Canadian rappers Matt Yonge and Green Hypnotic effortlessly bounce off each other spitting bars over a chill guitar-led beat on their collab single "Save It". Speaking on the song's inspiration they write: "This song sends the message of minding your own business, keeping your head down and working hard, and knowing you're going to reach a winning position. It's driven by confidence and self belief and has that 'me vs. everybody' mentality." The track is Matt Yonge's fourth single after his debut in 2018 with the hard hitting and catchy track "Creeper". For Green Hypnotic, the track comes amid the release of the third installment in his Bando Midori album trilogy.
London-based pop artist AEO closed out 2019 with the release of "Rounds", one of the lead singles from his upcoming debut EP set to be released in spring. Despite its theme of heartbreak, the track has a warm, uplifting sound supported by choir vocals. AEO grew up singing in his school choir and studied music in secondary school. He found success in 2016 with his single "Fight" with press from the likes of Vents Magazine and ColoRising among others and hit number one on the UK10 chart. He has recently started posting cool throwback covers on his IGTV channel, check it out @aeosings. He writes that his aim is: "to create something that will live forever" and we look forward to hearing him reach for that this year!
Tel Aviv-based singer/songwriter Michael Rose has unleashed his powerful debut single "Tornado", written about a girl he met in Frankfurt with scars on her arm. Driven by acoustic guitar and heartfelt vocals, he says about the song: "Angry at the world, I wrote this song out of my love for her. I just wish I could sing it to her back in time when she needed it most." Rose has previously fronted and toured internationally with the Israeli progressive metal band Distorted Harmony and now he's focused on kickstarting his solo project. With such an impressive debut, we look forward to hearing more from him soon!
"We've all had those moments: when you think things just can't get any worse. When you feel so lonely, so vulnerable. Moments when all you wanted was to be loved, to be understood - to be heard." Read more below from Rose on how the song came about.
Dua Lipa shows us who's boss on the title track of her upcoming album "Future Nostalgia". The track has an irresistibly funky beat and catchy topline, mixing nostalgic 80s synth work with modern bass and vocals. And she knocks it out of the park with her lyrics: "No matter what you do I'm gonna get it without ya / I know you ain't used to a female Alpha / You can't get with this if you ain't built for this / I can't build you up if you ain't tough enough / I can't teach a man how to wear his pants."
Not one to do anything by half, she's even had the album title tattooed onto her arm! Explaining the creative inspiration for the album, Dua wrote: "What I wanted to do with this album was to break out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to make music that felt like it could sit alongside some of my favorite classic pop songs, whilst still feeling fresh and uniquely mine. I was inspired by so many artists on the new record from Gwen Stefani to Madonna to Moloko to Blondie and OutKast, to name just a few."
Lucky fans in Europe will get to see her perform the new album live on her Future Nostalgia tour, kicking off in Madrid in April with a busy schedule of dates taking her through to Dublin in June.
We've added some powerful new music to our playlists over the past few days! Check it out below and follow us on Spotify and Apple Music. Happy New Year all!
Swedish electronic newcomer DR3SSD's sophomore single "Live Fast Die Young" is simply bursting with energy and vigour. Starting with dancey electro pop verses, the track builds to a big synth-filled house chorus that's sure to get any party on its feet! About living life to the fullest, the vocals sing: "Ever since I was a kid I've been down for a good time. Live fast die young!" With the release of DR3SSD's debut only last month, watch this space for more in 2020!
Driving electric guitars and catchy vocals kick off GOSH's new EP and titular track "Frankenstein". Listen as they lay down irresistible verses and then turn it up to eleven with seriously rockin' guitars at 1:09! The four-piece indie pop/rock band from Wollongong have a knack for melodic, anthemic sounds with passionate vocals. They've just finished touring through Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong in support of their new EP, closing with a show at La La La's in their hometown. They'll be there again on January 18th and they'll also be playing Beaches Hotel on Jan 17th if you'd like to check them out. Having taken out Triple J Unearthed's Yours and Owls Festival competition last year and with such a strong debut EP this year, they've cemented their status as an act to watch in 2020.
In collaboration with Kygo, The Chainsmokers bring us a heartwarming anthem called "Family" dedicated to their friend Rory Kramer. The second on their new album "World War Joy", the track ties in acoustic guitar with sweeping electronic atmosphere building to a dancey chorus. In the gripping video clip for the song, they tell the story of Rory's life from picking up a camera at age 15 to becoming their videographer and some of the ups and downs of his life in recent years. They wrote on Instagram: "Anxiety and depression is an on going battle that we will have to deal with for the rest of our lives, but we're thankful to have a platform to tell our stories in hopes that they may help other people. You've probably heard it many times but don't forget to check in with your friends. Depression and anxiety externalize themselves in unpredictable ways and some people are great a keeping it to themselves until it's too late."
We love that they are willing to open up about these issues and encourage supporting one another through their music. They sign off the video clip with the important message: "Checking up on your friends is cool. Take 30 seconds to message someone you care about."
DJ/producer duo Boye & Sigvardt have turned up the heat on Kiesza's latest single "You're The Best" giving it an energetic and uplifting dance pop remix. Kiesza said of the track: "I love crossing borders and working with people from all over the world. Boye & Sigvardt are from Denmark and I'm obsessed with their remix and love how they lifted the song and made it so epic!"
Kiesza was involved in a car crash in 2017, receiving a serious brain injury which temporarily halted her music career. She's been on the mend since and although she still struggles with symptoms like fatigue and memory and vision loss, she's found a silver lining in that her songwriting and outlook on life has improved. She shared with Billboard: "My brain injury has been my biggest pathway to growth. I'm really opening up parts of myself that were shut before." We hope 2020 will bring more healing and new music for Kiesza and Boye & Sigvardt!