At this point of social distancing and isolation it feels like such a distant memory.
And while we are all staying at home to flatten the curve and support the front line workers all over the world, our favourite artists are really stepping up their game.
It's times like this which show us just how important creatives are.
Whether that's the artists doing live streams, the writers supplying us with interesting pieces, the photographers sharing beautiful moments or film makers giving us something to take in.
It's the artists that share their craft to keep us entertained and I think we should keep that in mind.
Alex Francis couldn't have picked a better time to release his live EP as it allows us to feel that sweet feeling that live music brings to us, the feeling music fans around the world miss so much.
Artist: Alex Francis Title: Live In Munich Genre: R&B, Soul Label: frtyfve records Release Date: 3rd April 2020
Alex Francis is a singer/songwriter originally from Hitchin, UK, currently based in London.
His sound combines the classical singer/songwriter elements with sprinkles of R&B and soul, creating a unique listening experience for his fans.
Alex first introduced himself to the music world with his single "Make Believe" back in 2017.
Ever since he has gone from strength to strength, convincing not just
the British airplay DJs, the Spotify Germany playlist makers but also
acts such as Kelly Jones who invited Alex and his band to support the Stereophonics on tour.
Besides touring with Stereophonics, Alex has also supported Sting, James Bay and Melanie C - on whose single "Hold On" he also features.
His music has allowed Alex to travel a lot, appearing on SXSW,
performing at Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, playing The Isle Of Wight
Festival, Live At Leeds, Liverpool Sound City and more.
On top of that Alex played his first headline tour in Germany last year and during this stop in Munich, the "Live In Munich" EP was recorded during his show at Zehner.
Tracklist:
1) Make Believe
2) Whatever Happened
3) Desire
"Make Believe" lets you find the groove in a gentle and enticing way. The simplicity of the song is refreshing and inviting, giving you the time to relax and dive into the music. Often it's loud and busy songs that grab our attention at gigs, but Alex has found the perfect alternative with the mellow and soulful sounds in his repertoire.
"Whatever Happened" follows up that calming atmosphere absolutely beautifully. It invites you to dream, to listen to the harmonies Alex and band mate Gui Rezende deliver seemingly effortlessly. The combination of acoustic and electric guitar gives the song everything it needs to captivate an audience.
Blending a few lines of Womack & Womack's "Teardrops" into the intro of "Desire", the two musicians made everyone in the crowd boogie from the first line on. "Desire" is one of those tracks that just get you in a good mood, the lightness of the instrumentals, the soul, the vocals, the guitar solo - it all works and keeps the repeat button busy.
To sum it up: As someone who was at that exact show in Munich, it's absolutely
wonderful to hear the songs again the way the were performed that night.
But even if you weren't at the show, this EP allows you to have that
sweet feeling of live music in your ears and is a definite reminder of
why you should attend an Alex Francis show as soon as we're all able to
again.
You should listen to these tracks: Really just listen to the entire EP.
Here we are, trying to bring back some normalcy in these trying times.
Of course we are staying inside, social distancing and doing our part to help stop the virus from spreading and we hope you are all doing the same.
It feels like we are rediscovering the joys of social media. For such a long time it felt like it was dividing us, rather than bringing us together - but in times of not seeing your friends and favourite artists, video calls and live streams have definitely come to our rescue.
In the middle of all this craziness, Josh Savage is releasing his debut album. So to celebrate brilliant music and to not lose our minds completely, we jumped on a call with Josh and caught up on all things pandemic and the album.
- Audio Interview - 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.
Over the years Josh supported acts such as Kodaline, Jack Savoretti, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Razorlight and more.
His singles, "Whisper In The Snow" ft. Alice Pearl and "Ghosts" have racked up hundreds of thousands streams.
He followed up that success with "Blue Luck", a gripping and powerful song which introduced his fans to his eletronic side. Soon after, Josh started releasing the first few singles off of his debut album - and now "The Long Way Round" is out.
To celebrate the release, we caught up over a Skype call and chatted about how Josh is dealing with the social distancing, where and how he recorded the album, how his sound developed, and of course - we talked about food.
We have been fans of his sound since we first heard "Water", back in 2016.
Soon after we got to interview him and had a blast. His live shows are mindblowing and his tweets are hilarious.
As the cool kids say - what's not to stan?
(Note: we are not the cool kids and have no idea what that means, but let's roll with it.)
Please join us as we dive into Jack's new music.
- Track Of The Day - "Time" by Jack Garratt
Much like we were, the world was introduced to Jack back in 2016.
He won the industry over with "Worry", "Breathe Life" and "Surprise Yourself", showcasing a huge ability for multi-tasking on stage with his mindblowing setup.
Winning awards and selling out shows globally soon became the norm for Jack, yet it came with a lot of confusion and times of feeling alone and scared. Those emotions and experiences have led the musician to writing and recording his new record.
He just announced the release date for his second album, "Love, Death & Dancing", which will be released on May 29th and is available for pre-order.
Jack says about the upcoming album:"The album was written from the point of view of someone who has a functioning sadness, who has had his day-to-day depressions and anxieties that have influenced the decisions he's made. The album is about that functionality, that day-to-day battle, conversation, tug of war."
The first installment of songs, "Vol. 1", is out now and features the first single, "Time", along with two other tracks which Jack will be playing at his upcoming live shows, you can get tickets here.
"Time" is gentle, yet lively.
It's a celebration of making it through hard times, of hope and of reflection.
His warm and soulful vocals immediately fill your ears, guiding you through the colourful instrumentals with such ease.
Jack plays with sounds much like a painter would with drops of colour. The outcome? Delicate, yet confident art.
Each element has its place as they all collide into a journey of discovery. As a listener there's nothing more exciting than to sit down and listen to find as many layers as you can. It's no surprise that Jack would come back with something so powerful and expressive.
With this post we welcome you to 2020 at house in the sand.
We are excited to have another 12 months of music discovery ahead of us.
Just imagining how much fantastic music we will be hearing this year is getting us all giddy - and we hope you feel the same.
We promise you to find even more unique and exciting ways to showcase music for you this year, so all we ask is that you stay tuned and enjoy the process with us.
To kick off the year, we are thrilled to share Liam McClair's selection of seven songs.
We've featured Liam multiple times and always get excited to hear new music. With his at times calming, at times rumbling folk pop sound, Liam has found his signature sound with ease.
Hailing in from Manchester, UK, it's no surprise he has been a big part of the music scene up there. But he's not only an essential in the local giging scene, Liam has also won over fans all over Europe with his thoughtful lyrics, warm vocals and comforting instrumentals. He also played support slots for Newton Faulkner and Echo & The Bunnymen, showcasing his talents to bigger audiences.
To share his latest single, "Nice Guy" with you, we've asked Liam to talk us through seven songs he enjoys for different reasons and at the end of this post he even told us more about the new single.
When I was a student in Liverpool, I'm sure I annoyed a lot of the DJs in the bars I'd go to by asking them to play this, then forgetting when they said no as I was a little drunk and asking them again!
I love it and it always makes me want to dance.
2) a song that calms you down "Something So Right" by Paul Simon
This song is really soothing and we used to listen to it in the car when my mum was driving.
There is something about the feel of the song I find so relaxing and the older I get, the more I can relate with the lyrics.
3) a song that means a lot to you "American Pie" by Don McLean
I think I'll go with "American Pie" by Don McLean.
Every Easter as a kid or as many I can remember, my family and I would visit the Isle Of Arran of the coast of Scotland and this would be our song we would all sing along to as we winded our way around the island via the narrow country lanes. It always makes me smile.
4) a song that makes you feel nostalgic "Bongo Bong" by Manu Chao
When I was 19, I travelled around Asia, Australia and America with four friends from home.
We had an amazing time and this song always reminds me of that trip. One of my friends made a photo slideshow and used the song as the soundtrack, so I've always been transported to the freedom of travelling whenever I hear it.
5) a song which has accompanied you for a while "So Fresh" by Will Smith, Biz Markie, Slick Rick
When I was 10 or 11 I borrowed "Willenium" by Will Smith from my sister and I don't think I ever gave it back!
This track is one that I always find myself singing and I just loved it so much as a kid. I'd never heard four or five artists on one track before and I thought it was amazing.
6) a song from your favourite genre "The Man In Me" by Bob Dylan
I love singer/songwriter music. If that counts as a genre, I'm not sure.
But Bob Dylan is one of my favourites and this is one of my favourites of his.
7) a song by an artist / a band which has surprised you "Teeth White" by The Staves
I'd heard The Staves doing acoustic music and their harmonies blew me away, but I always thought they were predominately folky, when Spotify sent me "Teeth White" I loved it pretty much from the start and then the video just confirmed it's one of my favourite songs!
What do you hope listeners will feel when listening to your new single "Nice Guy"?
Hopefully
they can relate to the sense of wanting to feel like you have to be
liked all the time and that being nice is a pressure that is prevalent
in society.
Happy Tuesday!
Well, Tuesday generally have a bad rep, don't they?
The weekend is over, Monday has seen most of us return to work, whether that's 9 to 5 or 24/7 (hello there fellow freelancers!), it can be a bit of pain in the behind.
But isn't it also kind of cool how we collectively conquer another week?
We kinda think it is.
And to make it a lot easier, we think you need decent music - which we love providing to you.
Our DC based photographer Gabby has some photos of two brilliant bands for you today and if you add those two bands to your playlist, your Tuesday will improve about 124%.
Date: 5th November 2019 Venue: Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington (DC) Support Act: Inhaler
Inhaler are a four piece from Dublin, Ireland.
They met at school and soon realised they all share interests and had similar tastes in music. This, of course, led to them uniting to bring quality rock music to the crowds.
Inhaler are:
Elijah Hewson (vocals, rhythm guitar)
Josh Jenkinson (lead guitar)
Robert Keating (bass)
Ryan McMahon (drums)
The guys have already released a bunch of singles, such as the soundtrack-like "It Won't Always Be Like This" and their latest, "Ice Cream Sundae", a groovy retro number.
After seeing them opening for Blossoms, we certainly can't wait to hear more from them.
Watch the music video for "Ice Cream Sundae" right here:
Blossoms are a five piece band from Stockport, UK.
Their sound has drawn inspiration from bands such as Oasis and Artic Monkeys to the classic 80s Pop elements.
They started out as a school band, named after a local pub.
As the band came together, they pretty quickly found their sound and started writing and releasing their debut single, "You Pulled A Gun", and soon after dropped their debut EP, "Bloom".
Blossoms are:
Tom Ogden (vocals, guitar)
Charlie Salt (bass, backing vocals)
Josh Dewhurst (lead guitar)
Joe Donovan (drums)
Myles Kellock (keyboards, backing vocals)
After signing to Virgin EMI, Blossoms kept releasing EPs while gigging around the country and playing festivals, including a set at Glastonbury in 2016. Their self-titled debut album made it to number 1 in the UK charts and they haven't slowed down since.
Besides touring all over the place, Blossoms wrote and recorded another album and released the "Cool Like You" LP in 2018.
Watch the music video for "Your Girlfriend" right here:
Well hello there, today we actually have a brand new feature on HITS.
Online that is, we got to premiere our album talkthrough segment in our print issue - so if you'd like to check that out, you can get a copy here. (We only have a handful left, so be quick.)
The title probably gives it away, but in this feature we invite artists to talk us through each track on their album to learn a few more things about the songs as we fall in love with them.
We are excited to see it become a regular feature here and of course would love your feedback.
- Album Talkthrough - "Routes" by Stylusboy
Stylusboy is the moniker Steve Jones from Coventry, UK uses to release indie folk tracks.
The singer/songwriter has been releasing music since 2009 and has built a loyal fanbase over the years. With support from BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, Stylusboy has made himself a well respected name.
Influenced by the greats such as Damien Rice, Elliot Smith, Nick Drake, Neil Young and more, you'll find songs about love, loss and all things life.
Having gigged all over the UK, including sold out shows and support sets for acts such as Newton Faulkner, John Smith, Lucy Ward and more, Stylusboy shows that he's an adaptable live performer who is comfortable at festivals, at house gigs, all sorts of venues and even a pro at playing online gigs.
Between the release of his debut album, "Hospitality for Hope" in 2015 and now, Steve has released multiple EPs and a live album. On September 27th of 2019 Stylus released his new album, "Routes", via his own label Tortoise Records.
Steve kindly took the time to chat us each track on the album, here's what he had to say:
"I guess the best place to start when talking about my second album
Routes is about the vision I had for it.
Since my first album,
"Hospitality for Hope", my influences and style has changed and developed
from a English folk-ish sound to more of a singer songwriter Americana
style sound. I was listening to people like John Paul white, Jason Isabel and The Lone Bellow all of whom are American and have a more full
band sound.
I wanted this album to have a different feel to my first
one, more stripped back but also more full sounding.
It took me quite a
long time to get the songs where I felt they were ready to record but I
didn’t want to rush this process. The drums and double bass parts were
recorded live in a gorgeous studio called Canvas Music on a farm just
outside Birmingham by a wonderful engineer called David Plumb.
My old
friend Tim Bowes played the drums and one of the busiest musicians I
know John Parker played the double bass. These guys have added so much
colour to the album and I’m so grateful to them.
All the guitars and
vocals were recorded in my home studio The Truffle Room which is where I
do a lot of writing and recording. Holly Hewitt, a wonderful blues
singer local to me, kindly agreed to add harmonies to my songs and I
love what she has created."
"Embrace The View":
"I
was really keen to have this as the opening song and I worked for a
long time deciding if the main guitar should be an electric or an
acoustic, as you can tell when you listen I settled on an acoustic.
Lyrically this song is all about keeping going when things are tough,
not letting your current circumstances define you and keep you eyes on
what is in front of you."
"Out Upon The Ocean":
"This
is the first song I wrote for this album and it was the chorus line
that came to me first. I am often inspired by the sea and I liked the
idea of using a lighthouse for inspiration so its a fictional narrative
but one i hope many people can relate to."
"For The Souls Of My Brothers":
"This
song is inspired by the fact my Great Grandad was a fireman in my home
city of Coventry during World War 2. One evening he was late home from
his job and his family persuaded him to stay for dinner with them. This
meant he was late for his fire crew shift and missed going out with them
that night. Sadly his crew never returned that night and so this is the
story of those feelings."
"All The Details":
"I
co-wrote this song with my friend Jess Morgan, a wonderful singer
songwriter from Norwich. We had wanted to write together for a while and
so one Saturday morning we calved out some time in our diaries and came
up with this song. It’s all about trying to find happiness in the small
things in life. I love the feel of this song. Tim and John really
influenced this at the final stage of recording by setting an almost
Motown feel to it."
"Find Your Gold":
"This
was one of those songs that was a real battle to finish and changed
quite a lot from how it originally started. It’s written in DADGAD
tuning and I was listening to a lot of John Paul White’s music when I
was recording the guitar parts. Lyrically its all about battling with
hard times and sad thoughts and finding your ‘gold’ in family and moving
on."
"Keep You":
"This song is
about reading Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis to my
daughter and wanting to keep her at that point in her life. It’s a
fairly reflective song. Musically I was really looking to keep the song
as stripped back as I could so the end section really built to a big
ending. To me I can hear a little bit of Elbow influence on this, maybe
that's just me?"
"Ride This Storm":
"This
is one of those songs that just fell out of me! I wrote the lyrics in
one sitting and hardly edited them at all which is pretty unusual. It’s
inspired by a story from the Bible which isn’t something I write
directly from very often but my faith is a very important part of my
life. Quite a few people have referenced Paul Simon in the overall sound
and I am very happy with that!"
"Open The Door":
"This
is actually a completely reworked version of one of my very first
Stylusboy songs. This version came out of the jamming during the
rehearsals for my first album and I really liked how it sounded so I was
keen to explore it in a new way. It is completely recorded in my home
studio where I have built up the layers of guitars. I love the way Holly
has sang this with me."
"Shelter In The Light":
"Here
is another one inspired by my Grandad. He use to go out on his Dad’s
coal truck and so this is me imagining what that might have been like.
The phrase ‘shelter in the light’ is about the fact they use to have a
lantern on the coal truck. It is one of the only songs on the album with
only electric guitars on it and I really like the end section that
builds and allows Tim and John to really help the song ‘RAWK’ (in a folk
rock kind of way!)."
"This Is Where I Belong":
"This
was the last song I wrote for the album and I always wanted it to be
the closing track. I’d had the chorus section for quite a while but the
verses took a little longer to complete. It is very simply recorded with
just acoustic guitar and my voice."
"For me
the writing and recording is always just part of releasing my music.
I
love creating the artwork and my fine art background comes out at this
point. I worked with Paula Oakley, a wonderfully skilled illustrator, to
create the artwork for Routes.
The print on the CD is from an map of
Coventry (my home city) which I felt was appropriate as so many of the
songs have been written at home or influenced by Coventry.
Finally I
love make my CD sleeves by hand so when you buy a copy not only do you
get my songs you get the CD hand made by myself."
Watch the music video for "Out Upon The Ocean" right here:
There are some artists that just constantly are on our radar and whenever they release new material, we get super hyped and can't wait to become familiar with the new sounds.
Rhys Lewis is one of those artists for us.
We've been hyped since he released his debut single, "Waking Up Without You" back in 2016 and neither our hype nor his streak of quality releases have ended since.
So buckle up and let's dive into our current favourite track.
- Song Of The Day - "Be Your Man" by Rhys Lewis
Rhys Lewis is a singer/songwriter originally from Oxford (UK), now based in London (UK).
His sound is influenced by legends such as Carole King, Bill Withers and James Taylor. Rhys' signature sound is a blend of Soul, Pop and Blues with hints of Rock and Folk here and there.
The diversity of his sounds, paired with his talent for story telling has led to over 200 million streams on his previously released singles & EPs. Rhys shares his own experiences through his music, allowing his fans
to find comfort and understanding in the lyrics while letting their
worries melt away with the melodies.
Within the past few
years, Rhys has taken on the music world by storm and has toured with
artists such as Freya Ridings, JP Cooper, James TW and most recently Julia Michaels.
You can catch Rhys on his biggest UK headline tour this winter:
2019: 20th Noveber: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 21st November: Deaf Institute, Manchester 22nd November: Thekla, Bristol 23rd November: O2 Institute3, Birmingham 25th November: EartH, London 26th November: Komedia, Brighton 28th November: O2 Academy2, Oxford 30th November: King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow 1st December: Button Factory, Dublin
"Be Your Man" has previously been released as an acoustic arrangement, letting you really understand the lyrics which tell a story of feeling like you're not enough, like the person you're with is constantly comparing you to their ex.
Now, with a fuller and darker sound, the song reveals another layer of emotions. With this kind of setting, you realise how being compared to someone else in a relationship doesn't just bring a lot of pain with it, it also causes a lot of frustration and anger.
The foot stomping beat, the energetic piano - and of course - Rhys' vocals express the cycle of thoughts and feelings one goes through in that kind of situation so perfectly.
Autumn is well and truly here, isn't it?
While we're all busy drinking tea (and perhaps eating gingerbread because it's already available in supermarkers - and let's be real - who can resist?), we need some amazing music to listen to as we gear up for the colder months. Today we are thrilled to share an exclusive performance again. We love sharing these acoustic performances with you and we can't wait for you to see the one Alex Francis had in store for us.
Alex Francis is a singer/songwriter originally from Hitchin, UK, currently based in London.
His sound combines the classical singer/songwriter elements with sprinkles of folk and soul, creating a unique listening experience for his fans.
Alex first introduced himself to the music world with his single "Make Believe" back in 2017.
Ever since he has gone from strength to strength, convincing not just
the British airplay DJs, the Spotify Germany playlist makers but also
acts such as Kelly Jones who invited Alex and his band to support the Stereophonics on tour.
Besides touring with Stereophonics, Alex has also supported Sting, Melanie C - on whose single "Hold On" he also features - and most recently, James Bay.
His music has allowed Alex to travel a lot, appearing on SXSW,
performing at Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, playing The Isle Of Wight
Festival, Live At Leeds, Liverpool Sound City and more.
During his German headline tour ealier this month, Alex played shows in Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne.
We got to catch up with Alex and got you front seats to his HITS exclusive performance of his brilliant track "Desire". The video below was filmed by the Isar river in Munich.
Sometimes you need to step back to find your focus.
After releasing our first print issue last month, things felt a little uncertain over here.
Turns out that after spending months and months working on a different kind of medium, you feel a little lost and overwhelmed the moment you step back into what you've been doing before tackling the new adventure.
We'll admit, it took a little bit of time to adjust to the fast paced online world again,
but thankfully with a little help from our super wonderful and talented friends, we made it back.
All we really needed was to be reminded that our main goal has always been to connect music fans and musicians on a more personal level.
So here we are, doing just that by sharing something with you we actually have never shared before - a Skype interview recording.
It's slightly old school but we think you'll really enjoy our conversation with Alex Francis.
Alex Francis is a singer/songwriter originally from Hitchin, UK, currently based in London.
His sound combines the classical singer/songwriter elements with sprinkles of folk and soul, creating a unique listening experience for his fans.
Alex first introduced himself to the music world with his single "Make Believe" back in 2017.
Ever since he has gone from strength to strength, convincing not just the British airplay DJs, the Spotify Germany playlist makers but also acts such as Kelly Jones who invited Alex and his band to support the Stereophonics on tour.
Besides touring with Stereophonics, Alex has also supported Sting, Melanie C - on whose single "Hold On" he also features - and most recently, James Bay.
His music has allowed Alex to travel a lot, appearing on SXSW, performing at Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, playing The Isle Of Wight Festival, Live At Leeds, Liverpool Sound City and more.
To catch Alex live, head over to his website (linked below), German fans will be the first ones to see him live next month.
During our conversation, Alex told us more about his latest single, "Desire", experiencing music as a musican and music fan, how he evolves as a musician and a lot more.
Watch the interview right here:
We'd like to say a massive thank you for Alex for taking the time to have this wonderful chat & to AK for setting this up for us.
Listen to Alex's latest single "Desire" right here:
If you follow us on social media, you might've seen that we can explain it.
We are currently working on something that takes up more time than the days have to offer,
so unfortunately HITS is a bit on the backburner.
It's a shame, but we truly think that it's going to be worth it and hope you stick around for the big reveal on February 28th.
But we took some time to still present you the music we love and invite you to get to know The Rose Affair.
The Rose Affair are a four piece from Cambridge, UK.
Over the past few years the band has built a loyal fanbase and found support from BBC Introducing, DJ Huw Stephens who got their track "Napoli" BBC 1 airplay and music fans from all around the globe.
With their home being the indie scene, you can expect high class live sets, relatable songs and vivid storytelling through their visuals.
In 2018 the band released their second EP, played a set at Secret Garden Party, did a live session for ITV news and supported acts such Natty, Itch and Fickle Friends.
The Rose Affair are:
Lucas Jones
Matt Jones
Jacob Pett
Tom Brown We are super excited to see what The Rose Affair are up to next, but for now we're thrilled to share their brand new music video along with their 7 songs playlist which they created exclusively for HITS.
Watch the video for their new single "Blush" right here:
She just kills everything she touches and this song in particular is just the BEST kind of pop.
Makes you want to backflip with excitement, but also super profound, lyrically.
2) a song that calms you down "Melt" by Big Red Machine
Firstly, it's Justin Vernon.
So there's that.
And then with Aaron Dessner from The National, so it's a dream.
It's not exactly a peaceful song, but it calms me down in a soul expanding, life is a miracle kind of way.
3) a song with a deep meaning "Morning Theft" by Jeff Buckley
When I was like 16, this song was literally my crutch for about a year whilst I was going through some shit.
Jeff Buckley in general has always been that for me. And with this being on his unfinished second album, released after he died, I don't know, man.. This whole record is just very important to me.
5) a song which has accompanied you for a while "Nightswimming" by R.E.M.
This song is the last track on the first album I ever got.
My Dad got it for me for Christmas circa 2003.
Strange Christmas present for a 7 year old looking back, but I fucking loved it.
I listened to this song on repeat all day and still do pretty regularly.
6) a song from your favourite genre "I Get Overwhelmed" by Dark Rooms
I'm not very good at distinguishing what different genres are.
Everything is so influenced by everything else that my head gets all fuzzy when I try to split music into simple categories.
Other than reggae 'cos it's like "Oh, there's an upstroke guitar rhythm, cool, we know where we are."
So the closest thing to my favourite genre would be film soundtrack (which is kind of cheating).
And this song is from a beautiful film called A Ghost Story.
7) a song by an artist / a band which has surprised you "When The Party's Over" by Billie Eilish
My little sister sent me this and I'd heard the artist's name, but avoided her for some reason.
And then this blew me into some next realm.
She's amazing - this live performance is sick. Lighting, stage design too.
We know, we're a day late for New Music Friday here.
Apologies!
Somehow we got caught up dancing to all the brilliant releases yesterday,
that somehow we fell behind with the writing.
But fear not, we've got more coming up! January 18th was an absolute beast when it comes to the releases and we've saved all the goodies we want to share with you.
So let's continue!
Artist: dodie Title: Human Genre: Pop Label: doddleoddle Release Date: 18th January 2019
dodie is a singer, songwriter and video artist from the UK. She is currently based in London and has built a loyal community of likeminded creatives via her platform on YouTube.
The "Human" EP is dodie's third EP and continues her musical journey.
Her debut EP "Intertwined" was released in November 2016, then "You", her second EP came out in August 2017. With both EPs out and multiple single releases under her belt, dodie has been touring regularly, taking her YouTube crew along and documenting the gigs in incredibly creative ways.
We're absolutely thrilled to share our thoughts about "Human" with you and would love to hear your thoughts on it as well.
Let's jump into the EP!
Tracklist:
1) Arms Unfolding
2) Monster
3) Not What I Meant (feat. Lewis Watson)
4) Human (feat. Tom Walker)
5) She
6) If I'm Being Honest
7) Burned Out
"Monster" showcases dodie's talent for melodies and theatrical writing,
using very vivid lyrics to describe the thoughts and emotions she wants to communicate. The instrumental is a combination of classic percussions and random samples, giving away just how many details dodie pours into her music. With layered vocals kicking in towards the end, the song takes a dramatic and dynamic turn and gives the song more depth than it already had.
When going through dodie's work on YouTube, you'll often find collaborations with fellow artists. Those beautiful community vibes are also present on the EP, highlighted by the "Not What I Meant" duet with fellow musician Lewis Watson. It's a soft and smooth track, dodie's and Lewis' vocals blend together so nicely, creating one unit of absolute listening pleasure.
We also get to hear a lot of strings on multiple tracks of the EP, including title track "Human" which features guest vocals from Tom Walker - a drastically darker track which is so vivid, you can't only hear the music, you can actually see it.
"If I'm Being Honest" is a vulnerable and honest song. dodie's vocals transport emotions so well and let you feel every word she sings. With a voice so clear and gentle, her vocals are her very own version of powerful. When a vocalist is able to display so many feelings with her instrument, she clearly does not need to belt the notes to impress her listeners.
To sum it up: The "Human" EP is handcrafted. You hear 100% dodie on every track. The amount of details in the instrumentals, the personal and colourful lyrics, the theatrical vibes are beyond her years and combine the classical elements with modern touches.
You should listen to these tracks: Monster, Human, If I'm Being Honest
Watch the music video for "If I'm Being Honest" right here:
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