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.
Shygirl – Nymph
After months of releasing previews from the record, experimental pop artist Shygirl just released her album Nymph, and was selected as the next RADAR artist for Spotify in the UK. She follows in the footsteps of previous UK RADAR artists like Wet Leg, PinkPantheress, Central Cee, Joy Crookes, and Griff.
RADAR is Spotify’s flagship artist development programme which launched in March 2020, and represents Spotify’s global commitment to emerging artists. All artists on the RADAR programme enjoy 12 months of support and development where Spotify works closely with the selected emerging artists and their teams to get their music heard and deepen connections with their fans and audiences.
We love Shygirl‘s brand new Diana Kunst-directed video for the album’s track, Shlut. Nymph follows Shygirl’s collaborations with FKA twigs on the Caprisongs track papi bones and with Mura Masa on his tracks bbycakes and hollaback bitch, along with the late 2021 offering Cleo. Also in 2021, Shygirl shared the slowthai collaboration BDE, and the self-directed Burberry-styled short film, Shygirl BLU, a live realization of her universally-acclaimed ALIAS EP.
Since the ALIAS EP’s release, Shygirl has gone on to star in Burberry’s AW21 presentation, claim a coveted spot in Forbes’ 30 Under 30, grace the cover of multiple prestigious magazines including ES and V Magazine, and team up with Mura Masa to remix the Lady Gaga and Blackpink track Sour Candy for the praised Dawn of Chromatica album.
Shygirl will make her homecoming to the UK to headline Printworks and Albert Hall in London and Manchester respectively in December of this year.
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – Unholy
Sam Smith and Kim Petras have teamed up on a new track, Unholy, which is a pulsating, synth-heavy collaboration. Smith opens with the hook, “Mummy don’t know daddy’s getting hot, at the body shop, doing something Unholy.”
“Unholy was made in Jamaica and was one of the most glorious creative moments I’ve ever had as an artist,” explains Smith. They add, “I’ve never had so much fun making a record.”
They continue, “It was so cathartic and freeing to experiment like this and throw out the rule book. It has also been an honour to work with Kim and get to witness her brilliance. This song is about liberating oneself from the clutches of others’ secrets…”
ROGUE FX – Don’t Talk To Strangers
We recently featured ROGUE FX for his single, Retrobution, so we couldn’t wait to hear his latest release, Don’t Talk To Strangers. Kicking off with a luscious synthscape and astral tones, with dynamic 80s style drums, ROGUE FX opens Don’t Talk To Strangers with intrigue and dimensionality.
The opus expands into an anthemic, electronic vibe, and we appreciate the presence of the saxophone, fused cohesively with ROGUE FX intricate and expansive sonic tapestry.
Speaking on the release, ROGUE FX, also known as artist, Andrew Wood, tells us, “Don’t Talk To Strangers is a classic 80s story of a rich girl who turns her back on her wealthy family life to be independent in the city working various jobs to live, ‘Don’t Talk to Strangers’ being her mantra to be streetwise and look after herself.”
DAAY – Flight
Immersing us with a cracking sound and textured vocal harmonies, DAAY open Flight with a power-pop meets indie-rock energy, and we are obsessed.
We learn that Flight is about “inevitable transformation from one thing to the next”, and originally inspired by the book Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach. The six-piece band from London tell us that the song is about “aiming to reach higher in life by focusing on what could be, rather than what is.”
We appreciate the new age meets nostalgia hybrid of their sound, and can imagine some fans of The Beatles connecting with DAAY. The harmonies are also kinda like The Beach Boys, but because of the distorted and syncopated elements in the composition, the song gets pretty chaotic with unorthodox mixing styles, which sets it apart, giving it that avant-garde edge. The band confess that the “intentional use of experimentalism aims to capture a feral quality.”
Blake Cateris – Days, Weeks, Months & Years
Setting the tone with luscious acoustic guitar and astral textures, Blake Cateris opens Days, Weeks, Months & Years with the vulnerable, situational lyrics, “I’m sick of walking myself to the bone, spending my weekends all alone, of keeping myself occupied for fear on missing out on life…”
The composition expands into a meaningful and introspective piece about living out of balance with yourself. Blake confesses it is about “Watching the world go by, feeling like you might be losing touch with far more important things in life than what you’re focusing on right now.”
We learn that Days, Weeks, Months & Years is produced and Mixed by Daniel Antix at Def Wolf Studios and Mastered by George Georgiadis at Little Wing Sound. We appreciate the fusion of folk and punk, and the poetic nuance that Blake share with his self-realized and conscious lyricism.
He tells us with wisdom, “It’s a daily struggle to break old and unhealthy habits that no longer serve you or have been damaging you for some time. But the struggle is what we live for.”
To celebrate the release of Days, Weeks, Months & Years, Blake Cateris will be touring the east of Australia, throughout October and November 2022.
Dioneesus – The Festival
Setting the tone with a cerebral frequency and the iconic Nichiren Buddhist chant “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō“, we are immediately drawn in to The Festival by Dioneesus.
We learn that The Festival is the first release off Dioneesus‘ latest album 2024 Side B. The opus expands into a tribal energy combining bold drums, Led Zeppelin inspired electric guitar, and hip-hop vocal delivery.
A genre expansive and yet cohesive fusion that hold us in awe. As the chanting fades out, Dioneesus‘ flow takes us on a trip to a festival where we get high and connected with the artist and universe. We appreciate the clarity of the vocal design and the poetic prowess and charisma that Dioneesus demonstrates.
Dioneesus is a Pittsburgh based artist combining elements of rock, hip-hop, and experimental music to create a unique blend of pioneered sound. The album release show for his latest album will be held at Redfisbowl, the premier art studio, in Pittsburgh on 12 November.
Arrows, Tejas – Wish You The Best
Establishing the mood with a celestial tone and intricate acoustic guitar, Arrows and Tejas open their collaborative single, Wish You The Best with romantic lyricism and a timeless, soft-rock energy.
The composition expands into a classic and refined energy, as they plead with the hook, “Don’t walk away, don’t leave this place, if you do, I wish you the best…”. Fans of 90s Americana bands such as 3 Doors Down will be able to connect with Wish You The Best, and we are love the poetic prowess of the lyricism and depth of the emotion conveyed by vocalist Tejas in the opus.
Speaking on the release, Dave Britto, who wrote and composed the song says, “There are instances in life when you meet people and immediately know that a bond between them is set to be lifelong. This song encapsulates that exact sentiment, and ensures that wherever they are in the world or whatever is going on in their life, all you want for them is to succeed and be happy no matter what. We all have those kinds of people in our lives, so go ahead and take this moment to wish them the best.”
Tristen Bishop – The Path
Immersing us with elegant acoustic guitar and dimensional bell detailing, Tristen Bishop opens The Path with intrigue and a sense of playful calmness.
The opus expands, with the emotive guitar as the main protagonist, into a transcendental energy before minimising with guitar bass notes that give it a more melancholic and darker edge, before expanding again with the xylophone bells, taking us full circle for the reprise.
Speaking on the release, Tristen confesses, “This piece is about the challenges, and changes, that everyone faces throughout life as we are forced to consider different views or ideologies. This causes us to constantly reevaluate the ways in which we approach and interact with the lives we are given.”
The rising artist from Ottawa continues with depth, “Over time, we are
ultimately changed into people who can be fully realized as separate from the person we were in years prior. You are likely not the same person that you were seven years ago. You have formed new memories and experienced more of the wonders that we call living. However, you
would have never gotten to where you are today without the you from seven years ago. This is one way of viewing the journey every person goes through repeatedly in life, but no two people ever take the same path.”
Robbie Rapids – Jasmine Girl
We have featured the talented Robbie Rapids for his releases, Adolescent Lover, April’s Gonna Rain, Who Shot Them Down and Rock Ain’t Dead, so we couldn’t wait to experience his latest release, Jasmine Girl!
With an enigmatic electric guitar riff and the textured percussion that we have come to love from Robbie Rapids, Jasmine Girl opens with charming 80s style melodies and the electric guitar as the primary protagonist of the piece, before Robbie sings about being left by his lover. Her clothes are gone and he can’t find her scent anymore, and she only comes around to do her laundry.
We appreciate Robbie’s narrative style of story-telling and the vulnerability that he shares with lyrics such as, “She don’t need me or love it seems…”
Elaborating on the history of the break up song, Robbie confesses, “When minor conflicts escalated into big arguments my Jasmine Girl left me and cut me off completely. I didn’t know where she went, if I was blocked or remember anymore if I ever tried to call. I wanted her to come back with apologies. Oh, the stubbornness and drama.”
He continues, “She’d come back to the house in secret when I was at work for a few weeks to do laundry etc. while getting resettled. This song is my perspective and written during this difficult time of my life. The song was never fully finished until the pandemic gave me lots of time to work on original songs and really start digging through old memories.”
Ben Steer – Unrequited Love
Opening with a power pop energy, Ben Steer kicks off Unrequited Love with the reassuring lyrics, “I’ve been beside you for all these years, I watched through all of your tears…”
The opus expands into a playful 80s inspired vibe with luscious synths and guitars, whilst Ben sings about trying to pluck up the courage to confess your feelings to someone you thought you’d already be with.
We appreciate his charismatic delivery and the nostalgia that the song holds. Ben Steer is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter from Leicestershire in the United Kingdom. He draws influences from artists such as John Mayer and Ed Sheeran to bands like Biffy Clyro, although there is no doubt that he is creating a unique sound of his own!
Björk – Fossora
Björk Guðmundsdóttir‘s long awaited album has finally arrived. The Icelandic singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and DJ who has been active in music for over four-decades shares her eclectic musical style that draws on a range of influences and genres.
Fossora is, as Björk explains it, an “Iceland album,” mirroring the rocky, beautiful and unpredictable landscapes of her home country. The title is a made-up word that translates to “she who digs.” Inspired by magic mushrooms and consciousness, Fossora highlights the contradiction and genius of one of the world’s most singular avant-garde artists.