Happy first of November.
Not to be overdramatic, but we only have two more months of this decade left.
Wild times!
We don't even want to think about all the new years resolutions we didn't achieve but we want to use this time wisely.
And the best way to do that is by using it to showcase more music, right?
So let's do it!
- Behind The Song - "Devil" by SOBI
SOBI is a singer/songwriter from London, UK.
Growing up with music being a big part of her life, it's no surprise that she started writing and performing at the age of 16.
Music and SOBI seem like the perfect match. The lyrics and melodies she writes have helped her express herself and to tell stories.
Influenced by acts such as Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale, SOBI soon found her own sound which always revolves around honesty.
So far she has been gigging around the UK and Germany and has gone on tour with Jamie Lawson.
Off of her upcoming EP, "Home One Day", she recently released the powerful single "Devil", a song that we are sure is going to speak to you.
Here's what SOBI told us about "Devil":
"I wrote "Devil" while I was going through a really tough time, battling with anxiety and depression.
I'm quite a happy and bubbly person and sometimes I feel pressure to always be that way, so writing and playing music has been a bit of an escape for me.
It's a chance for me to express how I really feel.
This song just flowed out of me in one of my darkest moments and it was my intention to keep to myself initially.
Writing it definitely helped me to process what I was going through, but I was shy about sharing it. If I'm honest, I was even a little embarassed and worried about what people might think of me if they knew what I was struggling with.
Eventually I decided to share it with my band and producer, and seeing how they connected with the song really encouraged me.
And since releasing the song I've been really touched by how people have so lovingly embraced it.
Because this is such a personal song, it was really important to me that the arrangement and production should be just right. I spent a really long time with my producer, Helge Preuß, working on the demo before getting the band involved.
We tried so many different instruments and sounds and eventually realised that stripping it back and keeping the focus on the guitar and voice really conveyed the message of the song best.
My favourite part is in the end with the build up of all the voices singing "show me light". For me that sums up exactly what the song is about: hitting rock bottom, but still reaching for that flicker of hope, knowing I can still come out of this.
Once Helge and I were happy with the demo, we headed to Toolhouse Studios in Germany with the whole band where we recorded the final takes for this track. It was amazing to be in such a well-equipped studio. We were even able to use some analogue machines including a tape-delay for the guitar sound. There was this brilliant staircase that we used as a reverb chamber for all the vocals.
It made such a difference to the sound and it was amazing to hear the song coming to life, layer by layer.
I wanted to keep the video for "Devil" simple and intimate because it's such a personal song. We filmed it at a local antique shop near where I live. I walk past it every day and have always thought it would be such a beautiful place to film a music video.
It was a real pleasure to work with Danny Feng (director), he really captured the mood and essence of the song."
We started the "Behind The Song" feature out of curiosity.
Curiosity to find out what drove an artist to write a song,
what instruments they've used,
where they recorded the track,
how it compares to their previous material.
We had no clue it would take off and allow us to share exclusive stories you probably won't hear anywhere else.
For today's episode, we invite you to grab a warm beverage and really spend some time reading the lines as well as watching the music video.
Both gave us goosebumps and so being the ones who get to share this piece is an absolute honour.
- Behind The Song - "The Madness" by Nicotine Dolls
Nicotine Dolls are a four piece from New York City, US.
Their sound settles as Alternative and catches you with personal lyrics, gripping vocals and detailed instrumentals.
Nicotine Dolls are: Sam Cieri (vocals, guitar) John Hays (guitar) John Merritt (bass) Abel Tabares (drums)
Sam and guitarist John formed the band while on tour with a Broadway show.
After the tour finished, the two spent a year gigging around NYC as "Brea and the Baskets". Once bassist John and drummer Abel joined the band in early 2017, Nicotine Dolls was born.
Playing countless shows in NYC and going on multiple US tours, the band has really honed their craft and is known for energetic and raw live sets, drawing in their listeners with such ease.
After releasing their single "Fake", Nicotine Dolls have now followed up with their rawest track to date, "The Madness".
We feel absolutely honoured to be the ones getting to share the story behind the song with you and we hope that you give the track and the band all the love they deserve.
Here is what Sam told us about "The Madness":
"When I was 11 me and my family moved and I started at a new school in the 6th grade.
On my frist day I wore a t-shirt with a helicopter on it that made the sound of a helicopter when you pressed it. That was the first time I got bullied.
For the next three years I was verbally harassed, beaten up, spit on, thrown down stairs, chased down after school, and brought in front of my entire school just to be hit so hard on the side of my head that they blew out my eardrum.
I went to court three times in three different cases in those three years. I got death threats and ended up finishing my 8th grade year at home.
Those three years created a sort of crack inside me. I have spent a long time covering that crack or ignoring it but it always finds a way to remain just under the surface.
People scare me a lot of the time, I find it almost impossible to trust anyone fully, and I get panic attacks when I catch myself thinking about these things. I feel like a crazy person who just needs to move on but every time I think I have, I find myself gasping for air because I think everyone on the subway car is staring at me. "The Madness" is about that fear and struggle of some days waking up and knowing that just existing today will be a fight, but that in the end I will be ok and I wanted to share that so if anyone else is where I am they can hear another voice saying you will be ok.
I wrote the song pretty quickly when I played the first chord, there was an unsettled feeling in too, while also having hope in it. From start to end I wrote it in about two hours except for the bridge which I wrote while recording the song almost a year later. There was no rush to record or even show the band the song because I was scared of what people would think. These thoughts and insecurities that are in the song are extremely personal, so I kept the song to myself for a while.
While on our second tour down south we were playing a show and ended up with five minutes remaining in our set. It was a pretty full venue and we had ended the set on a high note. In a split decision I told the crowd and the band that I wanted to play them a song that no on else had heard until then and that the band didn't even know. I started playing with the intention of playing it just me but about a minute in the guys (John Hays, John Merritt and Abel Tabares) started playing along. We finished the song and were all blown away by how great it sounded, no one believed that we hadn't rehearsed the song before.
We put it in the set two more times and each time there was inevitably a few people that would come and talk to us after about how much they related and how they felt a sort of release when they did. I knew then that we had to record it as our next single.
We ended up recording the song at one of our producers Eric Sanderson's (Augustines) studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It took us two days to record the song. I recorded an acoustic pass and we built on top of that, there was no bridge so I just said what was the most literal meaning of the song. The vocals were done in one take because I had the flu and could only sing the song once but I thought there was something honest in that, so that's what we went with. Drums and bass discovered this incredible choppy groove that makes you feel uneasy which was perfect, and John created this guitar part that at times sounds like a glitched synth line. The ups and downs and dramatic full and bare moments came together to truly show what it's like to have these fears and thoughts and insecurities.
This is our second release so far, the first of which being our single, "Fake". That song was us discovering what our musical language was while lyrically using one simple event to navigate it. It was written about a very bad first date I went on whre myself and the girl I was out with were putting on these fake first date personas, something I think we all do but in this case our personas did not match up. It felt like we let each other down by not being honest with one another. There is a cinematic energy musically that we wanted to introduce, it's a much more lush song at time then "The Madness".
"The Madness" changes narrative from observing and giving judgement to "this is what's going inside me". I think we keep our cinematic tones but whereas "Fake" was directed by the Cohen Brothers, "The Madness" was directed by David Fincher.
I am a big believer in music videos being more than just watching the band lip synch to a song. You have the chance to take the world you've created sonically and expand it visually. We also pride ourselves on making our own videos because we love movies, like LOVE movies. John Hays and myself run OutaLine Productions with our friend and producer Nyssa Grant. We created the studio for the purpose of producing the band's videos as well as creating narrative films all written, directed, edited, etc by us.
This video was shot over two days for a budget of about $100.
The idea was to show what it feels like when I get a panic attack in public, when I get these PTSD flashbacks to middle school. Everything we show in the video has happened to me, both the flashbacks and the present day. I knew we made something worthwile when I played the video back after editing it and found it hard to watch the flashbacks. If anyone ever wanted to know what my head looks and sound like sometimes, this video and this song paint that picture vividly and accurately.
If there is someone who watches the video or hears the song and feels that we've captured what they live with as well, I hope they also see the hope we have put inside this work.
We all have moments of madness and feeling like we are alone when the walls cave in on us but we aren't. There are other people that feel this way and we can all say it's worth getting up every day and fighting through these moments and finding beauty in all the other things around you. You'll be ok, we all will."
Watch the music video for "The Madness" right here:
The music industry, much like any other industry, can be a very confusing place at times.
It can be difficult to navigate through the daily hurdles and to keep track of the little wins.
And we truly think that the daily, little wins are what make this chaotic ride so much fun.
Being able to connect over music, whether that's by learning more about it from the artists themselves - or it's hearing your thoughts on the music we share with you.
Those moments are what keep us excited to continue and we truly hope no matter in which industry you work, you'll celebrate your little wins as well.
Today we're super excited to learn more about a song we think a lot of you will fall in love with quickly.
- Behind The Song -
"Slip Of The Heart" by Freddie Dickson
Freddie Dickson is a singer/songwriter from London, UK.
His atmospheric, at times mysterious sound is one that just soaks you in and keeps your attention throughout.
Freddie grew up listening to the greats such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and other geniuses of that era.
His debut LP, "Panic Town"(2017), has been compared to the likes of Sharon van Etten, The National and Nick Cave. The album was his return to being an independent artist and going back to his roots after being signed to Columbia Records in 2014. Freddie decided to cut ties when the demand for pop music didn't aling with his vision and signature sound.
The routine of being in London started to slow the musician down and he found himself craving a change, and so Freddie went on a new adventure and moved to Berlin, Germany in 2018.
His upcoming album, "Blood Street", was recorded in his old flat in North London and is set to be released in October 2019. "Slip Of The Heart" is one of the track fans will find on the his forthcoming album.
This is what Freddie told us about the song:
"This was actually the first song I wrote for the album.
I was in London at the time and it was shortly after I had split from my label and I was feeling quite lost in terms of the direction I was heading musically.
I knew that I had to start from scratch in order to figure out what I really wanted to achieve. The song is about how sometimes you have to fall down in order to come back up again.
I wrote this song in my flat in North London and recorded it myself in a little home studio.
After I had recorded my vocals and guitars, I took it to an amazing drummer called Alex Reeves (Elbow, Bat for Lashes) who really brought the whole thing to life.
We messed about with a bunch of old drums he had lying around and one of the cymbals even had a huge chunk missing but it sounded great!
I then asked my friend Oh Sister to sing backing alongside Amber Lane-Mcivor who is a singer from Manchester I had seen playing in a pub randomly a couple of years before, who really blew me away. Their voices blended so beautifully together.
Once I was happy with all the recording, I took the track to my friend John Davies, who produced my previous record "Panic Town" and he played bass and mixed and mastered the track. This song really helped set the tone for the whole record sonically.
I really wanted the sound of this record to be as raw as possible compared to my previous album which was perhaps a bit bigger production-wise.
I didn't want to try and disguise the fact that I was basically recording it all at home with a bunch of friends and just having fun. I was listening to a lot of early Neil Young records at the time and something about the harmonies and the feel he captured on his albums really had an impact on me. I wanted to keep everything super simple and tried to capture the atmosphere and enjoyment of the whole process."
We are really proud of the features we share on here.
Some of them do better than others, but ultimately they all work together to make HITS the platform that it is.
It's no secret that our "Behind The Song" features is one of our absolute favourites, which is why we will have a few BTS pieces featured in our magazine.
And of course we'll also continue sharing them on here, which is exactly what is happening today.
Andi Fins took the time to chat us through the story and writing process of his latest single.
- Behind The Song - "Stan's Copycat" by Andi Fins
Andi Fins is a Berlin based musician, originally from Bavaria.
Growing up in a small town in the Bavarian country side, Andi dreamed of a place to go to and make music full time - and so he went to the capital city.
Now in Berlin, he started working as a pianist/keyboarder and writer for German acts such as Elif, Mark Forster, Clueso and many more.
His previous solo albums ("A Chapter Missing Its Book", "Dreamer" and "How Will Our Hero Get Out Of This One?") attracted a loyal fanbase. His singles have received airplay, have been played on TV shows and have been featured on multiple Spotify playlists.
His track "Stan's Copycat" is based on a personal experience which we get to learn about more today.
Here's what Andi told us about "Stan's Copycat":
"I met someone through an online dating platform and we were instantly writing messages to each other. For some reason she thought I was British and I thought she was from New York, having a real funny conversation until we exposed ourselves just being two ordinary Germans, but finally decided to go out for a drink together on the same night.
It was my first date in quite a while and maybe my second one ever in the illusive online dating app world, so I was curious and kind of nervous, too. She suggested this bar where she finally showed up in real and it looked like we liked each other.
After the second beer, unlike me she turned out to be a dating pro and said: "Hey, don't take it the wrong way, but you sounded better in writing than talking face to face." So now I felt really overburdened and we took a last drink stuck in the uncertainty of blurring speech bubbles.
Out on the street, she sent me back home and somehow I got an idea for another song. We recorded live as a trio (bass, drums and me on the keys) in the studio (Zodiaque), where I used to do almost all of my tracks.
I call it recording paradise because the guys who run that place are technical and musical geniuses and we are actually friends and share a similar taste of music, which makes it so easy to work and create the right sounds together.
They are pretty well equipped with all this analog gear one wish they had. Unfortunately I can't afford hangoing out there every day, so I have my own little space at home, too, where I continue working on the basic tracks from the studio and start collecting ideas with my piano and synths.
The other guys in the band are recording guitars and percussions at their places and we're sending tracks back and forth, so the songs get their colours. And finally we go back to the studio to mix it. All of us like vintage gear and sounds like an old Höfner bass, Fender amps and smooth drums.
I use a ms20 synth, but also a modern prophet and nordstage as well.
Compared to my earlier material, the new songs are more band inspired. I don't do any pre-productions at the time, just sending the rough song sketches to the other guys and then we're meeting a couple of times in the rehearsal space to go over it.
Everybody adds more flavours to it and is kind of playing around until we get a cool version of the song, which we'd like to record."
We miss blogging so much, that we just had to break our hiatus for a moment to come back and share some music to you.
While we're working day and night to create the best magazine for you,
the blog had to quiet down a bit.
We are so thankful for your interest in the mag and would like you to know that your pre-orders mean so much and make this entire process so much easier.
Alright, we have to go back to creating - we hope you enjoy the music!
- Behind The Song - "Theft" by Flourishless
Flourishless is the singer/songwriter duo consisting of Paul Gerlinger and Phillip Valentin from Mannheim, Germany. Their sound is a broad as their interests are; while Paul loves focusing on words and rhyming, Phillip is the one constantly working on melodies. Their voices combine with such ease and create a force that can present just about any topic to you.
Flourishless won first place in the German songwriting contest, "SONGS", were a part of a coaching programme for chosen local bands. In 2018 they released their debut EP, "Looking At The Walls" and have been gearing up to gig all around the country.
For us, the duo took some time to chat about their latest single, "Theft", and shared all some insights with us.
Here's what Flourishless told us about the track:
"The background:
Time flies while we meet new people, it just passes without something special happening.
Every now and then though we find somebody we come to think we can't live without.
Sometimes it turns out well and these feelings and thoughts may be mutual, but sometimes what started in a beautiful way can turn into a devstating experience. In the case of "Theft" I captured my inner conflict while being in a relationship with someone who took my heart by storm, but was never able to return the same. It's the fight between the thoughts of giving everything for nothing, for the sake of loving someone and the fear of diving deeper into despair.
When everything seems hopeless, you got to stop caring for the safety of your heart and soul. This journey from being in love, to having doubts, to just stopping to care, is the lyrical theme of the song.
The writing process:
Writing "Theft" I felt the urge to do something a little different to what I did before.
Regarding the guitar it was the first time I actively tried to write a fingerstyle part with a little melody lying in-betweenthe chords and their changes. It was quite fun to figure something out that used the melodic elements of the chord changes to create an independent melody using the picking pattern. Other than that, it was more of a lyrical approach to express my thoughts like most of the songs I write.
Most of the time I see myself more as a poet of the spoken word with a guitar than a full-blood musician.
Recording it:
When we recorded "Theft" in the RAMA Studios in Mannheim, it was the third song we approached. It was our first EP and we did not really have any concept on how to record the music we wrote, which microphones to use or even what instrument to start with. It was a great experience to figure all that out in the studio. Our beloved engineer put around eight different microphones around my guitar and me and we spent quite some time figuring out the right choice of placement and gear.
The same thing went on when we recorded the vocals - here we finally decided to use a really old microphone from the 50s or so to record our voices, which turned out to be a pretty good choice.
After the EP was already out, we started collaborating with some more musicians and decided to add some strings to the recording, which was an idea I actually had for a long time but couldn't realize due to a lack of instrumentalists in my surrounding. We did that and the result was quite great, so we decided to shoot a little video for this song."
Don't worry, I'm not going to count the weeks for much longer, I'm just excited that we're already seven days into the new year.
How's it going for you all? We're having the time of our lives digging through emails to find the music we think you'll love.
And without wanting to brag too much,
I think we've found a gem today.
So, this is your invitation to discover a band you might want to add to your playlist.
- Behind The Song - "Summer Sun" by Cari Cari
Cari Cari are Stephanie Louise Widmer and Alexander Köck,
a duo from Austria you want to keep an eye on.
They met backstage, just a few weeks before Stephanie left for Australia. She came back with instruments and impressions aplenty and soon the duo started spent a summer in an old house by the lakeside, where they wrote and recroded their debut, "AMERIPPINDUNKLER".
Said debut got released in 2014 and Cari Cari immediately received worldwide critical acclaim. With features on blogs from all over the world, their song "White Line Fever" being featured in American TV series, including "Shameless", the band quite quickly took off.
Their cinematic sound easily found its fanbase and allowed the duo to tour as far as the Australian East Coast.
After three years of traveling and living in different cities all over the world, Cari Cari returned with "Nothing's Older Than Yesterday" and continued to play live shows - for which they have received the XA Music Export Award.
With their latest hit "Summer Sun", the duo takes us on a journey through space and lets us become a part of their effortlessly cool party.
Before we get our swagger on, Cari Cari took the time to tell us more about the track:
"We were working on our album during the summer. Our studio is next to a lake but in the basement. That day nothing seemed to work. We were stuck and frustrated with writers' block. So I went upstairs, sat down next to the lake and just stared to the horizon. The reflections of the sunlight on the water felt like a sea of crystals and everything around me felt at peace at once. So I wrote: "Summer Sun - Wash Away My Troubles" / Summer Sun - Like Diamonds In The Water". I told Stephanie and she immediately found the melody. Our writers' block was gone and we went back down to record the song. It was magical! :)
We recorded and mixed the song almost completely by ourselves. It's a weird mix of very old school recording straight to tape and the approach of an electronic music producer. We recorded the drums to tape and cut a loop out of them, then we layered them with programmed drums and used filter sweeps to increase the dynamic range of the song.
All vocals were recorded through a Russian vintage microphone called "Nevaton" and a vintage Roland Space Echo. As so often there seemed to be a sweet spot with the vocals. We would do twenty takes and the intonation was always the same. But then there was one take, that was magical. I still get goosbumps when I think of it now. We luckily tracked the take and from there on everything else fell into place."
Watch the music video for "Summer Sun" right here:
Whilst it sounds so futuristic, our main goal for this year remains the same:
We just want to bring great music closer to you.
And we're not wasting any time, which is why we're already presenting another "Behind The Song" feature today.
You can expect a lot more of these this year, as they've become a big favourite of everyone involved in the process of setting up features.
So, ladies and gentlemen, let's do this!
Let's discover all the music the year has to offer!
- Behind The Song - "The Other Side Of Waiting" by Jake Fields
Jake Fields is a singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Los Angeles & Nashville (US).
His talent for experimenting with sounds and his love for pop rock, blues & folk has crafted his very own sound, which we invite you to fall in love with today.
It only took $70 spent at a thrift store to start Jake's journey into music.
After buying a guitar and an amplifier, Jake dropped his professional baseball aspirations and started to dedicate his time and passion to music.
Jake has teamed up with Jim McGorman (Avril Lavigne, Marc Broussard) to record his debut EP, "Someday You'll Be Mine", which will be out early this year.
His previous single "Memories Of 45's" has reached more than 100,000 streams on Spotify and is often described as a mix of John Mayer and Phil Collins.
So far Jake has played a bunch of shows and supported Kate Voegele at The Troubadour in Hollywood.
Today Jake is here to chat us through the creative process of his latest single, "The Other Side Of Waiting":
"It was one of the songs that comes out in a subsconscious way.
We were playing the "groove" of the chorus section of the song, and I started singing whatever came to mind, and the song basically flowed from there.
I do remember initially singing out "the other side is waiting", and (my co-writer/producer) Jim McGorman came up with "the other side of waiting", which was far more interesting, and we of course kept it.
The way the outro of the song is sung is how we originally sang it in the midst of writing the song, which is in a recording that I remember going back to and wanting to keep that because it was completely in the moment and felt perfect.
The song was written and recorded at Jim's studio in the San Fernando Valley, full of amazing gear and guitars (which I cannot play, being left handed and all).
I think we recorded the vocals through an SM57 mic and it was recorded by the masterful Jim McGorman, who I wrote the song with and have learned endless things about music from.
He has produced some amazing musicians, and best of all, I've seen how being a great person and professional has benefited his own career through the year.
I have a soft spot for a song he wrote with Kate Voegele called "Leave Me Hollywood", which I think deserves more attention.
As far as comparing the song to earlier material, there was only my first single, which was "Memories Of 45's". This song is coming from a much different place rhythmically and lyrically, and both the introspective and abstract lyric writing interests me."
It's storytime time!
I wish we could all gather around a campfire and listen to these interesting stories together.
But since that's not possible (For now! We could always host a house in the sand summer camp!), we can just pretend while we read the stories.
I highly recommend you grab your headphones and a warm drink, and listen to the song while you find out how it came to life.
Today we're getting an in-depth story, which really allows us to go on the creative journey with the artists.
In July of 2018 they released their stunning cover version of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence" and made us all fall in love with their sound.
Long rainy weekends locked up in our flat in Brussels pushed us to experiment music together...
That was a first in 5 years. We find tuned "Young Wolves", arranged the melody, changed the lyrics and started writing a few songs. "Our Love's Funeral" was the first one entirely written and composed together. After Christmas that year, we started to think about recording them as a minimalist acoustic EP and began to wonder when and where we could record them.
We've always been amazed with how the audience welcomed this song, to us it doesn't sound the best, because we know, or think we know, we could have done way better. But every single time we've tried to reinterpret it so far, it was a failure, haha.
This track just has a peculiar vibe, someting really nostalic and far away... A Je-Ne-Sais-Quoi that makes its imperfections perfect to anyone who listens, at least that's what we're told. The future will tell us if we can improve it or not! :)"
In pretty much every aspect; the artists pour a lot of personality and personal feelings into their art,
and those who receive the art have the option to interpret it whichever personal way the choose to.
And sometimes we might forget just how personal art is. But our behind the song feature is definitely here to remind us all,
by getting musicians to talk about the story behind their work.
Today I invite you to learn more about a track which is definitely going to empower you.
- Behind The Song - "I Will Find A Way" by Jackie Venson
Jackie Venson is a musician from Austin, Texas (US).
Her sound blends Blues, Rock, R'n'B & Soul and therefore creates a wonderfully unique vibe.
"A woman, a guitar, and the truth.", is the description you'll find when you look up this powerhouse. Jackie originally started out as a classical pianist, but picked up the guitar shortly after graduating from Berklee College of Music. She soon made the jump from the classical side of music, to writing and recording raw and gritty Blues.
Jackie recently released her latest single, "Cover My Eyes", as a follow up to her EP, "Transcends" which was released on September 30th of 2017.
This EP led to Jackie being nominated as "artist of the year" at the Austin Music Awards, as well as a guest guitarist spot on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
We asked Jackie to tell us more about her previous single, "I Will Find A Way", because we think there are a lot of people out there who need to hear this track.
Today we get to find out what inspired Jackie to write this brilliant track:
""I Will Find A Way" is my fight song.
The year of 2018 has been a trying one, in personal and worldly ways. We as people have gone through times this year that made us question how we're going to wake up tomorrow, how we're going to continue on into next year and the years to come.
More personally speaking, I have been fighting this roller coaster of year in my own ways, having to leave people behind who aren't good for me - even if I had thought these people were folks I could trust. When having to call into question relationships that have spanned a half a decade or more, one I started to heavy, like I would cave under the weight. This is where this song has come into play, pun intended.
No matter how scary or uncertain things may be, no matter how much it might seem like I've hit a dead end, I go to sleep every night with the thought, "I will figure it out... I will find a way.""
Watch the music video for "I Will Find A Way" right here:
Every now and then we stumble upon songs we instantly want to listen to again. Sometimes we know, even before we've heard it in full, that we're dealing with a massive "hit-to-be" right there.
Unfortunately we don't get to decide the level of popularity a song reaches,
we just get to help it along the way.
So in case you want to help artists out; visit our website for new music aplenty,
stream it, buy it, follow the artists and if you can - go to gigs.
Ready to control the music industry with your voice? Brilliant, let's do this!
- Behind The Song - "More Than Friends" by ASHS
ASHS has emerged from Toronto's underground music scene. She chooses to keep things mysterious, not revealing anything about the person behind the music.
However, the brilliantly arranged and relatable tracks speak from themselves. It only took one track for us to fall for ASHS' sound - and of course we had to be nosey and invite her to tell us more about this genius of a track.
Here's what ASHS told us about "More Than Friends":
"I wrote "More Than Friends" as a way for me to pull myself out of my typical routine of falling too hard, too fast, for someone who didn't deserve it.
I felt myself catching feelings early on, and realized that he hadn't actually done anything to earn that kind of love from me yet. I pulled back instantly, and decided to put myself first and not get caught up in my emotions.
The writing process for the song was very quick. Usually, when I'm out doing something, I'll get an idea and just make a quick voice note or jot down some lyrics on my phone, so I went into this session with a verse/concept idea I had written a few days before.
My producer and I started working off of the idea for the vibe I was feeling, and the verse fit in perfectly. That created the momentum and the rest of the song just flowed out.
We wanted to experiment with different vocal fx, so many of the sounds you'll hear in the song are not actually instruments.
"More Than Friends" was one of my first sessions for this project, so the vocal treatment we created on this track has helped me shape my sound as an artist."
I am in a very cool position where I often get to listen to music before it gets released.
I'm not saying this to brag or sound cool, but because I genuinely enjoy it and am very happy about what house in the sand has enabled me to do.
The first album I ever got to listen to before its official release was Tom Odell's "Long Way Down". From that moment on I was hooked and knew that this weird thing they call the music industry was exactly what I wanted to a be part of.
Because I tend to be the "over-excited mum" in my friend group, I usually get... well, over-excited about music. And ladies and gents, the song you get to find out more about today - that was one of those songs I couldn't wait for to be released, so that you guys would be able to hear it too.
Maybe I'm a bit biased because the artwork is a photo I took, but you just need to listen to this track. It's i n c r e d i b l e.
So please grab your headphones or speakers and let's get to know this track together.
- Behind The Song - "Blue Luck" by Josh Savage
Josh Savage is a singer/songwriter originally from Winchester, UK and is currently based in Berlin, Germany.
His sound is so versatile that you just need to file it under Alternative.
So far Josh has independently relesed two EPs; "Spaces" (2014) and "Quatre Épines" (2015), the latter showcasing Josh's French roots.
In 2015, Josh played 79 shows with Sofar Sounds - all across America and
Europe, in just 5 months. You can stream the documentary made on the
road right here.
His two previous singles, "Whisper In The Snow" ft. Alice Pearl and "Ghosts" have racked up hundreds of thousands streams.
And yesterday Josh released his new single "Blue Luck", which is the first single off of his upcoming EP, "Agon", which will be out on 8th March 2019.
(Wondering what "Agon" means? Let everybody's darling Wiki explain it: "Agon is an ancient Greek term for a struggle or contest. [...] Agon is the word-forming element in 'agony', explaining the concept of agon(y) in tragedy by its fundamental characters, the protagonist and antagonist.")
If you want to catch Josh on tour, you have the following options: 8th November - Monarch, Berlin (GER) 18th November - TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (NL) 22nd November - Railway Inn, Winchester (UK) 23rd November - The Islington, London (UK)
Today Josh tells us how "Blue Luck" came to life:
"Behind the social media veil of my music career, I've had a tough and defining two years.
You know that feeling when life seems to be working against you?
When I moved to London on a whim, I got mugged a week later, my laptop broke the next day, my guitar gets lost on a flight to a show, etc, etc.
Most recently, my family grieve loss after loss and teetered on the brink of financial ruin.
I told my friend Steve all this bad luck was doing my head in and he told me something that will always stand by me:
"You can't hide from bad luck, just have to ride it out."
Despite all the shit, I count myself more fortunate than a lot of people.
Music is everything to me and has saved me in many ways. With music as a medium, I can let my frustration out, overcome drawbacks and get back up again.
I ride on still and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Blue Luck" was written on my first Poland tour.
I landed in Warsaw to discover the airline left my guitar at Heathrow and I was booked to play TED x Warsaw the next day. I was FUMING.
My couchsurfing host was out for the day, so I picked up their old guitar and this song just came out of me.
I recorded "Blue Luck" at Urchin Studios in London with Matt Ingram, who is an absolute joy to work with.
I had a limited budget, so all we had was a small mixing room and a vocal booth to record my EP on Matt's UA Apollo Twin Mkii.
We got a big sound by recording a choir of 3 (me, Matt and my sister Aniya) with overdubbed takes of us standing in different parts of the room.
We also may have sneaked into the main live room to add drums, claps and hammer octaves on the piano when it was free for an hour...
I ditched the acoustic guitar and I guess this is definitely my angriest song, haha."
One of the most powerful aspects of music is without a doubt the way it can make us feel different emotions.
There are songs which allow us to dream, to dance, to feel happy. And then there are songs that tug on our heartstrings, because they address the feelings we might want to hide. Or because they bring up memories we wanted to forget. Or because they are more honest than we wanted to be.
There are so many reasons why music makes us feel certain feelings and house in the sand is a platform for songs that have that special ability to transport us into different moments of our lives.
Today we're excited to feel some heartbreak with you guys. (That sounded terrifyingly cynical, didn't it? Sorry!)
But you'll love this song.
- Behind The Song - "Little Wound" by Violetta Zironi ft. Ed Prosek
Violetta Zironi is singer/songwriter from Italy.
She started writing music at the age of 16 and spent time gigging around the North of Italy with a country and blues trio.
Her gigs and festival appearances led to Violetta making a new for
herself and soon sign a deal with a label, whose plan it was to turn her
into the next Italian pop star.
After a few single releases, Violetta realised the songs didn't
represent who she really was, so she turned her back to the label and
went back to being an independent musician.
She spent time crafting her skill set and finding her own sound, which is inspired by Folk, Americana and Country and still allows her European and Mediterranean roots to shine through.
In 2014 she opened for Soul legend Ben E. King, who invited her on stage for a duet of "Stand By Me". In 2015 she met singer/songwriter Jack Savoretti and got to be his special guest on tour.
The following year Violetta left her hometown in Italy to live in London and Berlin, travelling back and forth.
Later on that Summer, she went on another journey through Texas,
Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas, meeting many talented
musicians with whom she started writing songs.
She recorded her debut EP, "Half Moon Lane", in Berlin and has received a lot of attention for the six track EP.
Just recently Violetta released her latest single, a stunning duet with Ed Prosek.
Today she's here to tell us more about the writing process of "Little Wound", so grab a cup of tea and let's learn more about the song:
""Little Wound" is a song I wrote with an American singer/songwriter, my friend Ed Prosek.
It was the very first co-write we did together and we decided to embrace the Italian roots that we both share. (Ed's background is Italian as well.)
We tried to write an emotional song, that told a story with both, the lyrics and the melody. It talks about that feeling you get at the start of a relationship, and somehow you grow fond of that feeling more than of the person you are engaging with.
It's a confession of guilt.
We decided to put ourselves in the shoes of the "bad one" in the relationship, telling the other person that we are sorry, but this is just what we are, although it doesn't mean we don't love the other.
I came up with the concept of having a little wound on my heart, that it's almost imperceptible but it's there and it's part of me.
Ed and I decided to record it as a duet, to celebrate the start of our writing partnership. We recorded it live at home - literally with three mics; one for my voice, one for his and one for the guitar. We love recording live as we feel the vibe doesn't get lost.
It's definitely a step forward in my artistic development, compared to my previously released EP, "Half Moon Lane", but it's definitely the continuum of my last single "One More Goodbye". I tried to portrait myself in those songs, be honest and show who I am.
I am definitely a melody freak. I love melodies more than anything else and I prioritize it. The challenge after is to find lyrics that have the same impact as the melody. I usually write the melody first and then the lyrics, because melodies trigger concepts in my head.
There is a video for "Little Wound" and it's me and Ed performing it live and stripped down, exactly like we wrote it and recorded it."
Yesterday we celebrated our new social media outfits with a new playlist.
Thank you all so much for checking it out and for the lovely feedback,
it truly made my day.
If you've listened to the playlist, you will have heard the song we're here to talk about today. And if you haven't, no problem - that's why we're running today's feature.
I'm super thrilled to say that today the fabulous Charlie Hole is here to chat us through the story behind his latest single, "The City". I always love finding out what inspired an artist to write a song about it and I especially love it when I also love the song.
So, ladies and gentlemen, let's check this out!
- Behind The Song -
"The City" by Charlie Hole
Charlie Hole is a singer/songwriter from Bournemouth, UK.
His carefully crafted music combines Acoustic and Folk elements in such elegant manner.
Charlie started making and writing music at the young age of eleven and has been going strong ever since.
With inspirations such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits & Paul Simon, it's no surprise that we find a lot of personality and intimacy in his songs.
His debut album "The Joy of a Caged Bird" was released in 2013.
With loyal fans and praise from none other than Rod Stewart and three time Novello Award winner Andy Hill, it's safe to say we're not the only ones with his music on repeat.
In October of 2017, Charlie dropped his latest EP, "Someone Else's Dream" and proved that his music is proper on-repeat material.
On June 8th of 2018 Charlie released a new single called "The Ballad Of Anne Beverley",
and just last week he shared his latest single, "The City", with us.
Today we get to find out what inspired the song, so please check out what Charlie told us about it:
"I lived in London for about five years in total; playing the open-mic circuit, busking and learning how to live away from home.
I wrote "The City" after moving out of London and reflecting on my time there with the benefit of a bit space and distance. I've always been hugely influenced by my surroundings and London really imposed itself on my writing in a lot of ways. It left a mark on me for sure.
It's a song that encapsulates everything there is about living in one of the greatest cities in the world; the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between.
I love London, but it damn nearly killed me.
There were definitely times where I just couldn't breathe or hear myself think and I just had to get away from it all, back to sea.
I also had some amazing times there and I learnt so much about myself and the world.
I often felt overwhelmed living in a place that had seen so much history, and I couldn't help but feel that in some way, we were stitching ourselves into its tapestry somehow...
I used to think about all the people that had passed through that place over the years, how many stories it could tell, how many dreams it had made or broken over all that time.
I also wanted to give the city a personality, like it was this omniscient presence watching over all of us, deciding who was going to win or lose on any given day, like it held all of us in the palm of its hands.
I felt like it was bigger than all of us and I wanted to get that across in the song.
There's a bit of everyone in there, I hope."
It's Monday. And that's okay. We might all be a little tired, a little sad that the weekend is over - but you know what? A new week means we have another set of days to listen to great music.
There is so much new music waiting to be heard, and even though it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, we still love the fact that we will never run out of music to check out.
That's pretty cool, isn't it?
So let's not waste any time - we've got new and exciting music to listen to.
- Behind The Song - "Last Dance" by Simon Alexander
Simon Alexander is a singer/songwriter from Göteborg, Sweden.
His sound walks on the fine line between Folk and Indie
and combines those key elements seemingly effortlessly, creating a
sound that sweeps you off your feet, while still keeping you grounded
with honest and storytelling lyrics.
Influenced by the early day
heroes such as Jeff Buckley and Neil Young, it's no surprise that
nowadays he's drawn to the sounds of Hozier and Matt Corby.
Simon has always had a big interest in music and spent the majority of his time as a drummer in multiple constellations, all while also working on his own material.
In 2015 the project Distant City Light released "Cold Shiver", which marked Simon's first release as a songwriter.
He then moved to Malmö, where he continued his music studies and kept on working on his solo music.
In Summer of 2016 he met up with Tobias Ekqvist and started working on his debut EP "Won't Be Found", which then got self-released on February 15th 2017.
This EP got him signed by Rehn Music Group which celebrated the release of his single "Slide" earlier this year.
Just last week Simon Alexander released his latest single, "Last Dance".
Today we're excited to share with you the story behind the song, told by Simon himself:
"Right before I headed into the studio to record my previous single, "Slide", we had the idea to record two songs in that session. But I didn't really have another song that felt right.
So I started to look through my library of unfinished songs - and found a bunch of ideas that I had recorded a couple years ago.
Some of them were not meant to see the light of day, but when I began playing around with a couple of them, they started to morph into what eventually became "Last Dance".
I knew that this was going to become something different from what I had written before. I wanted it to be a more fun and danceable track than my previous material, pushing me a bit out of my comfort zone, since I've only released more mellow and folky tracks these past years.
Once again I teamed up with producer Tobias Ekqvist (electric guitar) and Jonnie Holmberg (drums) in Studio Sunnana in Malmö. We based the song off a pre-production that I recorded in my home in Gothenburg, but we added a lot of ingredients on the spot. If one of had an idea in the studio that got us all grooving, we knew that we were onto something.
The guitar solo was one of those things. It was made one late night by Tobias, where he just played around until we found something that felt just perfect for the song.
The music video, which is being released very soon, was created by the same team that is behind the video for "Won't Be Found". It's a story-driven interpretation of the song which makes it very special."
Thanks to the beauty of scheduled posts and organised work behaviour, it's actually been over a week since I've last sat down to write.
Now, before you go and call me lazy, I've actually been stuck somewhere between GDPR emails and music submissions and boy, was it a lot to get done.
In between writing emails and trying to get some sleep, I've almost lost my mind on Social Media and was melting in Stuttgart's sun while interviewing bands.
So it actually feels nice to be back on here, sharing brilliant songs with you.
Without getting too cheesy - thanks guys! For coming over to listen to the tracks we want to share. I hope you enjoy your stay and find new songs you love.
Today we'll get to learn more about the story behind Douglas Joshua's debut single.
- Behind The Song - "Stray" by Douglas Joshua
Douglas Joshua is a singer/songwriter from Bath, UK.
His sound combines Folk and Acoustic elements in such seemingly effortlessly manner, that you can't help but stop in your tracks to listen to his songs. "Stray" is one of those songs that will let you dive into the depths of it. Right from the first few notes, you know you're in for a treat - you'll relax and you might even find those relatable words you're looking for.
It's a genuine and heartfelt song and that becomes apparent the deeper you fall into the song.
If Douglas' debut is this good - we sure can't wait to hear the follow-ups.
Find out what Douglas told us about what inspired him to write the song, the recording process and watch out for a pretty funny story from the video shoot:
"This song narrates the feelings of helplessness as a close friend or relative is struggling with mental illness.
I came to write about this when a close friend of mine was suffering with depression and alcohol addiction.
As I became more aware of the situation, I began feeling more and more worried, but also guilty. I wanted to help, but I didn't know how. I have found it a difficult topic to talk about, so I thought it was appropriate to express how I felt through the music.
I do still find it difficult, but the song has helped me to understand my own feelings, let go of that feeling of guilt and also share it with others, which I think is important. I feel a weight off my shoulders when I sing it
Currently I produce, engineer and mix all of my own work.
Although this can be a slow process and sometimes makes it difficult to be objective about my work, it does give me as much creative control as possible from start to finish.
I've managed to put together a great band and we work really well together in constructing arrangements for my songs.
We started recording back in December 2017; I would go into the studio with each musician individually to track their parts, starting with drums. This really gave me an opportunity to appreciate each instrument's role in the overall arrangement and work with the band to fine-tune and get the dynamics of the performance just right.
We were lucky enough to be able to record drums and vocals in the studio through a lovely TL Audio valve desk, and using my new favourite vocal mic: the Sontronics Aria. The rest was either recorded in mine or Dave's living rooms.
I think this track is a lot more personal, raw and honest than songs I have written in the past, so I'm proud for it to be my debut single. (It also changes time signature a lot, which is fun!)
The most fun I've had during this whole process has definitely got to be the video shoot!
We decided to record a live video in an empty swimming pool in Cheltenham, only to find that it was half full when we arrived! I fell in the water twice while trying to empty the pool on bucket at a time - but thankfully I had a good team of helpers to empty the pool and the weather was good enough to dry my clothes off before the band and crew arrived!"
