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The Vices – Life Grows

September 1st, 2019

Only nine months after changing their name from Ten Years After, The Vices give birth to their debut EP. Life Grows will see the light on 20 September. They wrote the songs in between their first ever shows supporting Yungblud, a gig at Eurosonic and a UK tour. The band make an accessible mix of surf, rock and garage, a bit like The Strokes.

Title track Life Grows may sound like a happy tune, but The Vices went deep for this one. Frontman Floris van Luijtelaar explains: “Life in the city, where everything you do and say is seen and heard, can be confusing and frustrating. They always try to tell you if it’s right or wrong, ain’t there nothing in between? Sometimes self-reflection is being blocked by all the noise of others’ opinions….”

Life Grows’ was written in a night of insecurity, where Van Luijtelaar realised that as long as you’re behind your own decisions, it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks.

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

single track

Citizen Kay – Ego

September 1st, 2019

At the age of six, Citizen Kay and his family migrated from Ghana to Australia. He made it his mission to make music that blended traditional hip hop with soul, jazz, blues and rock. He refined this task with each new album, developing into a seasoned songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer.

Following his debut mini album Demokracy (2014), With The People (2015) and Belly Of The Beast (2017), he has now written brand-new material. The first of these songs is his new single Ego. A true vibe-starter with its funk-filled guitar and bassline, and swirling keys and strings.

Citizen Kay explains the motivation behind the song: “Ego might seem like a song about me chasing a long lost love or something. But it’s my love/hate relationship with money.”

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

funk | hip hop | indie | pop | soul

single track

beabadoobee – She Plays Bass

August 30th, 2019

There’s nothing wrong with Bea Kristi’s real name. But her artist name beabadoobee is genuinely swinging. So far, the 18-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…

Her new single is called She Plays Bass, so you’re right when you presume it 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…

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

indie | pop | rock

re-release, remix, single track

Zuzu – Get Off [2019 Version]

August 30th, 2019

In 2016, I spent as much time looking for great new music as I do now. By then, however, I didn’t post those songs on this blog, but I played them in my Carte Blanche radio show. Almost exactly three years ago, I discovered Zuzu, a singer-songwriter from Liverpool with a rough edge to her voice. I instantly liked her debut single Get Off, which she said was influenced by Pavement and Courtney Barnett.

She was quickly signed by Virgin/EMI, part of major record company Universal Music. They just released a new version of Get Off as Zuzu’s next single. By the sound of it, it’s clear there was more money available than the first time around. It all sounds much fresher and this mix leaves more room for all of the instruments. As if a blanket was pulled off of the song.

That doesn’t mean the first version was bad though. I’d still fall for it if it wouldn’t have been remixed. Therefore, I think it’s a little bit daft that the original version has now been removed from streaming services, like it never existed. Because it did, and it still does 😉. Great song, which should finally signal her break-through!

Recommended as well:
Zuzu – How It Feels
Zuzu – Beauty Queen

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

pop | rock

album track

Feeder – Guillotine

August 29th, 2019

Following their 50(!) track Best Of album in 2017, and after spending the year 2018 making old B-sides available online for the first time, Feeder are back with brand-new material in 2019. They just put out their tenth studio album Tallulah.

Guillotine, which addresses social media witch hunts and climate crisis-era malaise, is my favourite track on the long-player. An epic rock ballad with bells and strings, and an overall Smashing Pumpkins vibe.

Recommended as well:
Feeder – Youth
Feeder – Bruised

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

indie | pop | rock

single track

Raffaella – Ballerina

August 29th, 2019

Raffaella was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She spent the early days of her career collaborating with the band Bråves, but relocated to Southern California to study at the University. This proved to be a noteworthy experience. Joining a sorority, especially, was something of a social experiment. It inspired her debut single Sororicide. After moving back home to New York City, Raffaella attended Columbia University, where she continued to build her musical persona. Billie Holiday, St. Vincent and Regina Spektor became her biggest influences.

Sororicide was followed by the singles Bruce Willis, NASA’s Fake, Hell Yeah and Balaclava. All five of them now feature on Raffaella’s first EP Ballerina, complemented with the beautiful title track. The latter, another clever and catchy dream pop song, is also her new single.

Like many other artists nowadays, Raffaella is critical about social media in her lyrics. The talented singer-songwriter says about that: “Suddenly we’re all competing for the best fake life, pretending we’re fulfilled. This EP is my best attempt to combat that.”

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

indie | pop

single track

Ed Struijlaart – What I Like About You

August 28th, 2019

When Dutch singer-songwriter Ed Struijlaart turn 39, he released his single Guitar as a present. Last week, Ed reached the big 4-0 and he now repeats the trick with another new tune. The title What I Like About You may sound familiar, but this is not a cover of the Romantics classic.

Back home in the Netherlands, Ed is steadily building his profile. His songs are a fixture at a number of important radio playlists. This new single was serviced to radio the day after it was finally mixed and has been picked up rapidly. Understandably, for What I Like About You is an up-tempo feelgood song with a touch of Motown. The stuff hits are made of…

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

indie | pop

single track, wildcard

Wildcard (week 35):
Lush Puppy – Ms. Grey

August 28th, 2019

And now for something completely different… Please meet new Netherlands-based duo Lush Puppy. Singer Roos studied at the Rock Academy in the Dutch city of Tilburg. Italian-born Gabriel is well-known in the EDM scene as half of DJ duo Gabriel & Castellon. They collaborated with Sam Feldt, Robin S., Todd Terry and others. From that perspective, Lush Puppy seems far beyond his comfort zone. In truth, however, it’s actually where he and Roos both feel they can strut their stuff.

Ms. Grey is only Lush Puppy’s second single, after debuting with Wear Me Out. Just like Confidence Man a few years ago, they combine disco, funk and pop. It’s catchy and accessible, but with an alternative edge. And please, take a few minutes to listen to the hilarious lyrics.

Honey, take the trash outside!

This week, Ms. Grey by Lush Puppy will feature here prominently as 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.

disco | funk | indie | pop

single track

Union Duke – 123

August 27th, 2019

For American artists combining genres like country, folk, pop and rock, the term ‘Americana’ was invented. So why not call this melting pot ‘Canadiana’ when served up by musicians from Canada? Union Duke is a great example of an act qualifying for this umbrella genre.

Following the release of their second album Golden Days, in 2016, the band have been touring constantly. Thereafter, they went into the studio, ready to share their lessons learned. They came out with a tape full of songs about love, distance, heartache and revelry. These will come out over the coming months.

123 is their fourth single in 2019 already. Union Duke explain: “The original plan was to write a balls-to-the-wall drinking diddy with shades of psychedelia and no social commentary. Apparently, we’re too jaded for that now. Pretty quickly, it turned into a song about being young and getting drunk as a desperate act of escapism.”

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

country | folk | indie | pop | rock

single track

Ana & The Changes – Differences

August 27th, 2019

In 2016, Serbia-based singer-songwriter Ana Ćurčin released her debut album Sketches Of Belonging under her own name. Since then, she and Goran Antović (keyboards), Marko Cvetković (bass) and Marko Benini (drums) perform live using the stage name Ana & The Changes. This is also the name tag that will be put on Ana’s second album Differences, due out on 6 September.

Nine months ago, the first single from this album was released. Take My Hand featured Dan Byron, a Romanian singer-songwriter and frontman of the alternative rock band Byron. Now, the forthcoming album’s title track is Ana & The Changes’ new single. It’s a classic pop song; cheerful and catchy, with seductive keys and lush guitars. “The song Differences embodies the space where we meet, work, talk, and dream”, according to Ana Ćurčin.

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

indie | pop

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The Vices – Life Grows

Citizen Kay – Ego

beabadoobee – She Plays Bass

Zuzu – Get Off [2019 Version]

Feeder – Guillotine

Raffaella – Ballerina

Ed Struijlaart – What I Like About You

Wildcard (week 35):
Lush Puppy – Ms. Grey

Union Duke – 123

Ana & The Changes – Differences

Wildcard (week 39)

Werner’s Weekly (week 40)

Spotify playlist

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Facebook

Wildcard (week 39)

Werner’s Weekly (week 40)

Spotify playlist

Social Media

Subscribe via email

Categories

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