James Blunt today releases the hilarious video for his uplifting new song ‘Unstoppable’ – taken from his forthcoming greatest hits album, ‘The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004-2021)’ – out November 19th on Atlantic Records.

17 years into his prolific career, ‘Unstoppable’ sees James delivering a phenomenal single for the post-Covid era; driven by a chorus that will no doubt find its home in the arenas on his tour next year, it’s set to quickly assert itself as a fan favourite.

“It’s coming, it’s coming!” screams a man as the video opens with James and his one man band. Like a scene from a 50’s B movie horror film, people run for their lives, terrified of his music, with James blissfully unaware of the chaos he’s causing. Indicative of his triumphant career, he soon wins the world over, and the video, directed by illustrious film writer Jamie Thraves, comes to a joyous, celebratory end. “Be afraid…I am UNSTOPPABLE!” says James, and who are we to argue! Watch HERE.

James will embark on a nine date UK arena tour for 2022 which will see him celebrate songs spanning a 17-year career that has spawned over 23 million album sales, a global smash hit with ‘You’re Beautiful’, two Brit Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, as well as receiving five Grammy Award nominations.

Amongst the string of hit singles, ‘The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004-2021)’ will include four new songs (‘Love Under Pressure’, ‘Unstoppable’, ‘Adrenaline’ & ‘I Came For Love’), as well as four exclusive live performances from around the world, including the Glastonbury Festival. It also features stunning tracks from his latest Gold-selling album ‘Once Upon A Mind’, including ‘Cold’, and the heartbreaking ballad for his father, ‘Monster’.

James’ classic 2004 debut album ‘Back To Bedlam’, was recently named as one of the top ten best selling albums of that decade, and with ‘Once Upon A Mind’, James Blunt reinforced his reputation for writing honest, emotional songs that people can easily relate to. The album marked a return to what James Blunt does best – writing classic songs that touch both the heart and the head. Another side of James – his wit and charm – have in recent times been showcased via his always engaging Twitter account.

James Blunt plays the following 2022 UK arena dates:

February 2022

Thu 3rd BRIGHTON, Brighton Centre

Fri 4th MANCHESTER, AO Arena

Sat 5th LONDON, SSE Wembley Arena

Mon 7th CARDIFF, Motorpoint Arena

Tue 8th HULL, Bonus Arena

Thu 10th BIRMINGHAM, Resort World

Fri 11th LEEDS, First Direct Arena

Sat 12th NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena

Sun 13th GLASGOW, SEC Armadillo

https://www.jamesblunt.com

“The band was born out of friendship, with their playfully subversive songwriting fusing alt-pop with indie rock elements.” – Clash Magazine

“VEPS are leaning hard into a very rough and ready DIY aesthetic, and I am absolutely here for it.” – Far Out Magazine

“The hype is now theirs to own.” – The Forty Five

“There is no doubt that they will become Norway’s next international indie export, and in time can achieve a global breakthrough on the scale of compatriots such as Girl In Red and Boy Pablo.” – Bands Of Tomorrow 

Following the release of their debut EP ‘Open The Door’ and a string of impressive festivals this summer, including The Great Escape, Reeperbahn, Indiestad, Vill Vill Vest and By:Larm, Oslo’s VEPS return with their new single ‘His Brother’. The track, which is accompanied by another lo-fi, self-directed video, is out now on Kanine Records.

Raw, brutally honest and delicately vulnerable, ‘His Brother’ is an infectious, angst filled, post-breakup pop banger, produced by Matias Tellez (Girl In Red) at Skogen Studio in Bergen. “The track is an angry, but vulnerable song about jealousy, betrayal and love,” the band said of the song. “We wrote it together after a bad breakup. Although the song is written about a specific experience, it’s therapeutic for all of us to perform live.”

Very much continuing with their DIY ethics, VEPS also self-directed the video for ‘His Brother’. Filmed on an industrial estate outside of Oslo, the girls said of the video: “We wanted to match the song’s energy, so of course we had to smash some stuff. It resulted in a lot of splinters and almost-casualties, but we made it out alive! It probably wasn’t too safe, but it was a lot of fun. Don’t try this at home…” Watch the video HERE.

Hailing from the eastside of Norway’s capital, Oslo, VEPS have known each other since elementary school and began playing music together in middle school, aged 14. Although growing up with very different influences, the girls had a common sense as outsiders and while making a short film together decided to make an impromptu band. With Helena, Laura and June already accomplished at their instruments, Maja was assigned as drummer, she had never touched a drum set before, and VEPS was born.

Fast forward to 2021and the band, equipped with their stunning debut EP, have firmly planted themselves as one of the most exciting bands in Europe. While they finish up high school, VEPS plan to release singles as they build into their debut album, expected in 2022. Watch this space!

VEPS are Helena Mariero Olasveengen (keys/vocals), June K. Urholt (bass), Laura Dodson (guitar/vocals) & Maja B. Berge (drums)

https://www.vepsofficial.com/

“One of the finest bands of their generation” – The Guardian

“One of America’s sharpest bands” – The Times

“Not many bands can make dogged experimentalism easy for consumption, but Spoon are experts in the game” – NME

“Astounding talent for constructing nervy, whip-smart guitar music” – The FADER

Spoon’s tenth album, Lucifer on the Sofa, is the band’s purest rock ’n roll record to date. Texas-made, it is the first set of songs that the quintet has put to tape in its hometown of Austin in more than a decade.

Lucifer on the Sofa bottles the physical thrill of a band tearing up a packed room. It’s an album of intensity and intimacy, where the music’s harshest edges feel as vivid as the directions quietly murmured into the mic on the first take.  According to frontman Britt Daniel, “It’s the sound of classic rock as written by a guy who never did get Eric Clapton.” 

Today the band released the first single “The Hardest Cut”.  Heavy on scorch and bite and anchored by detuned guitars, “The Hardest Cut” was the first song written by Daniel, who co-wrote the tune with Alex Fischel, for the new album.  “I spent a lot of 2018 and 2019 listening to ZZ Top,” Daniel explains.

The track is accompanied by the video, featuring Spoon rocking a bizarre house party. Listen to “The Hardest Cut” HERE and watch the video HERE

Lucifer on the Sofa will be released on February 11, 2022 via Matador Records. The album was co-produced by Spoon and Mark Rankin (Adele, Queens of the Stone Age) and features contributions from Dave Fridmann and Justin Raisen.

The album’s artwork was created by renowned artist Edel Rodriguez, beautifully laid out in a vinyl format that will be featured in multiple colour variants, including an exclusive opaque orange and black pattern available at www.spoontheband.com and www.matadorrecords.com

Pre-order Lucifer On the Sofa HERE

Lucifer on the Sofa Tracklist

1. Held
2. The Hardest Cut
3. The Devil & Mister Jones
4. Wild
5. My Babe
6. Feels Alright
7. On The Radio
8. Astral Jacket
9. Satellite
10. Lucifer On The Sofa

Tonight & tomorrow, fans around the world will be able to experience  “The Hardest Cut” and additional songs from the new album alongside Spoon’s full catalog of hits, by tuning into BACK TO THE LIFE //LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES.  Directed by Andreas Neumann from the Teragram in Los Angeles, this show expertly captures the frenetic energy one will always find at a Spoon gig.  Available for global viewing via Moment House HERE. Watch the trailer HERE. 

Find Spoon here

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In support of the release of his 31st studio album THE TEARS OF HERCULES (Released November 12th) Sir Rod Stewart will once again hit the road in 2022 with a massive U.K. Tour.  Continuing his iconic reign performing a string of headline shows, kicking off in Nottingham on 16th November 2022 with additional stops at, London, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester before concluding In Newcastle on 22nd December. Tickets go on general sale on Friday 29th October at 9am at LiveNation.co.uk

Following the success of his previous sold-out tours, Rod’s 2022 shows promise to be filled with show-stopping classics and new hits in his unmissable captivating style. Rod Stewart is one of the best-selling artists in the history of recorded music, with an estimated 250 million records and singles sold worldwide, his performance will include fan favourites from across his impressive career, as well as, being the first to hear live performances of tracks from his soon to be released new album ‘THE TEARS OF HERCULES’

Rod Stewart has had it all. He’s been lauded as the finest singer of his generation; he’s written several songs that turned into modern standards; earned countless of the industry’s highest awards, among them, two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the ASCAP Founders Award for songwriting, New York Times bestselling author, Grammy™ Living Legend, and in 2016 he officially became ‘Sir Rod Stewart’ after being knighted by Prince William at Buckingham Palace for his services to music and charity.

On the album, Sir Rod Stewart’s rekindled love of songwriting grows stronger on his 31st studio album, THE TEARS OF HERCULES. It’s Stewart’s fourth new album of original songs since 2013 when he reconnected with his songwriting muse to record Time, the chart-topping album which entered the Top 10 in the US and ten countries worldwide, including #1 in the U.K., where it’s been certified platinum double-platinum. For his latest, Stewart wrote nine of the album’s 12 songs, including the first single, “One More Time,” which is available today on all digital and streaming services. THE TEARS OF HERCULES is a project close to Stewart’s heart, especially the song “Touchline,” which he dedicated to his father, who taught him and his brothers to love football, a tradition Sir Rod has passed down to his sons. In the album’s sleeve note, Stewart says he’s proud of the album. “I’ve never said this before about any previous efforts, but I believe this is by far my best album in many a year,” he writes.

TICKETS:

Tickets for Rod Stewart’s shows go on sale to the public Friday 29th October at 9am at LiveNation.co.uk

Pre-order ‘The Tears of Hercules’ from the Dig! Store by Wednesday 27th October at 12:00 UK time to gain early access to tickets for Rod’s UK 2022 tour: https://Rhino.lnk.to/TTOH/dig 

TOUR DATES:

November 2022

Weds 16th NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena 

Tues 22nd LONDON, The O2

Tues 29th GLASGOW, Ovo Hydro

December 2022

Tues 6th LIVERPOOL, M&S Bank Arena

Fri 9th BIRMINGHAM, Utilita Arena 

Tues 13th LEEDS, First Direct Arena 

Weds 14th MANCHESTER, AO Arena 

Sat 17th NEWCASTLE, Utilita Arena 

Following the release of the soulful ‘Caroline’, Miles Kane today reveals the carefree video for his new track ‘See Ya When I See Ya’, the third advance from his highly-anticipated new album Change The Show, out 21st January 2022 on BMG. The release comes as Miles features on ‘Dealer’, a track he co-wrote with Lana Del Rey for her new album Blue Banisters.

A soaring, horns driven, singalong anthem, Miles said “‘See Ya When I See Ya’ is about being confident in yourself and sticking to your gut whilst letting the Jekyll and Hydes pass you by.” Perfectly complementing the music, the track is accompanied by a Phoebe Fox directed video, filmed in East London. Watch the video for ‘See Ya When I See Ya’ HERE.

Opening with the honest soft croon of ‘Tears are Falling’, Change The Show is a joyous ride from start to finish and features a surprising, but spectacular appearance from Grammy-nominated singer Corinne Bailey Rae for a duet on ‘Nothing’s Ever Gonna Be Good Enough’. It’s an album that best represents Miles himself: charmingly authentic, and like nothing else you’ll hear in pop music today.

A record for fans both new and old, Change The Show is the Miles Kane album we’ve all been waiting for. The apotheosis of his previous works, incorporating those classic rock and glam influences, but focusing more closely on Motown, soul, and Fifties R&B.

Known for his energetic performances and delivering blistering live shows, Miles kicks off his 2022 UK tour in Manchester at the Albert Hall on 28th January and ends with a raucous hometown show in Liverpool on 19th February at the O2 Academy 1. Support for the tour will come from Scottish songstress Brooke Combe who Miles recently dueted with in a soulful cover of Womack’s & Womack’s ‘Teardrops’. Miles also heads out on a run of European dates in April 2022.

Miles Kane plays the following UK dates. Tickets on sale now from HERE. 

January 2022

Fri 28th MANCHESTER, Albert Hall

Mon 31st SHEFFIELD, The Leadmill

February 2022

Tues 1st LEEDS, O2 Academy

Thurs 3rd NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy

Fri 4th GLASGOW, O2 Academy

Sat 5th BIRMINGHAM, O2 Institute

Mon 7th CARDIFF, The Tramshed

Tues 8th BRISTOL, O2 Academy

Thurs 10th OXFORD, O2 Academy 1

Fri 11th SOUTHAMPTON, Engine Rooms

Sat 12th NORWICH, The Waterfront

Mon 14th CAMBRIDGE, Cambridge Junction

Tues 15th NORTHAMPTON, Roadmender

Weds 16th LONDON, Roundhouse

Fri 18th NOTTINGHAM, Rock City

Sat 19th LIVERPOOL, O2 Academy 1

Pre-Order Change The Show HERE.

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Iconic singer-songwriter Steve Perry has shared “Winter Wonderland,” from his forthcoming holiday album The Season, out November 5th via Fantasy Records. The track is the second song to be unveiled from the inspired and joyous new record, and marks the first-ever Christmas album from the beloved rock legend. Listen HERE.

Steve Perry’s interpretation of “Winter Wonderland” captures the song’s timelessness, while simultaneously putting his own personal spin on the track. Perry’s signature vocals are on full display, set against a smooth and steady tempo and warm harmonies.   Perry comments, “’Winter Wonderland’ is one of my favourite tracks on The Season. I have always felt a close love for Motown’s music and how it shaped my early school years. This track is a homage to that.”

The Season features exuberant, new interpretations of holiday classics that hold significant meaning for Perry, along with millions across the globe.   All eight tracks on the record come straight from the heart, transporting listeners to a familiar place of comfort and familiarity associated with loved ones and meaningful traditions shared during the holidays.

It’s fitting that Perry also works tirelessly on charitable efforts close to his heart as the holiday season approaches.  In September he partnered with the San Francisco Giants/The Giants Community Fund on a specialty car auction. The online auction, organised by the Fund’s car donation partner, CARS, featured Perry’s beloved 1979 Mercedes 450SL, along with a custom-made touring tuxedo tails jacket worn by Perry during past concert performances and an autographed copy of The Season.  The classic silver convertible was driven to many Journey writing, recording, and rehearsal sessions.  The Giants Community Fund has been grateful for Perry’s support for nearly 20 years. Sue Petersen, Executive Director, said, “Steve’s not only an inspiration to Giants fans; he’s a believer in the Fund’s work and a dedicated friend and supporter. What a cool and creative way to share something personal with fans and help the community at the same time.”  Proceeds from the auction support the Junior Giants program, which provides a free, noncompetitive baseball and softball program for nearly 24,000 kids, ages 5-18 years old, in more than 85 leagues in underserved communities.

For Steve, the most vivid memories of holidays remind him of his grandmother’s home.  The sentiment is evident throughout the record, including the first track released ahead of the album, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”  He explains, “When I was recording vocals for ‘I’ll be Home For Christmas’ as I was singing ‘Please have snow and mistletoe and presents under the tree.’  I was emotionally thrown into standing in my grandmothers’ house staring through the door that I always hung mistletoe on. And then I saw her beautiful Christmas tree in front of her living room window.  I had to stop singing because it felt like I was really there ……. I was a bit stunned…back home for Christmas is where everyone wants to be.”

One of the most recognisable voices in rock & roll history, Steve Perry has captivated generations with the sheer power of his range and extraordinary tone. One of Rolling Stone’s ‘100 Greatest Singers of All Time’, he fronted Journey during the band’s most successful era, and gained entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Perry returned to music in 2018 with the release of his Fantasy album TRACES which debuted at #4 on the Billboard album charts and #6 overall – a personal best for his solo work.

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Today, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats unveil a new song “What If I,” featuring vocal harmonies from Jenny Lewis and Lucius’ Jess Wolfe. “What If I” is the latest track to be revealed from the band’s third studio album, The Future, set for release on November 5 via Stax Records. Listen to/share the track HERE.

Following its release in August, the band’s knockout single “Survivor” moved quickly into the #1 slot at Triple A and debuted Top 25 on the Alternative Chart. The song is also #2 on the Americana Singles Chart while The Future remains #1 on the Non-Comm Albums Chart for the sixth consecutive week. Most recently, the group debuted the video for their track “Love Don’t,” featuring footage captured on tour throughout Europe and North America from 2018-2021.

The new music caps off a run of career milestones for Nathaniel and the band, including a debut on “Saturday Night Live” featuring the premiere performance of “Redemption,” written and featured in the film Palmer starring Justin Timberlake, as well as an appearance on “CMT Crossroads” with country singer/songwriter Margo Price. Nathaniel’s “Tiny Desk (Home) Concert” recently premiered at NPR Music, as well.

For The Future, Rateliff and The Night Sweats escaped to his new Colorado studio to write an album’s worth of songs, shedding light on their unique observations and songwriting reflecting on our current times. While recognisable, the new work has evolved and pushes the band to a new level.

“I look at the album overall as a big question,” notes Nathaniel. “When I was writing the record we were in the middle of a pandemic and our future looked pretty bleak. I just continue to try to write from a place of hope. Then my own neurosis, and maybe being a Libra gets in the way, and I can’t make up my mind. There is this constant back and forth battle in me personally and I am sure that comes out in my writing.”

Recorded at Nathaniel’s own Broken Creek Studio outside of Denver, The Future was produced by Bradley Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby, The War on Drugs) and R.M.B.—the production trio of Rateliff, Patrick Meese (The Night Sweats) and James Barone (Beach House)—who were the team behind Rateliff’s acclaimed 2020 solo album And It’s Still Alright. Additional production was added by musician, engineer and producer Elijah Thompson (Father John Misty, Richard Swift) while Lewis, Wolfe and Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) contributed backing vocals.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are Rateliff (vocals, guitar), Joseph Pope III (bass), Meese (drums, percussion, keys), Luke Mossman (guitar), Mark Shusterman (organ, keys), Andreas Wild (saxophone), Daniel Hardaway (trumpet) and Jeff Dazey (saxophone).

The band’s self-titled debut album was a breakout success. Now certified Gold in the U.S., it has sold over a million records worldwide. Their sophomore album Tearing at the Seams debuted in March 2018 to widespread critical acclaim and included three singles which hit #1 at Triple A Radio. Last year, Rateliff released his first solo album in seven years, And It’s Still Alright, via Stax Records. It peaked at #3 on iTunes’ “Top Albums” chart, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s “Americana/Folk” chart, landed at #2 on their “Current Rock” chart and resided at #1 on the Americana Albums Chart for eight consecutive weeks. Earlier this year, Rateliff released a new live album, Red Rocks 2020, which was recorded in an empty Red Rocks Amphitheatre during Rateliff’s mid-September run of socially distanced shows.

As the band gear up for the biggest headline show of their careers at Brixton Academy tonight, Sea Girls drop their new track ‘Again Again’ – taken from their highly-anticipated new album Homesick – out 14th January 2022 on Polydor.

Although steeped in self-destruction, regret, the art of losing friends, and whiling away time on the internet, ‘Again Again’ arrives as a soaring upbeat pop banger that builds and builds, offering a sense of urgency and a stratospheric chorus to boot. Listen HERE.

Frontman Henry Camamile comments; “‘Again Again’ is about trying to personify the intensity and rush of life’s excesses. Accepting the inevitability of it and the hatred in being boring. It’s one of the last songs I wrote for the new album, ruminating on my teenage years.”

A band well and truly into their stride, Homesick sees Sea Girls, Henry Camamile, Rory Young, Andrew Dawson and Oli Khan, deliver thirteen measures of guitar driven pop brilliance including 2 bonus Deluxe tracks. A deeply personal record, lead singer Henry Camamile returned to his childhood home in Lincolnshire at the wake of the pandemic, finding himself having to address and reflect on events from his past, both good and bad. A cathartic process, Henry leaves nothing to the imagination with his astute storytelling and candid lyrics. Delving into some of his darkest moments, the uplifting album comes as a sense of relief, a gratefulness for survival. Lyrically raw and packed to the brim with hooks, the band step into new realms with an added sense of maturity and a bigger ambitious  sounding record.

Teaming long-term producer Larry Hibbitt with Grammy Award winning Producers Jacknife Lee, Jonny Coffer and Cass Lowe to co-produce the record, Henry reflects on the process: “Imagine us locked down in the studio in rainy Brixton working with the producers remotely on the album in California’s Topanga Canyon. That clashing of worlds is the sound of this record, the DNA. Making an album this way, remotely and 5000 miles apart, was a crazy idea and shouldn’t have worked, but it did.”

Sea Girls, one of the most exciting guitar bands to have emerged in recent times, are the torchbearers for the next wave. Delivering sing-along anthems for the masses, the band’s journey is well and truly on its way.

Renowned for their raucous, sweat-drenched live shows, the band are currently midway through their rescheduled sold out UK Academy tour which culminates with their biggest headline show to date at a sold-out Brixton Academy.

October

Fri 15th London 02 Brixton Academy SOLD-OUT

Sat 16th Liverpool 02 Academy 1  SOLD-OUT

Tue 19th Oxford 02 Academy 1 SOLD-OUT

Wed 20th Leeds 02 Academy SOLD-OUT

Thu 21st Manchester Academy 1 SOLD-OUT

March 2022

Thur 24th Germany Munich Strom

Fri 25th Germany Cologne Luxor

Sat 26th Netherlands Amsterdam Melkweg

Mon 28th Germany Berlin Hole 44

Tue 29th Denmark Copenhagen Hotel Cecil

Wed 30th Germany Hamburg Molotow

April 2022

Fri 1st Belgium Brussels Ancienne Belgium

Sat 2nd France Paris Nouveau Casino

Pre-Order / Pre-Save Homesick the album HERE

https://www.seagirls.net/

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“Rae meets at the intersection of folk and country in ballads built to calm nerves and trigger powerful emotions at the same time.” – Rolling Stone

Erin Rae announces Lighten Up, her highly anticipated new album. Produced by Jonathan Wilson, it will be released on Feb 4, 2021, via Thirty Tigers. A timeless amalgam of classic pop, cosmic country and indie rock, recorded earlier this year in California’s Topanga Canyon.

Rae debuted the video for her first official single from the album, “Modern Woman,” with Rolling Stone. A pacy indie folk rock bop celebrating femininity in all its diverse forms. The video features  musicians including Brittany Howard and various Nashville rising star creatives and business owners from across the community, including rising photographer Emerson Kyle and Curry, a local director of Nashville’s Black Beauty School and Black Trans advocate. Watch the video HERE.

Discussing the song with Rolling Stone, Rae reflected, “”Modern Woman” from the start is meant to be a little cheeky, coming from me, a white femme-presenting woman, but it just sort of spilled out one day in the kitchen during the pandemic. It’s been so incredibly powerful to witness the discussion and evolution of gender norms through my peers and friends, as well as the representation of all bodies breaking more and more into mainstream media. The song is basically a speech to a figurative person who is uncomfortable with the disintegration of a tired definition of what it means to be a woman.  With the video, Joshua Shoemaker and I wanted to celebrate and represent our friends in the community who relate to the term “woman” in different capacities, and basically brag on the diverse community of small business owners Nashville holds, and the work they are all doing to push Nashville forward, often against its will, into this new world of inclusivity.”

The single release follows “True Love’s Face,” another preview from the album, which landed ahead of the album’s announcement this week. Listen Here: https://orcd.co/truelovesface 

Three years have passed since the release of her critically acclaimed debut Putting On Airs, which drew high praise across the board. She mostly spent her time on the road, performing at Newport Folk and Red Rocks, sharing stages with Iron & Wine, Jason Isbell, Jenny Lewis, Hiss Golden Messenger and Father John Misty, before her touring came to a sharp halt at the start of the pandemic. She simultaneously tried to carve out time to write and live a life following the successful DIY release of a deeply personal album that felt like she had opened up the workings of her mind for all to see.

The solitude of the road and then the pandemic created space for Rae to undergo a sonic and philosophical shift where she found personal catharsis in creating an album that reflected on her newfound lessons of self acceptance, alongside finding the confidence to offer social commentary on the environment, gender identity and equality. “My last record was a lot of self-assessment and criticism, and trying to kick old habits and ways of relating and not relating to people,” Rae acknowledges. “This one is about blossoming, opening up, and living a little more in the present moment. Fully experiencing what it is to be human.”

With a renewed sense of agency, Rae also took a more active role in creating the kaleidoscopic soundscape that became Lighten Up, playing guitar throughout and feeling more confident in her musical decisions, drawing from obscure songwriters and niche genres like the English Psych folk she’d heard out on the road. She set out to reflect a sound she calls, “an emotional pallet, I could get lost in.” 

Alongside Erin, Jonathan Wilson contributed various instruments including drums and is noted for his work with artists from Father John Misty to Roger Waters. The album also features a core band of Drew Erickson on keys, noted for his work Lana Del Rey, Weyes Blood and Jake Blanton on bass who has worked with bands including The Killers. The album also features guest appearances from fellow rising star singer songwriters, Meg Duffy, Ny Oh, and Kevin Morby.

Their flourishes of orchestral strings and swirling pedal steel melded with white hot organs, driving drums and rocking guitars. Forming a sophisticated soundtrack for Rae’s distinct vocals to shimmer and shine. Her distinct vocals offer us a much needed alternative to the criticism we can wield upon ourselves and others as we all try to navigate these turbulent times.

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Tom Walker today releases his first new music in two years with ‘Something Beautiful’, a rousing, heartfelt collaboration with chart-busting Australian rapper Masked Wolf – listen here.

Acoustic driven and flanked by a huge trap beat, the song was written by Tom, Masked Wolf & Steve Mac – also produced by Mac. Kicking off with Masked Wolf, Tom’s instantly recognisable voice soon enters the arena, in fine form, to create a special standout moment on this exciting new release.

“I’d already been working on the song when I heard ‘Astronaut In The Ocean’ and we asked Masked Wolf if he would have a go.” explains Tom. “He sent back a verse after a few hours and it was exactly what the song needed. I’d been going round the houses on different verses, never landing the right thing, but as soon as we added Masked Wolf into the mix, the song just worked! It’s about being super grateful for what you do have. Finding ‘Something Beautiful’ in the dark times.”

Masked Wolf adds; “When I heard the song, I thought what in God’s name is this?! There was so much emotion, it gave me goosebumps – I had to jump on it straight away. I felt there was a connection with Tom’s lyrics because I love talking about emotions and topics that matter.”

Masked Wolf’s fame grew exponentially last year with the re-release of his track ‘Astronaut in the Ocean’. The song quickly accrued more than 75 million streams in under a month, eventually peaking at number four in Australia and reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

Tom, whose global streams have passed two billion, was the biggest selling UK signed artist of 2019 and is now working on new material. Expect a new album next year.

iamtomwalker.com

Multi-platinum selling, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted recording artist and songwriter Dave Gahan, along with long time musical partner Soulsavers (Rich Machin), have released “Metal Heart” – the first track from their forthcoming album Imposter, out November 12th.

Written by Chan Marshall (Cat Power), and first released in 1998, the reimagined version from Dave & Soulsavers can be heard here. Prior to the release of the track, Dave Gahan and Soulsavers made available a first preview of the project, complete with intimate studio footage from the recording of the album and a sample of their version of “Metal Heart”; watch here.

In reflecting on “Metal Heart” Dave commented, “It’s probably my favourite at the moment. It was really such a great performance to record because it had this arc, starting as just this little thing which by the end grows into a monster, and to me that same arc also reflects the sentiment of the song.”

On Imposter, Dave takes listeners on a personal journey of 12 meticulously chosen reimagined songs from across genres and time periods, including selections from Neil Young, Bob Dylan, PJ Harvey, Charlie Chaplin and Mark Lanegan, amongst others. One would be remiss to refer to Imposter as a cover album. Rather, Imposter is a story of songs, which Dave Gahan & Soulsavers listened to, studied, absorbed, and gave a new life. All of the songs have deep meaning to Dave, making Imposter a reflection of Dave’s life – a story told by others, but in his own distinct voice.

Imposter track listing:

1. The Dark End of the Street
2. Strange Religion
3. Lilac Wine
4. I Held My Baby Last Night
5. A Man Needs a Maid
6. Metal Heart
7. Shut Me Down
8. Where My Love Lies Asleep
9. Smile
10. The Desperate Kingdom of Love
11. Not Dark Yet
12. Always On My Mind

The recording of Imposter was done live as a ten-member band at the famed Shangri-La Recording Studio in Malibu, CA in November of 2019. This allowed for not only a more intimate collaboration than on previous Dave Gahan and Soulsavers projects, but let them truly absorb the atmosphere and have the space to breathe a different spirit into the tracks. In an interview with podcaster and media personality Chris Black, Dave noted, “This was the first time we were all in one space. It was kind of lucky [timing] as well… Arriving at Shangri-La every day, it was magical. We’d have coffee, go in, and work.”

Imposter is the collaborators’ third album, following their critically acclaimed 2015 release Angels & Ghosts and their first release, 2012’s The Light the Dead See. The album will be released in digital, as well as physical formats, worldwide on November 12th through Columbia Records.

Visit www.DaveGahan.com and Instagram.com/theimposter for additional album information and updates.

“Myriad’ is totally relentless, a gripping, freewheeling tornado of a track.” – The Quietus

In the lead up to the release of her debut album The River Doesn’t Like Strangers on October 22nd, saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael today releases her mystical new track, ‘Bone & Soil’ – listen here.

Kicking off simply with drums & bass, ‘Bone & Soil’ builds slowly to a crescendo of Chelsea’s soothing tenor saxophone melody. Of the track, Chelsea commented: “‘Bone and Soil’ is an ode to one of my favourite poems by Nayyirah Waheed, titled ‘melanin | Bone and Soil’ It reads: We write from the body. / It remembers everything.”

Engineered at London’s iconic RAK studios by Will Purton and recorded with Eddie Hick (Sons of Kemet), Dave Okumu (The Invisible) and Tom Herbert (The Invisible; Polar Bear),

The River Doesn’t Like Strangers from start to finish is jazz mastery at its finest. The title track was inspired by the words of Chelsea’s dad on the Rio Grande in Jamaica: the river that goes through the centre of his home village of Grants Level, in the parish of Portland.

“I feel that the way that I play on this record draws inspiration from the lineage of black music making and the Caribbean Diasporas,” Chelsea said of the album. “It only felt right to reference my own lineage, and what has always been inside me even before a saxophone was put in my hands.”

Originally from Warrington, Chelsea is a Conservatoire-trained musician who has already been part of a Mercury-nominated band – she played on SEED Ensemble’s 2019 Driftglass – and has recently laid down sax on Little Sims’ track ‘Point & Kill, as well as playing live with Kano.

She also currently plays with Theon Cross, the Neue Grafik Ensemble. Following a performance together in May 2019 at the Total Refreshment Centre-affiliated Church of Sound with South African band The Brother Moves, Shabaka noted Chelsea’s potential and invited her to record the first release on the new label.

Chelsea Carmichael is an undeniably exciting talent. Watch this space.

chelseacarmichael.com 

nativerebelrecordings.co.uk