and self produced (…) after a long night of drinking Absinthe on Lower Broadway in Nashville’. Addictive stuff!
Follow The Criticals 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
Renée Millner – So Much
Renée Millner is an Australian artist who is currently based in New Zealand. After releasing her debut EP In The World in 2018, she’s been working on new material. That’s now starting to spread. She already put out two singles this year so far, and here is the third one: So Much.
The opening lines immediately catch the attention. Not only because of a slight resemblance to Black’s Wonderful Life in the vocal melody, but especially because of Millner’s unique voice. It’s smokey and soulful, but with an edge. For no reason at al, this song made me think of k.d. lang.
Immediately catchy, So Much is a toe-tapping anthem about love and self-acceptance. It’s both a song of comfort and an introspective pep talk. Millner explains: “Like most artists I know, I haven’t been immune to the opinions of others. I have often taken on someone else’s opinion rather than trusting my own.” With So Much, she recommends not to listen to the naysayers, but to recognise the love and support that surrounds us.
Follow Renée Millner 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
Caroline Romano – Oddities And Prodigies
Since releasing her 2016 debut single Masterpiece at the age of 15, Caroline Romano released three handfuls of tracks. In the process, her music shifted from bedroom pop to pop punk-inspired songs. Lyrically, her tunes reflect the deepening emotions and maturity that come with growing up in the modern age.
Oddities And Prodigies is the latest addition to the Nashville-based singer-songwriter’s growing collection. It sounds like a radio-ready mix of Alanis Morissette and Pink. The track’s duration will hardly be an obstacle for programmers either: it clocks in at under 2 minutes. And that, at the same time, is exactly the only problem I have with this track. We want more!
Follow Caroline Romano 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
Montgomery – Close To Being Apart
If you like your synth-pop dreamy, make sure you check Close To Being Apart by Montgomery. The Melbourne-based singer, songwriter and producer (real name: Phoebe Parkinson) describes her tunes as ‘pop music to cry to’. Anyway, this is a beautifully lush track with shimmering vocals. Danceable on the one hand, but melancholic on the other.
In fact, this apparent contradiction is the core of the song. Montgomery explains: “I wrote Close To Being Apart last year after moving house. There’s a mix of emotion when you’re packing up and moving on to a new place that holds no memories. I found myself reminiscing, holding on to sentiment, while another part of me was desperate to start a new chapter. Close To Being Apart acknowledges that tension of wanting to move forward or change direction, while still clinging to old memories. Even those I’d proudly thought I’d already let go of.”
This single is the first taste from Montgomery’s next EP, which is due out later in the year.
Follow Montgomery 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, wildcardWildcard (week 38):
Wildcard (week 38):
Mazy – Flowers
If you always wondered how Tame Impala would sound if they incorporated Madchester-kind of beats, I’ve got the answer. Please, meet Mazy, a stomping neo-psychedelic band from Marrickville, near Sydney!
Mazy consists of Ben Tierney (vocals, guitar), Tim Grimes (keys, percussion, vocals) and Sam Clayton (bass, vocals). So far, they haven’t been the most prolific band on earth, to put it mildly. Until this year, they released one single in 2017 and one in 2018. But in 2021 they’ve come up to speed, with two singles so far.
Their latest, Flowers, is a real treat. It dives into the sound of the ‘60s with a Beach Boys-like chorus, brass elements, guitar riffs, synth arpeggios and driving drums. After a magical breakdown, the track speeds up to finish in a flurry of colourful harmonies and instrumentation. It was mixed by Kim Moyes from The Presets.
Flowers is a truly a-Mazy-ng song. It’s the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll spice up the upper regions of this blog for a whole week.
Follow Maze 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.
