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Blog Showcasing Singer Songwriter Talent

Folk Meets Symphony: The Dynamic Contrasts of ‘Touch of Adrenaline

Posted on 7 November 2024

With an 00s-adjacent sound that will throw you right back to when the fervour around Plain White T’s single Hey There Delilah consumed popular culture, the latest acoustic pop single, Touch of Adrenaline, from the independent singer-songwriter Woodstone, is a raw revelation which will leave you hanging off every cuttingly cultivated chord progression.

Rugged in all the right places, stirringly diaphanous in all the rest, Touch of Adrenaline is enough to sink you into an awe-struck stupor as you attempt to take in the vivacious display of talent that translates into evocatively piercing aural gold.

The pulls of the orchestral strings which work their way into the mix accompanied by folky instrumentals amplify the thematic dynamism of the single which evolves into a study of contrasts between the ornate orchestral motifs and the winding Kurt Vile reminiscent folk strings.

As the single lyrically contends with the painstaking fear of not being enough in the presence of someone who captivates through the electricity of their skin and knowing that the connection will be ephemeral, Woodstone exhibits one of the most scintillating song structures the airwaves have been graced with this year. The question isn’t whether he is worthy of your radar; it’s, Are your radars worthy of him?

Touch of Adrenaline reached all major streaming platforms, including SoundCloud on October 21.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

faSade – Freedom to Carry (Is Not Free): A Dark Cabaret Plea For An End to The Right to Bear Arms

Posted on 6 November 2024

In the Avant Garde production of faSade’s dark cabaret rock single, Freedom to Carry (Is Not Free), the artist plunges deep into the heart of one of America’s most polarising debates. The jazz-imbued track, saturated with theatrical verve, doesn’t shy from voicing the harrowing price paid by innocence in the face of the nation’s gun culture.

With each lyric, faSade delivers visceral blows, but none as sharp as the one imparted through the strikingly sombre line, “Your freedom to carry is not free when I have to carry my child to the cemetery”.

The fierce outcry against the so-called freedom of gun ownership accounts for the loss of the cost of children’s lives while delivering an anthem mourning those lost to the bullets of mentally ill assailants and a rebuke of society’s complacency.

With America on the brink of electing a new leader, the timing of the track couldn’t be more poignant. faSade holds a mirror to the grim realities of a society that chooses the profits of the gun industry over the safety of its youth as the artist condemns the political powers that perpetuate this cycle of violence for electoral gains, and the societal indifference that allows domestic abusers and despondent individuals access to firearms.

Through Freedom to Carry (Is Not Free), faSade implores listeners to awaken from their idle states as mere legislative changes could preserve countless futures.

The official video for Freedom to Carry (Is Not Free) premiered on October 18th; stream the video on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SonicFluxx – Nomad: The Ultimate Synthscape for the New Generation of Wanderers

Posted on 5 November 2024

Blazing the same trail as Depeche Mode, The Human League and Pet Shop Boys, the independent breakthrough artist SonicFluxx exhibited his ability to craft neon-lit melodic hooks that pierce euphoria straight into the soul with his latest single and music video, Nomad.

With the 80s aesthetic incorporated into the synthscape and official video, Nomad is a retro-future odyssey of pure euphony; just one hit and you’ll be hooked on the earworm which celebrates the freedom of unchaining yourself from geographical anchors and giving into wanderlust.

By allowing his listeners to live vicariously through the eyes of a wanderer, SonicFluxx didn’t just explore the phenomenon of nomadic culture, he imbued it within every strobing synth-driven progression, attesting to the beauty of living by your own liberty.

Stream the official music video for Nomad on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Folk troubadour Adam Foster purged the poison of deception with ‘Charming Lies’

Posted on 2 November 2024

In his latest single ‘Charming Lies’, Adam Foster captured the quintessence of folk within a powerful narrative that treads the line between Johnny Cash’s vignette-casting storytelling and Bob Dylan’s lyrical genius.

The candid Americana allegory critiques the deceit of snakes in suits, driven by insatiable greed and a penchant for indoctrinating the working classes into inequality. Foster’s voice weaves this narrative into a sepia-toned melody that feels like it has been directly lifted from an old-school tape deck, drenched in warm, nostalgic delay.

Having been a fixture in the music scene since his teens, Adam Foster has been perfecting his craft in various venues across the United States. Throughout the years, he’s flitted between rock, blues, folk, and country influences, drawing inspiration from legends like the Rolling Stones and the Doors, ensuring his sonic signature is far from counterfeited.

His discography spans from his solo acoustic debut in 2004 to his upcoming LP, Neon Nashville Nights, which promises a mix of originals and covers recorded with the live energy of a Nashville and polished with studio fidelity.

Charming Lies sets the tone for what’s to come and marks a moment of maturity in Foster’s career. This single positions him as a true folk troubadour whose stories resonate with authenticity and introspection. If this track is any indication, someone will need to make room for him in the Nashville Hall of Fame.

The official music video for Charming Lies will premiere on November 1st; stream it on YouTube and follow Adam Foster to keep up to date with news of his new LP, Neon Nashville Nights, via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Keep your soul warm with Daniela Galasso’s slice of indie folk-pop reverie, Comfortable

Posted on 1 November 2024
Daniela Galasso

With an emotional richness and resonance that puts her in parallel to the most introspective works of First Aid Kit, Daniela Galasso, with her seminal single, Comfortable, radiates vulnerability and tonal warmth

Aside from the cinematic sonic sublimity, the real beauty of Comfortable resides in how the Italian-born, California-based singer-songwriter turns becoming comfortable in a relationship into something profoundly poetic. While so many people would perceive that as the moment the romance dies, Galasso flips the script with her ethereally tender, orchestrally scored single, allowing listeners to see comfort in a relationship as something just as sweet as the initial butterflies.

As an award-winning artist who has clearly mastered the art of textural alchemy within her productions, Galasso has stepped out of the shadows of her influences in the vein of Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding and Imogen Heap and irrefutably come into her own through her installations of vulnerable reverie.

Comfortable will be available to stream on all major platforms from November 1st. Find your preferred way to listen via the artist’s official website.

Keep up to date with news of new releases from Daniela Galasso on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sofia Jade is nobody’s pawn in her sublimely stylised RnB Pop single

Posted on 31 October 2024

Sofia Jade’s new ambiently arresting RnB pop single, ‘Checkmate,’ delivers a mellow live lounge vibe as the London-based singer-songwriter sensuously stands her own ground on the romantic battleground.

With swathes of Lotharios making calculated moves in the game of love, countless individuals will feel the vindication spill from Checkmate, which the up-and-coming prodigy uses to declare she unapologetically refuses to be played.

Hailing from North London, 23-year-old Sofia Jade has crafted a unique and special story through her music. She found her voice at a young age but only started to pursue writing seriously during lockdown. In 2024, her sonic signature is honed to the nth degree and her lyrical depth is the sonic equivalent of the Grand Canyon.

The clever parables which explore manipulation in Checkmate are an undeniable attestation to Sofia Jade’s ability to heal through music. The track stands as a testament to her resilience and talent, marking her as a notable artist to watch in the RnB scene. Get her on your radar and watch her ascend from the underground.

Checkmate was officially released on October 4th; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify & YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Feeding the Frenzy: Buddy Pease Strikes with the melodic rock resonance in ‘Vampires at the Door’

Posted on 30 October 2024

Baltimore-based artist Buddy Pease dives evocatively deep with his latest single, ‘Vampires at the Door’, introducing a glimpse into a visceral intersection where classic rock riffs meet soul-stirring existential angst.

Opening with steady, euphonic guitar chords, the song ramps up with soaring Slash-reminiscent guitar work that electrifies the production, priming listeners for a soundscape laced with the gritty intensity fans of Soundgarden will instantly recognise.

Pease’s imploringly raw vocal lines add a striking edge to the track, reaching into the psyche as he exposes the shadowy figures of human existence—the ones that lurk like parasites on the fringes of everyday life.

Through each evocative twist in the melodies, ‘Vampires at the Door’ becomes more a revelation of Pease’s ability to capture the unease and silent struggles many of us contend with.

With his new album slated for release in the next few weeks, Pease signals he’s more than just a fledgling in the scene; he’s one to save space for on your radar as he sonically visualises the raw, universal undercurrents of human experience.

The official music video for Vampires at the Door premiered on October 16; stream the horror-esque video on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lia Juno exhibited the pain of raw rumination in her alt-indie tour de force, Sight

Posted on 30 October 2024
Lia Juno

Ethereal alt-indie pop vocals meet cavernous guitar lines in Lia Juno’s intimately melancholic single, ‘Sight’, which deconstructs familiar tonality, tearing it down to the aural rubble before rebuilding a sonic landscape where sanctuary for the disillusioned resides.

Since unveiling her debut single, Fevering, earlier this year, the LA-based independent artist has made all the right waves; with her latest single she puts herself in the same league as Wolf Alice and Big Thief with the cerebral thematic nature of the manifesto of mournful rumination.

Building up from Pixies-esque artfully dramatic motifs to a blisteringly grungy crescendo of distorted guitars clashing in oscillation with the rhythm section, Sight ensures that if you have any pent-up emotions when you hit play, they’ll be obliterated by the impact of the track’s climax which you’ll want to feel the force of time after time.

Sight will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and SoundCloud, from October 30th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

G.B Rider rendered resonance into rock reverence with ‘Even Superheroes Cry’

Posted on 28 October 2024

In the raw, soul-stirring single ‘Even Superheroes Cry’, G.B. Rider—Guy Barnes’ musical alter ego—sharpens rock balladry with cuttingly evocative edges.

The standout track from his Child of Yesterday LP wields Elton John-reminiscent piano progressions in a production soaked in 80s nostalgia as the emotional tenor ascends to the raw grit found in Soul Asylum’s vocal desperation, coupled with a fierce nod to the early, unrestrained Manic Street Preachers.

So much more than just a melody that clings to your memory; Child of Yesterday is an anthem that roars for the right to be vulnerable, to be candid in the throes of emotional tumult.

Under the mentorship of the audio pioneer John Oram, Barnes has sculpted a career defined by decades of relentless creativity and emotional authenticity. His music—a synthesis of chorus-driven rock and the intimate narrative styles of legends like George Michael and Neil Diamond—is infused with the augmented energy of Jon Bon Jovi and the lyrical sincerity of Neil Sedaka. Each track G.B Rider crafts is a fortress of feeling and Even Superheroes Cry is far from the exception.

Returning from a hiatus propelled by the tragic loss of his friend and mentee Chris Hardman, Barnes channelled his sorrow into the defiant, hopeful chords of Child of Yesterday. This album is a phoenix’s cry from the ashes of despair, a testament to enduring past pain, a sonic anthology everyone will be able to find a piece of themselves within.

Stream Even Superheroes Cry as part of the Child of Yesterday LP in full via Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Brighton’s John Jackson Debuts with ‘Tomorrow’—A Britpop Diary of Loss and Hope

Posted on 26 October 2024

John Jackson’s debut EP, Tomorrow, unveils itself as a meditative exploration, using the avenues of indie and Britpop to navigate intimate reflections of an introspective psyche. Recorded in his Brighton home, the self-produced collection of singles invites listeners to aurally gaze into tender expositions of grief, heroism, and isolation, melodically prising beauty from melancholy.

The opening title track, Tomorrow, is a diaphanous curtain-raiser, reminiscent of Blur’s sonic breadth but uniquely steeped in the thematic depth of personal loss. Jackson’s masterful weaving of art through the agony of grief through Thom Yorke-like flourishes transforms the track into an introspective odyssey. It’s a journey through sorrow, beautifully wrapped in tender melodic progressions that resonate with the listener’s own hidden echoes of loss.

Transitioning from the ethereal to the earthbound, Save Heaven shifts the mood with its melancholic yet profound orchestration. Here, Jackson explores the sting of isolation, crafting a cinematically rich soundscape that hits all the right evocative triggers  The orchestral elements, coupled with the syncopated pulses of the track, create a magnetising rhythmic pull that draws deeper into the shared experience of solitude.

The EP’s narrative arc reaches a crescendo with Hero; an ode to Inspiral Carpets and the concept of unexpected bravery. It’s a rumination on fearlessness that asserts Jackson’s ability to bear his musical influences while allowing his authenticity to permeate through homage.

As a first entry, Jackson’s debut EP couldn’t be more promising; his ability to speak on unspoken phenomena through his affectingly authentic sonic identity is what every songwriter should strive to achieve through their art and expression.

Tomorrow is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Keep up to date with new releases from John Jackson via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast