After the first complete week of November, it has been quite the eventful one, with things such as the US election, the start of lockdown 2, and of course a whole new batch of amazing independently made tunes.
There has been a good mixture of summer and winter moods this week, along with a good sense of development across the board. Without further ado, let’s get into our 11 picks for this week’s New music Sunday.
Track Of The Week
Dom Malin » Eye of the Storm
Dom Malin clearly has no trouble writing deep and emotive ballads that swiftly reach the soul of the listener, with ‘Eye of the Storm’ being the biggest case and point
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‘Eye of the Storm’ is the third single to be self-released by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dom Malin, who began officially releasing music this year. But despite being such a refreshingly new artist, Dom Malin clearly has no trouble writing deep and emotive ballads that swiftly reach the soul of the listener, with this brand new track being the biggest case and point. Out of the tracks that Malin has released thus far, we believe that ‘Eye of the Storm’ is by far the most warming melodically, with the intricacy and beauty of Malin’s vocals lacing his acoustic-focused instrumental really sealing the deal. But above all else, it truly feels like a track that packs the warmth that we so dearly miss.
Flo Perlin & Pilgrims’ Dream » Life Lives Inside
With a very solid story and a straight-forward melody which oozes with soul, ‘Life Lives Inside’ is a brilliant collaboration between two great artists
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The first track that sees the collaboration between London-born singer/songwriter Flo Perlin and Rob Ousely’s musical project Pilgrims’ Dream, ‘Life Lives Inside’ as the title suggests, is a track that was made to reflect the importance of connection in the uncertainty of these times in 2020. Telling a story of the growing connection between a human and a bird out at sea in its lyrics, this is backed up with a straight-forward yet impactful piano-focused melody, which absolutely oozes with soul. But arguably the most ingenious thing about this track in our minds is the way that said melody becomes more atmospheric and ambient as the track progresses, solidifying the growing connection in the story as we feel a growing connection to the music itself.
Julia Karr » The Flower
‘The Flower’ feels like a track which masterfully incorporates a little bit of something from each of Julia Karr’s previous tracks
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‘The Flower’ is the dreamy fourth single release from Hamburg-based artist Julia Karr. Establishing a colourful and somewhat nostalgic style of the soul since she made her debut release this year, ‘The Flower’ definitely feels like a track which incorporates some stylistic pieces of the tracks she has previously released and successfully mixes them together. Carrying the upbeat nature of her debut single ‘Not Your Cup of Tea’, the complexity and depth of ‘Non-Essential’, and the whimsical atmosphere of ‘Make Your Mind Up’, all together in one tune, leads us to believe that ‘The Flower’ is the most exciting and sleek track fro Julia Karr to date. You will definitely find yourself getting lost in this gorgeously soulful tune.
The New Nostalgia » Millennial Love
‘Millennial Love’ sees The New Nostalgia take a slight return to a more melodic and emotive vibe, whilst still being as dynamic as previous tracks.
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After familiarising listeners with their highly anthemic and engaging musical style, which draws inspiration from likes of Nothing But Thieves and Sam Fender, This week sees Amsterdam-born band The New Nostalgia release their third single, which they have titled ‘Millennial Love’. This third track sees the band make a slight return to the more emotive and melodic vibe that can be found on their debut single ‘Fragile Bones’, after the more earthy and gritty aesthetic of their previous release ‘Nothing Is New’. But as to be expected from a brand that really does well at bringing the energy, ‘Millennial Love’ is still as engaging and dynamic as its predecessors, only with even more anthemic intimacy this time around.
Oscar Mic » Get Yours!
‘Get Yours!’ reflect’s Oscar Mic’s ambition to really grab life by the horns, and does so in a creative and engaging way.
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The sixth single release from Seamus Hayes’ musical alias Oscar Mic, ‘Get Yours!’ is a song powered by the artist’s ambition to really grab life by the horns, following a near-death experience during his childhood, which also became the main reason why Oscar Mic leans towards a more gritty and raw aesthetic. But it is clear that he wants listeners to feel the same way towards their lives. With a bright, punchy and energetic rawness, which feels very reminiscent to all of the best 2000’s indie rock hits, this track really does have a get-up-and-go aura surrounding it. With Oscar Mic’s many musical influences coming together rather well too on this track, ‘Get Yours!’ is a musical whimsical delight to behold.
Plastic Glass » Going Away
Not only does ‘Going Away’ continue Plastic Glass’ unrelenting energy, but takes this energy one step further, in what is possibly their most fun tune thus far.
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‘Going Away’ is the third single release from Sunderland-based indie-rock group Plastic Glass to follow their 2019 debut EP Broken Town. The new cycle of song releases that have followed that EP has had no trouble showing an evolution in the energy that comes with their indie-rock sound. Not only does ‘Going Away’ continue to display that new energy, but it is also arguably the most energetic track of the bunch thus far. You could argue that there’s almost a psychedelic hint added to the spiralling melody. However, it goes without arguing, that this track is completely and utterly fun to listen to. A track as engaging and as enjoyable as ‘Going Away’ is bound to be stuck in your head for hours.
POLYDRIVE » Need You to Want Me
Despite not being part of a larger project, ‘Need You to Want Me’ is both masterfully composed, and a brilliant summer vibe
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While the brothers of Manchester, New Hampshire, had recently released their second body of work, titled The Mixtape, POLYDRIVE are not showing any signs of slowing down yet this year, as they had one more track up their sleeve; that being their newest release ‘Need You to Want Me’. But just because it isn’t part of any larger project yet, listeners would be unwise to mistake this for a throwaway track. On the contrary, ‘Need You to Want Me’ is masterfully composed, and carries with it the depth, luminosity, and energy that one would expect from the most atmospheric of summer anthems. On top of being a downright catchy tune, ‘Need You to Want Me’ takes us right back to the warmer days.
Route 500 » A Horizon Awaits
The rawness that Route 500 aims to pursue definitely feels apparent on their debut track, with its melancholy vibe and raw emotion intoxicating us
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The debut single from the Brighton-based folk artist Route 500, ‘A Horizon Awaits’ serves as the very first result of the artist’s musical mantra; to pursue rawness over perfection, And indeed, the rawness definitely feels apparent in this debut track. ‘A Horizon Awaits’ starts off with a smooth-flowing and immensely melancholy tune, whose sense of raw emotion absolutely intoxicated us, to the point where we were completely invested in the soundscape this track had created. Following shortly after the intro, are the vocals, which not only blend in perfectly with the guitar licks, thanks to its equally sombre tone but really let us feel every part of the song. ‘A Horizon Awaits’ is a stunningly raw and emotive debut track, and we cannot wait to hear more.
Skymachine » All The Time
With a clear sense of both stylistic and lyrical expertise, ‘All The Time’ serves as an exciting step forward in the artist’s style and has us excited for the upcoming EP
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‘All The Time’ serves as our first taste of Skymachine’s sound ever since the artist released their sophomore EP, IWTKWYLF, in 2018. Now with a third EP on the horizon, ‘All the Time’ is the first single to herald it’s arrival. With a big thanks to the African rhythms that influenced this track stylistically, ‘All The Time’ definitely has that unique edge which allows it to come across as a grand evolution in the artist’s sound. However, this track also stands as an evolution in a lyrical sense as well. The narrative behind this track is one that talks about the imperfections and sense of disconnection that occasionally come with relationships, and how it is ok to feel that. And with a melody as deep as the one found on this track, we were all ears.
Whitepaper » Hiraeth
‘Hiraeth’ carries more depth and progression with its warm and soaring sound, which really helps to elevate Whitepaper’s musical sense of nostalgia
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After kicking their discography off in 2019 with their debut EP Encaustic, the indie four-piece that goes by the name of Whitepaper released the first of three brand new singles. Titled ‘Hiraeth’ (which is a Welsh word, which translates to ‘Longing’ in English), this new track continues to carry the nostalgic indie-rock sound that could be found on their debut EP. But on top of that ‘Hiraeth’ carries more depth and progression within its warm and soaring sound, which really helps to elevate the nostalgia factor that bit more, and has us very excited to see what the band have in store for the near future.
The XO – What A Waste
With an enchanting, nocturnal, and more pop-heavy edge, The XO display an exciting and accessible sound on their newest track
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While it was back in 2017 that pop-rock trio The XO had released their debut single ‘DWYWU’, this year has seen the band bounce back, with a deeper and more textured evolution in their dark pop sound, along with two new singles. The newest of these two tracks and their third single overall, ‘What A Waste’ leans even further into the pop side of things, which definitely gives this tune an even more accessible feel. The more melodic nature of ‘What A Waste’, along with the electronic vocal effects, definitely give this track an enchanting nocturnal edge, which kind of reminds us of something similar to The 1975. Needless to say, we hope to see The XO pursue this formula in the future.
Below you can find al of the 39 awesome songs that were released this week. Don’t be shy to give us a cheeky follow and spread the indie music vibe with others!
