Browsing Category single track
Saltwater Sun – Blood
Five childhood friends, Saltwater Sun formed in Reading (UK) a few years ago. They combine sun-drenched pop, garage rock and elements of shoegaze and indie in their band’s sound.
Last week, Jennifer Stearnes, Dan Kingham, Joel Neale, Rob Carter and Benny Chandler released their new EP The Great Deceiver. Blood is the first single off it. A positive and uplifting tune by the sound of its wonderful guitar chords, but at the same time it’s a very personal song about family and the legacy we leave behind. It deals with love, death, grief and all the things in between. Lead singer Jennifer Stearnes wrote the song with her father in mind, who passed away ten years ago this year. However, despite the apparent sadness, Blood is ultimately an indie-pop anthem for hope and all the beautiful things that life has to offer.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Skip The Use – Forever More
In 2016, French band Skip The Use announced their split. Singer Mat Bastard embarked upon a solo career, while the other members continued to play together in a band named NoFace. Now, three years later, they came back together. Well… not all of them. From now on, Skip The Use only consists of Bastard and guitarist Yann Stefani.
Musically, nothing’s changed. Their fierce and feasty rock is as danceable as ever. We want (Forever) More! And that’s exactly what we’ll get, for a new album is coming up.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Dreamers – Insomniac
American rock trio Dreamers’ debut album dates from 2016. It’s called This Album Does Not Exist, however, so we can forget about that. In July 2018, they released the 4-track EP Launch, which was announced as the first of a trilogy of releases. It was followed by the 5-track EP Fly in September.
Last month’s single Die Happy was expected to be the first taster of a third EP, but that’s not quite true. Dreamers announced their second album Launch Fly Land for 26 April, obviously comprising of the nine already released EP tracks, complemented with the tracks of the third EP Land. But the latter does not exist either, so we can forget about that as well. Complicated stuff…
Just as complicated as a band called Dreamers naming their new single Insomniac. No sleep, no dreams, right? Oh well… Their music is too loud to sleep anyway, and I like it. Pump up the volume!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Anteros – Breakfast [2019 Version]
No better way to start the day than with a good breakfast. On today’s menu: full English with tapas on the side…
Laura Hayden grew up in Barcelona and was an MTV Spain presenter before moving to London, where she formed Anteros with Joshua Rumble (bass), Jackson Couzens (guitar) and Harry Balazs (drums ). After numerous singles and two EP’s, they released their debut album When We Land last month. The band recorded it with Charlie Andrew (Alt-J, Marika Hackman, Bloc Party).
The record includes recent singles Call Your Mother, Ordinary Girl, Fool Moon and Drive On, and it contains new versions of their first single Anteros (2015) and second single Breakfast (2016). The latter has been chosen as Anteros new single. Funny to hear how the song evolved from the original version into the remake, which you can hear below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Yuna – Forevermore
Yunalis Mat Zara’ai is a Malaysian singer-songwriter who sings both in her own language and in English. She cites Feist, The Cardigans, Coldplay, Sia and Bob Dylan as her inspirations. In fact, she calls her music ‘a mix of Mary Poppins and Coldplay’.
In 2013, I fell in love with her single Lullaby, which had a Massive Attack (Protection, Teardrop) kind of vibe to it. Six years on, Yuna hasn’t sat still. Her new single Forevermore has the sound of now, with Dua Lipa as an obvious addition to her list of inspirations (and that can’t be a bad thing, can it?). A welcome return!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Chateau Chateau – Burn Me Alive
When I was allowed an early listen of Chateau Chateau’s upcoming 5-track EP Evidence, I thought the title track and Burn Me Alive were the two tunes that immediately stood out. The latter has now been chosen as the Tucson seven-piece’s third single ahead of the EP.
Burn Me Alive is another up-tempo, and irresistibly danceable piece of indie pop, with its bouncy and sticky guitar hook. Commenting on the track’s lyrics, the band comment: “Burn Me Alive is about taking the plunge, burning it all down, and never looking back.”
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Hatchie – Stay With Me
Brisbane dream-pop artist Hariette Pillbeam, better known as Hatchie, has finished her full-length debut album Keepsake (due out on 21 June). It follows her first EP Sugar And Spice, which collected her singles so far, in 2018.
After Without A Blush, the Australian singer-songwriter just put out the set’s second single. Not exactly the first song with this title, Stay With Me shows a somewhat lighter, more danceable side of Hatchie, compared to her earlier, Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Star, and My Bloody Valentine inspired tracks.
She comments: “Stay With Me was written as a writing exercise in an effort to step away from my usual style into something more fun and dancey. We originally wrote it with someone else in mind, but realized it was the perfect fit for my album as I wanted to expand into a different sound. It became one of my favourite songs on the record because I’m a sucker for crying-in-the-club tracks.”
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 15):
Suns Up – Just Because
Sussex four-piece Suns Up have chosen the perfect name for their band. There’s nothing wrong with their indie-pop tunes in the autumn and winter, but they appear to be made for the spring and summer. Like their first two singles Stay and Love You Back, Just Because is a sun-kissed song, combining infectious guitar hooks, feel-good vibes and sparkling vocal harmonies. It is, as the band characterise it beautifully: ‘music made with guitars to sing and dance to’.
When talking about how the song came to life, front man Dave explains: “We had an idea which we kept coming back to at rehearsals. I had an opening line and a melody that I really liked, but the rest took time to get right. I’m not a very open person, but I find in my music that I am. This song turned out to be quite personal to me about someone close and I wanted the music to do justice to that.”
Just Because by Suns Up is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
James TW – Big Picture
Born with the last name Taylor-Watts in 1997, young James started his career as a drummer, but by the time he was in his early teens, he also mastered the guitar and piano. By then, he began uploading cover songs to YouTube and playing acoustic gigs in local pubs.
These online covers caught the ears of Canadian super star Shawn Mendes and eventually of Island Records, where he signed in 2015. A year later, the EP First Impressions came out, including his breakthrough hit When You Love Someone.
Eight more singles followed, which resonated mostly in Sweden. With his full-length debut album Chapters around the corner, James TW releases a track that sounds like his next potential European hit: Big Picture.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Middle Kids – Real Thing
Only a year after their debut album Lost Friends, Australian indie rock trio Middle Kids have an all-new mini album ready. New Songs For Old Problems will be out on 24 may, and is set to include six tracks.
One of those, Real Thing, is released as a teaser single. A melancholic, yet catchy and accessible slice of power pop, that puts Hannah Joy’s beautiful voice in the limelight.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
