Leicester-born, London-based Shivani Day releases her new single, ‘Blue Car’ via FAMM. Channeling her thoughts on self-worth and closure, ‘Blue Car’ offers an insight into Shivani’s inner thoughts capturing an amalgamation of feelings. Co-produced by Shivani and 23Sunz (BXKS, Joe James), the dark-yet-ethereal sonics make for a textured backdrop for Shivani’s contrasting vocals. The cinematic ambiance is inspired by the Tron Universe and it’s pulsating ice-blue palette referenced in the Jay Green-directed (Biig Piig, Lava La Rue, Izzi De Rosa) video. Over the past three years, Shivani has governed her creativity with a sound that carries her South Asian heritage, the influences garnered in her life and a refined synergy between instrumentation and her voice. “I began the process of ‘Blue Car’ in 2022, and it was initially a freestyle to express a stream of emotions. Working closely with 23Sunz was great, he pushed me to use my voice as an instrument and carve the final sonics in an abstract way. Creating it in the summer, paired with the darkness of the beat and lyrics resulted in a beautiful contrast. It was important to let the track breathe and allow the production to have its moment too.”

Singer, songwriter and producer Rosie Lowe triumphantly marks her musical return with a new single and accompanying video, ‘Mood To Make Love’, setting the scene for a fresh chapter in her celebrated career. The release not only showcases Lowe’s evolution as an artist but also serves as her first solo endeavor since 2021’s Now, You Know a compelling collection of self-produced demos, and her collaborative album Son with longtime friend and kindred spirit Duval Timothy. The self-produced ‘Mood To Make Love’ unveils a captivating blend of soulful melodies, intricate rhythms and delicate vocal work, all crafted with Lowe’s signature minimalist finesse. Lowe invites listeners on an intimate journey, exploring themes of desire, self-worth and human connection. In her own words; “‘Mood To Make Love’ was written on a warm evening in Spain and we wanted it to sound like our surroundings. It is a moment of self love and an acknowledgement of what I have to offer my partner.” Accompanying the release is a visually sumptuous music video, directed by Lowe’s brother, Louis Hemming-Lowe. Through languid visuals, the video brings the song to life, offering viewers a cinematic experience. From its striking cinematography which plays with angles and perspectives, to its raw, emotive performance shot through with surrealism, the ‘Mood To Make Love’ music video is a testament to the creative synergy between the siblings. Rosie says, “I knew I wanted to keep the team small and work with people I know, trust and love so I decided to collaborate with my big brother, a director, on the music videos. We wanted the visuals to feel much like a dream sequence. We shot it on a very cold January morning on a small rowing boat on a river in Devon, and somehow lucked out with the 1 x sunny day we got in January!”‘ Hemming-Lowe adds, “I wanted to create an abstract, fantasy feel with hand drawn animation elements and dream sequence symbolic connectivity. Themes of nostalgia, looking back, looking forward, time and repetition, the reliving of episodes and memories, beginning and ending, life and death. I wanted the viewer to do the work to figure these out, much like waking up from a dream and trying to decipher the meaning.”

After releasing the single ‘runrunrun’ last year, My Chérie has already doubled her 2023 output this year with February’s ‘Don’t Compare Yourself’ and her new tender sonic exploration of the intricacies of human existence, ‘Darkness & Gold’. An addictive combination of hip hop and alt-pop, ‘Darkness & Gold’ features a boom bap inspired beat alongside some tasteful guitar licks and atmospheric synths with My Chérie’s engaging vocals alternating from warm, inviting dulcet tones to spitting laidback bars to great effect. Speaking on her new single, My Chérie explains “‘Darkness & Gold’ is my candid portrayal and deep dive into my human experience of the internal struggles we all face. In confronting themes of strength, vulnerability, and the pursuit of self-improvement, I want to acknowledge the efforts of trying and the tricky journey of figuring ourselves out.” Meanwhile, the music video shows this journey in fantastical form, with My Chérie transported from the comforts of watching Betty Boop in her living room to an enchanted forest type setting with everything not being as it first appears. “The music video brilliantly captures the essence of our inner dichotomy. It delves into the juxtaposition of embracing our ethereal, confident personas while also confronting the raw vulnerability of our human experiences. The intertwining narratives in the forest setting vividly portray the complexities of our inner selves, from our stories and pain to our dreams and aspirations”, explains My Chérie. [via Pilerats]

Okay Kaya, the Norwegian-American alt-pop artist born Kaya Wilkins, is back with her first new single since 2022’s SAP. This past winter, Wilkins wrote her new single ‘The Groke’ on a small island at a temperature of -25 degrees Celsius (that’s -13 Fahrenheit, Americans). It’s billed as a pop song about our ever-changing ecological landscape. “I was thinking about The Groke as an apt lore of the Nordic countries brutal seasons, and about how climates around the world are getting more temperamental,” Wilkins says. “The chorus end sentence is borrowed from Timothy Morton’s Dark Ecology.” Below, watch director Julia Patey’s video for the track. [via Stereogum]

Daphne Guinness releases her new single ‘Dark Night of The Soul,’ from her eagerly anticipated fourth album, Sleep, out June 21 via Agent Anonyme Recordings. The baroque ‘Dark Night of The Soul,’ featuring strings arranged by Tony Visconti, drips with loss and builds with a cataclysmic tension towards the final chorus, where Daphne’s vocals vault into her upper register like a glimmer of hope. ‘Dark Night of The Soul’ is accompanied by a hypnotic and mesmerising video. Speaking about the single, Daphne says, “That song is speaking to the fact that in the loneliest moments of one’s existence there is hope and there are other people who are going through the same thing. Yes, we’re living in a state of uncivilisation and we’re living on the edge of many catastrophes, but we are human beings! We need to bind ourselves together in these bleak moments. It’s about that feeling of being alone but also recognising that there are other people there. When you’re at the depths of despair it’s a reminder that there is something there. The first line in arcadia ego is a reference to a painting by Nicolas Poussin. The lyric ‘We’re living in intemperate times/In the twilight of our gods’ is a reference to a schism in society. All the established religions are slightly off course. But before the last two millennia of gods, there was another way. And also, the idea of God and religion manufactured into some relatable human form. Captured in a suitably stylish and timeless monochrome, David LaChappelle’s video for ‘Time’ turns the clock back to Berlin in the 1930s. The setting is backstage at a cabaret and tensions are running high, leading to a violent conflict between Daphne’s character and a club boss – played by David himself. But the show must go on. Daphne’s performance is beguiling and magnetic: her star quality enamouring an audience of larger-than-life characters. Yet a little of that earlier schism remains…”

Cross Dog have released a video for their new song ‘Jane Roe’. The video was directed by lead vocalist Tracy A and the video features appearances by Valerie Knox and Emily Bones of The Anti-Queens (who also provide backing vocals). The description for the video contains links to Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights and Plannet Parenthood. The song is off there upcoming album All Hard Feelings which will be out on June 7 via Stomp Records. Cross Dog released their album Hollow in 2019. Check out the video below. [via Punk News]

La Luz have released a new album, News of the Universe, via Sub Pop. Now they have shared its fourth single, ‘I’m Always in Love With You,’ via a music video. The band is led by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Shana Cleveland. She had this to say about the new single in a press release: “To me this song is the heart of the album. I get emotional every time I hear it. Lyrically it’s about realizing that love is the only thing that matters and that it’s always a choice that I’m able to make. It’s hard to explain how huge that is, but if you get it you get it. In the guitar solo that closes the song I can hear myself blasting through all the fear and stress of the year before, the most difficult time of my life, and moving past all of that propelled by the dedication to live in love. The video for this song is inspired by the Japanese camp horror film House.” [via Under The Radar]

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.

An enigmatic force of the underground music scene, Jazmin Bean mesmerizes fans with the music video release of ‘Shit Show’. Self-directed alongside visionary filmmaker Zak Watson, ‘Shit Show’ brings viewers on a cinematic journey into the surreal world of Jazmin Bean, combining dazzling cityscapes, muted 90s aesthetics, and hauntingly beautiful melodies. “I always envisioned myself falling in the video since I began to make the song, since it’s about a truly unpleasant human and relationship I wanted to just be as far away from as possible when it was over. I think the falling is a good representation of that,” says Jazmin on the visual direction of the new music video. “I wanted to land on my feet, as a sort of thing, like, you can’t keep me down no matter how low you take me. I also loved the Placebo video where he walks down the building. I wanted to have a twist like that.”

Irish alt-rock band Sick Love release their latest single ‘Don’t Wait’, a powerful anthem ahead of their much-anticipated debut album release, Champagne. ‘Don’t Wait’ encapsulates the band’s message of resilience and moving forward from past heartbreaks. According to Sick Love, the song reflects the liberating feeling of letting go and embracing newfound freedom. They expand: “‘Don’t Wait’ is about realising that you’ve finally moved on from that person who broke your heart, and they no longer take up space in your head. When you realise that it wasn’t meant to be and you’ve stopped holding on to what might have been, you can finally let yourself be free.”

Toronto artist Housewife tackles heartbreak on lead single ‘Wasn’t You’, a dreamy ballad with a pop-rock edge. The track is released alongside a music video featuring Housewife surrounded by roses, idealizing love, with the artist eventually destroying everything around them in a rage. When reflecting on the track, Housewife shares: “’Wasn’t You’ is about the trials and tribulations of dating men- specifically as a queer / afab person. it can be really frustrating to find someone you like / are attracted to but know there’s a lot of patriarchal shit they need to unlearn, and it can be hard when there’s also a lot of gender envy and maybe even resentment tied up in that as well. I wrote this song in Nashville with Bobbie Allen (young summer) and Carrie K. I remember it being a lot of fun, kind of just hanging out with two old sisters and gossiping and complaining about my love life. But it ended up turning into an awesome song. I then recorded it with Gabe Simon, Carrie, and Konrad Snyder a few months ago, and we ended up taking it in this really fun fuzzy, sludgy direction. it was also one of my first songs where i felt empowered to play all the guitars myself, which was really cool!” [via Canadian Beats]

Self-categorising her music as “Nightmare Pop”, American alternative-pop artist, tiLLie has carved out a niche and unique sound by effortlessly marrying bright, ear-worm pop melodies with brooding lyrics tackling cutting subjects from the heart of her Southern American upbringing. Now, as the rising star approaches the release of her EP tiLLieverse, tiLLIe continues to blaze a trail within the music industry with latest single, ‘pray t0 god’. Opening with a set of fairytale-esque set of instrumentals, as the track unfolds, the glittering production slowly gives way to angry percussion and raucous riffs. Against the backdrop of the multi-layered and enigmatic production lies tiLLie’s angst-ridden vocals, a shining highlight of the track that appropriately addresses the track’s subject matter with a gritty intensity, perfectly emblematic of tiLLie’s bold and unapologetic musical style. Married with tiLLie’s vibrant and lurid lyricism, ‘pray t0 god’ is an uncompromising almost-punk track that is brimming with sharp edges and chaotic unpredictability. Speaking on the visuals and their inspiration, tiLLie explains, “For years there has been an abusive figure in my family who has inflicted pain on not just their partner, but all of us. Although I’ve managed to heal and build a healthy life for myself, knowing that my family is still under his control makes it hard for me to feel grounded in the newfound peace I’ve created. The music video for ‘pray t0 god’ depicts the emotional duality of feeling prisoner to the effects of this abuser while simultaneously trying to embrace this healthy, empowered era in my healing journey.” [via Wonderland]

Daphne Guinness unveils a mesmerising visual for her new single ‘Time’, created with her regular collaborator, filmmaker and photographer David LaChapelle. The video, captured in stylish and timeless monochrome, features a rare cameo appearance from the director himself. Its release marks the second single from Guinness’s forthcoming album, Sleep, to be accompanied by a video directed by LaChapelle, following ‘Volcano’ earlier this year. ‘Time’ is a song which sparkles with theatricality, melodrama and nostalgia: all qualities accentuated by Daphne’s razor-sharp enunciation and vocal elegance as she delivers lyrics primed with grandeur and consequence, yet there’s also a playfulness amongst the poignancy. The track’s production also toys between the classic and the contemporary, first blossoming as a classic torch song before a swooning, string-assisted disco beat kicks in. It’s also notable for being a song that was directly influenced by David La Chappelle. Daphne says, “David called me up and said he wanted a timeless song. So I thought, okay, I’m going to write a song about time. Time is something that fascinates me. I went to a deep mediation centre in Sedona, Arizona and they attached electrodes to my head to monitor my brainwaves, during one of these sessions the phrase ‘All of the clichés are true’ suddenly came to me. I started laughing. Apparently my brainwaves went nuts. I just had to put it in the song. Being able to own all the clichés is good, and they are true, there’s a reason for them.” LaChappelle’s video for ‘Time’ turns the clock back to Berlin in the 1930s. The setting is backstage at a cabaret and tensions are running high, leading to a violent conflict between Daphne’s character and a club boss – played by David himself. But the show must go on. Daphne’s performance is beguiling and magnetic: her star quality enamouring an audience of larger-than-life characters. Yet a little of that earlier schism remains…

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.