The other day, we were celebrating the return of English folktronica band Tunng by sharing their ace new single ABOP. I’d imagine the band must be pretty busy considering the new album they’re preparing to drop this summer, yet Tunng’s Mike Lindsay has found time to form a new band with celebrated folk singer songwriter Laura Marling. The pair, who’ve named themselves LUMP, already have a self-titled debut album arriving on June 1st via Dead Oceans. They’ve shared a second single from the record, which like their first single Curse of the Contemporary, comes accompanied by a music video starring a big red expressive and lonely yeti of sorts. Watch the big fellow dance around with a mop to melancholic aching, lush orchestral Late To The Flight, an atmospheric and unhurried beauty that slowly settles itself deep within your soul. You can pre-order/pre-save LUMP’s debut album, here.
Posts Tagged ‘acoustic folk’
May 9, 2018
I really don’t know much about Isle Of Wight, even though its one of the most popular English islands around. I only know of it due to the long-standing British music festival that occurs there every year. But I’ve come to learn that I’m in love with this singer songwriter, Swan Levitt, who hails from the island. He recently released a deeply affecting folk song named Alive from his highly anticipated debut EP, and it’s quite the intimately moving piece. Alive’s heartfelt lyrics detail an event involving a close friend, and the fast rising artist’s grainy voice seems ready to crack under the weight of his anguished emotions. The acoustic-folk ballad is beautifully heartbreaking, to say the least. It builds slowly, swells gently, with lush strings and poignant fervency. Speaking on Alive, Swan said; “Alive is a song about loss. It’s primarily about a close friend who battled with cystic fibrosis. However, it has wider meaning. Family, friends, memories (good and bad). I think most people can relate to some kind of trauma, so ‘Alive’ should resonate with them”. Pre-order Swan Levitt’s self-titled debut EP, here.
May 9, 2018
A band like Freedom Fry releasing a song named Cold Blooded Heart almost seems ironic, considering how sweetly affable and genuinely down to earth the French-American duo from Los Angeles has proven to be in all our encounters with the pair. But that’s exactly what Bruce Driscoll and Marie Seyrat have named their new single, a dusty rolling gem from their long awaited debut full length, arriving this summer. With it, Freedom Fry takes us to the ruthless Wild West, known for its stoic shootouts and its heart wringing escapades. But we feel cozy and safe, swaddled by the LA-based duo’s twangy strumming, bucolic stirring song. They’ve given us a heartfelt reminder to look to the future after surviving the past. Cold Blooded Heart is that welcome hearth, that dependable log cabin we return to after a long day out in the barren wilderness under a brutal sun. Our hearts may be beaten and mangled, but we’re lifted by Freedom Fry’s harmonious vocals, their beautifully lush strings, and an overwhelming sense of weathered contentment. “Make a fire, put it in your heart, I won’t let you go, I’ll make you whole again,” they coo. Freedom Fry’s debut album Classic drops on June 1st. Re-visit the title track via our feature, here.
May 4, 2018
Let’s kick of a humongous new set of fine tunes with something exquisitely beautiful. Portland, Oregon’s Haley Heynderickx stops time itself with her folksy indie strummer No Face, which arrives ahead of her U.S. headline tour this summer. The song, which is accompanied by a stop motion music video, is two minutes of tenderly haunting perfection. No Face is a soothing balm, yet it carries much raw emotion, too. We nearly want to hold our breaths through it’s short ephemeral duration. The way it leaves us hanging, wallowing in our own remorse, urges us to hit the play button, an imperative must. The singer songwriter released her debut album I Need To Start a Garden on Mama Bird Recording Co. recently, and it’s been receiving a lot of accolades since. You can find the record, here. Find out about her forthcoming tour, here.
April 11, 2018
If you’re fond of emotive folk rock, interspersed with dynamic riffs and poetic, romantic lyricism in the ilk of Damien Rice or Ben Howard, I highly recommend you check out Welsh singer songwriter Ivan Moult and his gorgeous new tune, Carried Over Water. Not only is his whiskey-soaked voice soothing, but the acoustic strums of the song seem to pull our very hearts along with its gentle crimps and curls, straight across an ocean of memories and regrets. The song is the third isngle to emerge from Ivan Moult’s forthcoming album, Longest Shadow.
January 24, 2018
This fine debut left my jaw wide open and agape earlier today when I first waded into its halcyon stirring beauty, but what really floored me right away was FERGUS’ exceptional voice, a truly distinct and remarkable experience. The new singer songwriter, who hails from London, captures our hearts with his emotive cooing, so gentle and beautiful, tender and smooth. FERGUS shared his very first music video today for debut song You Or Nothing, a plaintive yet soothing folk lullaby produced by Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes). You Or Nothing is the first track lifted from his forthcoming EP, due for release soon.
Speaking about the video, FERGUS said: “We wanted to create something simple and beautiful to complement not only the song itself, but also the slightly, corrupted devoutness present throughout ‘You or Nothing’. We got really lucky with St Giles-in-the-fields; and to film in such a stunning church, in the sort of setting I spent so much of my childhood, felt surreal and fittingly full circle. The way the camera sweeps around me reminds me of a spinning ballerina in a music box, put on display for all to see – an image I think perfectly embodies the bittersweet nature of the track.” You can download or stream this heartrending debut via all major outlets, here.
January 23, 2018
Back to LA we go for a new one from rising indie outfit Mt. Joy, who I’m hoping I’ll get to catch when I make my annual pilgrimage to Austin for SXSW in March. They fuse indie rock with rootsy folk on Jenny Jenkins, lifted from their forthcoming full length. The dusty drawling song feels a bit like a stripped down Cold War Kids track. The band, who were selected by NPR as one of their 2018 Slingshot Artists as well as Yahoo’s 10 Artists to Watch, showcase their versatile sound on the song, having given us a plethora of fine tunes in the past including the more jazzy soulful Sheep. Jenny Jenkins is a wistful and nostalgic ballad, and though it’s not a cover of the Jerry Garcia and David Grisman song of the same name, it is very much connected to it. Stream/download the single, here. Mt. Joy’s self titled debut album arrives on March 2nd via Dualtone Records.
October 10, 2017
It felt like the music gods had blessed us a few weeks ago when we happened to stumble upon new POP ETC, albeit egregiously belatedly. Turns out, their generosity didn’t end there. This New York based band, who’ve wittily re-named themselves in a manner that defies genre expectation since their Bay Area days as The Morning Benders, are back with some fantastic news. POP ETC will be releasing a new music series named “Infinite Singles Collection” on which they’ll deliver new releases in batches of one or two songs, every four to six weeks. And they’ve already revealed its lead song, a dulcet acoustic strummer named Fingerprints, via a charming video directed by POP ETC’s own Jon Chu.
Lead singer Chris Chu says about the sweetly nostalgic, warmly endearing song: “‘Fingerprints’ was one of those songs that came out quickly. I had been thinking a lot about the effect that all the people I’ve met over the years have had on my life. Trying to trace the different threads and series of events. It’s really amazing to think about. Even those people you meet once, or the ones that come into your life for a couple of months and then disappear. There’s no telling who will come into your life and alter its course forever.” Pre-save all future releases in POP ETC’s Infinite Singles Collection on Spotify, here. Stream/download Fingerprints, here.
September 15, 2017
Cigs are normally very bad for your health, but the cig we’re about to melt and sigh away to for the next three plus minutes is like chicken soup for the soul. Cig is solo project Baby FuzZ’s halcyon soothing debut. It’s a tender pastoral, dulcet wafting first treat from Sterling Fox, the now Montreal based singer songwriter and producer behind the fresh endeavor. Cig’s bucolic beauty and gentle stirring harmonies are like Family Of The Year paired with Simon & Garfunkel. It’s melancholic yet sweet, with a bit of a bitter bite hiding in its soft drapery. Watch Baby FuzZ’s subtle music video for Cig below. Cig can be purchased from iTunes, here.
August 10, 2017
Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives embarked on a new adventure last month as solo project Jaws Of Love. The self titled song that he gave us for his first single left us with our jaws agape with its dreamy contemplative beauty. He’s followed that tune up with another gently floating swathe of melancholia named Love Me Like I’m Gone, and we’re all but melting into a helpless puddle to the heartfelt indie ballad. Love Me Like I’m Gone has been featured in Will Arnett’s Netflix series Flaked, and it’s quite the weathered and emotive combination of soft folksy guitar picks, dreamy atmospheric keys, and earnest vocals. Love Me Like I’m Gone is our second taste from Jaws of Love’s debut album Tasha Sits Close To The Piano, arriving September 22nd via House Arrest. Pre-order, here.
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