Browsing Tag indie
Lucy Spraggan – Heartbreak Suites
If you follow Lucy Spraggan’s socials, you see a woman full of self-confidence. Funny, one day vulnerable, the other day strong, but always 100% authentic. Proud of her body, and perhaps even prouder of her new, sixth album Choices. Rightly so, for she worked hard on both of them 😉. In this piece I’ll stick with the album though. A great pop record, and her highest charting one. It entered the UK Album Top 100 at #5 last week, without the help of a major label.
Choices contains 13 tracks, six of which have been released as singles before. The songs tell Spraggan’s story of the past years, which makes this her most personal album, so far. Heartbreak Suites is my favourite non-single track. To me, it stands out because of its infectious backing vocals, relatable lyrics and overall catchy production.
Listening to a ‘60s compilation album inspired her to make a tune with that sound. A job well done, for even though ooh sha la la’s are absent from the song, you can hear them in the back of your head. Heartbreak Suites may sound joyful, but she wrote it around the time her marriage sadly stranded, when she often stayed in hotels in order to flee from reality. Spraggan co-wrote the track with her long-time collaborator Joe Hammill. He also worked with quite a few Belgian artists, like Alice On The Roof, Tessa Dixson and Blanche.
Recommended as well:
Animal
Today Was A Good Day
Modern Day Frankenstein
Follow Lucy Spraggan 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.
Wildcard (week 10):
Monowhales – He Said/She Said (I Wait)
Toronto-based Monowhales are a rock band ready to break into the mainstream. That was already clear by the sound of their past singles, which featured in these columns before. But if you have 45 minutes to spare, treat yourself to this recent live concert as well. And on top of all that, the trio (finally!) released their mini album Daytona Bleach last week. It features Monowhales’ four most recent singles and three new songs.
He Said/She Said (I Wait) is a track in the latter category. It appears the band are in a constant battle with themselves to make each next song even catchier than the one before. Yet, the songs have things in common as well: they’re all very well written, and combine glossy synth rock with shiny choruses. He Said/She Said (I Wait) for instance sounds like No Doubt performing Smells Like Teen Spirit. Radio-friendly, danceable rock that’s both alternative and fresh.
The new Monowhales single is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Recommended as well:
Out With The Old
BL/FF (Fake Friends)
All Or Nothing
Follow Monowhales 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 10)
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:
- Kalie Shorr – Amy (Wildcard this week)
- MBG – This Time (Wildcard last week)
- Coach Party – Everybody Hates Me
- Good Health Good Wealth – Love Hangover
- renforshort – Virtual Reality
- The Reytons – Broke Boy’s Cartel
- The Roop – Discoteque
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: Hooverphonic, Ladyhawke, Walk Off The Earth, 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.
Good Health Good Wealth – Guinness
Only a week ago, I introduced you to Good Health Good Wealth via their debut single Love Hangover. Only a week later, British singer Bruce Breakey and Lithuanian guitarist/producer Simon Kuzmicas release a follow-up. And it’s equally strong and intriguing.
I can imagine it may be annoying for bands to be compared to other artists. But especially in the case of new acts, it can help to explain the public what to expect. You can trust me to only make comparisons that are really there (in my ears, at least 😉 ). Love Hangover for instance, reminded me of Hard-Fi. A sure shot, I thought, for that band’s front man Richard Archer co-wrote and produced the single. However, this new single was co-written and produced by Archer as well, but it has a totally different sound. It’s an ethereal track with moody guitars, and lyrics sung in a The Lottery Winners kind of style.
Sounds like Good Health Good Wealth are a band that’s not easy to pigeon-hole. Cheers to that!
Recommended as well:
Good Health Good Wealth – Love Hangover
Follow Good Health Good Wealth 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.
Penfriend – Cancel Your Hopes
Penfriend may sound like a new name in rock music, but Laura Kidd (her real name) is quite a veteran already. The Bristol-based music producer and songwriter started her music career as a bassist and vocalist for hire. In that role, she toured the world with the likes of Tricky and a-ha. From 2010 to 2019, she released four full-length solo albums and played 600 live shows under the moniker She Makes War.
Since then, she has been making music as Penfriend. Half a year ago, I highly recommended her single The Only Way Out Is Through. Her new track Cancel Your Hopes is just as great. Musically, the upbeat, empowering track is equal parts garage and pop-rock. Lyrically, despite its title, it encourages you to keep thriving even in a hopeless place. Powerful in every sense.
Recommended as well:
Penfriend – The Only Way Out Is Through
Follow Penfriend 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.
Ali Barter – You Get In My Way
Since the release of her second album Hello, I’m Doing My Best in 2019, things have gone pretty quiet around Ali Barter. Luckily, the Australian rock chick just announced her new EP Chocolate Cake, set for release on 30 April. She already served up its lead single Twisted Up last year, but now a second teaser track is out.
You Get In My Way is unlike anything in Barter’s discography. It contains spoken word verses, which eventually erupt into a booming chorus.
In a press release, the Melbourne singer-songwriter explains: “I wrote You Get In My Way in Nashville in 2019. I was travelling without my husband and had this feeling of freedom to do all the silly things I did when I was single.” She continued to say that she “often [has] funny conversations with my friends in long term relationships about the dumb things we would do if our partner wasn’t around. Ultimately I don’t want to do these things, but it was fun to explore the feeling of rebelling from the security of a long term relationship.”
Recommended as well:
January
Backseat
Girlie Bits
Follow Ali Barter 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.
Talkbøx – People People People
For Dutch electronic indie-pop trio Talkbøx, 2021 is off to a good start. People People People is their second great single of the year, so far. The track was written last summer, when the band was still a duo, consisting of producer/beatmaker Dion Peters and guitarist/writer Mitchell Giebels.
They recall it as follows: “At the end of June 2020 we started writing People People People. It was a summer evening where we actually had no intention of writing music. After we had swum that night, we got the idea to make some music in the studio. Mitchell had brought his guitar that night just in case and played some chords on which Dion started whistling. This is how the cheerful flute part originated in the song. We became so enthusiastic about how quickly we came up with this cheerful melody that we wrote the lyrics that same evening.”
However, they didn’t do anything with it for a while, until conservatory student Dana Havrylyuk joined the band as their main vocalist. She then sang the lyrics, which are personal and based on depression. Quite the opposite of the song’s cheerfulness. So I’d suggest you let your mood decide whether you focus on the music or the lyrics while listening.
Recommended as well:
Talkbøx – Reach Out
Follow Talkbøx 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.
Louis & The Shakes – How Badly Do You Want It?
Louis Antoniou (lead vocals), Jamie Lawson (lead guitar), Manny O’Donnell (drum) and Will Finnerty (bass) are Louis & The Shakes. They may be a London four-piece, but their music sounds as American as can be. In their infectious, hard-hitting songs they combine blues, Americana, and psychedelic indie-rock into a distinctive cocktail.
Up-tempo new single How Badly Do You Want It? is no exception to the description above. In other words: it’s one’s for fans of Queens Of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys. It even adds a Long Train Runnin’ kind of funky guitar to the mix.
Front man Antoniou says of the track: “I’ve always had a bluesy streak and I think you can hear that in this tune particularly – the simplicity of the claps and the ‘tribal’ backing vocals in the verses. (…) Lyrically it’s all about keeping going, keep believing and never giving up. Instead of resting on our laurels [after COVID-19 came] we thought let’s get in the studio and record this album.”
How Badly Do You Want It? is the first single from the band’s upcoming same-titled debut long-player.
Follow Louis & The Shakes 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.
Lucy Daydream – Fast Forward
Lucy Daydream are Paige Duché and Ross Ryan from Denver, Colorado. They met in the Spring of 2017 when Duché covered one of Ryan’s original works on YouTube. After reconnecting almost a year later, they started writing songs together.
While crafting their tunes, they fully embrace the independent/DIY ethic. The duo do everything themselves, from writing, producing, mixing and releasing the music to filming and editing the music videos. That way, they never have to make compromises to their exciting indie-pop songs.
Ever since their 2019 debut album Awake And Dreaming, they’ve been quite prolific. Earlier this year, they put out the EP Infinite Quest For The Rainbow Butthole, which was followed by four brand-new singles. These are now compiled on their second EP of the year: Enter The Lucy-Verse.
Stand-out track Fast Forward is the pair’s new single. It opens with a driving bassline that remains a prominent factor throughout the song. The catchy chorus is another strength of the song, just like the guitar solo that rips the track apart before the 2-minute mark. And less than 3 minutes after the opening bars, it’s all over.
Follow Lucy Daydream 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.
La Rissa – Bodies
La Rissa started as a solo project, with singer/synth player Larissa Drozd releasing her debut EP Control in 2016. Three years later, she hooked up with percussionist and producer Tom Cuthbertson, evolving the project into a duo. They call themselves ‘two misfits making dark spooky synth pop in a dim little attic in Leeds’.
Bodies is La Rissa’s new single. It mixes their ‘80s electronic analogue synth production with big nostalgic beats. Sounding like a new wave band fronted by Lana Del Rey, Bodies borrows its great bassline from Monaco’s What Do You Want From Me? 24 years later, this is a pretty unique sound, that I wouldn’t mind hearing more of.
Follow La Rissa 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.
