Category Archives: New Releases

02.02.22
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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
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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
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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
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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:

You can find AP Tobler via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

12.22.21
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Charlie Castell’s New Original Christmas Song is The Joy and Peace We All Need This Christmas

English-born indie pop-rock singer/songwriter, now based in Los Angeles, writes his songs with a deep meaning being it. He fuses the guitar driven styles of artists like Radiohead and Oasis, the acoustics and orchestrations of Damien Rice and Ed Sheeran, with the classical songwriting of Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Burt Bacharach.

Inspired by love and seeing the world around him, his Christmas song, “We’ll Have a Christmas,” has a “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” meets “Last Christmas” meets “Merry Xmas (The War is Over)” vibe to it. “We’ll Have a Christmas” was born from the pandemic, after Charlie noticed all the injustice, hate, and anger the world began to grow, but specifically the United States.

“Over the last four years, I’ve got more and more involved with work to make the US a more loving and tolerant place; to elect leaders who make policies that help people,” shares Charlie. “For those of us working in this space, it’s been so hard to find peace, when so many public figures are just trying to create anger and hate. Add to that a global pandemic, and we’ve lived through maybe the most difficult years of our lives. I wanted a song that brought back the lovely warm feelings of Christmas, and gave people the freedom to relax and find peace again at the end of another very difficult and tragic year. That no matter what was going on, we could come together and find peace at Christmas.”

Listen here:

Charlies hope to spread peace and love throughout this country and the world by way of his music. The pandemic has made everyone’s lives more difficult already. He encourages others to feel joy during this holiday season. Listen to “We’ll Have a Christmas” now.

You can find Charlie Castell via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

12.17.21
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Stardust Crush’s Video for their Latest Single is Thick with Symbolism

Seattle based music project, Stardust Crush, lead by Chris Hill, just released their music video for their groovy song “The Gravity of the Goddess (No One Else Can Dance Like You).” The psychedelic rock and chill-pop song sounds like that of The Grateful Dead meets Pink Floyd. Inspired by a friend of his who was going through a hard and dark time, Chris initially wrote this song for him. He hoped that this song would help his friend out of the dark, and eventually “The Gravity of the Goddess” was born.

“The piano part made me think about a specific friend going through a hard time and I realized the song was writing itself to be encouraging to them…I was just along for the ride,” shares Chris. “I want people to know that they have more strength inside themselves than they realize.”

Watch here:

“‘The Gravity of the Goddess’ video reveals how things seemingly juxtaposed are actually connected at a deeper level,” shares Chris. “Such as walking through the woods day and night or a film of boxing juxtaposed against lyrics about dancing. A small spinning Earth travels through an evergreen forest located upon its own spherical body… It is still at home even as it travels and so are you. You will encounter obstacles along your own yellow brick road through space but you can overcome them by knowing your self-worth…This knowledge is the key to the Emerald City.”

Chris Hill tells us to embrace the dark, because there is always light at the end. He hopes to bring out the inner strength within us all. The vigor of the music, the build up of sounds in the chorus, is the symbol of your inner warrior, who is fighting the battle of self-acceptance and self-love within ourselves. The joy and fearlessness in the music is a sign that that inner warrior is winning

You can find Chris Hill via:

Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud