Browsing Category single track
Beverly Girl – I’m Your Girl
They don’t come any more eighties than this, and I love it. Beverly Girl use drum machines and synths to rebuild the pop era feel. The resulting sound includes elements of disco, soul, r&b and funk. For fans of The System, Janet Jackson, and The Brand New Heavies.
The Finnish trio features singer Yohanna (who changes her appearance with nearly every new track), Artur and Tracy. After releasing two hands full of singles, they’re now working on their upcoming debut album The Unstoppable Force. I’m Your Girl, which sounds like a 2020 version of Deniece Williams’ Let’s Hear It For The Boy, is the final song to be released ahead of it.
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.
Rat Boy – Victim Of A System
Rat Boy (Jordan Cardy’s alter ego) doesn’t keep his critical views to himself. He has the courage to stick out his neck. In that respect, the title of his new EP Government Vacation is self-explanatory. Musically, his driving cocktail of rap, rock, and grooves adds fuel to the fire.
Victim Of A System is the EP’s new single. On it, Rat Boy enhances the aforementioned formula with infectious horns and a pinch of ska. Another track that screams for the volume to be pumped up.
Recommended as well:
Rat Boy – Public Identity
Rat Boy – Turn Round M8
Rat Boy – Revolution
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 2):
Overcoats – The Fool
Brooklyn duo Overcoats consists of Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell. With their new single, The Fool, they complete their transition from a folk band to an electric pop/rock outfit. As a result, the single is a powerful anthem, both musically and lyrically. The song contains a strong message of empowerment, independence, and self-determination. In the video, this message is represented by the pair shaving their heads, making it both a bold statement and a bald one.
Mitchell points out: “We wrote it based on ‘The Fool’ tarot card. It signifies taking a leap of faith and jumping into the unknown. Conceptually, it felt like the beginning of the project. We wiped the slate clean and decided to jump. That’s why the video includes the footage of us shaving our heads. We’re ‘The Fool’, and we’re taking our leap.” .
In the United States, The Fool was released in September 2019. Other parts of the world, like Europe, only follow now. Great timing. Overcoats are really useful in this time of year. With its tarot reference, it’s only logical The Fool is this week’s 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.
Set It Off – So Predictable
Los Angeles-based rock band Set It Off follow their recent album Midnight with a project named After Midnight. Although the exact tenor of the concept hasn’t been revealed yet, my guess would be that it contains unreleased material from the Midnight sessions.
Just before Christmas, the band released After Midnight (Part 1): the track Catch Me If You Can. And now, Cody Carson, Zach DeWall and Maxx Danziger follow it up with an even stronger tune. So Predictable holds all of the Set It Off trademarks. Catchy guitar riffs and choruses: check. A driving rock instrumentation: taken care of. Bold electronic elements: yes sir. An overall feel-good vibe: hell yeah!
Whatever the After Midnight concept may hold, I like it already!
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.
Moviestar – Iron Forest
The first word that came to my mind when I read Moviestar’s bio, was ‘pretentious’. But undeniably, this band dares to stand out from the crowd, and that can only be a good thing.
Let me explain the pretentious part. The trio claim to originate from the distant future, and to have ‘landed the spaceship Moviestar in Norway’. Also, the characters call themselves Infinity Vik, Anaconda and The Octopus Goddess. Next, they call their music ‘sci-fi rock’, comparing themselves with bands like Television, The B-52’s and LCD Soundsystem. And finally, they call Infinity Vik ‘a female incarnation of David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and James Brown’. Based on this information, I think you’ll agree this all sounds more than a little bit pompous.
Having said that, I think a band should first and foremost be judged by its musical output. And even though the lyrics of their new single Iron Forest play with the space theme all over again, I can only conclude that they get away with it. It’s an intriguing and captivating track, which sits somewhere between Twin Peaks (the TV series) and Björk. It certainly makes curious for their next album, which they named The Curse And The Currency Of The Twenty-First Century.
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.
Pet Shop Boys – Monkey Business
Legendary duo Pet Shop Boys, who scored hits in the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s and ‘10s, just entered their fifth decennium. They do so with new single Monkey Business, which features a prominent bassline. This makes it sound funkier than they usually do. As soon as the vocoder drops in, the Daft Punk comparison is complete.“We’ve actually written, almost for the first time in our career, a groove song”, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe say of the track.
Following Dreamland (feat. Years & Years) and Burning The Heather (feat. Johnny Marr), Monkey Business is the third single off their upcoming 14th album. Entitled Hotspot, the long-player (out on 24 January) is their third in a row to be produced by Stuart Price.
Recommended as well:
Pet Shop Boys – What Are We Going To Do About The Rich?
Pet Shop Boys – Undertow
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.
Alec Benjamin – Mind Is A Prison
Alec Benjamin is a 25-year-old storyteller from Arizona. He broke through last year after re-recording his song Let Me Down Slowly with Alessia Cara. Before he got his own stage, he busked on the street and played in parking lots for fans as they waited in line to see other artists like Troye Sivan and Shawn Mendes.
Like no other, Benjamin knows how to turn everyday heartbreak into compelling pop songs. His autobiographical new single Mind Is A Prison is just another example. It’s about trying to escape his inner thoughts, without any luck. He explains: “This song is just about how I overthink everything. Especially all this new music and all these new decisions that I’ve had to make. (…) The song is about feeling like you’re trapped inside your own mind. You can be your own worst enemy.”
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 Front Bottoms – Camouflage
Let’s get rid of the jingle bells and bring the guitars back in, shall we? New Jersey’s The Front Bottoms have an open-minded approach to indie rock, adding elements of other genres all the time. Their new single Camouflage however, is a pretty straight-forward rock song. That’s almost a relief in today’s eclectic music world. Great tune!
Camouflage is a stand-alone single. Meanwhile, the duo (singer Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich) are working on a new album, due for release in 2020. It’ll be their third for Fueled By Ramen, the label of Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At The Disco, and Paramore as well.
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 52):
Barry Moore – The Tide
Some tracks that you already liked, still get better and better with each listen. One such example is The Tide by Barry Moore, an Irish singer, songwriter and musician. After spending his youth in San Francisco, he is now back in Europe. However, it’s not Ireland, but France where he starts his musical career. He got signed by Spookland Records; only their second signing after Jain.
Following his great debut single Hey Now (from the EP Lost Boys), The Tide is his new single. Definitely one to check for Twenty One Pilots fans. Expect Barry Moore to fly as high as they do when he puts out his debut album in 2020.
Ahead of that, I’d like to draw some more attention to this great new track. This last week of the year, it’s the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. Let’s turn The Tide into a tidal wave!
Recommended as well:
Barry Moore – Hey Now
In the Wildcards 2019 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards.
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.
Virgins At Heart – Show Me
Virgins At Heart are a Stockholm-based indie-pop band, consisting of Gustav Rosén (bass, vocals), Anders Nordström (guitars, vocals), Johan Bjurling (keys, vocals), and Jonas Tyrestad (drums, vocals). Bjurling is also the main producer. Although the quartet have been playing together since the early 2000s, they started to record ‘in a more serious fashion’ only recently. Their debut album 2 2 Tango wasn’t released until 2016.
Since then, the band has gone in overdrive. Second album Safety Lagoon came out earlier this year, along with three single to help promote it. Only two weeks ago, brand-new track Miseryproof saw the light. Hot on the heels of that song’s video, they now follow-up with Show Me. An energetic tune with an unmistakable ‘80s vibe and a catchy chorus. Keep an eye (or better: an ear) on them!
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.
