Browsing Category wildcard
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 1):
Wildcard (week 1):
Ainsley Costello – Cherry On Top
2023 has started and we hit the ground running. Ainsley Costello featured here as a Song Snack last December, but today, she grabs the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means her new single will be featured prominently at the top of the blog for a full seven days. Talking about a cherry on top…
Ainsley is an 18-year-old singer, songwriter, and performer. Currently based in Nashville, but originally from Seattle, she began performing at the age of 7. By the time she was 14 she could hold down a 3-hour set with a full band of adult musicians. In 2022 she won the ISSA (International Singer Songwriter Association) Young Adult Artist of the Year award. But those are all things of the past, let’s now look forward to 2023, the year she’s about to deliver on her promise.
Cherry On Top, Ainsley’s 24th release, is a rocking pop song full of attitude. I bet Pink and Paramore are amongst her favourite acts of the century. What makes it stand out however, is the soft ukulele that’s placed strategically in between walls of heavy-hitting guitar and drums.
Lyrically, this revenge song tells the classic story of a relationship gone wrong. At the same time, it’s an inspirational song. In Ainsley’s own words: “This song is all about how it’s possible to be the bigger person even when relationships and friendships turn sour.”
Cherry On Top by Ainsley Costello is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It’ll be only one mouse click away for a whole week. Enjoy!
Follow Ainsley Costello on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2023 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 52):
Wildcard (week 52):
Karin Simonian – Fade Out
Karin Simonian is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, who appears to have emerged onto the music scene out of nowhere. For Carte Blanche Music followers however, her last name may sound familiar. This is the catch: she’s the sister of Sebu Simonian, of Capital Cities fame. He’s also the one who co-produced her debut album 11 Degrees Of Love.
The 11 tracks on this long-player have been put out one by one throughout last year. The album release coincided with the birth of this new single. Fade Out is another strong and beautiful piano-led pop song with driving drums. Also, it has a fitting title, considering this is the last ‘old-style’ Carte Blanche Music post.
Fade Out by Karin Simonian is the last Carte Blanche Music Wildcard of 2022. It’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week, ready for you to discover.
Recommended as well:
Beat Of My Heart
Follow Karin Simonian on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 51):
Wildcard (week 51):
Louie Ashley feat. Elle Exxe – Is This My Moment
Lewis Ashley is the mastermind of a one-man project called Epic Orchestra. For his YouTube channel, he arranges and orchestrates pop songs into orchestral pieces. The result is often stunning. Especially when you know that the up to 52 instruments you’ll hear are all played by one and the same guy.
Ashley records and mixes the tracks on his PC. So far, he reimagined songs from numerous different artists, including Taylor Swift, Muse, Coldplay, Lewis Capaldi, ABBA, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Queen and Linkin Park.
Recently, he was challenged to write and record his first original song in a real music studio, with a professional producer (Sam Cramer) and some talented musicians. Ashley co-wrote the song with violin player Ceskie Hummingbird, drummer Toby Evangelou and singer-songwriter Elle Exxe, whose Rose Gold featured here in 2020. You can watch a behind the scenes video through this link. I think the challenge turned out great.
Is This My Moment is a truly epic ballad. An uplifting tune about big dreams. Perfectly suited for the dark days at the end of year. Goosebumps alert!
Is This My Moment by Louie Ashley feat. Elle Exxe is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Louie Ashley on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Follow Elle Exxe on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 50):
Wildcard (week 50):
The Veils – No Limit Of Stars
For most people, December is Melancholy Month. Mentally, but musically as well. That explains why so many ballads are being released during this month. Personally, I’m not a big sucker for ballads. But there’s nothing wrong with a bit of melancholy. However, I prefer upbeat songs with a touch of melancholy. That’s where The Veils’ new single comes in…
I’ve been a The Veils fan ever since their earliest output, in 2002. The band is fronted by Finn Andrews, the son of Barry Andrews (of XTC and Shriekback fame). They’ve released five albums so far, with ever growing gaps between consecutive albums. The Veils’ latest long-player came out in August 2016. Record #6, a double album called …And Out Of The Void Came Love, will finally see the light on 3 March 2023. Andrews says about it: “It is difficult to articulate quite what a strange 6 years it’s been since The Veils last put out a record, but it’s all in these songs. They are songs of loss, songs of anger and isolation, and songs of love.”
Following first single Undertow, No Limit Of Stars is the second track to be released ahead of the new album. Andrews sounds like a younger version of Nick Cave on it. Despite that, thanks to a light piano motif, swinging drums and a driving bass line, it sounds like a carefree song. Lyrically however, it ponders on the themes of the upcoming record: ‘the certainty of death, the power of new life, and the dizziness of contemplating your place in an unknowably vast cosmos’.
No Limit Of Stars by The Veils is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow The Veils on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 49):
Wildcard (week 49):
Hayes Warner – Shut Up
New York City native Hayes Warner is a rising pop artist. She wrote her first song at 14 and began recording at 16. While attending Northwestern University, she dedicated much of her time to grow her social media presence, amassing over 40.000 organic followers on TikTok and clocking 1 million views in 2022 alone.
Warner only released three singles to date, all of them in 2022. Her first EP will follow in the Spring of 2023. Shut Up is her latest track. A very contemporary song with electrifying beats and a driving synth bass line.
The song was inspired by the saying ‘If someone’s mean to you, it’s because they like you’. Warner explains: “I think it’s part of the game to poke fun at someone you like. Writing this song, I tried to channel feelings from that moment before any real relationship begins, where the butterflies of liking someone kind of take over, and you say things that are the opposite of how you feel.”
Shut Up by Hayes Warner is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Hayes Warner on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 48):
Wildcard (week 48):
K.Flay – It’s Been So Long
The Carte Blanche Music crew (that’s me) loves K.Flay. We’ve featured many of her tracks already. Shifting between pop, hip hop and electronic moods, this new one is one of her most accessible singles to date. It’s Been So Long is an infectious feel-good song, where Kristine Flayerty sounds like an indie version of Lizzo. Gotta love it!
The artist explains ‘it’s about not giving a f*** and being yourself and feeling powerful in your body and mind’. She adds that the song has ‘taken on a whole new meaning’ for her after she lost hearing in one ear.
K.Flay says about the track: “There’s that moment after heartbreak or loss or pain when you emerge from the wreckage and finally feel good again – ready to go out dancing, ready to be yourself, ready to feel handsome – and it’s like you’ve been waiting all your life to get back to that place and it feels so so so good when you do get there. It’s Been So Long is about that feeling.”
It’s Been So Long by K.Flay is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
More K.Flay @ Carte Blanche Music
Follow K.Flay on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 47):
Wildcard (week 47):
mazie – Girls Just Wanna Have Sex
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper sung in the 1980s. But these are the 2020s and girls’ needs appear to have shifted somewhat… Enter mazie’s new single Girls Just Wanna Have Sex. It’s a punky pop song full of attitude, that shares mazie’s feelings on women’s sexual liberation. A banger in more ways than one!
Also check the colourful video, which is just as hectic as the song itself.
23-year-old Baltimore native mazie’s real name is Grace Christian. She spent most of her childhood studying classical and jazz vocals. By the time she hit her teenage years, she was writing her own music. She recording it with her neighbour, Elie Rizk, who was teaching himself to engineer and produce in his basement studio. After years of experimenting and collaborating, they immediately scored big with her 2020 debut single No Friends.
Mazie’s new single Girls Just Wanna Have Sex is this week’s new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow mazie on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 46):
Wildcard (week 46):
Black Honey – Heavy
Black Honey announced their third album A Fistful Of Peaches, but fans will have to wait for it until 17 March 2023. Luckily, the Brighton quartet just released the third single to be lifted from it.
Heavy is a grunge-y, anthemic track that sees frontwoman Izzy Phillips delve into ‘the parallels between grief and depression’. “We wrote this song the day I found out the founder of our fan club passed away from COVID-19”, Phillips explained in a statement. “We were talking about the weight of grief and the way it holds you down. The weight of mental illness and how it brings you a deeper understanding grief. There’s always a glimmer of light though and I love how ‘Heavy’ has that kind of glitter darkness. It’s in my nature to become co-dependant and I think in this song I’m reaching for someone to help me climb back out.”
Heavy by Black Honey is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Recommended as well:
Believer
Beaches
Follow Black Honey on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 45):
Wildcard (week 45):
Pyro – Wiser
Bas Soetens started his band Pyro in order to channel the panic attacks he had. This therapy surely wore off! He’s in good shape now, which you can hear from his new songs. They’re happier, poppier and totally contemporary. His earlier tracks were inspired by bands like Foo Fighters, The Offspring and Kings Of Leon, but his new output echoes acts like Coldplay, OneRepublic and U2.
Bas didn’t only write the new tunes, he also recorded the complete musical skeletons (drums, (bass) guitars and piano) himself. When necessary, producer Niels Zuiderhoek (Kensington, Di-Rect) flew in his superstar friends to add additional instruments. He also took care of a sparkling, colourful sound. The sound of now.
Bas and Niels created an up-beat and uplifting ‘80s-influenced rock track. It’s about making mistakes, learning from them, falling down and getting back up. Important life lessons from dark periods will only make you a better version of the one you were before, with a more positive attitude. Exactly the path Bas has gone himself…
Wiser by Pyro is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Recommended as well:
Your Love
Come Back For You
F.O.M.O.
Follow Pyro on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 44):
Wildcard (week 44):
Stone – Money (Hope Ain’t Gone)
Stone are the latest of an impressive row of exciting bands from Liverpool. The four-piece, led by Fin Power (son of The La’s and Cast’s John Power), are newly signed to major label Polydor. They call themselves ‘the underground voice for the lost youth’.
After a great summer which saw them supporting Sam Fender and Inhaler, they’re currently on tour with The Wombats. All of this will reach a climax with the release of their debut EP Punkadonk on 18 November. It was produced by the legendary Rich Costey, who worked with Muse, Rage Against The Machine, P!nk, My Chemical Romance, Franz Ferdinand, New Order, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Charli XCX, Arctic Monkeys and zillions of other artists.
Money (Hope Ain’t Gone) is Stone’s anthemic new single. Not once, but twice it slows down for a stadium-ready section, which leads up to an equally epic call-and-response part. This is as fun as rock can get. The track is their first that was co-written by Power and Elliot Gill. The former says about that: “It takes from both of our lives and the struggles we’ve faced. It’s about the hope for a better future and the struggles growing up in the Gen Z.”
Stone’s fiery new single Money (Hope Ain’t Gone) is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Stone on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
