Gemma Cockrell and Kiah Tooke
Gemma and Kiah review the latest releases from Little Thief, Kitty, Eyeay, Shelter Boy and Indigo De Souza.
Little Thief – FREAK (Gemma):
Bristol-based rock band Little Thief have released a new single titled FREAK. It has been taken from their upcoming debut album ‘Under The Patio’, which will be released in September.
FREAK was written to capture the aura of people who have an exciting presence and bring out the adventurous and outgoing sides of everyone around them. This is communicated through the chorus lyric “She brings out / The freak in me.” The track is driven by a grooving rock bassline, comparable to bands such as Royal Blood.
The band have seen success with their raw, gritty and soulful alternative rock sound, including playing at Glastonbury and Liverpool Sound City Festival. They have also received support from Steve Lamacq of BBC 6, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio. With this punchy and catchy new release, the future seems bright for Little Thief.
Kitty – Sugar & Spice (Gemma):
Parisian-Welsh artist Kitty has released her latest single Sugar & Spice alongside a Y2K inspired music video. A DIY artist inspired by the likes of Lady Gaga, Charli XCX and Dorian Electra, her sound has been compared to artists such as Lana Del Rey, MARINA and Lorde.
The track is a pure pop song
Lyrically, the track speaks of missing the sexual connection that you had with a previous lover, when you are aware that it is for the best that they are in the past and out of your life, yet you can’t help but crave their presence one last time. Kitty states that she wrote this song as an alternative to texting her ex.
The production of the track is inspired by the hyperpop genre, courtesy of producer Dejan Visser providing backing for Kitty’s infectious vocal melodies. The track is a pure pop song, with the perfect balance of bittersweet nostalgia and a futuristic touch.
Eyeay – Your Name (Gemma):
London-based artist Eyeay has released his second official single, titled Your Name, with an Afroswing-infused instrumental courtesy of producer EJ FYA. It follows his debut EP ‘Eye For You’ which arrived in March 2021.
Eyeay takes influence from many different genres when making his music. His sound is an amalgamation of rap, hip-hop and RnB, inspired by the likes of K Camp, Tory Lanez, and Krept and Konan.
The track is an infectious rap tune, with a summer energy to it. Eyeay is a talented rapper, who can effortlessly switch between crisp bars and a sweet melodic RnB hook. With this track, he shows that he is a versatile artist with many strengths, hinting that his future releases might lean more towards a smooth, RnB sound.
Shelter Boy – I Stand With You (Kiah)
The last single to be released from his debut album, Shelter Boy has unveiled I Stand With You, the follow up to previous single Terrace. The full release of his album ‘Failure Familiar’ is expected at the start of September to showcase his take on the indie pop genre.
Since 2018 he has developed a dreamy blend of indie pop
Rhythmic and soft, I Stand With You uses guitar melodies and a gentle rhythm to express the song’s emotional message. Simon Graupner, the artist behind Shelter Boy further explained the meaning to the song and how “Living with your art/music/whatever, feels like a pendulum, either you’re on a high or a low, and I think it’s ones task to be not too eccentric about it and calm a bit down sometimes.”
Before embarking on his solo career under the moniker Shelter Boy, Graupner released music with Still Trees as their guitar player. However, since 2018 he has developed a dreamy blend of indie pop which will be expanded upon in his debut album.
Indigo De Souza – Real Pain (Kiah)
Real Pain is the third single from Indigo De Souza’s upcoming album ‘Any Shape You Take’, which will be released via Saddle Creek at the end of August. Emotional and heartfelt, Real Pain details the aftermath of grief and suffering when you need to show yourself love and compassion too.
The song begins with just De Souza’s vocals paired with a dark sounding guitar, however by the middle of the song the track builds up to have layers of distorted guitars, drumbeats and miscellaneous screams. Interestingly, De Souza put out a request for voice memos of “screams, yells, and anything else”, which she then layered with her own vocals to create what she termed “a kind of collective experience”.
The emotion behind Real Pain is very well expressed by De Souza with her heavier sound and poignant lyrics. This contrasts to the emotions behind previous single Hold U, demonstrating De Souza’s ability to express a wide range of feelings.
Gemma Cockrell and Kiah Tooke
Featured image courtesy of Nina via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of @littlethiefband @eyeay and @indigofaraway via instagram.com. No changes made to these images.
To listen to all of these tracks, check out the New Releases Roundup playlist on Spotify.
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