Carte Blanche Music

2022 saw Liverpool band Stone break the 1 million Spotify streams mark for the first time. Their great single Money (Hope Ain’t Gone) did the trick. It eventually ended up on the quartet’s first EP Punkadonk. 27 October, they’ll release a follow-up EP, simply titled Punkadonk 2. It’ll serve as a prelude to Stone’s debut album, which they’re currently finishing in the United States.

The outfit’s sophomore EP will explore identity, ego, and the impossible standards felt by young people. It features previous singles Left Right Forward and I Gotta Feeling. Also included is their new single If You Wanna, which sounds like an updated version of classic ‘90s Britpop. No wonder, if you know Stone frontman Fin Power is the son of John Power, of The La’s and Cast fame.

The band explain: “With If You Wanna, we wanted to write the type of song you would wanna sing along to with your friends. The song is about finding positivity in this colourful Gen Z experience.”

If You Wanna by Stone is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This implies that it will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.

Recommended as well:
Money (Hope Ain’t Gone)

Follow Stone on Facebook | Instagram | X | Spotify

In the Wildcards 2023 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.

werner's weekly

Werner’s Weekly (week 39)

electronic | indie | orchestral | pop | rock

September 25th, 2023

This is Werner’s Weekly, your guide to the best new music, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:

Skylar – Why Men Love Bitches (Wildcard this week)
Rews – Lock Your Horns (Wildcard last week)
Ash (feat. Démira) – Oslo
Dylan – Rebel Child
Smol Fish – Sweet Taste
Wreck Theory feat. Flo – La Fin
Noémie Wolfs – A Little Bit

Listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.

For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.

playlist

Additions to the Carte Blanche Music playlist (week 38)

September 22nd, 2023

Not all, but only the *best* new music. Added to the playlist this week (alphabetically):

Ana & The Changes – Dosta indie | pop
Ash (feat. Démira) – Oslo indie | pop | rock
Crystal Fighters – Love x3 indie | pop
Dragonette & Big Data – Literally Dead indie | pop
Dylan – Rebel Child electronic | pop | rock
Eaglemont – You Don’t Live Here indie | pop | rock
Jungle By Night – Pompette Encore funk | indie | instrumental | pop
Poolclvb (feat. Fanta Ballo) – Broken Heart pop | dance | spoken word
Smol Fish – Sweet Taste indie | pop | rock
Izzy S.O. – Without You I Don’t Like Sundays indie | pop | rock
Stone – If You Wanna pop | rock
Super db – Side By Side funk | indie | pop
The Vaccines – Heartbreak Kid indie | rock
Wreck Theory feat. Flo – La Fin indie | pop
Noémie Wolfs – A Little Bit indie | orchestral | pop

Check them all in the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music Spotify playlist.
Follow (click ‘♥’) to hear the best new music first.

single track, wildcard

Wildcard (week 38):
Skylar – Why Men Love Bitches

pop

September 20th, 2023

Skylar Sanyal, or Skylar for short, sure is a part of the social media generation. A rising songstress, the 20-year-old Londoner is already an internet sensation. As for so many youngsters, TikTok is her platform of choice. In no-time she attracted almost 500.000 followers and 8,7 million likes. She does well on Instagram and YouTube as well, by the way.

All of these internet friends are now helping her kickstart her music career. But it would be a pointless venture without talent and good songs. Thankfully, Skylar’s got plenty of both. The singer-songwriter describes her sound as ‘quintessentially British’.

Following her breakout EP, this year’s I’d Step On Lego For You, she’s back with a new banger. Why Men Love Bitches is built around a simple piano melody, a fair amount of horns and a tight beat. It sounds like a classic pop song with modern production. It reminds me a bit of Closer by Lemaitre feat. Jennie A., which was an equally epic tune.

Why Men Love Bitches by Skylar is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This implies that it will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.

Follow Skylar on Instagram | Spotify

In the Wildcards 2023 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.

werner's weekly

Werner’s Weekly (week 38)

electronic | indie | pop | rock

September 18th, 2023

This is Werner’s Weekly, your guide to the best new music, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:

Rews – Lock Your Horns (Wildcard this week)
Nea – Cold Turkey (Wildcard last week)
Caity Baser – Disco Shoes
Everyone You Know – Coming With You
Home Counties – Bethnal Green
Loretta – All My Friends (Are Your Friends)
Miss Machine – Avec Les Loups

Listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.

For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.

playlist

Additions to the Carte Blanche Music playlist (week 37)

electronic | folk | indie | pop | rock

September 15th, 2023

Not all, but only the *best* new music. Added to the playlist this week (alphabetically):

Caity Baser – Disco Shoes pop
The Beaches & Beach Weather – My Body Featuring Your Lips indie | pop | rock
Cat Valley – Mean Girls indie | pop | rock
Draumr – Slowly Burning Feelings indie | pop
Everyone You Know – Coming With You indie | pop | rock
Flo Gallop – D.O.N.E. indie | pop
Home Counties – Bethnal Green electronic | indie | pop
Jawny – Boy Scout pop | rock
Last Dinosaurs – Afterlife indie | rock
Loretta – All My Friends (Are Your Friends) indie | pop | rock
Miss Machine – Avec Les Loups indie | pop
Kathleen Regan – Big Funeral folk | indie | pop
Skylar – Why Men Love Bitches pop
Tally Spear – Constellations indie | pop | rock
Surfaces – Cloud indie | pop
A Treehouse Wait – The Edge indie | pop

Check them all in the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music Spotify playlist.
Follow (click ‘♥’) to hear the best new music first.

single track, wildcard

Wildcard (week 37):
Rews – Lock Your Horns

indie | pop | rock

September 13th, 2023

Rews is the one-woman rock band from Belfast powerhouse Shauna Tohill. The singer and multi-instrumentalist will release her third album Meridians on 13 October. Six of its tracks – about half of the lot – have already been released as singles.

Marking another impressive step in songwriting, brand-new track Lock Your Horns is Rews’ strongest to date. Progression is also the song’s main theme. It tells the story of enduring disappointment and setbacks, yet summoning an unwavering spirit to keep pushing forward and rise against the odds. It’s a reminder that moving towards your goals and dreams comes with trials. Within these moments of adversity our inner strength shines brightest. The music video, which has a boxing theme, supports this message.

Tohill explains: “Lock Your Horns is a reflection of my journey amidst music industry and personal challenges. Despite adversity, the love for music empowered me to pick myself up and persist as an artist, making this song a rallying, musical battle cry of resilience and determination!“

Sonically, Lock Your Horns is a soaring, high-energy rock track with anthemic hooks. It combines raw power with emotional depth. A (rock) radio-friendly tune that’ll appeal to a large audience.

Lock Your Horns by Rews is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This implies that it will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.

Follow Rews on Facebook | Instagram | X | Spotify

In the Wildcards 2023 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.

werner's weekly

Werner’s Weekly (week 37)

hip hop | indie | pop | rock | ska

September 11th, 2023

This is Werner’s Weekly, your guide to the best new music, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:

Nea – Cold Turkey (Wildcard this week)
Brooke Alexx – Never Liked Your Name (Wildcard last week)
Eut – This Could Be The Last Time
Trunky Juno – Final Box
La Pegatina – Dolce Far Niente
Pete Philly & Perquisite – Hot Sauce
Skip The Use – We Don’t Mind

Listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.

For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.

playlist

Additions to the Carte Blanche Music playlist (week 36)

September 9th, 2023

Not all, but only the *best* new music. Added to the playlist this week (alphabetically):

Aiida – August electronic | indie | pop
Baby Queen – Quarter Life Crisis pop | rock
Izzy Bizu – Goodbye Hello indie | pop
Pip Blom – Get Back indie | pop | rock
Codyy – Time 2 Be indie | pop | rock
Elba – You Do You electronic | indie | pop
Eut – This Could Be The Last Time indie | pop | rock
Trunky Juno – Final Box indie | pop | rock
Liza Anne – Shania Twain Is Making Me Cry indie | pop | rock
La Pegatina – Dolce Far Niente pop | rock | ska
Pete Philly & Perquisite – Hot Sauce hip hop | indie | pop
Rews – Lock Your Horns indie | pop | rock
Segana – Mercy electronic | indie | pop
Skip The Use – We Don’t Mind indie | pop | rock
Sunbalm – Out Of It indie | pop
Thumpasaurus – I’m Cute indie | jazz | pop | rock

Check them all in the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music Spotify playlist.
Follow (click ‘♥’) to hear the best new music first.

single track, wildcard

Wildcard (week 36):
Nea – Cold Turkey

pop

September 6th, 2023

Linnéa ‘Nea’ Södahl is one of Sweden’s most acclaimed writers. You can find her name in the credits of hits by Zara Larsson, Skott, Felix Jaehn and many more. Hence she stepped into 2023 with over 2 billion streams as a songwriter and several international awards behind her.

But Nea is also an artist in her own right. Her first single Some Say was an immediate success in 2019, with 240 million streams on Spotify alone. The Felix Jaehn Remix did even better.

In November, she’ll release her debut album Transparent, and Cold Turkey is the fourth single to be released ahead of it. It was written by Nea, Joakim Åhlund (Charli XCX, Robyn, Sia), Cecilia Mix and Erik Hassle (Shakira, Icona Pop). Åhlund produced the track with Daniel Ledinsky (Shakira, Rihanna), who also produced large parts of the album.

Cold Turkey is a swinging bop, influenced by Nea’s personal favourites, such as No Doubt, Alanis Morissette and Fleetwood Mac. It’s stuffed with production tricks and treats, which provide a fresh and modern sound.

She says about the song: “Cold Turkey plays on the darkest sides of being in love. When the feeling of never wanting to let go of the other person goes to such an extreme that you seriously never intend to let go, until death literally do us part. But with a large dose of self-irony :-).”

Cold Turkey by Nea is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This implies that it will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.

Follow Nea on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

In the Wildcards 2023 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.

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