With this being the first week of March, we are finally starting to see the spring weather rolling in. We imagine that many of us are keeping as hopeful and as excited as we can for the warmer days ahead. And whatever ends up happening, we will continue to make it our goal to keep sharing the love for some truly amazing tunes from independent artists.
We discovered a very versatile range of new tracks this week, and feel that our top 9 picks get this across faultlessly. So without further ado, let’s jump right into it.
Track Of The Week
Mount Johnson » The Calm Will Come
The debut single from Mount Johnson is brimming with festival-ready warmth, and had us fully invested with its remarkably heartful atmosphere.
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After Newcastle-based singer-songwriter Matthew Johnson took it upon himself to establish his newfound musical venture, named Mount Johnson, we see the debut single release from this musical project, in the form of ‘The Calm Will Come’. It is definitely safe to say that this track gets off to a highly impactful start; placing together a guitar melody that is brimming with warmth, with Mount Johnson’s gravelly yet powerful vocals, ‘The Calm Will Come’ had us invested right away. And this debut single only gets better as it progresses, adding some gorgeously ambient synth sounds, and ultimately bursting into the kind of chorus you’d expect to hear from the closing song from a festival headliner. With this debut single, this artist’s potential shines brilliantly.
Jenny Kern » Run
‘Run’ sees Jenny Kern take a more upbeat approach than her previous release, while still retaining the ambient brilliance that we know so fondly.
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Earlier this year, Brooklyn-based (Canadian born) singer-songwriter Jenny Kern amazed us with the beautifully cosmic sound of ‘Coming Back For Me’; so much so, that we praised it as our favourite track of that week. This week sees Jenny Kern bless us with her second single release of the year. Titled ‘Run’, this track sees Kern take a slightly more upbeat approach than ‘Coming Back For Me’, while still retaining a great tonne of that ambient brilliance that we enjoyed so wholeheartedly. This track really carries a nocturnal atmosphere which allows it to lean towards being perfectly accessible to those unfortunate enough to have not discovered this brilliant artist yet. The next step towards her upcoming EP, ‘Run’ has us more excited than ever to hear that project.
DUDE, MY DUDE » Loser
We could easily tell that DUDE, MY DUDE had a tonne of fun creating their debut single, and the joyful vibes feel truly infectious.
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‘Loser’ is the debut single release from indie rock duo DUDE, MY DUDE, and instantly portrays their knack for really having as much fun as possible with their craft. We could easily tell that there was nothing but good vibes and joy surrounding the two, as they use their brilliant chemistry to create a feel-good and relatable ballad that recounts the classic tale of returning home alone from a night out. Given that we haven’t had much of a chance to really do such a thing as the song describes for a good year now, we definitely feel that this only strengthens this song’s relatability, and will surely have listeners reminiscing over those moments, and oddly enough, we can’t wait to relive them once more, when it’s more safe to do so.
Erika Severyns » River Water
Erika Severyns offers us a reflective and deeply intimate ballad with ‘River Water’, which we believe is bound to be a compelling listen for many.
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While ‘River Water’ is the first single release of 2021 from folk singer-songwriter Erika Severyns, it was written during last year’s lockdown summer. While trying to get over a past break-up, Severyns decided to turn to dating apps and casual hook-ups, and later realizing that it wasn’t what she hoped. This deeply personal story is what drove Erika to create this softly-played and incredibly warm tune. Ingeniously flowing between singing and spoken word throughout the track, overlaying the soothing acoustic melody, ‘River Water’ is overflowing with intimacy, and is bound to provide a compelling experience to countless listeners, and stands out as an especially intimate addition to her discography.
Forgetting the Future » Latch
‘Latch’ carries tonnes of nostalgic atmosphere, and stands as a fantastic representative of Forgetting the Future’s debut album.
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Following the release of their debut album Broken Phones & Hormones in 2020, this year sees the north Scotland-based indie-rock group Forgetting the Future, give one of the singles that came with said album, ‘Latch’, a little more love. Serving as another opportunity for listeners to discover their recent album (or even re-discover it, for that matter), ‘Latch’ serves as a pretty amazing musical representative of what the band are capable of. If a nostalgic atmosphere and festival-ready energy go hand-in-hand on any track, it’s certainly a positive thing, and we can confidently say that this is the case with ‘Latch’. It thrills us to know that we were able to discover this band through this awesome single, and we look forward to hearing more.
Mosiah Levi » Angel
Mosiah Levi steps further into channeling a gospel-inspired sound with ‘Angel’, which shines with smooth and heavenly artistry.
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The year of 2020 saw indie artist Mosiah Levi venture away from the bedroom-pop aesthetic that built the foundations of his discography, to more gospel/RnB inspired territory. And thus, each track felt increasingly more sleek and atmospheric throughout. Fast-forward to 2021, and his first single release of the year, ‘Angel’ truly feels like the moment that Mosiah’s newfound musical avenue had been building up towards. The acoustic-focused instrumental really sets an intimately soothing tone, and really gets the track’s sentiment across perfectly. And by having the verses and choruses express two different aspects of Levi’s own experience that inspired the track, ‘Angel’ shines with smooth and heavenly artistry.
Olivia Morreale » Parasomnia
Olivia Morreale’s sophomore single steps into more groovy territory, and uses a funky yet minimal aesthetic to bring us a wonderfully enjoyable listen.
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Following up from her debut single ‘NO ANSWER’ earlier this year, LA-based indie-pop artist Olivia Morreale arrives with her sophomore release ‘Parasomnia’. While her debut really succeeded at setting the foundations for her indie-pop aesthetic, ‘Parasomnia’ steps into more groovy territory. The luminosity of this tracks funky yet minimal aesthetic really pairs well with the subject matter of the subconscious and the control it has on our thoughts when we are asleep, which serves as the lyrical focal point of ‘Parasomnia’. All in all, everything this track carries, results in a wonderfully fun and enjoyable listen. We cannot wait to see what other vibes Olivia Morreale brings us, in the lead-up to her upcoming EP.
Paola Bennet » In This Body
‘In This Body’ ingeniously flows from one melodic section to another; capturing our hearts at every turn as we were whisked away in Paola Bennet’s gorgeous soundscape.
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The latest release from New York-based folk-rock artist Paola Bennet, ‘In This Body’ weaves its narrative beautifully, both in regards to the progressively heartful melody, with its melancholy mood, along with its lyrics, which highlight Paola Bennet’s own experience with chronic illness. While keeping its sense of intimacy throughout, ‘In This Body’ ingeniously flows from one melodic section to another; capturing our hearts at every turn as we were whisked away in Bennet’s gorgeous soundscape. We particularly loved the finale that this track offered, and truly felt like a perfect way to end off such a beautiful ballad. Paola Bennet has managed to inject more and more emotion into each release, and we feel that ‘In This Body’ is the best conveyor of this so far.
Will Newman » Crazy
‘Crazy’ masterfully fuses Will Newman’s signature atmospheric indie feel, with an upbeat and groovy rhythm, making it a perfect summer song.
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The Canterbury-based singer-songwriter known as Will Newman certainly kept his productive flare alight, as shown by the amazing amount of singles he had released over the course of 2020, in the lead-up to his upcoming album. Fast-forward to this week, and Newman keeps the boulder rolling with his first release of 2021, and newest track to tease his long-awaited Summer project, titled ‘Crazy’. While Newman has offered listeners many different flavors of atmospheric indie sounds previously, we feel that ‘Crazy’ does one of the best jobs at combining said quality with an upbeat and highly groovy rhythm. This track has us very excited for the summer ahead and carries all the good vibes needed to enjoy that season to its fullest.
New Music Sunday » 39 Best Songs Released This Week
