Browsing Category single track
Tokio Myers (feat. Mychelle) – No More Gang Wars (Together)
Torville Jones is a pianist and music producer born in London, better known by his stage name Tokio Myers. His career took off after he won TV show Britain’s Got Talent in 2017.
As a follow-up to his debut album Our Generation, he just released the Black Dawn EP. It supports the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for unity and equality. The three tracks feature black artists – Mychelle, Afronaut Zu, Kaidi Akinnibi and J’Danna – speaking about their experiences and everyday struggles in the hope of sparking powerful, honest and uncomfortable conversations.
No More Gang Wars (Together) is the EP’s lead track. It contains a beautiful string arrangement over a driving beat, which has a drum & bass feel about it. A great song with a powerful message.
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.
Friday – Hey Mama
Friday are a talented new band from the Netherlands, consisting of Koen Brouwer and Quintin Huigen. They first met at the conservatory of Amsterdam in 2010. In the years that followed, both played in the bands of their friends while working hard at their day-jobs. Now, after years of relentless 9-5, the two are ready to break the treadmill, and live their dreams. Early this year, they eventually formed their own band Friday.
The duo’s first single 21 was met with critical acclaim and playlisted by several nation-wide radio stations. I’m certain this follow-up will do even better. Hey Mama is as funky as it’s catchy, not in the least thanks to the ‘Hey, hey, hey’ part, that sounds a little like Alice Cooper’s Hey Stoopid.
Friday are set to release their debut EP later this year. It’s produced by Cenzo Townshend, the legendary sound engineer who worked with U2, Snow Patrol, Kings Of Leon and many others before.
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.
Mads Langer – Life In Stereo
Danish singer-songwriter Mads Langer broke through internationally in 2010, with his acoustic cover of Olive’s 1997 banger You’re Not Alone. Although he had several bigger hits in his home country since then, his success abroad quickly stalled. And that’s a pity, for Langer is a very talented composer and multi-instrumentalist.
Take his new single for instance. He wrote, produced, sang and played all instruments on it himself. Life In Stereo is a great tune that deserves a spot on radio and Spotify playlists alike. It’s both soulful and funky, in a Stevie Wonder kind of way.
Meanwhile, Langer is creative on another level as well. The last months he managed to continue performing live by staging several very successful drive-in concerts.
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.
Harper Bloom – Walk My Way
Is there something in the water in Australia? I don’t know, but there’s a whole generation of great new artists coming up at the moment. Most of them females, by the way. Harper Bloom is one of the most recent additions to this bunch. She’s a singer-songwriter who was born in Perth, but is currently Melbourne-based.
Bloom’s songs deal with issues like vulnerability, same-sex love, and self-acceptance. Multi-instrumentalist/producer Benjamin McCarthy (Alex The Astronaut, Gordi, G-Flip) is an ideal musical partner. He turns her disarming indie-folk tunes into catchy pop songs. Late July, Harper Bloom will release her debut EP Faith, Sex And Skin.
Walk My Way is only her second single. According to a press release, it revolves around ‘the sense of self-doubt that tends to accompany a one-sided crush’. “I think Walk My Way applies to anyone who feels like they’re not good enough for someone, whether that’s due to wealth, looks, gender, etc.”, she adds. “As the song unfolds, it reveals that learning to overcome self-doubt is important, because there are beautiful people in this world who see through all those superficial things and choose to love you, despite the judgement of others.”
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 Allergies (feat. The Cuban Brothers) – Let Them Know
It may be summer for months in large parts of Europe, but meteorologically, it has only just begun. Right on time, The Allergies release their sunny new single Let Them Know.
Bristol’s finest serve up a hotbed of big hip-hop drums, huge funky horns, and dynamite boogaloo rhythms. This provides the perfect backdrop for the vocals of party starters The Cuban Brothers. Boosted by a massively catchy chorus, the track creates a full-on carnival atmosphere.
Let Them Know is the latest single to be released ahead of The Allergies’ upcoming album Say The Word. Let’s get this party started!
Recommended as well:
The Allergies (feat. Andy Cooper) – 2 Much!
The Allergies (feat. Andy Cooper) – It Won’t Be Me
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.
Dopha – The Game
In her homeland Denmark, Sofie Daugaard Andersen is a rising artist who performs as Dopha. Since she moved from her town of birth, Romalt, to the country’s capital Copenhagen, she released two popular songs. Her debut single September Till June (November 2019) was followed by the radio hit Happy For Me (last April).
But I’m pretty sure she’ll be third time lucky. For me, her new indie-pop single The Game hits the jackpot. It’s mesmerizing and convincing, and proves she has a talent to write songs that could travel well beyond the Danish borders. The Game is the title song of her upcoming debut album.
This is how I would love Lana Del Rey to sound. Until then, I’m a fan of Dopha instead!
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.
Felix Riebl – Black Room
Felix Riebl is the frontman of Australia’s The Cat Empire. He released two solo albums: Into The Rain (2011) and Paper Doors (2016). Also, he collaborated with bandmate Ollie McGill and the Marliya choir to form Spinifex Gum. They released two studio albums as well.
New solo material is on its way. Riebl just announced a new EP, Black Room White Walls, is set for release on 21 August. He said the EP takes inspiration from a very diverse range of artists, including New Order and Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Black Room is the set’s first single. The track’s alt-rock sound differs largely to the funk stylings typically associated with The Cat Empire.
“With Black Room I wanted to write a song that hit people with a blast of something that was equal parts angst and positivity”, Riebl said in a statement. “I wanted something with no fat at all, the guitars and synth hooks direct, the sort of thing you can imagine a band playing at a big festival.”
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.
Lova – Black Converse
When Lova Alvilde debuted with You Me And The Silence, early in 2018, I was immediately impressed. Two EP’s later, the Swedish talent is working on her debut album.
Black Converse is the third single off this first long-player. Starting off with an emotive piano melody, it holds a relatable theme. The singer explains: “This song is about a breakup and how it feels when you’re watching your ex move on in front of your eyes. It sucks, it hurts, you feel replaced and like you’re worth nothing anymore. But it gets better. Time heals everything.”
Lova means ‘promise’, and I’m sure she’ll live up to her name sooner rather than later. This beautiful, timeless track is another step closer to unescapable stardom.
Recommended as well:
Lova – You Me And The Silence
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.
Francesco Gabbani – Il Sudore Ci Appiccica
Summer hits are often tunes that people have taken home from their holidays. That way, songs from popular holiday countries like Spain, Italy and France spread all over Europe in the past. But 2020 is another year altogether. After the recent developments, many people won’t spend their holidays abroad. Luckily, Carte Blanche Music brings the best and sunniest music to your doorstep. I’ll do so in the safest of ways: via your computer, laptop, tablet or mobile screen.
Each year, Italian artist Francesco Gabbani releases a summer hit contender. This year is no different. His new single Il Sudore Ci Appiccica (which means ‘sweat sticks to us’) is sure to bring out the sun. But on a deeper level, it’s meant to bring out hope.
Gabbani: “The term sweat takes on a double meaning in the song. Sweat is what unites us in fatigue and need. In this regard, I think of the real commitment made by everyone during the epidemic. But sweat is also the desire for light-heartedness and fun that we must be able to find in the coming months. Sweating stands for getting closer, sharing and reducing distances as well. Of course, as soon as all this will be possible.”
Recommended as well:
Francesco Gabbani – È Un’altra Cosa
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.
Gordi – Unready [aO2Sk Mix]
26 June, Gordi will release her sophomore album Our Two Skins. For the record: Gordi is Sophie Payten. She’s from Australia, like so many recommended artists on this blog.
Unready is the fourth song to be unveiled ahead of the album. The aO2Sk Mix, especially, is tastefully produced around Gordi’s emotive voice. Featuring prominent drums and vocal samples, it’s an electro-organic pop tune, reminiscent of Haim. Co-producers John Congleton, Chris Messina, and Zach Hanson did a lovely job! Lyrically, it’s about being caught off-guard by your life while you stand in the middle of it.
This track is made for the radio. But if I were you, I’d put it on my own playlist as well, just to be sure.
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.
