Browsing Category single track
Devon – Warning Signs
Devon is an artist/producer from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, which he describes as ‘the middle of absolutely nowhere!’ in his bio. So it’s fair to say he was isolated even before this whole COVID-19 thing happened. This isolation led to him developing a DIY attitude towards everything music-related. Like learning how to produce his own music from his bedroom due to a lack of studio recording facilities.
With over 2 million Spotify streams to his name, he spent part of last year’s free time to explore other channels. He discovered a love for TikTok, where he developed an impressive US listener-base. In fact, it now exceeds that of his home country. Likewise he’s currently very active on Triller.
Next to connecting with his fans, he connected with other artists to co-create. Most notably, he collaborated with Bath brothers Ewan Merrett and Callum Merrett (a.k.a. Carte Blanche Music regulars Bad Sounds). They produced Devon’s single Why Do We Wake Up? (Before The Good Bit) and made a groove-laden remix of Trust Issues before. Now, they also co-wrote and produced his new single, the big alt-pop banger Warning Signs.
Devon explains: “The track has a wide meaning, which I like, but It definitely came from a time in my life when I felt like I was acting out of character and destroyed certain relationships in doing so. The song talks from a outsiders perspective looking at other people and us as a human race, and how we can sometimes destroy ourselves by living in denial of issues and sweeping stuff under the rug be it on a personal level or just on a human level.”
Recommended as well:
Devon – I Don’t Want 2 B Ur Friend
Follow Devon on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Aili x Transistorcake – Pari Pari
The strange part of band competitions is that the best entry usually doesn’t win. Take De Nieuwe Lichting, Belgian radio station Studio Brussel’s talent show. As I wrote last December, I would have put my money on Aili x Transistorcake’s Dansu to win. But I would have lost. However, that didn’t stop the pair from being lauded by fellow musicians, added to many playlists and scoring a minor hit.
Now, it’s time for the next chapter. Once again, Belgian-Japanese artist Aili Maruyama joins forces with one of Belgium’s most exciting new electronica acts: Transistorcake (Orson Wouters). Their new single Pari Pari continues where Dansu left off, but more up-tempo and funkier. It’s another intriguing synth-pop song, built around one of their trademark squelchy bass lines. Another trademark, Aili’s Japanese lyrics, is present as well, adding a layer of mystery to the funky beats.
Talking about mysteries: what does that title come from? Pari Pari was the term Aili’s father used for tonkatsu, a kind of Japanese schnitzel, that crackle when you eat them. ‘Pari’ is Japanese for the sound that produces.
11 June, Aili x Transistorcake release their 5-track debut EP Dansu.
Follow Aili on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
Follow Transistorcake on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Vistas – Start Again
Vistas are a Scottish trio, featuring Prentice Robertson (vocals) , Dylan Rush (guitar) and Jamie Law (bass). Sharing a love for acts like The Strokes and Two Door Cinema Club, they decided to form a band of their own. Soon, they played sold-out tours and supported artists like The Wombats, Circa Waves and The Kooks.
Last year, they released their debut album Everything Changes In The End. Their empty agenda left them enough time to write new material. Unfortunately, Robertson suffered from a writer’s block. He decided to write a song about the situation, which has now been released as the band’s first material of 2021.
The singer explains: “Start Again was one of the first songs I wrote after I took a bit of time off from writing. It is essentially a song about having writer’s block and the feelings that come along with worrying where your next idea is going to come from. I think getting this song down really helped to unstick any writer’s block I was having. It oiled the wheels of everything that would follow on from this track.”
It doesn’t take much imagination to hear a post-lockdown anthem in the song. Fresh and energetic, it’s an uplifting slice of indie-pop/rock.
Recommended as well:
Vistas – Everything Changes In The End
Follow Vistas on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Rori – The Same Way
As small a country as Belgium is, it’s a huge musical talent pool. People living in the Benelux have known that for a long time, but I’d love the rest of the world to discover that as well. Some of these talents have an international sound, that wouldn’t feel out of place in charts (and playlists) all around.
Listen to Rori (real name: Camille Gemoets), for instance. She’s a young Belgian artist with a major label deal under her belt already. In my eyes and ears, Rori has it all: the voice, the attitude, the looks, and the songs. She likes US styled pop music, such as Nelly Furtado, but gives it her own twist.
Since featuring on Dvtch Norris’ track Save Us back in 2019, The Same Way is Rori’s third solo single. A confident song, brilliantly produced by Hadrien Lavogez, that deserves to be heard!
Follow Rori on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Paloma – 2AM (Love Again)
People say song structures have changed since streaming became the predominant way to ‘consume’ music. Choruses have moved forward, intro’s disappeared and overall, tunes became shorter. That may all be true, but with 30 years of radio experience I can tell you: I always loved songs without an intro. They sound great when played straight after a jingle. Take 2AM (Love Again) by Paloma for instance, and imagine a short and snappy station call right in front of it. Terrific sequence, isn’t it? But hey, let’s put the nerd stuff aside here…
In 2015, the young Washington trio Light Up The Sky released their debut single I Will Never. An album and four more singles later, they continued their career as Paloma. However, despite the name change, they resumed their musical path. That’s good news for fans of classically influenced guitar riffs and modern rock melodies. Think Paramore, for instance.
Only the 4th single under their new guise, 2AM (Love Again) sounds like the track that could break Paloma at (rock) radio.
Follow Paloma on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Saint Nomad – Stay
Saint Nomad are a band of brothers. Ruslan, Yan and Nikita Odnoralov were born in the Soviet Union, but grew up in Nashville, USA. After watching a VHS tape of a Radiohead show, they started experimenting with sounds, recording songs and traveling to perform them. They ended up playing 150 shows a year. In 2018, they released their debut album Memento Mori. Five more brand-new tracks followed, three of which came out in 2021.
The trio’s latest single, Stay, is their hardest hitting effort to date. Banging drums, fierce guitars and an uplifting rhythm make this an energetic affair. However, the track is rough on the outside, but soft on the inside.
“Stay was written as our anthem in response to the division we’re seeing in our culture and in our country”, according to the band. They further explain: “Seems like people are increasingly being pitted against each other, and we just want to foster love, understanding, and mutual respect. There’s nothing more powerful than truly loving people where they are at. We want people to be honest, express themselves, and still know that we can be family and friends. And we’re going to stay that way.”
Follow Saint Nomad on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Soda Blonde – Small Talk
Remember Little Green Cars? I do. They were on the longlist for BBC’s Sound of 2013, and rightly so. I still love their singles The John Wayne, Harper Lee and My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me, that all ended up on their Marcus Dravs (Mumford & Sons) produced debut album Absolute Zero.
A few years ago, Faye O’Rourke, Adam O’Regan, Dylan Lynch and Donagh Seaver-O’Leary parked their cars. They’ve got a new vehicle however, and it’s called Soda Blonde. Listening to their songs so far, I’m glad to hear the Fleetwood Mac influences are still there. And so are O’Rourke’s great vocals.
So what exactly has changed, then? Not necessarily something you can hear. But for one thing, the quartet has taken the DIY route, producing their music themselves, as well as creating all the artwork and visuals.
Small Talk is Soda Blonde’s new single. It’s the title track of their upcoming debut album, scheduled for release on 9 July. The song’s funky bassline, lush guitars and buoyant beat make for a sultry, even sensual sound. It’s a dreamy, slightly dark, alternative pop track that may require multiple listens before it eventually sinks in. Do yourself a favour and take your time to fully grasp it. Thank me later.
Follow Soda Blonde on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Danilo – Bringing It Back
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Danny Riggs moved to the United States at an early age. The Brazilian singer-songwriter, recording as Danilo, currently lives in Austin, Texas.
In his new home country, he fell in love with many different styles of American music. After exploring his singer-songwriter, folk and rock ‘n’ roll sides, he has now adopted a more alternative R&B and pop style. True to his roots, he mixes his music with Brazilian melodic structures, while also adding subtle electronic elements.
In July 2021, Danilo will release his first EP All I Want. Bringing It Back is his debut single. A very promising start of his professional career!
Follow Danilo on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 13):
RoseeLu – Playing Alone
RoseeLu has always done things her way and has always been a loner. In other words: the 19-year-old Danish newcomer is a girl with character. Rosa Frydensbjerg (her real name) grew up to the sound of her dad’s piano, and wrote her first melodies in kindergarten. Eventually, she decided to follow her own dream and ambition to become a full-time musician. She quit high-school, left home and moved to Copenhagen at the age of just 17.
Destined for big things, she already released three tracks in 2020. But with this new autobiographical single, Playing Alone, her break-through is inevitable. It’s a very confident track, which clashes grungy guitars with contemporary beats. The sound of the alternative ‘90s meets raw, modern R&B and widescreen pop.
RoseeLu explains: ”Even though it sounds cliché, I really hope to inspire anyone who listens to embrace their inner child and cherish it. Playing Alone is my appeal to those who thinks kids are wrong if they – like me – are not into commercial toys and football trading cards, but are totally fine contemplating with themselves in their own company – which is OK and super healthy.”
To me, Playing Alone is the best new single of this week, which makes it the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means, it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Follow RoseeLu on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Bloxx – Everything I’ve Ever Learned
The last ten months, Bloxx have become regular visitors at Carte Blanche Music. In my opinion, their first album Lie Out Loud is one of the best debuts of 2020. But the Uxbridge quartet haven’t sat still since its release. They’re back with brand-new music already.
Everything I’ve Ever Learned continues where Lie Out Loud left off, which is a good thing. Especially if you’re as fond of Bloxx’s infectious indie-rock sound as I am. Their new single was produced by Rich Turvey, who worked with Blossoms and Oscar Lang before.
Front woman Ophelia Booth says about the track: “The last two years for me have been very difficult, with health scares and anxiety hitting the roof. This song was really important in my journey to stop trying to understand everything, and to just accept the cards you’re dealt and make it work for you. It taught me to keep holding on, even when your grip is loose. (…) It’s basically a self help song, it’s for everyone that needs to hear it. ‘You should learn to hold on / It’s not the end of the world’.”
Recommended as well:
5000 Miles
Off My Mind
Thinking About Yourself
Lie Out Loud
Follow Bloxx on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
