WELCOME TO OUR BELOVED FRIDAY FAVOURITES SECTION, SERVING YOU BY BRINGING YOU A CAREFULLY CHOSEN ‘NEW MUSIC FRIDAY’ COLLECTION THAT WE BELIEVE YOU’LL FALL HEAD OVER HEELS WITH.
This week, we’re highlighting new releases from Hotel Mira, courtship., Margø, Fast Blood, Lauren Sanderson, Pink Roses, Rayowa, Orla Gartland, Patricia Lalor and Jennings Couch.
courtship. – Number 1
We’ve long been fans of this electro-pop duo and now they’ve treated us to a summery tune to blast away the wintery cobwebs. ‘Number 1’ is dreamy and light-hearted with a sharp edge, their 70’s sound is as delightful as ever and it’s perfect to kickstart our Friday with. Speaking on the track they explain: “We wrote this song because we all know what it feels like to be number 2. Not good. The line ‘baby you’re fun, but you’ll never be number one’ sums it up perfectly.”
margø – Someday
If you’ve ever been in a relationship where you knew you were being taken for granted, but you couldn’t quite bring yourself to leave. This may resonate with you. Margø explores these themes on new effort ‘Someday’. It’s an inspiration dose of alt-pop that will encourage you to recognise your own worth and the love that you deserve. Enjoy.
Hotel Mira – Speaking Off The Record
A super personal effort here from Hotel Mira. ‘Speaking Off The Record’ follows their previous effort ‘This Could Be It For Me’, which was another intensely emotional effort from lead singer Charlie Kerr. Taking garage and pushing it further to something that’s ultimately a lot more complex and beautiful, whilst Kerr’s vocals add an encompassing alure to the track.
Speaking on the track, Charlie has explained that “Speaking Off The Record” is the mandate of what I tried to do here. I tried to make shameful, entirely private moments in my life, public. This song is supposed to feel like a candid conversation with a mental health professional or a guardian angel or a loved one. I had a very loose grip on reality for most of my life. I became addicted to the phrase “It’s not that bad” to cope with what was going on and became convinced by others and by my myself that I had created a lot of the trauma in my head or exaggerated the details to feel better about myself. So, I have always wanted to keep these thoughts to myself in fear of someone coming along decrying what I have written and destroying my admittedly fragile version of the truth that I have built brick-by-brick for a very long time. But I am currently in a state that feels healthy enough to take that risk.”
Fast Blood – You
We’ve got plenty of debut singles for you today, to start things off Newcastle’s Fast Blood has dropped their highly anticipated effort, ‘You’. The first to come of a total of four tracks, which will form an EP that’s set for an early 2020 release. This is an exciting start for the band and one to definitely get behind now, before they blow up off the back of this EP…
Pink Roses – don’t give up on me
Dave and Nate aka Pink Roses have dropped a new EP, don’t give up on me, alongside the release of the title track. If you’re into sad-boy alt-pop, this is for you. It’s flawlessly produced, paired with plenty of subtlely catchy hooks that will have you humming along before you know it.
Rayowa – Better Man
We can appreciate a grand entrance for sure, but these lot have well and truly outdone themselves. Disco-inspired ‘Better Man’ is fantastic and they only went and sold out their debut headline at Moth Club in just 48 hours! Rayowa is the self-produced project of brothers Dan, Reece and Luke. ‘Better Man’ is an excellent introduction, mixing stunning falsetto, chiming guitars and brass! We love a bit of brass.
Lyrically, the track is about breaking the damaging cycle of negative thoughts and embarking on a journey of personal growth, explaining further the band have said that, “‘Better Man’ is about being faced with a situation that you have no control over. It’s about the fear of change and being forced to take the positives from a bad time which allows you to grow and become a better person.”
Lauren Sanderson – Upset
Following the success of former release ‘Hotel Room’, Lauren Sanderson is back with another bop, ‘Upset’. The track comes straight from her upcoming debut album Midwest Kids Can Make It Big. Lauren’s vocals are certainly her most vital tool here, as her powerful tones pierce through the noise, gripping your attention and relaying her serious message. In this case, that message is to not get caught up in the daily news cycle. She explains more “Right now the world is chaotic, confusing, and sometimes I feel so alone. As easy as it would be to throw my hands in the air and stay upset about it, I’d rather be the best human I can be and inspire the world to keep the light on.”
Orla Gartland – Figure It Out
One of our favourite indie-pop sensations, Orla Gartland has released the second single to come from her upcoming EP Freckle Season. ‘Figure It Out’ is a fiery new effort with Orla’s vocals front and centre throughout the track, supported by a build of instrumentation that explodes into a passionate and vibrant peak. Speaking on the track, Orla explains that she “wrote ‘Figure It Out’ about desperately needing space – about asking for it, about being ignored and hoping the other person would eventually read between the lines. The verses detail the frustration of us politely circling around one another in the aftermath of the break-up, seeing each other at a New Year’s party, making conversation here and there… and then the tension builds towards the chorus and I just lose it. I felt angry one second and calm the next. I wanted the contrast in emotion between these two parts of the song to feel like night and day.
Patricia Lalor – Actually
14-year-old, Patricia Lalor, has not only dropped an incredibly, self-directed, video for ‘Actually’. But she’s also dropped her debut EP to go alongside it. This young Dublin talent has mind-blowing vocals, eye-opening lyrics and a hell of a lot of talent under her belt. Starting out posting covers online from the age of just 11 years old, she’s now ready to put her own material out there and wow, it’s spine-tingling thinking of what’s to come from this one.
Jennings Couch – Where Did U Come From
If you like your indie powerful, then Jennings Couch are the ones for you. Their new track ‘Where Did U Come From’ is all parts excellent and tackles a pretty important battle; the one between right and wrong. Speaking on the track they explain that it’s “A song about the battle between right and wrong, good and evil. We all have an innate sense of right and wrong. but when the primal instincts of lust and desire take hold, we start to question our own beliefs.”
