Browsing Tag melancholic
single track
indie | melancholic | pop
Varley – One Two Three
I like my songs up-tempo here at Carte Blanche Music headquarters. Not often do I need to apply the tag ‘melancholic’ to tracks I recommend. But every now and then, a slower tune stands out. This is one of those…
Varley are a Berlin-based indie-pop trio, centred around the mesmerising vocals of Dublin-native Claire-Ann Varley. Her band mates, multi-instrumentalists Joschka Bender and Matthias Heising, are Germans. They cite artists like Bon Iver, Fleetwood Mac, The Cardigans and Phoebe Bridgers as their main influences. Put these in the Varley blender and a London Grammar-like sound comes out. Honest and vulnerable, with fragile vocals embedded in a soft instrumental backdrop.
The trio says about their new single: “We wrote One Two Three about the unachievable beauty standard we are surrounded by in today’s society, and how people’s lives online can seem so perfect, and how it becomes harder not to compare yourself or your life to everything you see online. It talks about the feeling of being stuck in a big machine that’s trying to change us, but also has the realization that if we apologize for being ourselves then we will be lost forever.”
I’m looking forward to the band’s debut album Smalltalk And DMCs, due out on 17 September!
Follow Varley on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 trackmelancholic | pop
Emily Burns – I’m So Happy
Remember Pain Is So Close To Pleasure by Queen? UK pop star on the rise Emily Burns has come to the same conclusion. She says about her new single I’m So Happy: “I clearly remember the day I wrote I’m So Happy. I went into the studio and was in the best mood ever. I said to the guys about how good I was feeling, and how everything was going right in my life that day (…) We started talking about the fear that comes hand-in-hand with overwhelming happiness, the worry that something is bound to go wrong, even when it might never. That’s where the idea of ‘I’m so happy, it’s a problem’ came from. The idea that sometimes happiness can be painful, because you feel like you’ve got so much to lose. It’s like being on a tightrope and knowing that one wrong move could cause the end of it all.”
Burns was born in Scotland and raised in Warwickshire. She developed an honest, captivating and accessible song-writing style, reaching 50 millions streams on Spotify alone.
Follow Emily Burns on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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.
werner's weeklyelectronic | indie | melancholic | pop | r&b | rock | soul
Werner’s Weekly (week 16)
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:
- Yelle – Noir (Wildcard this week)
- Who – Hey! Get Out The Way (Wildcard last week)
- Ashe – I’m Fine
- Carla de Coignac – Danse
- Glades – Limbo
- Jan-Marten Block – Never Not Try
- The Vain Travail – Do You See The Sun?
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: Barenaked Ladies, Fickle Friends, Pale Waves, and more.
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 trackacoustic | melancholic | pop
Amy Shark – Amy Shark
Naming a song after yourself can only mean two things: utter narcissism or utter vulnerability. You can leave it to Amy Shark to choose for the second option.
This raw self-titled track is the sixth to be released ahead of the artist’s upcoming album Cry Forever (30 April). The highly personal song will close the long-player. Amy clarifies: “It’s track 13 because in a way this album closes so many chapters for me.” She adds: “This song is my story.”
Amy Shark is about a person who wasn’t there when she needed them. As a result, she has painful memories from her childhood, which she lays bare painstakingly in this song. Although she recalls it all vividly, she feels it’s a thing of the past. As Amy explains: “I’m not mad but I remember everything and some people just weren’t there when I needed them and unfortunately it’s just too late to start giving a fuck about me now.”
Recommended as well:
Amy Shark – Baby Steps
Follow Amy Shark on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 trackindie | melancholic | pop
The Vain Travail – Do You See The Sun?
The Vain Travail are a new cool collective from the Netherlands. It was formed by five musicians (Arthur Adam ten Cate, Dirk Schreuders, Jonas Pap, Dave Menkehorst and Len van de Laak), who have a wealth of experience. They play(ed) with renowned Dutch artists like Bertolf, Sevdaliza, Henny Vrienten, Sandra van Nieuwland and Navarone. Arthur Adam featured on this blog before.
In between their other commitments, the five have been working on their own repertoire for the past two years. During that time, they’ve never been all together in one room. Working in pairs or trios, they wrote and recorded songs, sent them to one another and added elements from their own studios. Eventually they produced twelve promising demos, enough for a concept album. That was at the start of 2020, a year that turned out rather different than anyone could’ve thought.
With their agendas suddenly empty, the five devoted all of their time to The Vain Travail. The first result is their debut EP All Is Quiet, which will be followed by an album full of new tracks in November.
Although the lyrics for the EP had been written before COVID-19 came upon us, they describe the ‘new normal’ in a bizarrely accurate way. All Is Quiet describes abandoned streets and loitering mischief, I Must Be Dreaming deals with the confusing conclusion that the world keeps turning, even after everything collapsed, I’d Be Dancing is about acceptance and the light at the end of the tunnel, while Do You See The Sun? is a song about hope.
The latter is The Vain Travail’s new single. An intense, melancholic pop noir track in the best Radiohead tradition. Radiohead at the time they still made ‘songs’, that is. And if you recently enjoyed my recommendations of Just’s music, you’re sure to like this as well. High quality from the lowlands!
Recommended as well:
Arthur Adam – O
Follow The Vain Travail on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 trackindie | melancholic | pop
No Money Kids – Why I’m So Cool
A lot of music produced in France is instantly recognizable as French. That’s not the case with No Money Kids. Inspired by the lo-fi movement, Felix Matchulat and Jean Marc Pelatan make songs that hang somewhere between lo-fi indie-rock and blues, with electronic elements. A bit like Moby’s slower songs.
The duo is currently working on their fourth long-player Factory, that will be out later this year. Two months after the release of its first single Crossroad, they now come up with a second teaser track. Why I’m So Cool is built around synths and acoustic guitars, creating a melancholic atmosphere with nightly vibes.
Follow No Money Kids on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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.
werner's weeklyelectronic | indie | melancholic | orchestral | pop | rock
Werner’s Weekly (week 9)
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:
- MBG – This Time (Wildcard this week)
- Drew Sycamore – 45 Fahrenheit Girl (Wildcard last week)
- Fear Of Tigers – Tiger Blood
- Grrrl Gang – Honey, Baby
- Isaac Dunbar – Fan Behavior
- Noémie Wolfs – Lonely Boy’s Paradise
- Upsahl – Stop!
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: Del Amitri, Green Day, Maxïmo Park, The Offspring, and more.
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 trackmelancholic | orchestral | pop
Noémie Wolfs – Lonely Boy’s Paradise
Some people may still refer to Noémie Wolfs as ‘a former singer of Hooverphonic’, but that’s ancient history by now. Exactly one year ago, the Belgian singer released her second solo album Lonely Boy’s Paradise. In celebration of this anniversary, the record’s stand-out track is released as its fifth single.
Lonely Boy’s Paradise is the long-player’s monumental title track. It opens in a mysterious, somewhat sinister fashion with dark drums and dramatic strings. The further the song enrolls, the more prominent the strings. After a tribal-like mid-section, they even take over completely for a full dramatic effect. Fans of Lana Del Rey will love this.
The video has been a year in the making, as COVID-19 kept messing up the recording schedule. However, the resulting short movie, where Wolfs turns up blonde, is as wonderful as the song itself.
Recommended as well:
Noémie Wolfs – Let Me Down
Follow Noémie Wolfs on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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.
werner's weeklyelectronic | hip hop | indie | melancholic | pop | rock
Werner’s Weekly (week 51)
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:
- Holy Holy (feat. Queen P) – Port Rd (Wildcard this week)
- The Lottery Winners – An Open Letter To Creatives (Wildcard last week)
- NewDad – I Don’t Recognise You
- Ocean Grove – Dream
- Slowride – I Feel Like You
- Texas & Wu-Tang Clan – Hi
- The Hold Steady – Family Farm
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: Gwen Stefani, Calogero, Taylor Swift, The The, and more.
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.
cover, single trackindie | melancholic | pop
San Mei – Dakota
Emily Hamilton came to Australia at an early age, when her Chinese-Malaysian and New Zealand born parents immigrated there. Years later, she started a musical career under the stage name of San Mei. She featured here a few times before already.
On 13 February (you know, in the old world), she shared a video on her socials of her performing Stereophonics’ Dakota at her home for Valentine’s Day. I presume positive feedback started flooding in, and rightly so.
Now, ten months later, a studio version of her cover hits the streaming services. It’s more produced, obviously, but remains the delicate tribute it originally was. Beautiful!
Recommended as well:
San Mei – Midnight
San Mei – Hard To Face
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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.
