Browsing Tag

Imogen heap

House of Asha broke through silence and stigma with her debut dream-pop single, Talk About It

Posted on 16 May 2023

https://youtu.be/Z27jssfBhsU

With her diaphanous debut single, Talk About It, the alternative singer-songwriter, House of Asha, broke the silence and stigma which often stifles the conversation around mental health in South Asian communities.

It is one thing to be candid when there will be no negative consequence or connotation, it is quite another to defy culture to break the cycle of generational trauma. The mellifluous dream-pop synthetics are a sublime pairing for the harmonically poised bleeding vocals, which effortlessly coalesce with the shoegazey dream-pop layers that will leave your rhythmic pulses on a plateau while the lyricality leaves you grounded.

Talk About It is the first single to release from House of Asha’s debut LP; it set the bar for what is to come, although, our faith is well-placed in the elevated grace of the songstress who scores her melancholically demure tracks around influences from the likes of Imogen Heap, Billie Eilish, Hozier and Young the Giant.

You can check out the debut single, Talk About It, from House of Asha via SoundCloud or stream the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lady Katherine’s Dream-pop Track ‘Harmony’

Posted on 4 September 2017

If musical genres such as shoegaze and dream-pop can sometimes be seen as elitist areas defended by earnest, serious music fans looking down their noses at pop music’s more transient and throwaway nature, then Lady Katherine is the bridge that connects the two camps. Harmony is the perfect blend of lush soundscaping and addictive pop; it has all the beat and sass of the latter but also the lush, shimmering trappings of the former.

Harmony is as concerned with textures as it is structures and it is this meeting of sonic beauty and pop groove that has created this wonderful reconciliation between the two musical worlds. I don’t think anyone was expecting that!

https://www.facebook.com/ladykatherinemusic/

Lady Katherine’s ‘Take your time’ is a sweet!

Posted on 21 August 2017

Take your time is a sweet, mellow and soft-spoken single by singer/songwriter Lady Katherine. Her warm voice and mellow production aesthetics make me think of the work of influential performers such as Dido, Imogen Heap or Daughter.

This song gently unfolds, revealing more layers and elements as the track moves forward. Initially, the song creates a nice, minimal texture just by blending piano and vocals – later, however, the fabric of the song is augmented with tasteful electric guitar melodies. There aren’t many notes, but the notes that are there are extremely powerful, with some beautiful reverb and delay effects. I love the sound of the drums, particularly the snare tone, which is fat, powerful and driven, truly helping sustain the rhythm and the groove.

The lyrics to the song are melancholic, romantic and gentle, with a rather introspective touch. I love how this song explores various sonic elements, ranging from pop to rock, alternative and even post rock.

This is a truly interesting single from an artists who reveals a multifaceted personality and a stunning approach to songwriting and production. Can’t wait to hear more!

A&R Factory Present: Erica Cooper

Posted on 16 January 2017

Erica Cooper announces the release of her debut album Safety Escape, April 29th 2017 on her record label Safety Escape Records. Erica is a Alternative Pop singer/songwriter from the Seattle area.

Her debut album was produced by Alek Edmonds, mixed by Paul David Hager (live engineer for Miley Cyrus, Devo) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley).

Erica performs as a solo artist and with her five piece band. She studied Jazz Vocal Performance and Composition at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She took an interest in audio and met engineer and producer Alek Edmonds. There she found her passion for writing and sound. For the last 3 years, she has been writing and recording her debut album.

Erica is influenced by Disco and artists such as Radiohead, The Eurythmics, Grimes, Joni Mitchell, Enya, Florence and the Machine, Imogen Heap, Arcade Fire and Feist. Themes in Erica’s music include the roles we play in love relationships, vulnerability, being present and staying in the moment, loss, addiction, her struggle with Lyme Disease, the highest highs and the lowest lows, self empowerment, setting boundaries, and hope.

Erica was fortunate to record in some amazing studios including London Bridge, Synergy and Avast in Seattle and Encore Studio A in LA.