Toronto-based singer and songwriter, Sia Shells, rhymes about the everyday magic we find through relationships, self-love, reflection and dreams. Her juxtaposition of emotive, contralto vocals against upbeat dream pop sounds will instantly transport you to another world.
Sia’s introspective new track “BRB” encourages checking out of reality to hone the magic and creativity we all harness inside. She expands, “Think of it as a new age meditation mantra, where we temporarily disconnect from the world to reconnect with our higher selves.”
The 3 man New Jersey alternative folk band, Cold Weather Company, will host a virtual concert and Q&A this Saturday, February 12, 2022, at 3 PM EST/12 PM PST, hosted by and available on the live streaming platform Volume.com.
Live from 2Trax Studios from Deko Entertainment, this virtual concert is a free event where you can chat with the band, hear some new tunes, and have a chance to win surprise Valentine’s Day-inspired giveaways.
Forming in 2013, after a serendipitous meeting on a park bench at Passion Puddle on the Cook Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the band has always been a shared commitment to the common passions of its three core members. A synthesis of songwriters, Jeff, Steve, and Brian each bring their own inspirations and styles to the project.
Their first two albums, Somewhere New and A Folded Letter, were self-produced in the basements, bedrooms, and rented cabins of the trio, who met up to write and record whenever there was time to spare. Both albums were supported by self-organized tours covering seventeen states. Traveling by microbus and Crosstrek—through tornado warnings and snowstorms—the band played small towns and major cities alike, forging lasting bonds and finding inspiration on the road.
Across their first 26 songs, Cold Weather Company explored its sonic potential, building a compositional foundation that would shape the themes and tones of the music to follow. The band’s third album, Find Light, was the first to be recorded in a dedicated studio, allowing each song to come to full instrumental fruition. Following Find Light’s sixteen tracks, and in the middle of recording demos for their upcoming fourth album, the band released an original holiday song, joined in the final chorus by a choir of friends, near and far.
All this because of a random meeting on a bench, and the seizing of an opportunity. The moment arose, and a chance was taken.
Downupright is the artist name for Bill Boulden, who hails from Buffalo, NY. His brand new track called “Click here to prove you´re not a Robot” is the most unique EDM track to be released, with its mix of electro-rock, EDM and pop.
Downupright´s mission is to provide an outlet to explore the challenges of mental health, as well as helping others. “Click here to prove you are not a Robot” sounds a lot like their main influence The Faint, but carries some elements of commercial pop as well.
Vocals are heavily engineered in this track, as the lyrics explore the artist´s now lifelong journey of depression, anxiety and bipolar:
“My lyrics spring from my adult lifelong battle with depression, bipolar, and anxiety- I make music to exercise those feelings from me and put the sadness out into the world so I can be free of it. I want people to feel like depression, anxiety, and bipolar are identifiable and conquerable things when they listen to my music. I want them to feel like they are understood and not the only one who feels this way.”
The album of the same name continues to explore these themes, as well as different genres of pop, EDM, electro-rock and more:
“I borrow from KMFDM, Sleigh bells, She Wants Revenge, and more. I have been a musician since I was about eleven years old tinkering in Cakewalk Pro 8 (at the time). Of course, I´ve upgraded my rig a few times over the years, and now use Ableton.”
After attending the Hyperbits Masterclass in 2019, Downupright changed a lot of things and improved his music, switching out his name and throwing away 20 years of material to focus completely on a brand new sound and identity. Downupright was born.
Be sure to have a listen to Downupright´s unique EDM sound, which you will not find anywhere else.
South Korean singer and songwriter JAMIE releases her latest single Pity Party today on all digital platforms via Warner Music Korea. For her all-English single, the globally recognized artist delivers her most personal and expressive work to date.
The single starts off with a catchy and disco-like beat before a dynamic chorus gets listeners up on their feet and dancing. As the song starts, JAMIE sings about being in a situation that’s made her emotionally vulnerable. She ignores the negative influences around her and builds her confidence towards what lies ahead by having fun and throwing herself a pity party. Lyrics like “I’m feeling sad, I’m spiral falling all the way down, the only way is up UP!” encourages the message of bouncing back stronger from any setbacks or obstacles. Her listeners will relate to this song on many levels, but especially the ones who are going through tough times and hope to motivate and bring them inspiration this coming year.
Accompanying the new single is a bewitching music video. After a brief introduction to the song, the camera pans to JAMIE as she lounges on a chair in an eye-catching, black ensemble– a perfect outfit for a pity party. The story of the music video then thickens as the camera pans onto a man dressed in a white suit as he walks down the hall filled with ghosts and sits at the head of an extravagant table. Dancing in front of the man, JAMIE proudly sings and passionately dances to the chorus alongside masked female dancers. After giving the observing man an elixir, the pity party takes a frenzied turn towards a celebration, ending the tantalizing music video with a heightened sense of self-confidence and pride.
While she’s only released a handful of songs over the last two years, she’s grown into one of the most featured artists in Korea, keeping herself quite busy as she navigates the music industry. In early 2021, JAMIE was included in the remix of American hip-hop artists Saweetie and Doja Cat’s Best Friend alongside South Korean-Japanese rapper CHANMINA, garnering over 13 million plays on Spotify. Her recent collaboration was for the single Family by David Guetta, Ty Dolla $ign and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie; dominating the charts on it’s release. K-pop star JAMIE has built an unparalleled repertoire, showcasing her chameleonic musical abilities and maturity in EPs like the coming-of-age 19 to 20 and genre-hopping jiminxjamie. With buoyant, charismatic, mischievous charms, and inimitable vocal talent. The critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter continues to enchant her growing international fanbase (under Warner Music Korea), as she currently boasts 1.6 million followers on Instagram and millions of streams on multiple platforms.
Aspen Jacobsen is the rising Americana-Folk singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who’s connection with her guitar and lyrics marry to make her stories tangible. “When I write a song, I start with a feeling—my main goal is to have a strong emotional exchange with the audience through my music,” she shares. The award-winning artist is an empathic and thought-provoking lyricist with a flair for many time-honored roots music traditions, while also out to make these sounds more palatable and resonant for her generation.
She just released her newest single “Shouldn’t Give A Damn,” a country inspired folk song reminiscent of Kacey Musgraves. In this song, she tackles the topic of toxic relationships, singing “And you don’t even know who I am/You just take and take everything that you can/And I shouldn’t give a damn.” The song starting out with a slow fade in mirrors the way a toxic relationship is at first, not terribly noticeable yet you eventually notice as it becomes louder. Aspen’s lyrics are thought-provoking and honest. You can hear her relationship with her music, her guitar almost being an extension of her psyche.
Listen to “Shouldn’t Give a Damn” here:
She learned how traditional art forms can be used as tools to strengthen intuition and self-understanding after years of performing at festivals and learning from the other experienced musicians. She became more self-aware, that her songwriting can be more than a personal coping mechanism but also can strengthen social empathy and help people better understand each other’s emotions. “I wish to help traditional arts live on through my music, thus making an impact on the generations who follow,” says Aspen. “I recognize how small impacts made through music, storytelling, conversations, art, and even the sharing of a smile can make big changes.”
The Lagoons are the independent musical project of Los Angeles-raised multi-instrumentalist brothers Ryan and Joey Selan. The songwriting duo produced and recorded their new sophomore albumDaybreak (Jan 7) out of their home studio following the 2020 release of debut album, Midnight Afternoon, which notched millions of streams alongside praise from fans and tastemakers alike. Influenced by the state of the world over the last couple of years, the main themes of Daybreak are love, resolution, hope, and desire on a hero’s journey to look forward rather than be stuck in the past.
The lyrics of transcendent single “Long Road To Nowhere” reflect an emotional build-up resolving itself with a more cheerful message as the song goes on. Best summed up in the positive line “heartbeats come alive, as the darkness turns to light, I’m finally on a long road to somewhere,” instilling hope that through hard times, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
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