Browsing Tag

UK singer songwriter

Spotlight Feature: Get elementally radiant with Laura Loh’s latest alt-pop single, Morning Light

Posted on 4 March 2022

There has been no stopping the Hampshire, UK-based singer-songwriter Laura Loh since she released her debut EP in 2020. She has been lauded by BBC Introducing, taken to stages at Weyfest, ValeFest and Westival, and even recorded vocals at the infamous Abbey Road Studios.

Now, she’s here with her optimistic blend of alt-pop and folk, Morning Light, which brings her background of classical and jazz music into the luminous mix, which serves as the perfect reminder of the pleasure we can take by simple yet stunning facets of nature. Yet, cleverly, Morning Light is simultaneously a parable of the radiance that the right people can spark within us. My soul feels infinitely lighter for hearing the emotional depth in Loh’s smooth vocal lines and the intricately ascending melodies. Loh knew exactly where to greet you with pools of shimmering reverb for transcendent effect. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Morning Light was officially released on March 4th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The UK singer-songwriter, Mea has released her sad-girl-empowering debut single, Sad Girl Vibes

Posted on 25 February 2022

The up-and-coming independent alt-pop artist, Mea’s exceptionally promising debut single, Sad Girl Vibes, is everything that it metaphorically says on the tin, and so much more for the way it puts to shame toxic positivity tropes and empowers through resonance.

The artfully vulnerable release melds the moody beats with lighter textures and sensibilities to make it all too easy to get on the same wavelength as the UK-based singer-songwriter and her trip-hoppy, indie RnB nuanced track. Any fans of Warpaint will want to pay attention.

The bruisingly honest lyrics in the earworm stand as the ultimate testament to the fact that just because someone errs on the side of melancholy, that doesn’t make their psyche synonymous with obnoxious misery. If anyone can tempt people into owning their sad girl vibes, it is Mea.

You can vibe with Mea’s debut single, Sad Girl Vibes, for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

UK singer-songwriter Hannyta has released her spirited folky synth-pop single, Wildflower.

Posted on 2 November 2021

UK-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Hannyta attracted a loyal fan following with her spellbindingly unique covers of singles such as Fight Song and Jar of Hearts. Her debut original single, Wildflower, proves that when she’s bringing life to products of her orchestration, even more visceral, spiritual alchemy breathes. The moody synth-pop stylings, Hannyta’s almost arcanely soulful vocals and the folkish elements create a brand-new brand of entrancing electro-pop.

Not only does Hannyta boast authenticity, but she also boasts the ability to make that authenticity infectious from the first hit. Hit play, and you will greet your new perennial pop earworm. How she has such a refined style at the age of seventeen is quite frankly beyond us. We can’t wait to hear what she has in store for her sophomore release.

Wildflower, which was officially released on October 22nd, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Fountains of Paradise has made an interstellar indie space pop debut with Forgotten Man.

Posted on 28 October 2021

With their if-they-got-enough-exposure-they-would-probably-start-a-cult-and-it-would-be-the-best-thing-ever vibe, it is safe to say that we instantly warmed to The Fountains of Paradise through their single, Forgotten Man, which features on their debut album, Let the People.

The Yorkshire-born, Buckinghamshire-based singer-songwriter’s spacey indie bedroom pop track starts with uplifting ABBA-Esque chords before the sonic palette transitions into an avant-garde arrangement of orchestral strings pulling against the electro-pop instrumentals. Plenty of the accordance in the single comes from the singer-songwriter’s elegantly gentle vocals that tenderly relay the playfully melancholic lyrics.

Forgotten Man does little in the way of subverting reality; it becomes escapism music all the same for the way it leaves you caught up in the witty attack on nihilism and mortality redundancy. For four minutes, blackened souls will feel right at home.

You can add Forgotten Man to your playlists on Spotify, or you can check out the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dandy artfully demands an end to ableism with her single, In Their Shoes.

Posted on 22 September 2021

The Anchoress recently spoke out in her article in the Guardian about the ableist nature of the music industry that has ostracised her from live music; a similar experience is shared by the Shropshire, UK-based artist, Dandy.

Driven by the determination to see fair representation and visibility of disabled artists in the mainstream music industry, Dandy recorded a demo of her debut album, The Cycle, in 2020. The standout single, In Their Shoes, attacks the injustices that consistently happen due to the fundamentally broken fabric of our society as the piano melodies that will score well with Nick Cave fans support Dandy’s beguilingly baroque vocals.

In Their Shoes has the power to leave you as sobered as a Ken Loach film, while the demure artful grace of Dandy draws you deeper into the reality for the disabled and chronically ill.

In Their Shoes is available to stream along with Dandy’s debut album on Spotify.

Follow the artist on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lillibet explores patriotism through a new lens in her soul-pop single, ‘Kingdom’

Posted on 15 June 2021

After her debut single, I Love You When I’m Drunk, was met with rapturous acclaim; there was plenty of anticipation of what Lillibet’s sophomore single would bring. The feisty indie soul-pop track, Kingdom, certainly didn’t disappoint. The Milton Keynes-hailing singer-songwriter surpasses Winehouse in terms of attitude and experimentalism while offering the same soulful connection and rich and resonant vocals.

Paradoxically, Lillibet exudes the grace of a Parisian chanteuse while simultaneously carrying the grit of our modernity in the socially aware single that shows England through the lens of an immigrant’s eyes. Regardless of how many times you listen to Kingdom, you will continue to take something new from the single. The wit-soaked meta lyrics weave through stunning parables that are powerful enough to shift dim-witted perspectives.

Kingdom is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Izzy Frances’s ‘Stay With Me’ – Beautiful, Stripped-Bare, and Emotive.

Posted on 22 April 2021

It’s not often as a reviewer that one starts to run out of superlatives, but when it comes to UK-based singer-songwriter Izzy Frances that’s highly possible. Frances has already had some serious success with new single ‘Stay With Me’, reaching the top ten on iTunes on its day of release, and staying there ever since; already a semi-finalist in last year’s UK national song-writing contest, Izzy’s gained support from BBC Introducing for all her releases so far, and on this basis of this track it’s very easy to see why.

‘Stay With Me’ is a beautiful, gentle, vaguely folk-oriented piano-led ballad which is carried superbly by Frances’ delicate voice; a mix of heartfelt emotion, soft and gentle yet raw and powerful all at once. The sparse piano arrangement adds perfectly to the feel of the delivery; there’s touches of Beverly Craven, Phoebe Bridgers, and even Norah Jones to the vibe, the lyrics mature and exposed whilst the minor-chord accompaniment sits stunningly well underneath. ‘Stay With Me’ is subtle and tender, stripped bare, fragile and emotive, and exquisitely well done.

You can hear ‘Stay With Me’ on SoundCloud now. Follow Izzy Frances here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Kaviani has released his punky power-pop lockdown playlist staple, ‘Gimme Some Sunshine’

Posted on 17 March 2021

There was no forgetting Kaviani after hearing his 2019 single, ‘Don’t Let the Bombs Drop, Daddy’ that found a powerful way to awaken the listener to the insidious nature of the military-industrial complex. With his latest single, ‘Gimme Some Sunshine’, which officially released on March 12th, the insightful UK-residing singer-songwriter gave us the aural euphoria we were crying out for.

By feeding the influence of The Vaselines, Ramones and Sparklehorse into the track that reflects our collectively suffered mood throughout our dystopic lockdown winter, you’re forced to recollect a time when life didn’t feel so cold. If you need any further persuasion to step into the light, Kaviani’s soulfully reassuring vocals will happily assist.

Here’s what Kaviani had to say about his latest single;

“I used to have panic attacks as a teenager, so the song came from a place of pure anxiety and hate of the winter months when the days are short and dark and just wishing it was light. I feel most problems are easier to cope with in the daylight hours, this song reflects that positive, upbeat vibe.”

Profits from the release will be donated to the mental health charity SANE. Kaviani is also hosting an online charity auction for the cause. With all that in mind, you can probably appreciate why the artist made such an impression on our first encounter.

You can check out the official music video to Gimme Some Sunshine via YouTube. Or purchase the single via apple music.

Connect with Kaviani via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie crooner George Boomsma takes us down to ‘Chinatown’ with his latest EP

Posted on 8 March 2021

Yorkshire’s most mesmerising singer-songwriter and old-school indie crooner, George Boomsma has released their four-track EP ‘Chinatown’, leaving no room to wonder why they’ve featured on BBC Radio 1 and shared stages with the likes of Skinny Lister and Emma Langford.

The title track wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack to Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The stylistic dreamy air will allow you to imagine what it would have sounded like if Neutral Milk Hotel aimed to exude a debonair flair instead of enamouring discord. The classical strings give Chinatown a faraway air while you’re being pulled in by George Boomsma’s unimposingly intoxicating vocals.

The live-to-tape recording boasts a stunningly anachronistic feel which won’t fail to pull you out of the misery of the 21st-century. You can grab your aural ticket out of here by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take a break from this madness: Wendel urges us to take a different outlook on laid-back debut lyric video ‘These Times’ (ft. Keith Carlock)

Posted on 24 January 2021

Wendel goes against the current worldly riptide and shows us what attitude you really should have right now, on the soulfully real tongue-in-cheek debut single ‘These Times‘ (ft. Keith Carlock).

Wendel is a London-born, Yorkshire-based singer-songwriter and brought in drummer extraordinaire Keith Carlock to lace an extra element that adds so much to this single.

This is a project that was made during the wild year of 2020 and this song matches those events that we will never forget as a human race.

With a laid-back style that is is all about chilling out, having a few cold beverages and encourages a relaxation from this madness with music that has a jazzy-soul feel. His welcome vocals are smooth and inviting to the listener, the sax makes this song so enjoyable and with quality drum sounds combined with that saucy bass adding a layer of goodness, there is so much to like here through this enjoyable ride to finding our minds again.

‘These Times‘ (ft. Keith Carlock) from the self-aware Wendel is the true story of not being too hard on yourself right now. As long as you are putting the effort in and doing your best, its okay to sit back on your day off and chill out from the constant barrage of bad news and world events. Your mental health is so much more important than stressing out about things you can’t control.

With a mellow style of lyrics that puts a smile on your face, this is exactly the type of music that will free your mind and help you breathe again.

See this smartly-made lyric video on YouTube and see more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen