Singer/Songwriter Belle treats us to her stunning debut single ‘Run’ this month. A track written for her younger brother to let him know that she will always be there for him. “The meaning behind why I wrote “Run” says Belle “is a light hearted story, really. My brother was being teased by his friend group at school, and as an older sister my protective mode kicked in, I just desperately wanted to let him know that I’ll forever and always be there for him, no matter the circumstances!’ It’s a beautiful, uplifting pop/rock track taking influence from the likes of Avril Lavigne, Maisie Peters and Holly Humberstone. Belle finds comfort in words and has already written a large collection of songs, drawing on her experiences of growing up and healing after traumatic experiences, a feminist in training she belives in fairness. Her overall message with her music is one of Kindness, Love and Compassion always. With more releases and live shows to come, Belle is truly one to watch for 2022.
British pop-punk new comers Deadlock (UK) unveil news of their lyric video for forthcoming debut single ‘Deadweight’. Clocking in at just over 2 and a half minutes – the adrenaline fuelled and emotionally charged offering showcases a potent taste of things to come from the Norwich based outfit. The band who cite key influences such as Neck Deep, Roam, As It Is and Boston Manor shall be officially releasing ‘Deadweight’ on digital platforms on 29th July 2022.https://youtu.be/ExkWNFs-7l0Frontman, guitarist and songwriter Mikey Murphy propelled ‘Deadlock’ (UK) into existence early in 2022. Born out of his penchant for latter day pop punk and melodic hard-core, Mikey poured his creative energies into morphing a collection of cathartic, guitar-driven & melodically infused tracks. Straight to the point, no nonsense pop-punk that sparkles with overtones of commercial charm whilst still maintaining underground credibility. What began as a collection of self-produced home recordings, soon found their way into the guiding hands of producers Sam Pura and Terry Beckley who helped sonically refine ‘Deadweight’. Lyrically tackling the subject of mental health issues – the single’s underlying theme explores struggling with inner emotional conflict, knowing things wont progress unless you take the first steps by yourself. ‘Deadweight’ is the first in a flurry of releases anticipated in the foreseeable future. The young and ambitious Deadlock have begun their ascent to prove themselves as a promising new rock act. A band with the potential to soon establish their presence within the UK punk scene.
Formed in 2014 Mikey Ball & The Company first came together to bring to life the songs of principle writer Mikey Ball, through the years they have evolved through line up changes until 2018 when they settled on the current lineup. Each evolution had its influence on the sound and stylings culminating in the high energy rock sound the band has today. Boasting passionate and energetic live shows that are always made unique by the band’s chemistry on stage. 2022 saw the band seclude themselves away for a week to record their new album. A collection of songs with themes of escapism, lost love, loss of youth and finding identity at the core of the infectious chorus’, thundering drums, rock solid bass and expressive guitars. Pure heartfelt Rock music.
Hailing from Los Angeles and the beach cities of Southern California, Velvet Starlings was founded by guitarist and organ player Christian Gisborne. And while known for his concert attendance record and impressive Lego collection, it is his musical prowess as a performer, writer, recording artist and producer that is putting him on the map. Gisborne not only tracked all of the instruments, but also engineered, mixed and produced the LP – in the middle of his living room. While it reflects influences that range from early Jack White, to Thee Oh Sees and Arctic Monkeys, the album showcases Velvet Starlings own take on neo-60’s-garage – best described as “beach-fuzz-psych” with a big cheeky nod to the UK Invasion. Technicolour Shakedown is the follow up to 2019’s EP Love Everything, Love Everyone. Christian – who turned 18 in May – released his debut self-titled EP Velvet Starlings when he was 15. Both EP’s charted in the top 5 at Specialty Radio and hit #1 on KROQ’s “Locals Only.” Gisborne also caught the attention of, among others, BBC Radio and Shepard Fairey, who featured Velvet Starlings on Rain Phoenix’s Launch Left podcast. Several of the tracks have been licensed including, an international ad campaign, Netflix television and Amazon films. Speaking about the album Gisborne says “in the doom and gloom of Covid I found myself reminiscing all the time about the days when we would wait in line for hours to see our favorite bands. The songs on the first album reflect everything I felt I was missing out on.” With a bevvy of new songs written and ready to unleash, Gisborne was craving the comradery of a band. He turned to brothers Foster and Hudson Poling who play drums and bass respectively. They first met in line outside of a 2019 Cage The Elephant show and, discovering a shared love of The Who and SpongeBob, quickly found themselves making a plan to meet up at a rehearsal space to jam. Gisborne had previously used session musicians to augment his live set but as his friendship with the Polings grew, so did his realization that they were the perfect fit for this new era of Velvet Starlings. Looking to 2021 and beyond Christian says, “I think a Rock n Roll renaissance is coming after this crazy year of lock down. We’re hoping that a full front-to-back of Technicolour Shakedown will evoke the feeling you get at a rock n roll house party – wherever the listener may find themself.” Los Angeles based, Kitten Robot Records will be releasing the vinyl for this LP in February, 2022. The video for the single, “Can’t Control” was produced in Scotland and features local Edinburgh artists, Martin Hughes (Angelica Mode) as the actor. Hughes brother, Brian Hughes co-directed the video with French director Joseph Calhoun. Gisborne met the Hughes brothers while touring Scotland at a Velvet Starlings show and struck up a friendship that resulted in the collaboration. “Can’t Control” is presently being championed by Scottish actor/DJ, Robert Carlyle known for his role in the award-winning film Trainspotting. VELVET STARLINGS UPDATE 2022 1. New LP, Pacific Standard Time, Singles and videos out in Spring 2022. – Produced by Christian Gisborne and Joel Jerome (Phoebe Bridgers/Cherry Glaser) – Mastered by Brian Lucey (Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Beck, Arctic Monkeys) – Digital distribution – Sound x 3/The Orchard – Vinyl – Kitten Robot Records 2. SXSW 2022 – first round pick 3. Isle of Wight (This Feeling Stage) – UK 4. Summerfest 2022 – Milwaukee 5. Shellraiser – w/Starcrawler, etc. 6. UK “This Feeling” Tour – 2 weeks in June (England & Scotland) 7. Technicolour Shakedown – Vinyl Release on Kitten Robot in February 2022 8. Radio – 90+ stations worldwide /#1 Radio Alliance – Extensive airplay on Amazing Radio, Sirius and BBC Radio 9. Beach Life Festival Riptides Stage (w/Black Pumas & Weezer) May, 2022 Recent Anaheim Observatory show clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUqQLRnBz6U/ San Clemente show clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/CV0qYaUBhIZ/ Upcoming local dates: – Zebulon – Alex’s Bar (Long Beach) – The Echo – Phoenix Theater (Petaluma)
From the peaceful green valley of Abertillery, South Wales, comes Rory Challenger, a singer-songwriter producer/ guy-with-a-guitar at parties.The motivations of Mr Challenger are the usual for any underdog artist: wanting to uplift, inspire and bring together as much of the world as he can with his music. Whether or not he quits his day job in this pursuit remains to be seen.Borrowing influences from the worlds of Pop, Rock, Funk and Folk, Rory creates a warm, tasty blend of sound (with fruity notes), that is complex enough yet accessible to all.
Since 2012, Anna Volpe has lent her classically-trained vocal leanings to a swath of bands and soloists both on-stage and in-studio. In 2017, however, the New York City native started to wear a new hat as she shifted her focus from offering her voice to others towards exploring her own music. Anna’s music sits within the growing genre of indie-pop. She gravitates towards combining ambient soundscapes, modern synth production with emotive, folk-like lyrics. In late 2020, Anna signed with licensing/publishing company, Think Inc. and you can hear her music HBO, Freeform, Facebook Table Talk, as well as various independent films and documentaries.
Kiev born, now Colorado based singer-songwriter Marina is back with her new single ‘Why’. The follow up to previous releases ‘Sunsets And Rieslings’ and ‘Almost Love’, the new single sees the solo artist move away from her r&b-pop sound bringing a rockier edge to her material. Blending layers of guitar and piano with thumping drums, driving bass and subtle synths, ‘Why’ sees Marina capture an essence of Kelly Clarkson, reinforced with her fiercely emotive, intense vocal delivery. Speaking about the single, Marina explains: “‘Why’ is a break up song that speaks to the pain that we feel in our hearts that’s in conflict with our minds. We can always remember the moment that things changed. The moment our lover became a little distant. The moment the responses took a little longer. The day they broke a promise. The time they hurt us…with no real apology in site. These are painful reminders that deep down we knew the end was coming, but we chose to hold on anyway because that person was our world at the time.”Having already been placed across Spotify playlists and support from a number of radio stations, Marina has already established herself as one to watch. The new single will surely see her continue to rise as an exciting up and coming pop talent.
Analog Lab began as a platform/solo project for singer-songwriter Miguel Arballo to write music with various artists throughout the years. After meeting drummer/songwriter/programmer Sean McCune through live performances with several Coachella Valley performing artists, the two discovered a shared passion to make their musical ideas come to life, and decided to collaborate full-time. Analog Lab was created out of the passion to release the music inside them and explore the creative spaces in their heads. Analog Lab incorporates alternative rock, heavy metal, and folk lyrics into their sound, and are known for their energetic live shows. For nearly a decade, Miguel has performed as a stage and commercial actor, lending to him patiently honing his voice, sound, and lyrics to express his small town upbringing and troubled life experiences through his solo acoustic performances. Sean, a Coachella Valley rapper known as AEIOU, has been featured on Krystofer Do’s single, “Blame”, and has also performed with Coachella Valley rapper and guitar virtuoso, Razor J . Both members of Analog Lab have a wide history of performing with different local Coachella Valley and Imperial Valley acts, most notably with More Than Circles and Krystofer Do. The latter took both artists with him as part of his backing band to perform on the Troubadour stage on the hit YouTube series, No Cover. It was there that they each took the lessons of the experience of meeting Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders), Alice Cooper, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Gavin Rossdale (Bush), and solo artist, Bishop Briggs, and applied it to their musical journey. Their first single, “Swallow The Sun”, written in 2009 with longtime childhood friends, Gustavo and Luis Robles, explores the lyrical theme of being watched upon by society as we struggle to make the choices to shape our lives with the weight of one’s expectations upon the mind and soul.
A London-based band, Tricky Susan immediately snatch your attention with their hook-centric, impassioned hits. Whether it’s their tales of unbridled passion and demands; clandestine operations or unrequited love – their penchant for intertwining an urgent message with an even more urgent guitar lick or disco beat gives them their unique sound. They’re aiming at your brain, heartstrings and dance shoes at each show, and they rarely fail to miss. It won’t take you long to get what this lot are about, or their sing-along hit-worthy (and growing) song catalogue.Tricky Susan have been quick to garner excitement from audiences to date and regularly gig The Dublin Castle, Camden; The Water Rats, Kings Cross; The Amersham Arms, New Cross and many more of London’s infamous indie-music pit-stops. Back in February 2022 they raised £1k for the War Child Live ‘Rising’ Competition and they reached the 2022 National Final of the Soundwaves Music Competition, at the O2 Institute, Birmingham. During the pandemic’s lockdowns they released two singles ‘Undercover’ and ‘Grab’ and with two more singles on the way in early 2022 they are ecstatic to be back playing London’s live scene.
