Each week, we feature some fresh new releases from emerging and established talent from around the world, these are highlighted on our New Music Spotlight playlist on Spotify, but we also share a handful of artists in our round-up who are making waves.
You can read more features in our Music + Culture section.
TASHAN – Yoga, and Poppin’
Desi baddie based in Switzerland, TASHAN aka Bombay Mami has been on fire this year with a series of epic releases, and truly out of this world visuals! We are obsessed with Yoga and Poppin’ (which also has a sultry acoustic version on her Instagram).
We love the dimensionality of the track, which features an array of languages including English, German and Spanish, delivering a multi-lingual sonic feast that we cannot get enough of!
Born to a father from Varanasi, India and a mother from Bern, TASHAN grew up in Switzerland but visited India to escape European winters. She says, “I was always connected to my culture through my father, the food, through fashion. Obviously, it was further away than the Swiss culture. When I moved to London, it changed because there were so many South Asians in London and it really helped me reconnect.”
Lil Nas X – Late To Da Party (featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again)
Lil Nas X started promoting Late To Da Party a few weeks ago with a wave of controversial tweets. After the BET Awards revealed their nominations and Lil Nas X received none, he started teasing the track, which includes the refrain “Fuck BET.”
The artist also shared a list from himself and his management about how poorly he was treated at the BET Awards, as they asked for confirmation that he was not actually a Satanist and how the organisers made comments following his on stage gay kiss.
“how can i get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people?” he also tweeted at the time. Late To Da Party is his first new single since the release of last year’s debut full-length Montero.
Kelvin Wiedenhoff – Not Easy
Setting the tone with a cosmic frequency fused into elegant keys, Kelvin Wiedenhoff opens his debut single, Not Easy with the emotive lyrics, “Don’t let me fall again, I’ve been with you when you needed help…”
The track expands with a luscious bassline and textured risers to deliver a pulsing and anthemic ode to the LGBTQ+ community. We love the atmospheric vocal production and the emotion that Kelvin conveys with his message.
Not Easy tells the story of a gay boy who always helps everyone. When he comes out of the closet, he is rejected by his best friends and some family members. It’s heart wrenching yet euphoric, and Kelvin conveys this emotion perfectly in the opus. The song comes with a cinematic music video featuring an array of characters delivering emotive performances, and a stunning single art with a spectrum painted onto the face of the rising artist.
WILLOW – <maybe> it’s my fault
WILLOW has released her brand new single, <maybe> it’s my fault along with a performance music video directed by Dana Trippe. The song follows WILLOW’s explosive 2021 album, lately I feel EVERYTHING.
“It’s all too often in tender emotional states we try to blame our hurts on other people. Even though none of us are perfect, in some capacity it’s us who allow ourselves to get into situations that don’t serve our highest purpose. ‘ it’s my fault’ explores what it’s like to hold ourselves equally accountable for the emotional pain we feel while also allowing ourselves to be human and fully process ALL of our feelings without shame”, says the star when speaking on the record.
Tony Zoo – Night Rider
Establishing the mood with a vibrant and divergent soundscape with synth detailing, Tony Zoo opens his new single, Night Rider with intrigue and intricacy.
The track expands into an ambient electronic space with dimensionality and an immersive 80s meets techno hybrid nature. Tony Zoo, also known as Antonios Zkeris cites old school electronica, synthwave and minmal techno as his inspirations. Speaking on his artistry, Tony says, that he is “Always learning, always curious, always evolving and loving the procedure…”
Fans of Depeche Mode , Kiasmos and Ólafur Arnalds will definitely be able to connect with Tony Zoo, although tit is clear that the artist is creating a sonic universe of his own.
Migs – In-between
Opening with a celestial rising frequency, Migs kicks off his single In-between with atmospheric vocals and situational, romantic lyricism.
In-between expands into a luscious dream-pop soundscape, and tells a story about being young and falling in love. Influenced by the poet Ocean Vuong, Migs wrote In-between for the eighteen year old version of himself, inspired by early experiences of digging into his queer feelings.
The song was produced and mixed by Cat Santanna at the Noatune Studios in Hackney, London. Cat is a queer London based woman who is inspired by sounds like Ilangelo, Flume and even Odesza.
We appreciate the authenticity that Migs creates with and his flow infused with intricate harp detailing, emotive keys and subversive risers which elevate and heighten the emotion of In-between and the intimate story that the artist shares with us.
The Prickly Pair – The Long Parade
We recently featured The Prickly Pair for their high concept debut Rosemary, so we were thrilled to hear that they had just released a brand new single, The Long Parade.
Immersing us with a zipping riser and an alternative country energy, The Long Parade features luxurious guitars and opens with the situational and existential lyrics, “She’s selling flowers in the street, already withering from the humid heat, this long parade that I’m passing through leads to the grave where I’ll be buried next to you…”
The angsty Americana duo, consisting of Mason Summit and Irene Greene, tells us that The Long Parade is “an outlaw country throwback about heartbreak and betrayal”, and we are here for it!
Written at the height of the pandemic, The Long Parade encapsulates The Prickly Pair’s evocative musical and lyrical approach, recalling the dawn of the roots-rock and outlaw country movements spearheaded by Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter.
Hannah Dorman – Fire
Enticing us with textured EDM soundscape and vocal textures, Hannah Dorman opens her new single, Fire with the fierce and assertive lyrics, “It’s too late, you’ve already breathed me in, said it’s too late baby, I’m under your skin, you got caught playing with fire and now your heart’s burning alive and the pain makes my memory haunt you and it’s too late for you to be save…”
Fire expands into a catchy tropical house banger with epic harmonies, which makes for the perfect hot girl summer anthem, promoting self empowerment! We love Hannah’s fierce and self-realized energy, as well as her intricate flow on the track which feels dimensional and full of vibrant and confident energy.
Hannah has already amassed over 345,000 TikTok followers and the bop was co-written with Irish artist Ivon Roberts and produced by Sam Ray (of the synth pop duo Friday Night Firefight). The trio came together at a songwriting camp in Spain in March 2022 and have been making music ever since. Fire is also the first single from Hannah’s upcoming EP, set to be released in August!
Simesky+Fritch – Such Imperfection
Immersing us with a panning synthscape fused with laser detailing and a pulsing bass-line as the opus expands with enigmatic glockenspiel, Simesky+Fritch open their single Such Imperfection with intrigue.
Simesky+Fritch deliver the lyrics, “Can’t quite understand it’s what’s been put in motion, such a simple thing it’s such an easy notion…” with an 80s esque new-wave energy akin to The Cure, and we are hypnotized.
With shared production, shared writing, shared artwork, shared visions, the debut single from Simesky+Fritch is “a celebration of a meeting of minds”. The duo describe Such Imperfection as “a lean synth-kissed passion for pop”.
We appreciate the nostalgic sonic landscape, combined with a sense of futurism due to the high quality of the instrumentation and mix.
Living in Belgium, United Simesky Institutes has worked with Budapest Scoring Orchestra and scored high with releases of sweet 80’s synthwave amongst the ranks of Vice & We Write About Music. Fritch comes from Wales, and comes fresh from an album that gained 5-star comparisons to Bowie’s Blackstar and Scott Walker. We are excited about what the duo has to offer in the future with their collective energy and talent!
Lewis Poole – ALONE 2.0
Kicking off with a high frequency and arpeggiated synth, Lewis Poole opens his new single, ALONE 2.0 with bold and immersive drums and we are in awe.
ALONE 2.0 expands into a vibrant and anthemic pop rock meets emo hybrid energy. Speaking on the meaning of the track, Lewis Poole says, “ALONE 2.0 is about being bitter and jealous and exploring those emotions, because sometimes you’re simply fed up with stuff and want to yell about it. You can also find yourself being petty and cynical like I was when I wrote the song. Now that I’ve grown up, it’s funny to look back on”.
We appreciate Lewis’ self-realized energy. He adds, “As I’ve grown older I’ve saved some songs that I wrote when I was younger that I wanted to give the full production treatment once I felt my sound had been found.
ALONE 2.0 is the first of those, hence the 2.0 in the title. This song is for those who feel stood on the sidelines and watching their fantasy play out through someone else’s lives. The thoughts and feelings that go with that scenario”.
Fans of The 1975, Mayday Parade and Against The Current will definitely be able to connect with Lewis Poole’s sound and we look forward to experiencing the incoming slew of singles from the rising artist.
Saer – Sorry
Enticing us with immersive keys, Saer opens his single, Sorry with an apology as he delivers atmospheric vocals and the lyrics, “Sorry I treated you this way, worries have turned your nights to days…”
Although melancholic at first, Saer gives us soaring vocals as the opus expands with a pulsating bass-line into a euphoric 80s synthpop energy.
Sorry tells the story of a couple in need of reparation. One looking for forgiveness. As the end of the chorus swells the song progresses into a soundscape of synths, powered forward with a driving electronic beat.
Speaking on the creative process of the track, Saer confesses, “When recording there was a reverb on the vocal that held my attention and I just wanted to experiment with different soundscapes. The synths added such a drive later in the song and allowed for great fun recording the vocals in homage to some retro pleasures!”
Introduced at an early age to iconic artists such as Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, Saer channels these influences through his modern-day appreciation for Susanne Sundfør, Aurora, Michael Nyman and Chilly Gonzales to create his own soulful music.
Smith St. Nicholas – Our Storyline
Establishing the mood with a brief synth texture, Smith St. Nicholas opens his debut single, Our Storyline with the situational lyrics, “Right up your alley, it’s so bizarre you wanna cry…”
Our Storyline expands into a luscious euphoric pop soundscape with soaring vocals and luscious harmonies creating a stadium-ready anthem that has us mesmerized.
This opus is based on Smith St. Nicholas‘s experience overcoming the medical trauma that led to his loss of singing ability for over six years. He was teaching English in rural China at the time he fell ill. The infection quickly moved to his lungs and throat, and soon even speaking became painful.
When he finally regained his voice, he equated the feeling to shouting from the top of a mountain in the rain. Our Storyline is designed to capture this feeling.
Smith St. Nicholas has been likened to Harry Styles, Conan Gray, Taylor Swift, Niall Horan, Cautious Clay, Loote and Troye Sivan, but it is clear that he is creating a dimension of his own.
Matt Jacques – Bandit Town
Setting the tone with a vibrant and playful alternative folk energy, Matt Jacques opens his single, Bandit Town with the lyrics, “Keep one eye open at night, nobody’s on their best behaviour…”
Bandit Town expands with a gypsy jazz vibe that is captivating and charming as Matt Jacques recounts a tongue-in-cheek, fly-on-the-wall narrative that he wrote whilst living on a Mancunian estate affectionately known as “Bandit Town”.
Speaking on his creative process, Matt says, “In the midst of what seemed like a never-ending string of break-ins, gang violence and neighbours acting weirdly, I found out I was going to be a Dad. All of a sudden I saw everything in a new, more frightening light and the song pretty much wrote itself.”
We love Matt’s authenticity, tone and commentary on the human condition, fused with his unique soundscape, which reminds us of iconic bands like Madness and The Arctic Monkeys.
Commenting on his artistry, Matt confesses, “I’m a Stockport based troubadour, singing about a life you’ve probably lived, people you’ve met, relationships you’ve had, in places you’ve been before. I’m inspired by storytellers like Kae Tempest, Alex Turner, Saul Williams, John Cooper Clarke, Amy Winehouse and Bob Dylan.”
We have added Matt Jacques along with all of the above artists to our New Music Spotlight playlist, which you can stream below!