Browsing Category single track
Alex The Astronaut – Banksia
I’m very much looking forward to Alex The Astronaut’s upcoming debut album The Theory Of Absolutely Nothing. Can’t wait ‘til 21 August! Australian singer-songwriter Alexandra Lynn (her real name) is a natural born storyteller, depicting everyday experiences in her folk-inflected pop songs. The album is said to explore friendship, love, loss, pain and change. Funny observations, but deeply personal ones as well.
New single Banksia falls in the latter category. Banksias are a native Australian flower that lines lots of the suburban streets, including the street Alex was walking down when she found out her friend passed away. “It’s a song about my friend, Maddie Clarke, who was a beautiful person who passed away too young”, Lynn notes. “She was always smiling when I saw her, no one always feels like that but that’s what she showed me.”
Recommended as well:
Alex The Astronaut – Split The Sky
Alex The Astronaut – I Think You’re Great
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.
Tally Spear – Already Gone
Describing pop music can be a difficult task and often ends up inaccurate. The best you can do is hit the play button below. But for those who need a little encouragement: Tally Spear says she creates pop music with a punk attitude. Me, I hear some gothic elements in it. All in all, I’d say she sounds like a less electronic version of Billie Eilish. Should we file it under the catch-all term ‘alt-pop’, then? Just hit that play button, will you?
Already Gone is the 24-year-old Londoner’s third single of this year, her fourth altogether. “The track tackles feelings of detachment and distance”, Spear explains. “It is kind of the opposite of all the happy ‘honeymoon phase’ songs out there. I wanted to explore the sometimes negative thought processes surrounding new beginnings, and a desire for independence.”
The song was produced by Max Marlow (Kodaline, Declan MeKenna) and is the latest song to be taken from her debut EP, due out later this summer.
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 24):
Julie Bergan – Commando
As a daughter of two music teachers, it came as no surprise Norway’s Julie Bergan pursued a music career herself. In 2018, she featured on Alan Walker’s global smash Ignite. Yet, her solo career has so far been mostly successful in the Scandinavian countries. Massively successful, that is. She already amassed 450 million streams on Spotify alone from a catalogue including two domestic #1 singles. Her debut album Turn On The Lights went 2x Platinum, while she collected several prestigious awards.
Without a doubt, Bergan’s new single will be the launch pad for well-deserved worldwide success. Commando is a great party anthem with a monster of a beat, acoustic guitars and samples aplenty. It sounds like an updated version of the Max Martin sound that made Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears world stars.
As of today, Julie Bergan takes command of Carte Blanche Music. Her bouncing single Commando is the new Wildcard, which means it will feature here prominently for a full week.
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
The Zolas – Energy Czar
Zachary Gray and Tom Dobrzanski were part of Canadian rock band Lotus Child from 2003 to 2008, before starting their own project. The Zolas are a based in Vancouver. In 2020, the band consists of Gray (vocals, guitar), Cody Hiles (drums) and Dwight Abell (bass).
Two years after the band’s fun cover of the Travelling Wilburys’ Handle With Care (with Yukon Blonde), The Zolas have a new single out. As the title suggests, Energy Czar is an energetic, driving song, made for road trip playlists. The band call it ‘a four-minute moment where you’re allowed to feel all the fun narcissism and self-loathing that comes with being a human being in the 21st century’.
Energy Czar is the first single to be shared from their forthcoming new album Come Back To Life. “We thought it was hilarious to make a Britpop record at a time when nobody but us is listening to that”, says Gray.
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.
Sarah Wolfe feat. The Flowers – 100 Times
Sarah Wolfe has been a music journalist behind the scenes for three years. But then, she decided to switch to being front of stage as a performer. So far, the Sydney singer-songwriter made three sensual indie electro-pop gems. Devil U Know was followed by U Think This Is A Game? and I Think We’re Alone Now. The latter was a collaborative cover with her partner Xavier Dunn.
Although all three are great songs, she easily tops them with her fourth effort. 100 Times features upcoming Sydney band The Flowers (Agnes O’Dwyer and Leighton Cauchi). O’Dwyer, who co-wrote the track, is Wolfe’s longtime best friend. The resulting song is a wonderful, chilled out, gentle guitar pop tune with a softly thumping electro beat.
“Aggy and I have been friends since we were 14, and music has bonded us throughout our entire friendship!” said Sarah Wolfe. “A few months ago we decided to have a crack at writing a collab, so we got in the room with Xavier Dunn (who produced it) and smashed out 100 Times in a few hours! Last year we went on a best friends trip to New York, so this song is our ode to nostalgia and our love letter to that amazing city. I’m holding out for the day we can eventually move there.”
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.
Fixkes – Dardennen
Usually, Dutch people have hardly any problem understanding people from Flanders. Some Belgian dialects however are just too different. Even though the band Fixkes are from just across the border, the dialect of their home town Stabroek sounds like it’s from another planet to us. Who spends just a little more time understanding it however, hears this is a very funny song. Basically, it’s about buying a house in the beautiful Ardennen region. Luckily, music is a universal language. Dardennen is a great, groovy pop tune, with a touch of hip hop, some scratching, an organ, and a banjo.
Sam Valkenborgh and his band Fixkes came to prominence with their debut single Kvraagetaan (2007). It spent no less than 16 weeks at #1 in the Belgian charts. Obviously, they’re never going to top that. But instead of throwing in the towel, they continued making music. Dardennen is the first taste of Fixkes’ upcoming fourth album IV, due out on 18 September. Expect ‘90s style music, with nods to the likes of Pavement, Beastie Boys, and Cake. Very promising…
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.
Self Talk – Food Court
Melbourne indie-rock outfit Self Talk came to the scene in 2015 with their single Fist Fight. Two years and two EP’s later, the band went on a hiatus. During those years, several band members played with fellow Aussie rock outfit Ceres. Now however, everything returned to the ‘old normal’ (for a change). Self Talk are back with a punchy new tune, and it’s good to have them back!
Food Court is as delicious as it sounds. A hugely infectious track, produced by Violent Soho guitarist James Tidswell. It discusses ‘the weight of blame we can carry before realizing that it might be up to us to look inward to fix something’.
Singer Stacey Cicivelli adds: “It was one of those songs where the chorus came first and it felt like something I needed to get out of me. I still feel that every time I sing it. We wrote it and recorded the demo at least a year before we recorded it properly so it’s been a long time coming and is such a relief to finally have it finished. Working with James Tidswell as producer helped us capture exactly what we were trying to create. It feels like the perfect representation of a Self Talk song, with its big chorus and hooks and the way it hits hard but still retains its pop elements.”
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.
Rhea – Under My Skin
Clap your hands and stamp your feet, Rhea is in town. Under My Skin is the second single off their EP Lust For Life Pt. II (which, unsurprisingly, follows Pt. I). They don’t exactly leave us guessing for their influences. After its opening handclaps, the track starts with a Marilyn Manson-like riff, while the acoustic-leaning pre-chorus echoes Queen. As a whole, the band erects an impressive wall of glamrock guitars, which combines the best elements of Royal Blood and Muse. Although it comes to a close within three minutes, it’s a track with plenty variation, putting the listener on the wrong track more than once.
Rhea is a Belgian band with international ambition and potential, partly thanks to producer Alex Newport (Bloc Party, Frank Turner). Their EP’s, recorded in studios across Los Angeles, Brighton and Belgium, are preludes to their upcoming debut album.
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.
Tyne-James Organ – Hold Me Back
When Tyne-James Organ started his career, only a few years ago, he was a surfer-songwriter from the Australian NSW South Coast. By now, he’s grown into a fully-formed front man with swagger and a powerful voice. The 24-year-old doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. In late 2017, he first gained attention in his homeland with the release of the single Watch You Go. Its lyrics contained a detailed account of the death of his father Rikki, a year before. Now, he’s back with another deeply personal single, his first since the release of his debut EP Persevere in 2019.
Hold Me Back is a raw track, inspired by him experiencing an act of misogyny in a Melbourne night club. He explains: “On a night out with friends, I witnessed a confronting and horrible incident of harassment against one of the female friends I was with. Seeing my friend be assaulted like that and seeing how it affected her really shocked me. We confronted the perpetrator and got him barred from the club. But knowing that so many women go through this experience, I just couldn’t shake the sense of anger within me. This song was written shortly after that awful night. (…) Men need to stop treating women like this. It’s not OK, and it’s not good enough to turn a blind eye.”
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.
Tia Gostelow – Psycho
20-year-old Aussie singer-songwriter Tia Gostelow has been making music for over 10 years. Around the age of 12, she started playing in pubs and bars every weekend doing covers. At 16, she recorded her first single State Of Art, which was picked up by alternative radio station Triple J. She’s have been recording her own music and touring ever since.
Like her recent single Rush, her latest offering Psycho shows a new musical direction. It’s slick indie pop at its best, with driving basslines, a rocky edge and an overall ‘80s synth-pop vibe. Building to a pulsing crescendo, it’s a festival-ready alt-pop banger. The catchy tune has a serious message however. It narrates frustration with ‘gaslighting’ in relationships. Feeling she has been painted as the villain, Gostelow becomes aware of the emotional abuse and won’t take it anymore.
Both Rush and Psycho are set to appear on Tia Gostelow’s sophomore record, which will arrive later this year.
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.
