Browsing Category single track
Tones & I – Never Seen The Rain
Talking about pop stars that come out of nothing… Last year, 19-year-old Australian singer and songwriter Toni Watson was busking the streets, and now she has a worldwide hit under her belt. Dance Monkey, the second single she released as Tones & I, reached #1 in over 30 countries. Probably because of the infectious piano (which resembles the overlooked Closer by Lemaitre) and her distinctive vocals. The song smashed records across the board. In her home country, she now holds the record for most weeks at #1 in the modern rock era (1955-present), with 20 weeks.
Obviously, she unintentionally (and probably unexpectedly) set the bar high for its follow-up. However, Never Seen The Rain is graced with an equally simple and catch piano. On top of that, its chorus has an even higher sing-along factor. She explains: “It’s about people who live the same repetitive life in fear of failure. So, they never try.”
It’s unfair to expect this new single to reach the same heights as Dance Monkey. On the other hand, Tones & I is very unlikely to end up a one hit wonder. Just check her debut EP The Kids Are Coming for more future gems.
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.
Spo Dee O Dee – Colours [2019 Version]
In 1988, singer/guitarist Ross Curry, bass player Ralph Brink and drummer Jan Holtman formed Spo Dee O Dee. The Dutch rock band took its name from one of the first prototypical rock ‘n’ roll songs: 1946’s Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee by Stick McGhee. That was named after the alcoholic fruit drink ‘spodi’, a cocktail of red wine and bourbon. In the early ‘90s, they got more and more popular in the live circuit and on alternative radio stations. Their debut album Goin’ Walkabout was produced by Richard Jansen of legendary Dutch rock outfit Fatal Flowers.
For their third album, Spo Dee O Dee got the chance to record in Dublin with U2 producer Flood. Because of equipment failure however, the band returned home without any recordings. In 1995, they called it a day.
Fast forward to 2019. Spo Dee O Dee are back together and will start a comeback tour through the Netherlands in January 2020. As a warming-up, they re-recorded one of their first singles, 1991’s Colours. Still a great song with international class. I hope the world is ready for them now!
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.
ZZ Ward – Sex And Stardust
Zsuzsanna Eva Ward is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, who plays guitar, piano, and harmonica. To her fans, she’s known as ZZ. Born in Abington, Pennsylvania, she spent her childhood listening to her father’s blues collection and her brother’s hip hop records. As an artist in her own right, she blends these genres with rock, R&B, and neo-soul. If you’re a fan of Elle King, Gin Wigmore, Bishop Briggs and/or Meg Myers, this is for you!
Her new single Sex And Stardust is about being under someone’s spell in a relationship. For the video, she took inspiration from the legendary film director Quentin Tarantino.
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.
Don’t Bring Stacey – Changed My Hair
Australia isn’t just a country. It’s a whole continent, the size of Europe. However, it only counts 25 million inhabitants. That makes its enormous amount of musical talent even more impressive. And it makes the number of acts that break through abroad only more disappointing. Hopefully, their home country is big enough for these artists to make a decent living off their art.
Although Don’t Bring Stacey only released two singles so far, I dare giving them the ‘talent’ stamp. Angus Purvis, Jordy Schumacher and Nik Rallis share a mutual love for blues, skating and lemonade and formed surf-rock trio Don’t Bring Stacey in May 2019. They just followed-up their first ever track Everybody Knows with Changed My Hair. They call it ‘A tongue in cheek exploration of low self-esteem, a rather eventful mental breakdown and the following rise to self-empowerment. Basically a breakup song’.
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.
Holy Fuck (feat. Nicholas Allbrook) – Free Gloss
17 January 2020, Toronto quartet Holy Fuck release their new album Deleter. If the first two singles are anything to go by, it will be a star-studded affair. Last September’s Luxe was a collaboration with Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, and new song Free Gloss features former Tame Impala bassist and current Pond frontman Nicholas Allbrook. It’s a genre-defying track, which blends krautrock and electronic music with psychedelic elements.
Holy Fuck say about it: “Our music can be dark and pummeling at times, unrelenting even. Free Gloss was designed as a way for us to shed some light, and bring some bliss and buoyancy to the table whilst still maintaining that ecstatic energy and intensity that we love. We started tinkering with the main riff and structure on this one as an idea to take the listener on a euphoric sonic journey and explore the push/pull, tension and release you can take people with on the dance floor.”
But of course the best way to enjoy music is not to read about it, but to listen to 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.
Wildcard (week 51):
beabadoobee – She Plays Bass
There’s nothing wrong with Bea Kristi’s real name. But her artist name beabadoobee is genuinely swinging. So far, the 19-year-old London singer-songwriter’s musical style has mostly been pigeon-holed as ‘bedroom pop’. A description that relates more to technical issues than to content, in my opinion. Nevertheless, more and more artists pop up in this category. Time for beabadoobee to move on…
You’re right when you presume her single She Plays Bass to feature a dominant bass line. This, along with a shift towards ’90s indie-rock, gives the song a nostalgic, New Order kind of vibe. However, according to a press release, it was inspired by Sleater-Kinney and The Breeders. No complaints there…
She Plays Bass was first released four months ago. Now, with a BBC Sound Of 2020 nomination in the pocket, it gets a new round of promotion. High time this great track became the new 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.
Barry Moore – The Tide
Can one be a fan of an artist who has only two singles out? Apparently, one can. Or at least, I can 😉. I’m talking about 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 by the time he puts out his debut album in 2020.
Recommended as well:
Barry Moore – Hey Now
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.
Calby – Burnout
Danish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mik Thybo goes by the stage name of Calby. He may be young of age, but his music is a mix of old soul influences and modern production. His debut single The Everyday Bit made that clear, and follow-up track Burnout confirms it. Calby wrote and produced both songs with Luke Graham bass player Magnus Larsson.
Apart from singing, Calby can also be heard playing synths, guitar and bass on Burnout, a tune that features a beautiful string arrangement. Thanks to the analogue 8-track recorder it was captured on, the song has a warm and nostalgic sound.
Recommended as well:
Calby – The Everyday Bit
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.
Nancie Schipper – Take Out The Trash
Although she’s only 19 years old, Nancie Schipper spent the last six years building a name for herself. She played an endless number of gigs in pubs, whilst too young to buy herself a beer afterwards. In the process, she swapped her acoustic guitar for a telecaster and assembled a full band. And boy, did all this pay off. The past 12 months, she supported Ball Park Music, Alex Lahey and others, and played several festivals.
Following up on When You Get Home, Take Out The Trash is her second single of 2019. A showcase for her vocal range, it’s an indie-rock song with infectious, poppy melodies. Lyrically, it’s about getting your shit together, one step at a time. Schipper (who is from Australia, despite her typically Dutch name) explains: “I wrote Take Out The Trash at the start of this year when I acknowledged my mental health for the first time and actively started doing things to help improve it. Sometimes it’s the little things… a clean room, or seeing your friends that can make a huge difference.”
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.
Superbird – Think You Got Me
I consider myself a fan of British band Superbird, and it’s all their fault. Kicking off the year in funky fashion, they released their maiden single Cola Bottle Fizz on 4 January. It was requested by Sara Cox herself to become the official theme-tune for her brand-new ITV programme ‘The Sara Cox Show’.
Throughout the year, Superbird put out songs by an average of one every two months. Indeed, Think You Got Me is their sixth single already. Its first notes bring Let’s Stick Together by Bryan Ferry to mind, but ten seconds into the track it’s clear it possesses all of Superbird’s trademark elements. Think You Got Me is another funky indie-pop gem with disco drum rolls, horn stabs and irresistible vocal hooks.
I think they got me the first time around, but I’m sure they got me now.
Recommended as well:
Superbird – Super Superior
Superbird – Year On String Along
Superbird – Cola Bottle Fizz
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.
