Gemma Cockrell and Kiah Tooke
Gemma and Kiah review the latest releases from Bavé, Ydegirl, Charity Stow, Nghtfall, Joe & The Shitboys, School Disco, Cathy Jain and LONA.
Bavé – Skies (Gemma)
Swedish songwriter and producer Bavé has released his new single Skies. It is his first release since 2019, when he released two songs, Kimberly White and I’m Here Now. Both of those tracks were released alongside dark, teal green cover art, but Skies is accompanied with pastel pink artwork, representing a new era in Bavé’s music.
The song has been taken from his forthcoming debut EP, which was written and recorded during his year long stay at an island refuge for artists in Sweden called Biskops Arnö. The track fuses R&B sounds with dreamy pop influences, which compliment his falsetto vocals perfectly. The track is tinged with a nostalgic summer feel, relishing in good memories and good vibes.
Ydegirl – Valley Song (Gemma)
Ydegirl is the moniker of Danish singer and producer Andrea Novel, who fuses modern day R&B and pop elements with classical instruments to form a unique sound. Following the release of her previous single Parody of Crime last month, she is back with her latest offering, Valley Song.
Valley Song is a dreamy track, written about feelings of “alienation” according to Ydegirl via her Instagram account. The track begins with guitar strums and a simple drum beat, before Ydegirl’s mesmerising, psychedelic vocals take centre stage. She will be releasing her debut album, self-titled ‘YDEGIRL’, on October 15th.
Charity Stow – Perfect Thought (Gemma)
Nottingham’s very own Charity Stow has released Perfect Thought, the title track and first taste of her upcoming EP of the same name, which will be unveiled on 24th September. The track, according to Stow herself, is the “best song [she’s] ever written”.
Lyrically, it is about imagining what you want your future to be like, something that people have done a lot of during the past year during the simplicity and silence that the pandemic forced the world into. Stow said that the phrase “fits the vibe of the EP as well, because they’re all a bit dreamy and imaginary, and simplistic”. Read the full interview here.
Nghtfall – Open Up (Gemma)
Emerging Toronto-based singer and songwriter Bradley, who goes by the moniker Nghtfall, has released their new track Open Up. The track channels a pop-punk and alternative rock sound, inspired by artists who have championed the genre for a while such as Fall Out Boy and Paramore, and the new-wave of the genre such as KennyHoopla and nothing,nowhere.
the track sees them digging deeper into their queer identity and unapologetically embracing who they truly are
Lyrically, it is a raw and moving track about how people’s views of them changed after they came out as non-binary. Unfortunately, Nghtfall has encountered many people who have been against their true identity, but the track sees them digging deeper into their queer identity and unapologetically embracing who they truly are.
Joe & The Shitboys – Pull The Trigger (Gemma)
Four-piece Faroese punk outfit Joe & The Shitboys have returned with their new single Pull The Trigger. It is their first new music since their debut album ‘The Reson For Hardcore Vibes’ last year, which only had a runtime of ten minutes. Pull The Trigger continues this tendency, only running for one minute and twelve seconds, as well continuing the band’s frenzied, unapologetic sound.
“You know those people, typically men, typically straight, typically white, that say the most offensive things online and call people snowflakes, but then start crying about free speech whenever their hateful rhetoric is contested? That’s who Pull the Trigger is about,” lead singer Joe explains. They have a lot of exciting things ahead of them, including a full headline UK tour and an appearance at Dot To Dot Festival in Nottingham at the end of this month.
School Disco – Poison (Kiah)
Manchester-based band School Disco have released Poison, a track due to be featured on their upcoming album ‘Heads Still Here’. Having formed in 2016, the band have been inspired by guitar heavy rock, taking influence from bands such as Black Sabbath and Fuzz.
This new track features layers of heavy electric guitars paired with a strong drum beat, creating a dark and messy atmosphere to the song. The lyrics of Poison discuss addiction, with vocalist Rory sharing – “Poison is about the way in which the world demonizes celebrities with addiction problems, making them the centre of some sort of twisted circus rather than treating them as human with very severe mental health problems”.
‘Heads Still Here’ is the band’s sophomore album which School Disco have already released two singles from, Poison being the last. Having already supported the likes of Wolf Alice and Froth on tour, School Disco are set to play shows supporting their upcoming album this month.
Cathy Jain – green screen (Kiah)
17-year-old Cathy Jain has released another single – green screen – to support her upcoming debut EP ‘artificial’, which is due to be released in November. Having signed to YALA! Records, which was set up by The Maccabees’ Felix White, the alt-pop singer explores authenticity in her gentle and dreamy new single.
Discussing the stress of growing up surrounded by social media, Cathy Jain shares how the first three songs on her EP “have a more light-hearted, observational and kind of reassuring style rather than something heavy with a serious message” to combat these feelings.
The sound of green screen uses slow synths and layered light vocals to produce a calming blend of indie and psychedelic pop. The new single has already been supported by BBC Radio and Apple Music, increasing the anticipation for the ‘artificial’ EP.
LONA – Let’s Just Chill (Kiah)
Liverpool based LONA has launched a fusion of alternative pop and rock and roll with his debut release Let’s Just Chill. Pairing strong vocals with a downbeat sound fits the song’s message of relaxing and breaking away from everyday stress.
The newcomer has already got exciting plans for the upcoming year
The new single offers a commentary on the pressure of the modern world and social media; LONA further explained “You only really see snapshots of people doing well and it’s hard not to compare your own lives to these highlights…Let’s Just Chill is a reminder that sometimes it’s best to just turn my phone off”.
The newcomer has already got exciting plans for the upcoming year, with performances at Neighbourhood Festival planned alongside opening up the main stage at the Isle of Wight Festival for Liam Gallagher.
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 @ydegirl and @schooldiscoband 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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