by Jane Lambert

Emily Merrell’s Lush Pop Single Gives Listeners the Courage to Explore Connection

Emily Merrell’s lush pop is based in her deep love and passion for music, where she has found solace and safety due to her tumultuous childhood. Her music is dreamy and ethereal, creating a light feeling in her listeners by way of her angelic sounds. She’s been working on her third studio album, The Hallowed Wide, a 12 song album of songs about human connection and the messiness that comes with it. She will release a new song a month until the release of the album later this year. She’s already released 2.

Her third release, “Quicksand,” which as a style and sound of if Madonna were to sing a song for The Little Mermaid, is the final piece of the “descent” into The Hallowed Wide, the name she gave the space between our current selves and the versions of ourselves we’re trying to grow into. The piano sounds of angelic bubbles and give a feeling of flight, while the lyrics speak on the mystery of a new connection. It speaks to harness up our fear with an equal measure of exhilaration and now-or-never-ness and fly blind into brand new terrain.

“I love the way Joni Mitchell captures this feeling in her incredible song ‘I Don’t Know Where I Stand,’ says Emily. “The uneasiness is palpable. I imagine ‘Quicksand’ as a less measured iteration of this feeling. Will you emerge as the protagonist of this story? Or will you discover yourself merely a minor plot-propeller for the hero? You don’t know, and you don’t care. The intrigue is worth everything. You’ll eagerly assume the risk for the exquisite tension of this single moment. There’s hardly a more alluring feeling in the entirety of the human experience.”

Listen to “Quicksand”

Emily shares this on her upcoming album:
“This project offers a heightened plane on which to explore the unknowable spaces between ourselves and others. Together, we examine sources of disconnect, and commit to braving these weighty expanses. We tease out the expectations, judgements, and selfishness that prevent us from connecting wholly. We learn to see beauty and magic in our fellow beings. And finally, we summon the courage to stretch our hands and hearts across the divide in trust.”

You can find Emily Merrell via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

02.08.22

by Jane Lambert

“Click Here To Prove You Are Not a Robot”, An EDM Track Released by Downupright

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.

Stay current with Downupright on his social media channels Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Stream music on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud and Apple Music

02.02.22

by Jane Lambert

Aspen Jacobsen is the Rising Folk and Americana Artist to Watch For

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.”

You can find Aspen Jacobsen via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

02.01.22

by Jane Lambert

Tara Novak’s New Epic Pop Single “A Place Called Purpose” Takes Inspiration From Her Classical Training

Tara Novak, the classically trained violinist and composer turned pop artist, just released her new pop epic single, “A Place Called Purpose.” The song is a narrative like those of old Irish tales, Beowulf, or Hrolf Kraki, using music and lyrics in tandem to paint a picture of a tale about a brave female captain of a ship, with only her knowledge, intuition, and courage to guide her on the open seas as she races against time to her destination. She faces outward storms and inner doubts and ultimately comes out renewed in her belief herself. She is a true heroine, like all of us who face the many battles in life.

Musically speaking, she uses minor chords in the verses to symbolize the dramatic elements of the story, of the heroine facing challenges on her journey. The only major chords we hear are in the chorus, symbolizing the underlying message of hope, bravery, and courage. The use of the soft violin and ambient sounds in the beginning of the song gives a ghost-like feeling to the story, setting the scene and a melodic atmosphere.

Her classical training influenced the music for “A Place Called Purpose,” giving a unique touch to the pop genre that you won’t hear anywhere else. But she was also inspired by time. “Tick, tick, tick… the sound of a clock on the wall, always counting, always moving forward,” says Tara, talking about how clocks inspired the story. “But clocks used to measure more than just the passing of time: ancient mariners used a combination of a clock and the stars to calculate their position on the ocean. This song is an epic story of a girl alone with her ship, racing against time to find ‘A Place Called Purpose’ before the sun rises and once again hides the stars. Clocks tick and the orchestra sweeps the listener on their own journey, a perfect reflective soundtrack for the start of a new year.”

Listen here:

When you get a chance, listen to “A Place Called Purpose.” It’s a strong song with a powerful message of a heroine finding her own bravery and courage within herself.

You can find Tara Novak via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

01.28.22

by Jane Lambert

Lauren Waller’s New Single is Giving Us a Musical Rush

Los Angeles based pop artist, Lauren Waller, just released a new single that is sure to keep you coming back for more. “Dopamine” is the song we didn’t know we needed. This dark and textured pop song has a Lorde vibe in the music itself, yet her vocals are very much like Ingrid Michaelson. Her intimate and poetic lyrics in a song about a failed love story has an interesting relationship with the music. She manages to create this interesting space where the music makes the listener feel distant and disconnected, yet the lyrics tell a familiar story.

“Dopamine” is harmonic and melodic while also having an ere of dissonance to show the disconnect between these two people who are not really in love. She gets you moving and singing along while also making you feel out of place. It’s masterful.

Listen to “Dopamine”:

Lauren Waller has already had a strong career in music. Her resume includes performing on RTE, Ireland’s National Television, at the International Rose of Tralee Festival, and appearances at the Viper Room and the Hotel Café. She’s even opened for many iconic bands such as Wilson Philips, Anna Nalick, A Flock of Seagulls, and most recently: Tower of Power. She was set to open for KT Tunstall prior to COVID-19, but the show has since been postponed.

Her collection of work includs two EPs, a Christmas cover song, and a collection of original singles! Her latest EP—her second overall— no names here, blurs the line between the observational and the personal. Themes of relationships course through the five-song EP, and, in tone and lyrical content, Lauren expresses raw truths without feeling the need to tilt narratives in the way of happy endings. no names here is rife with stunning songs that whisk the listener away to sonic hemispheres replete with dizzying sensual vocals, undeniable pop hooks, and sleek electro-tinged atmospherics. Since releasing her second EP, Waller has shared a collection of singles that follow similar tones of mystery and edge, but also embracing the voices, accepting lost love, and playfully toying with the object of her affections.

Most recently, Lauren has shared new singles that mark a stepping stone in Lauren’s arc as a growing writer and singer; Lauren’s has entered this enlightened era with both confidence and swagger in her singles titled “Night Stalker” and “Best Coast.” “Night Stalker” is a sickly-sweet pop single featuring an edgy beat and sinister lyrics that are punctuated with slasher-esque references and harmonies. Between the lyrics, the melodies, and the production: Night Stalker melds culturally relevant, chilling horror with an up-tempo urban dance track. “Best Coast” is a summer anthem highlighting the party lifestyle that some know all too well in California. The lyrics poke fun with a fresh take on party culture. “Best Coast” is reminiscent of catchy 2000s hip hop and pure pop. The beats and production make “Best Coast” catchy, danceable, and relatable because we all know that in California, we like to party.

You can find Lauren Waller via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // TikTok // Spotify // Soundcloud

01.26.22

by Jane Lambert

AP Tobler’s New Music is Authentically Them

AP Tobler uses their own life as a guide for their music. Unlike many musicians out there, you can hear their passion and intimacy with the music, not just the words. We can hear their rawness and vulnerability in their work, allowing the listeners in and feeling along with them. AP Tobler is authentic and that’s what makes them, and their music, so amazing.

Their newest single, “Eclipse” was too big for a single song, so they gave us “Blunt Force,” the single that lives on the B-side. “Blunt Force” is the perfect companion piece to “Eclipse,” a grungy rock song that sounds like Nirvana meets Green Day. “Eclipse” This song is a personal one for AP that most people been through. It describes the way trauma affects our minds and bodies in the music. “Eclipse is about the mental block that comes with suffering a past trauma,” shares AP. “I wrote this song while I was replaying painful events in my head. I was sick of feeling upset over things that had happened years ago. When I write music about personal experiences, the lyrics and melody tend to come together very quickly. This is the case with Eclipse. I was actually on a phone call with friends and started feeling anxious. In the middle of the call, I opened my Notes app and started typing fragments of lyrics about how I was feeling.”

The companion piece, “Blunt Force,” is about a time in which a close friend to AP just left, suddenly and unexpectedly. There was no notice, they were just no longer friends with no explanation. This grunge song depicts this experience and the repercussions it had on AP. “After two years without resolution, I finally wrote a song to express the lingering emotions I was feeling,” says AP. “One night I picked up my guitar and wrote a cord progression that I liked. I started to write the lyrics and within 30 minutes I had a melody and lyrics to represent the emotions of this painful experience. I refined the song over a few sessions, adding layers to fill it out. The writing process was cathartic, as I had encapsulated this traumatic event into a song.”

Listen to “Eclipse” and the B-Side “Blunt Force” here: