Browsing Tag indie
Teddy’s Hit – Comparing Materials
Teddy’s Hit are a trio from Amsterdam, with singing drummer Kick Kluiving as its front man. They started out building a live reputation, which led to them being signed on the label of fellow musician Tim Knol. They released their self-titled debut (mini) album in 2019, but now they have their first full-length out.
Painters is an adventurous album, which nicely grabs the band’s live energy. An ode to playing together and staying young forever, it’s a fresh and melodic record. In 11 catchy songs, Teddy’s Hit produce accessible ‘90s indie-pop/rock with postpunk injections. An album with attitude.
Comparing Materials is the band’s new single. A track full of cowbells and disco elements, that sounds as British as music can be. Talking about comparing: in places, it sounds a bit like a rocky version of Tommy Sparks’ She’s Got Me Dancin’.
Follow Teddy’s Hit on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Jessy Yasmeen – Holy Water
Jessy Yasmeen is an emerging artist with both Dutch and South-American roots. Over the past years, she played over 200 shows in The Netherlands and Germany and won some important music awards. In 2020, under the wings of a new label, she released several singles and two EP’s. Her songs were playlisted by radio stations and curators all over the world.
Now, she’s ready for the next step. Ahead of her debut album Formation, due out in the Autumn, she’ll release another set of singles. According to a statement these will be ‘bigger, more poppy and personal’. And, for the first time, self-produced. Her new songs are meant to challenge listeners to be vulnerable, help conquer personal battles with underlying fear, and break those taboos.
Holy Water is the first, very promising example. This earworm is a cross between pop, soul and R&B. Sure to go down well with fans of Adele, Joss Stone and Alicia Keys.
Yasmeen says the track started as a song about her narcissistic ex. However, the meaning changed figuring out it was all about her not loving herself. She recalls: “I looked up to him. I adored him like a God. His words were like the testament to me and his will like the commandments. But if he was God and God was love then why was I not fulfilled? It was me that was feeding his ego afraid of losing him. Because I already gave up on me. But the day he left me was a blessing. That’s when my formation started, a purification of the soul.”
Follow Jessy Yasmeen on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Marketplace – Charlie
Marketplace are Joel O’Beirne (vocals/bass), Evie Rhodes (vocals/guitar), Jack Purcell (guitar), Matthew Short (synth) and Ross Dixon (drums). Only a year and a half ago, they released their debut single Evergreen. In fact, it was no more than a demo. Even better: for some band members it was the first time they picked up their instruments. After widespread acclaim, their sophomore track Hard 2 Love followed a few months later.
Apparently, they took the COVID-19 period off, and who can blame them? Now, the British 5-piece resurface with new single Charlie. As far as I’m concerned, third time’s the charm, for it’s their most catchy and confident track yet. It combines hand claps, a xylophone, fresh guitar melodies and instant sing-along lyrics into a Spring anthem. Vocally, O’Beirne’s somewhat indifferent way of singing is a great tandem with Rhodes’ angelic backings.
For fans of bands like Satellite Stories, Two Door Cinema Club and Hippo Campus.
Follow Marketplace on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Rick Treffers – The Best Of Your Days
Rick Treffers is a Dutch singer-songwriter, writer, producer and musician. He’s best known from his indie-pop project Mist, which gained notoriety among tastemakers in the Netherlands and abroad, especially Spain. He even relocated to Spain, where he worked with many local artists.
With Mist now defunct, Rick Treffers continues his career under his own name. Most of his songs are melancholic and moody, but he also writes and records more up-tempo, sunny tunes. Either way, they’re instantly recognizable.
After some years of musical silence, he’ll release not one but two brand-new albums this year. One in English and one in his native tongue. The one in Dutch, Levensdrift (‘zest for life’) will only come out in the fall, but Looking For A Place To Stay will be out 6 May already. Musically, it follows the direction of his former band Mist, which is a treat. Participating musicians on the album are Alberto Montero, Antonio José Iglesias and Lourdes Casany from Spain, as well as Dutch multi-instrumentalists Mischa Porte, Léon Klaasse, Ivar Vermeulen and Jeroen Luttikhuis. The latter two were part of Mist as well.
Treffers started a crowdfunding in order to design and print the postcards that come with Looking For A Place To Stay. It’ll also enable him to master and manufacture both cd’s. Click here to see details of the campaign with all of the bonuses it has to offer, and to support this wonderful artist.
To get you in the mood, Best Of Your Days is Rick Treffers’ new single. It’s an optimistic, radio-friendly pop song, perfectly timed to accompany the first rays of sunlight.
Recommended as well:
Mist feat. Alondra Bentley – Fade In Fade Out
Mist – Dark Side
Mist – Hey [Little Canyon Session]
Follow Rick Treffers on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | crowdfunding
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 12):
Telenova – Bones
You may not have heard about Telenova before, but you’re not to blame. The trio only just released their debut single. How about a little introduction, then?
Telenova is front woman Angeline Armstrong, and producer/multi-instrumentalists Edward Quinn and Joshua Moriarty. Three seasoned musicians, who were in notable Aussie acts Beachwood, Slum Sociable and Miami Horror before. Comes pretty close to a super group from down under, doesn’t it? The trio first met at a songwriting camp in early 2020, curated by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla. Bringing together their respective music worlds, they immediately connected. This resulted in a refreshing and distinctive sound. A symphonic fusion of classy indie-rock with a splash of modern disco.
Their own description is: ‘cinema for your ears’. A further explanation reads: ‘a silver screen dreamscape of ‘70s chords, haunting melodies, cinematic song-writing and nostalgic trip-hop beats’.
In a press release, Armstrong said the genesis of first single Bones stemmed from the percussive intro, sounding like ‘rattling bones’. “It reminded me of this feeling I’ve had of being so trapped inside my own head, my own skin and bones. We started to envision this elaborate narrative of melancholia and longing, a girl trapped in her own bones… her own disillusionment.”
Telenova’s debut single Bones will feature prominently at the top of this blog for a full seven days. It’s this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Follow Telenova on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Werner’s Weekly (week 12)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Hawke – Pinch Me (Am I Dreaming?) (Wildcard this week)
- Monowhales – He Said/She Said (I Wait) (Wildcard last week)
- Japanese Breakfast – Be Sweet
- Lucy Spraggan – Heartbreak Suites
- Madame Monsieur – Coeurs Abîmés
- Montaigne – Technicolour
- You Am I – The Waterboy
Click the links for more info and 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. Also added last week: Daði Freyr, Inhaler, Middle Kids, Saint Motel, UNKLE, and more.
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
The Blue Stones – One By One
The Blue Stones are a Canadian band, formed by Tarek Jafar and Justin Tessier. In the year of their tenth anniversary, they release their second full-length album Hidden Gems. But despite this title, half of its ten tracks had surfaced before. Four had been released as singles in the last year and a half, and appeared on their recent live EP Live On Display. A fifth, Spirit, was put forward in February, along with the announcement of the album.
I’d like to introduce you to my favourite ‘deep cut’ (album track) though. Based on a brooding groove, it’s a softer song than you might expect from this rock duo. It’s very much a The Blue Stones track, it only channels blues rock, hip-hop, soul and funk differently from other songs of theirs. In that respect, Hidden Gems is a more varied album than their earlier output. This is probably a result of Paul Meany’s involvement. He produced Twenty One Pilots’ album Trench before. One By One is a good example of The Blue Stones’ new musical course.
Follow The Blue Stones on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Babygirl – Nevermind
After meeting at music school in Toronto, Canada, Kiki Frances and Cameron Breithaupt started to write songs together. They make ‘90s-inspired soft pop-rock songs in the vein of Aimee Mann, whom I happen to like a lot. At first, they intended to write for other artists, but then they realised they wanted to be performers themselves. Hence the decision to form their own band, Babygirl.
The two EP’s they already released over the past years, will soon get a companion. Their third EP Losers Weepers is scheduled for release on 16 April. On this EP, more than ever before, the duo collaborated with other writers and producers on some of the songs. Their new single Nevermind for instance was co-written by Steph Jones and Phoebe Bridgers collaborator Marshall Vore.
On the Nylon blog, Frances explains: “I like the word ‘never mind’. It’s often said after you’ve said something you immediately want to take back or undermine, and we like pointing to that nervous tick in the context of a romantic relationship. Like, ‘I love you… wait, you don’t love me back? Never mind’. We like to write from a ‘you can’t fire me, I quit’ place. Everyone has different defensive instincts, and that’s definitely one of mine.”
Follow Babygirl on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Said The Whale – Honey Lungs
Fans of Vancouver band Said The Whale affectionately describe themselves as ‘SaidHeads’. And there are a lot of them by now. No wonder, for the band has been around for 14 years, and released six album, so far. During their career, they won a Canadian Juno Award and topped the alternative radio chart in the country. And now, with a seventh album on its way, they announce they’re opening their most ambitious chapter yet.
Time will tell if they can live up to that claim, but their new single sounds very promising. Throughout 2020, singer-songwriters Tyler Bancroft and Ben Worcester, keyboardist Jaycelyn Brown and bassist Lincoln Hotchen threw themselves fully into working on new material with producer Steve Bays (Hot Hot Heat).
Honey Lungs is the first fruit of this collaboration. Their first self-released single is an anthemic track. Not sure if it’s a pop tune with rock sensibilities, or a radio-friendly rock song, but that’s not most important here. The lyrics, on the other hand, address ‘today’s political climate and the importance of empathy’. In a statement, Bancroft added: “It’s about using kindness as a way to approach difficult subjects. As we’re fighting for change, let’s come from a place of trying to understand our fellow human beings.”
Amen to that!
Follow Said The Whale on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Trunky Juno – Daddy’s Gone For Cigarettes
Remember Jamaica’s 2010 single I Think I Like U2? You don’t? Go be ashamed of yourself! One of the things that made it such a big tune were the phased guitars. I guess I haven’t heard any of those since then. BUT: here’s another track with phased guitars, and once again it’s a big tune. I’d say there must be a causal relationship…
I’m talking about Trunky Juno’s new single Daddy’s Gone For Cigarettes. Trunky who? Let me tell you a little secret: he’ll also turn his head when you call him Mark Owens. After releasing his first single Small Town in 2019, he collected his subsequent singles on the EP Too Many Teeth.
Daddy’s Gone For Cigarettes is an all-new track, his first of 2021. It’s about wanting to escape reality for a little while – or maybe even forever. A very relatable subject nowadays. The artist explains: “Sometimes we all feel like going out to buy cigarettes and never coming home. Escaping reality by shaving your head and moving to a farm in the Outer Hebrides. Or maybe just turning your phone off for a few days. I loved the phrase ‘Daddy’s gone for cigarettes’ so much and decided to write a track around it. It took a really long time to get it right, but I hope the message is one the average anxious millennial cowboy/cowgirl out there can enjoy.”
With this track, Trunky Juno continues his exploration of lo-fi bedroom pop, but injects it with a healthy dose of Americana, while adding a gigantic hook. In that respect, I’ll go as far as comparing Daddy’s Gone For Cigarettes with Beck’s Loser. Which was a huge (radio) hit as well. Hopefully my friends at radio will tune in to this one as well. And if they don’t, we’ll have to stream the hell out of it ourselves, don’t we?
Follow Trunky Juno on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
