Who? DYLYN
What? Call Me What You Want
Where? Toronto
What they say? Bring the anger, the smashing, the crashing energy that I sometimes feel when I listen to heavy music. That head bang and dance you do when you’re alone, when you let yourself go for a moment.
Why we love it? So full of attitude that it spills over into a river of cathartic angst, this ultra-cool track from DYLYN exhumes punk-rock with a polished sound that invites the listener to indulge in their confidence and say “fuck you” to negative energies. (Lloyd Best)
FFO: The Pretty Reckless, Hey Violet
Who? Sam the Astronaut
What? Midnight Car Light
What they say? The song is about feeling trapped in a relationship and the doubt that comes from that. If it’s harder than the last one, why should the relationship continue? What’s the gain when there is so much pain? It’s the frustration of wanting something so bad, but it’s continually getting harder.
Why we love it? Exquisitely produced, with creamy smooth vocals and expertly crafted instrumentation, this stunning track is a perfect showcase of Sam the Astronaut‘s talents as a skilled songwriter and vocalist. (Lloyd Best)
FFO: Poalo Nutini, Deep Cotton
Who? Adeline
What? After Midnight
Where? New York
Why we love it? ‘After Midnight‘ is THAT song, pre-drinks at the ready. It’s a beautiful, funky, disco number with gorgeous vocal stylings, attention to detail in the production, and buckets of charisma that will make you crave the dancefloor. (Lloyd Best)
FFO: Jill Scott, Solange, Jessie Ware
Who? Hermetic Delight
What? Glassdancers
What they say? Hermetic Delight recently released their debut album “F.A. CULT” via October Tone Record. At the end of the 2000s, there lived four musicians in Strasbourg (France) who were wondering how to name their band. They were fond of Siouxsie & The Banshees, Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, the Pixies, the Cure, Wire or Sonic Youth, but all those names were already taken. So they decided to call themselves Hermetic Delight. Hermetic Delight recorded F.A. Cult with Charles Rowell from Crocodiles on production and under Anna Calvi’s guidance.
Why we love it? Dramatic and swooping this fabulous swirl, skitters across the boundaries of post punk and synth wave, with its delicious guitars, synth sweeps and evocative loops. While enigmatic vocals that gather from hushed mystery to powerhouse chorus refrains (“come on and let me push away the demons from my head!”) While horns skid in across the landscape in the fantastic outro. Survival through struggle never sounded so good. A gem to uncover. (Bill Cummings)
FFO: Goldfrapp, Eurythmics
https://soundcloud.com/hermeticdelight/glassdancers-1?ref=clipboard
Who? Skylight Parade
What? Back to Black
Where? London
What they say? The song was written in October 2019 while Zack was working at the Novation London pop-up store. He’d try to make at least one song a day on one of the production stations and used to use this song when demonstrating the Novation products to customers who walked in. The lyrics are inspired by the music video for ‘Here With Me’ by The Killers. ‘’The video portrays somebody being obsessed with a celebrity, thinking they’re dating them and becoming a bit crazy. At the end of the day, the lyrics could also be interpreted as someone getting pushed to the friend-zone, returning to being single.”
Why we love it? This interesting song has a unique sound and a minimalist production that highlights the top-line melody that is insanely catching and memorable. By throwing out the rule book and rejecting tired genre tropes they have crafted a sound that sets them apart from other bands in the same genre. (Lloyd Best)
FFO: Panic! At The Disco, Halsey, Fall Out Boy
Who? PELA
What? South Of
Where? South London
What they say? The second single from Hannah Coombes and Olly Shelton aka PELA. They met through working with London Contemporary Voices and the
Roundhouse Choir, and they’ve brought a similarly big stage sense of drama to their recorded work. Proceeds from the Bandcamp sales of the single go to the Black Lives Matter UK fund and Justice for Breonna Taylor campaigns, so you know where to head.
Why we love it? There’s something compulsive about the contrast between Hannah’s emotion-laden vocals and the coolness of the Vince Clarke-like electronics that form their backdrop. Clearly an act to keep an eye and ear on over the next few months. (Ben Willmott)
FFO: James Blake, Bon Iver, KAYTRANAD and Little Dragon.
Who? Flikka
What? Stop Me From
Where? Sweden
What they say? Produced by Leon Michels aka El Michels Affair, Flikka explains the inspiration behind the song: “I had a lot of anxiety and regret and I couldn’t sleep. I remember calling up my father in the middle of the night asking what to do with the state I was in. He told me to pick up my guitar and so I did, and this song happened. This was the first song I wrote for the Flikka project and its really about looking for love in the wrong places. It’s one of my most personal songs, which makes it hard to talk about. Sometimes you trust people who you shouldn’t trust. It’s kind of funny how some people can treat you like shit and make you feel guilty about it.”
Why we love it? Brittle and raw this vividly shot piece of songwriting that’s an almost unbearably minimal snapshot of pain. Flikka’s wonderfully multifaceted voice unfurling from awkward anguish to evocative plead threaded with pregnant bass lines and putter patter percussion. Expertly produced this song possesses a startling intimacy that cuts you to the quick. Stunning. (Bill Cummings)
FFO: Bjork, Feist, U.S Girls
https://soundcloud.com/flikkamusic/stop-me-from-om1-05-03-20-2496/
