Browsing Category single track
Mathea – Wollt Dir Nur Sagen
Mathea is currently the most streamed artist from Austria. In 2016, she participated in talent show ‘The Voice Of Germany’, where she didn’t get to the top places. Nevertheless, her 2018 debut single 2x, released at age 20, was a huge success in the German speaking countries. A #1 hit, it was awarded the Platinum status and was ultimately streamed over 60 million times on all platforms. Follow-up single Chaos and Alles Gute were hits as well. A star is born.
One of the reasons of Mathea’s success is her honesty. She may be young of age, she has something to say, and she does so in plain words. No metaphors, no kitsch. Her new single is another convincing song. In Wollt Dir Nur Sagen, she tries to get an important person to understand her feelings for them. But apparently, saying ‘I love you’ is harder than it seems.
Wollt Dir Nur Sagen is a fresh and modern-sounding track. It’s put out ahead of her debut album M, which is set for release on 1 May.
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.
Deluxe – Barcelonnette
Deluxe are a French band from Aix-en-Provence, which is 200 kilometres from the village of Barcelonnette. The sextet’s new single is an homage to this town. It’s one of the five new tracks on an expanded edition of Deluxe’s album Boys And Girl. Last month, I already wrote about another bonus track, I Love You.
As we’ve come to know from Deluxe, Barcelonnette is an energetic, sunny sing-along song. A fun track, that makes you want to dance, throw a party and share your enthusiasm with as many people as possible.
Recommended as well:
Deluxe – I Love You
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.
Miya Miya – Underwater
Miya Miya are a UK-based four-piece. They started making music together after connecting at university. As a song-writing team, they wrote and produced music for others, but now it’s time for them to shine themselves.
The band mix the timeless sound of classic artists like Fleetwood Mac, Queen and Jeff Buckley with the influence of contemporary artists like Imagine Dragons and The Chainsmokers. By consequence, Miya Miya combine intimate storytelling with an epic stadium sound.
Underwater is their promising debut single. Don’t let the soft opening chords fool you. They set the stage for big drums, polished guitars, electronic sounds, huge bass grooves and emotive vocals.
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.
Sega Bodega – U Got The Fever
Sega Bodega is London-based artist Salvador Navarrete. This explains the title of his latest album Salvador. He currently has some bad luck. Or bad timing, at least. His new single is called U Got The Fever. Obviously, this has nothing to do with Corona, but I hope politically correct music directors see that too. Okay, the song is very contagious, but only in a good way. That’s why I think it deserves to spread all over the world.
The first notes, with a sampled “Ooh-aah” remind me of Cloudbusting by Kate Bush. Of the part that goes “Ooh I just know that something good is gonna happen”, to be exact. Elsewhere, we hear an old-school, computer-generated rhythm and an eerie whistle melody. All and all, it’s got something spacey to it. And it holds some good advice as well, in these challenging times: “Go home, lock your doors, turn off your phone, and hope it’ll all be okay in the morning. Although it never is…”
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.
MarthaGunn – We Don’t Need Each Other
I must have overlooked this, when it was released on Valentines Day. And if I did, maybe you did too. By the way, a month later, it’s still as good as it was back then. So here we go…
I’m sure you remember MarthaGunn’s track Heaven, released four months ago. We Don’t Need Each Other (great title for a Valentines Day release) is the Brighton five-piece’s latest single. A groovy tune, which mixes timeless pop beats with their signature funky guitar riffs. Call it indie pop, if you like. This infectious and energetic song with relatable and punchy lyrics might as well be the ultimate anti-Valentines anthem.
Sure to be liked by fans of Haim.
Recommended as well:
MarthaGunn – Heaven [2019 Version]
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 11):
Bée – Nothing Alike
Bée (pronounced as Bae) is short for Brechtje Kooreneef, a name that will surely turn heads for readers in the Netherlands. Indeed, she’s the daughter of Han Kooreneef, a very successful songwriter and composer for some of the biggest Dutch acts. Marco Borsato, Guus Meeuwis, Ruth Jacott, Volumia!, Paul de Leeuw and many more owe him a lot.
Having spent many hours of her childhood in music studios with her father, she started making music herself at a young age. This is now starting to pay off. Just 19 years old, Nothing Alike is only Bée’s second single, and I think it’s great. The song was produced by Jake Gosling. He worked with everyone from Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and James Bay, to One Direction, Major Lazer and Paloma Faith.
Nothing Alike is based around a playful instrumentation, a percussive backbeat, ear-warming vocals, and relatable lyrics. Musically, the keywords are: feel-good, youthful, smooth, fresh, intriguing, colourful, and catchy. I’m convinced Bée is a talent of international class.
Discover her here this week, as Nothing Alike is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Millie Turner – Jungle
I’ve been keeping my ears on Millie Turner ever since her 2018 debut EP Eyes On You (sorry about that one 😉) . But jokes aside, I think the EP was an impressive introduction to an artist that has only grown ever since. Her songs are getting better and better, although she has yet to score her first ‘real’ hit. In the streaming age, this is a relative concept of course, since songs with 4 and 7 million streams can hardly be called flops.
Millie’s new single Jungle is another step forward for the 20-year-old talent. She’s exploring Dua Lipa territory in this frantic, pounding track. A perfect pop song, Jungle has an irresistible hook and an equally captivating piano melody. Bound to stick in your head for days!
Recommended as well:
Millie Turner – The Shadow
Millie Turner – Eyes On You
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.
Merci, Mercy – Fucked Myself Up
Mercedes Thorne moved back to Sydney, Australia, after she had lived in Beijing and Thailand as a teenager. In 2018, her first song Be was heard by the right ears. It resulted in a worldwide record deal and a management team.
Now aged 19, Merci, Mercy is ready to release her first proper single: Fucked Myself Up. It’s as exciting as it is bold. Punchy beats and percussion underpin the track, whilst synths and guitars create an irresistible rhythm. In short: it’s a smart, catchy and disarming introduction with attitude.
On the song, Mercy says: “Fucked Myself Up is about dependence on alcohol. It gave me the confidence to be able to talk to people. I was getting fucked up on purpose in order to allow myself to be around people I didn’t know. My goal is to make music that talks openly about mental health, so it’s as normal as talking about what you’re eating for dinner. Fucked Myself Up is me saying yes, I have a problem, but I’m doing my best, so leave me alone.”
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.
The Magic Gang – What Have You Got To Lose
Following their 2018 self-titled debut, The Magic Gang are about to release their sophomore effort. The album. Death Of The Party, is set to be released on 15 May. First single Think was a great Northern soul pastiche with ‘Style Council’ written all over it. But not wasting any time, the band quickly release single #2, which shows another side of their musical spectrum.
What Have You Got To Lose is a spiky, punchy indie-pop stomper. It finds bassist Gus Taylor delivering stream-of-consciousness lyrics over spiky, dark guitars and a throbbing bassline.
Recommended as well:
The Magic Gang – Think
The Magic Gang – How Can I Compete
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.
Austra – Anywayz
Austra is the musical vehicle of Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Katie Austra Stelmanis. Since her 2017 album Future Politics, she’s been out of the spotlights. It now appears, she’d got caught up in a toxic relationship that was tearing her apart. The good news is, the experience inspired her next album HiRUDiN, which is set for 1 May. Stelmaris explains: “Being in a toxic relationship can sometimes feel like being lost in a maze. Every attempt to turn a corner lands you back where you started. HiRUDiN is both a bold acknowledgement of such patterns of behaviour and a testament to the power of breaking them.”
Following Risk It, Anywayz is the second single to be released ahead of the long-player. “It explores the fear associated with leaving someone, and the terrifying realization that without them in your life, the rest of the world will continue unscathed as if nothing has changed.”
Anywayz is a wonderful, Sparks-like electronic indie-pop song, where Stelmaris sounds like a one-woman choir. Executed with other instruments, this could just as well have been a gothic rock smash. I’d love to hear that version one day 😉
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.
