Press Releases For January, Here Are The Artists
Dave Hause, Begonia, Andrew Broder, Eloise, Grant Summerland, SYML, Natalie Shay are the artists in these press releases for January.
Dave Hause – “Hazard Lights”: A Springsteen-esque upbeat rock song with layered instrumentation of guitars and keys, pop-rock hooks, bright vocals, and honest lyrics. The song contemplates on Hause’s sobriety and the temptation that exists when he’s around friends who still imbibe. Though there’s a specificity to those lyrics, they’re easily applicable to other situations as well. “That feeling of having the hazard lights on,” says Dave Hause, “it’s just uncertainty. I’m kind of just pulled over here. I don’t know where I’m going, I know where I’ve been, the hazard lights are blinking, so please don’t hit me because I’ve got to figure out what to do next.” Acclaimed Philadelphia-bred singer-songwriter Dave Hause is excited to announce the release of “Drive It Like It’s Stolen,” his sixth full-length solo album. Produced by Will Hoge, the LP features 10 songs that overflow with Hause’s trademark urgency and passion, shimmering with a truth that reflects the harsh realities of life as well the intermittent jolts of joy that punctuate it. Earnest and heartfelt, raw and real as anything he’s ever written before, there’s also a subtle yet significant difference on this LP — here, Hause delves into a more fictional type of storytelling to create what he terms “post-apocalyptic Americana.” The album is out on April 28 via Blood Harmony Records/Soundly Music
Begonia – “Married By Elvis”: A stripped-down subtle pop song with light beats, guitar, and strings, dominated by emotive and warm vocals. The track is taken from the second album of Begonia – the solo project of alt-pop Canadian artist Alexa Dirks – “Powder Blue,” set for release on February 24 via Birthday Cake Records. “This song started two years ago with a little guitar sample the guys of Deadmen played me during a writing session,” says Dirks. “I’ve always been fascinated by tribute artists, and I wanted to just be in an Elvis Tribute Artist club for a day. I held onto the idea for two years and then finally decided to make it happen with beautiful freak director Ryan Steel. We hired some of the top tribute artists in Western Canada and Ryan totally captured the earnestly absurd joy I was after. I don’t really believe in marriage and I’m not even really an Elvis fan, but I do believe love can make you do some strange things and that’s what this song is all about.” The new song, which comes alongside a video directed by Ryan Steel, follows recent singles “Cold Night” and “Right Here” which received critical acclaim from CBC, Wonderland, Line of Best Fit, Indie88, Daily Star, and Globe & Mail. The album was written and produced by Begonia, Matt Peters, and Matthew Schellenberg (Royal Canoe) with contributions from Jason Agel (Björk, Kelly Clarkson, Prince) and Joe LaPorta (FKA twigs, beabadoobee, Solange). In celebration of the album, Begonia shares a Powder Blue album trailer that introduces teasers of every song on the record—featuring larger-than-life costumes, surrealistic imagery, hyperreal color, and retro motel glamour. Of the album, Begonia says: “The name of this album needed to be something that encompasses all of the feelings that these songs give me when they are put together. When I listen to them as a unit, they send me back to the words, and the color. To me, this album holds a muted nostalgia, musings on childhood, the complexities of new love, self-love, religion, virginity, and sexuality. There’s an indulgence in emotional depth and pain yet also an indulgence in love and a poppy lightness —two sides I’ve always tried to balance. I feel like I let my guard down even more with this record and decided to not hold back on either end.”
Andrew Broder – “These Seas” (ft. serpentwithfeet and Kazu Makino from Blonde Redhead): An aerial electronic soundscape reworking the famous Eurythmics hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” with the help of glitchy samples, synthetic swirls, and propulsive percussion. For the track, renowned Minneapolis producer and multi-genre musician Andrew Broder enlisted the talents of serpentwithfeet and Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead. His recent production credits include Joe Rainey, Lambchop, Dua Saleh, Armand Hammer, and more, and, in addition to his solo work as Fog, he will release a brand new solo LP entitled “The Show Original Soundtrack” on February 3 via Lex Records. The video was choreographed, directed, and created by Holly Blakey (Florence & The Machine, MØ, Vivienne Westwood, Gucci). Speaking on the track, Broder wrote: “It was a cool opportunity and challenge to make a track around Alan Moore’s lyrics, to hit his reference points and underlying thematic narrative. Serpent and Kazu both have such unique and different approaches to singing, so transportive and perfect for a song about living and dying in dreamworld. This is a track for the scary and exciting club in one’s dreams.” “The Show Original Soundtrack” is a collection of pulsing, darkly lush, and banging tracks, which came to be following Broder’s first foray into the world of indie film via his collaboration with legendary writer Alan Moore (Watchmen, Jerusalem) on Moore’s original screenplay of the same name (Broder also previously scored Moore’s semi-biographical audio-novella, Unearthing). Following the release of The Show, Broder decided to remix and re-structure the film’s original score into pieces that had their own identity as a standalone project, pulling in some amazing guests, while still retaining the spirit and mood of Moore’s singular worldview. As a result of Broder’s vision, The Show Original Soundtrack features collaborations with serpentwithfeet, Moor Mother, Kazu Makino from Blonde Redhead, and billy woods (Armand Hammer). Additionally, the tracklisting includes the critically acclaimed single “Bloodrush,” a track on which Andrew collaborated with Denzel Curry, Dua Saleh, and Haleek Maul, and which featured in the first look trailer for Moore’s film. The design for the album is by Eric Carlson Timothy who has previously worked with Boys Noize, Leon Vynehall, and Bon Iver. Speaking on the holistic record, Broder wrote: “Alan Moore is such an inspiring writer, thinker and social critic – uncompromising in his artistic vision. I wanted this record to pay tribute to those qualities and step out of my own character a bit, work with some new friends and make something dark and mysterious but also confidently physical, with a lot of momentum. I am moving into more focused exploration of electronic music now, away from my time as a songwriter. I want to approach music with little adherence to genre, and a universal outlook, dwelling less on the self and more about painting with sound. Like Moore, trying to find some threads to weave together the cosmic, psychedelic realm with the more human and vulnerable melodic sense, something that still aches.”
Eloise – “Drunk On A Flight”: Sweet and emotive R&B vocals over sparse jazzy keys for a retro track evolving into cinematic nostalgia. This is the titled track of 23-year-old London-based singer-songwriter Eloise’s debut album, to be released on April 14 via AWAL. The song, which tells the tale of a love gone sour, comes with a video directed by Balan Evans, which chronicles the bittersweet aspects of a relationship as it begins to unravel. Opening at an airport terminal and climaxing with an emotional group dance scene, the video is one of her most ambitious yet. “Drunk On A Flight” paves the way for more of the singer’s exquisite vocals and heartfelt storytelling – branching beyond her signature marriage of jazz-tinged soul and folk. Discussing the significance of the album and its title track, Eloise explains, “The biggest moments of my life have revolved around flying somewhere: flying away from something or flying to the thing that changed my life. The morning that me and my first boyfriend split up, I got in a taxi to Heathrow and that was the beginning of my first ever tour.” “Drunk On A Flight” finds Eloise broadening her horizons and applying her pop nous to a wider palette of sounds. The 12-track body of work is a coming-of-age album about embracing the moment; a heartbreak record that empowers listeners to luxuriate in their feelings – however messy or complicated they may be. “My songwriting has always been honest, but this feels raw – like I’m exploring all the shades of emotion,” she explains. Created in collaboration with South London producer Conor Albert, the album is a heartbreak record that’ll empower listeners to luxuriate in their feelings–however messy or complicated they may be. It follows two critically-acclaimed EPs, “This Thing Called Living” (2019) and Eloise’s latest project “Somewhere In-Between.”
Grant Summerland – “Real Boy”: A triumphant pop song with punk energy, a celebrating driving force with plenty of hooks, vocal harmonies, and an anthemic ambition. This is a single taken off Grant Summerland’s upcoming “Unnatural History” EP to be released on February 10th. Written and performed entirely by Grant and recorded in Portland with newcomer producer Joel Lane, the 5-track project pays homage to the past 30 years of indie rock and punk music. Influences range from artists such as Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, and IDLES to artists such as Cymbals Eat Guitars, Weezer, and Prince Daddy & The Hyena. A combination of anthems and introspective ballads, the EP seeks to build and expand on key themes seen in Grant’s debut 2020 release “Bigfoot Museum” – namely growing up in the contemporary world and facing the passage of time head-on. This EP comes as Grant, along with his Portland-based live band Grant & The Summerlands, aims to take the next step on their musical journey by expanding their live show repertoire with a DIY west coast scheduled for Spring 2023
SYML – “Chariot”: A very percussive song delivered with light anxiety and voices soaring over a restless drum beat. This is the new single from SYML, the solo project of singer, songwriter, and producer Brian Fennell, taken from his forthcoming album, “The Day My Father Died,” set for release on February 3 via Nettwerk. “Chariots are for royalty,” says Fennell. “They are golden and precious vessels reserved for people who deserve it. For this song though, I imagine my chariot to be a vessel of love and deliverance that carries me to a peaceful place. We recorded most of the album at Studio X in Seattle, which is an old church. A lot of the percussion and drum beat on this song were played on old church pews in the studio.” In addition to “Chariot,” The Day My Father Died features previously shared tracks “Believer,” “Better Part of Me” featuring Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek, I’m With Her), “Howling” featuring Lucius, “Lost Myself” featuring Elbow’s Guy Garvey, “You and I” featuring Charlotte Lawrence and “Sweet Home.” Recorded and produced in Fennell’s hometown with fellow Seattle native Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes), the new LP is his first album to feature a full band. In addition, SYML will feature on Lana Del Rey’s forthcoming “Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard.” “The Day My Father Died” finds Fennell telling a story of interpersonal connection and chosen kinship following the death of his adoptive father in 2021. More a document of growth and healing than of loss, the album charts Fennell’s journey to figure out how to move forward after a fundamental and intractable shift in his life. “The ever-expanding universe will always frighten and delight me, but the truly unbelievable shit happens down here at our human level,” Fennell says. “Losing my dad felt like running out of air. I still feel it in my gut. But this record is not about losing him, it’s about what happens after we have lost.”
Natalie Shay – “The Edge”: A catchy beat, vibrating synths, and bright vocals for a pop song delivered with urgency and an energetic melody transforming the tune into a dancefloor. The track is about the painful breakdown and complete blow-up of Natalie Shay’s friendship with her best friend. The North London indie-pop singer-songwriter confides, “This is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever released, and as the feelings are still very raw, I’m hoping to find closure in this.” Alongside its B-side “everything’s been happening,” the two tracks tell the story of how, once you finally come out of something that had grown bad for you, you reflect and realize so many cracks showed long before you accepted that as the case. Shay reveals, “Despite missing her and the good parts of the friendship so much, I know in order to still respect myself, I have to honor the power of an apology, and in this case, the lack of one.” Both tracks voice the understanding of the power that someone’s dream can hold over their well-being and happiness. Shay admits, “I am guilty of this myself, a lot of my mental health, personality, and entire identity are completely wrapped up in my work.” She continues, “This is the same for a lot of creatives and people with a dream or goal from a young age in general. Realizing that these goals may not happen the way you’d always planned, or realizing things are going to be much harder than you ever expected, this can cause trouble for some people who lack the courage. I think me and my friend are guilty of this, and subsequently, this triggered the downfall.”
