Browsing Tag

Mental Health

The British-Swedish pop duo Small Changes illuminated the airwaves with their latest single, The Sun

Posted on 1 February 2022

Few female pop duos can rival the soulfully powerful British-Swedish duo, Small Changes, especially on the basis of their latest single, The Sun, which creates parables between the warmth of the spiciest planet in our solar system and the cosy affection in human connection.

Their life-affirming and perception brightening single was a charity release to raise money for MIND. Yet, it is safe to say that Lina Nilsson and Elisabeth O’Connor did their part for the advocacy of mental health through writing the single alone. Notably, with their meaningful lyricism, immense vocal talent and spiritually awakening instrumentals, they are one to watch. They’re already receiving plaudits from up high from BBC Introducing and gracing notable venues, such as The O2 Academy Islington, Notting Hill Arts Club and Under the Bridge.

You can check out The Sun for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Texas singer-songwriter Chey wonders why the kisses are in ‘Limbo’

Posted on 29 January 2022

As the smokey ash falls from the air when the time to be alive is almost over, Chey finds beauty with her angel who is saving her from all the madness but wonders why they are romantically still stuck in that spacey-souled cold ‘Limbo‘.

Chey is an emerging young Texas, USA-based indie singer-songwriter who commenced her music voyage after college and has bravely used this life-changing art form to help her mental health in this complex world.

”I wrote this song in a hotel room, flew to Dallas for 24 hours to record it in the studio, and finished cutting vocals in my closet.” ~ Chey

With a vocal atmosphere that surely reminds you of early Lana Del Rey, Chey is at her tragic romance best with a vocal experience that might send shivers down your spine and possibly induce small tears down your cheek. Her exceptional honesty transforms your mood so quickly, as her story has you in a flashback kind of mindset that fills your mind as you remember a past love that just faded away unexpectedly.

”Being an avid storyteller, Chey’s lyricism is inspired by film and literature and is greatly influenced by her real-life experiences, allowing her to personalize her art while still having it resonate with others.” ~ Chey

‘Limbo‘ from the Texas, USA-based indie singer-songwriter Chey, shows us a vividly described love story that is cinematic to its core and ultimately so striking on your heart as we are thrown into a picture that has you thinking so deeply. You love your partner so much but feel like you are stuck in a world that feels numb, as you wonder if that heart-beating feeling will return. Sung with true compassion, this is a really promising effort from an artist who only seems to get better and better.

Hear this outstanding new single on Spotify and see more via the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Healing From The Pain: AJ Mclovely leads us through the forest to find that peace on ‘Breathe’

Posted on 24 January 2022

As she walks barefoot into the tranquil forest to acquire that hope again after such a tragic loss, AJ Mclovely finds the strength to carry on as she knows that they would want her to be brave during this traumatic time on ‘Breathe‘.

AJ Mclovely is an Aberdeenshire, Scotland singer-songwriter, former beauty queen, and is a courageous ambassador for Mental Health.

”The song was written by Aj, about the loss of a loved one and is a collaboration with Aberdeen Wedding Pianist, Dennis Douglas.” ~ AJ Mclovely 

Singing with an angelic presence that is beyond wonderful, AJ Mclovely helps us all heal from a personal loss with a superbly presented music video that has been made with such care and class. Each note is collected and crisp – and sends your memory into a peaceful place – as you recall those happy moments while you locate that true closure we all desire to fully fly into a better place.

‘Breathe‘ from the Aberdeenshire, Scotland indie singer-songwriter AJ Mclovely is a simply stunning display from an artist who is healing from a loss that hurt her so much. This is the story about looking for that beauty again so that you may move on, whilst remembering that soul who changed your life as you will never forget them. Looking for that love when there is only darkness beneath your naked feet, shows so much resilience when there has been a tragedy that you need time to get over.

Witness this deep music video on YouTube and see more news via the FB music channel.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Move Forward: NYC alt-rockers Wake the Sun don’t let the past define them on ‘Deep Blues Skies’

Posted on 23 January 2022

Inspired by their heroes from the legendary band’s Foo Fighters and Rival Sons, Wake the Sun put on their sunglasses and stomp all the self-doubt out of your soul with ‘Deep Blues Skies‘.

Wake the Sun is a New York, USA-based indie 4-piece alt-rock band that sends us a real banger here that seems to illuminate all senses and take you to a better place than before.

”With the recent pandemic, mental health has been at the forefront of many people’s minds. Luckily, more and more people are being made aware of its effects every single day and having a frank conversation. This song seeks to shed light on that ever-growing problem. The song depicts the frustrations of getting caught up with your own thoughts and how they can harken back to tribulations of years past. It conveys how past adversity can color our perceptions of today.” ~ Lead singer and lyricist, Dillon Mealy

Sometimes in life, you hear a band so underrated it makes you positively inspired to tell everyone you know with good music taste about them. Wake the Sun is that band. What they achieve on ‘Deep Blues Skies‘ is quite magnificent as they bust a deep hole into anything that has been suffocating you lately, with an excellently delivered track that will leave you speakers blushing.

‘Deep Blues Skies‘ from New York-based indie 4-piece alt-rock act Wake the Sun, is a thunderous track from a really exciting band who understand that the future can be bright if you lose the baggage at the airport and fly free again. There is a tempo projected here that is quite outstanding and very Foo-like, as they press play and let their music do the talking.

Life is all about looking for sunnier climates, so that you may bask in the light and forget anything that has held you back in achieving anything you want.

Check out this top new single on Spotify and see more via the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

HayeWire promises ‘Better Days’ in their heart-wrenching debut single.

Posted on 23 December 2021

Up and coming Mississippi artist, HayeWire, has released his optimism-inspiring debut single, Better Days. The debut infuses hip hop, pop and RnB into the minor key melodies that are striking enough to leave you arrested in the introspection that was laid out as a means of connection.

The single starts with a minimalist melody and harmonic pop vocals before the rap bars and beats fully kick in, which brings plenty of gravity of track that caught us utterly broadsided with its ability to convey so succinctly the nature of depression.

HayeWire’s sole focus is dealing with trauma and depression in his lyrics to remind his listeners that they aren’t alone in their individual struggle. Notably, he hit the mark with Better Days which unravels as a cocktail of multi-faceted emotion that reflects the tight grip of depression and how sweet it is to break free from it.

Better Days is easily one of the most promising debuts we have heard during 2021. We can’t wait to hear how HayeWire follows on from this compassionate hard-hitter.

HayeWire’s debut single, Better Days, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dark Soul: London’s Rhea knows that this evil shadow has certainly sinned on ‘Blood on your hands’

Posted on 1 December 2021
https://soundcloud.com/whatkindofwonderland/blood-on-your-hands?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=29FF4731F1E04390AD58B3724A0BE1C6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

On one of the most beautifully frightful tracks you will ever hear in your whole existence, Rhea discreetly cuts through our inquisitive consciousness with a sharp-edged experience that might remind you of early Lana Del Ray with ‘Blood on your hands‘.

Rhea is a 24-year-old indie-pop singer-songwriter and artist who appears to make music from the most profound part of her highly creative soul as he uses this outlet to help stay sane in this puzzling world.

”My goal is to make music and art others can relate to, I also want to fuse visual are and music together.” ~ Rhea

Rhea dispenses us into this movie-like picture with vivid detail and harmonises with such a lovably raw style, as each expression is propelled with such perspicacity and emotion. It’s like she has truly seen this story with her own eyes and directs us, into a release that will have your whole soul shaking in utter disbelief at this underground gem.

‘Blood on your hands‘ from the terrifically talented and highly-promising London, UK-based indie-pop artist Rhea, is such a heart-stopping song that you might need a cold glass of water afterwards. This is an authentic singer-songwriter with so much potential at her very fingertips, who is such a vividly descriptive storyteller beyond compare. There is a knife-edge of anticipation here as you don’t quite know what is going to happen next – which has you so fascinated like you are watching a future great at work – while she is still fairly unknown and finding the sound that she wants to propel to the world.

Hear this deep track on her Soundcloud and see more of her activities on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Vincent Tesoro extends salvation in his alt-hip hop track, Fix Me.

Posted on 2 November 2021

Vincent Tesoro has released his indie emo alt-hip hop debut album, Shooting Stars & Broken Halos, which deserves to be as revered as Lil Peep’s legacy of a back catalogue for the way it effortlessly obliterates genre by putting cutting emotion to the forefront. Outliers or anyone that has been down beaten and found the light from the gutter will be sucked in by the standout single, Fix Me.

Fix Me is a hooky call for salvation that comes with sniping Blink 182-style pop-punk tendencies, contemporary hip hop beats and vocals that compel you to verse the lyrics before you have even memorised them.

Along with his ability to bring resonant panache to hip hop, Vincent Tesoro is also a mental health advocate and a certified substance abuse counsellor after years of recovery between his overdose in 2014. It all comes together in his compassionate wisdom-packed tracks that we can’t wait to hear more of.

Fix Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wade Wilson brings the adrenaline to jazz hip hop with Be There.

Posted on 20 October 2021

The up and coming old-school-inclined hip hop artist and mental health activist, Wade Wilson, has dropped his highly anticipated debut album, Chop House, featuring the standout single, Be There. The Brooklyn-based artist’s hyper hip hop style practically brings a brand-new meaning to the term high vibe hip hop.

Right from the intro, you’re thrown into an electrifying jazzy hip hop ensemble that creates a viscerally adrenalizing platform for his high fire rap bars. While the intense BPM won’t be for everyone, anyone looking to be galvanised won’t want to miss out on this monolithic hit.

Wade Wilson’s debut album, Chop House, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

XANDE breaks barriers with his mental health alt-pop stormer, DOWNFALL.

Posted on 8 October 2021

Alt-pop singer-songwriter and producer, XANDE, is set to release his rawest single to date with DOWNFALL, which doesn’t just open up the MH conversation; it drops an atomic bomb to break down barriers and advocate for mental health awareness.

By mixing with contemporary pop elements with trap textures and alt-rock stylings, DOWNFALL could easily be  universally adored. If you thought that Wrecking Ball was evocative, brace yourselves for the emotional firestorm that blazes throughout this massive melodic hit.

The Portugal-born artist penned the single to reflect the emotions that transpired through being a caregiver for his father, who suffered from schizophrenia and PTSD. It finds a nuanced way of portraying the very real truth that the symptoms of someone’s mental health conditions can cause another’s trauma.

As someone that has also had to constantly creep around depression and anxiety during childhood, I couldn’t help finding myself in the lyrics; that hollowing feeling of knowing that your emotions will always be secondary and the people that should have your back just let you fall or push you even further. It’s a stunning single, in every conceivable way. We can’t wait to hear more.

The official video to DOWNFALL will premiere on October 8th; you can check it out for yourselves on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Losing Sight: Frannie B searches for the all-important meaning again with ‘Downfall’

Posted on 25 September 2021

After understandably letting the addictive forces of the internet control her for too long like so many, Frannie B emerges from the other side with a harrowing story that should serve as a wake-up call for us all on ‘Downfall‘.

Frannie Brown aka Frannie B, is an indie dark-pop/dance and RnB-fused PJ’s-loving singer-songwriter who truly sings from the heart. She makes that inspiring blend of memorable melodies that is real and from life experiences, in this controlled world which can suffocate you forever if you aren’t too careful.

”This song was written during lockdown last year. It was recorded in Frannie’s bedroom and produced over Skype with Danish producer Mört.” ~ Frannie B

Her lusciously projected vocals are excellently laced with so much pureness you can’t help but support her message, with a likable beat that gets your moving graciously and thinking deeply about how much you consume online. The lyrics are thoughtfully written and with such insightful meaning – each sentence leads you deeper inside her mind – to see how she feels about this vitally important topic, that seem to have been unintentionally forgotten.

”To me this song is about any form of addiction, including how damaging the internet is and how much young people (myself included) allow it to control almost every aspect of our lives. Addiction is an area that is attached to a lot of negative stigma but has really personally affected me so I hope this can help anyone struggling with it to feel less alone.”- Frannie B

‘Downfall‘ from the wonderful indie dance-pop artist Frannie B, is that stark reminder that one more swipe can really have you lose your true path, as you turn into an anxious zombie and worry about things you really shouldn’t. As social media and the internet has so many losing their soul just for some meaningless likes and follows, this is a striking message that needs to be heard far and wide. With so many impressionable eyes locked on their screens, there must be a better way to live and avoid getting sucked into a world that unfairly compares everyone.

Sung with a true care and love from someone who has lived the emotional journey, this is a catchy track to truly think about what content you absorb. Surely living life happily is about being outside in nature, with genuine human and animals, far away from our addictive phones.

Hear this fantastic new single on Spotify and see more news via her IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen