Soul Boy Sundae
On 9th September, Starlett and Big John released ‘Straight 58’.
It’s been just three years since guitarist Big John Talley and singer Starlett Boswell happened to meet. But in that relatively short time, they have garnered praise from all corners of the bluegrass community. Now, with a new single, a prelude to their upcoming début album, ‘Living In The South’, which is due out early next year, there is little doubt that the kudos will continue. The heartfelt strains and idyllic imagery shared in ‘Straight 58’ promises to fulfil all the expectation that’s been given them so far.
Big John reflects, “Starlett and I have agreed for a while that we needed to write a song about Highway 58, which is the main road that parallels the Virginia / North Carolina line and stretches the full length of the state. Coincidentally, both of us live right off of the Highway but three hours apart from each other.
So, one night when she had left my house after a rehearsal to head home she called back to tell me it was raining. I said be careful since Highway 58 is so straight and she replied, ‘Yes Straight 58 back to the mountains.’ She immediately began humming a melody and told me to grab a pen and we then began writing the song. We started going back and forth with the wording and trying to put a heartbreak twist on it, along the lines of other memorable road songs we were familiar with, like ‘Highway 40 Blues’ or ‘Lost Highway.’ And that’s how ‘Straight 58’ was born.”
They have a website, at starlettandbigjohn.com, and are on Twitter and YouTube.
blackbear has recently released ‘the idea’.
Multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter, and producer blackbear débuts his highly-anticipated new single, ‘the idea’. The new song serves as preview to blackbear’s latest metamorphosis as he returns to his musical roots with his highly anticipated sixth studio album,’in loving memory’ due later this year.
Directed by Emil Nava, the official video for ‘the idea’, displays an electric performance between blackbear and Barker as the shots pan between a high-energy desert scene to shifting perspectives of reality within two troubled relationships.
It was after recording ‘the idea’, blackbear was inspired to create an entire album that gave him that same feeling of nostalgia leaning into his pop-punk and emo beginnings. With ‘in loving memory’, he will return to his most authentic self and the music he is passionate about. With the release of new music, blackbear is gearing up to take his show on the road.
blackbear is on YouTube and, oddly, all his social media and down-load links are listed there.
Baytrees released ‘Lover’ on 12th September.
Baytrees, who hail from Brixton, consist of brothers Mensah (songwriter, producer, lead singer, keyboard, guitarist and producer) and Kwame Hart (Bass), with friends Marcus Harris (drums and vocals) and Cujoe Ryan (guitarist and keys). With a blend of hip hop beats, funky rock riffs and catchy pop hooks, the Baytrees will take you on a journey lyrically and keep you dancing the night away.
Mensah says, “Life is a massive inspiration for me to write songs I could be singing about racial injustice about a broken heart or having a fight but the same rules apply – firstly it has to have feeling emotion and meaning. Writing and producing music is a form of therapy for me. In the studio is my happy place.”
Baytree have a website, at baytreesband.co.uk, and are on Facebook, Insta and YouTube.
Jawny released ‘Adios’ on 14th September.
JAWNY cements his status as an indie-pop innovator with new single ‘Adios’. The track finds JAWNY on the other side of heartbreak, detailing the deterioration of a relationship, accompanied by a deceptively light-hearted arrangement. The record is accompanied by a high-speed, dizzying visual which follows JAWNY as he cruises recklessly through empty back streets while hanging out the passenger window on a sunny afternoon.
“I could sit here and give a really smart sounding press quote where I make up a story to make this song sound really serious and pretentious“, says JAWNY about the track, “but the truth of the matter is I wrote a song that I believe in. I made the best music video of all time for it and now it’s out in the world and it’s yours. Go nuts with that.”
Jawny has a website, at jawny.com, and is on YouTube, Insta and Twitter.
Bastette released ‘Fiction’ on 14th September.
Blackburn-based alt-rock artist Bastette shares brand new single ‘Fiction’, which came out on 14th September on all streaming platforms. The track is taken from forthcoming EP ‘Awakening’, which is coming out on 30th September.
‘Fiction’ actually began life as a dark, sultry, piano ballad, but took on a new life once a drum kit and a Gibson got involved. Combining kiss-n-tell-story-telling that would make Stevie Nicks proud with the swagger of Lzzy Hale, the track explodes with a sassy panache that would put any love rat firmly in their place!
Speaking of the track, vocalist Caroline Kenyon says, “Fiction is about falling in love with a rockstar. What you see on stage is often the alter ego and perception isn’t quite reality. Every person has a fantasy of what they want from a lover and vice versa…. This is mine!”
You can catch Bastette live across the UK this Autumn:
1st October – NWOCR Live – KK’s Steelmill, Wolverhampton
7th October – St Doms, Newcastle w/ Trucker Diablo
8th October – The Giffard, Wolverhampton w/ Trucker Diablo
21st October – Quarentine Rocks, Coalville
26th October – The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes w/ The Virginmarys
28th October – Monster Fest, Inverness
3rd December – Winterocks – Corporation, Sheffield
17th December – RPM Rock n Roll Christmas – The Alhambra, Morecambe
Basette have a website, at bastette.co.uk, and are on YouTube, Facebook, Insta, Twitter and TikTok.
Morning Midnight released ‘Talk’ on September 14th.
We’ve previously heard ‘Easy’, by Midnight Morning (Week 61, August 2022) Now the Glasgow duo have released a stunning new track ‘Talk’. With it they are announcing that their début album ‘Happy Hour’ will be released October 12th.
Morning Midnight is a juxtaposition that makes sense from the jump, the bedroom-pop duo are made up of singer-songwriter Jordan Scott whose personal lyrics and soaring vocals captivate, and Jess Pascal whose background in piano, production and synthesis both ground and illuminate the group’s sound.
About ‘Talk’ Jordan says, “’Talk’ is my favourite song on the album. It’s about growing up and learning to stand on your own two feet, but also learning to deal with the insecurity that comes with making your own decisions. When you’re young the relationships you have with people feel like they’ll last forever but the heart-breaking reality is that as you move through life those relationships can drift or even break down, and I wanted to try and capture the feeling of coming to terms with that.”
Morning Midnight have a website, at morningmidnight.co.uk, and are on YouTube, Facebook, Insta, Twitter and TikTok.
Local musician, Max Wildwood, has released ‘Elizabeth Don’t Go’.
Max says, “In America the currency is named after the US presidents who are on them. Taking that as inspiration I wrote a song about money and named money ‘Elizabeth’ after Queen Elizabeth 2nd, who’s pictured on our currency.
I recorded this song and didn’t do anything more with it, however in light of recent events it seems appropriate to release it now as a tribute to HRH.”
Max has a website at maxwildwood.com.
Krea releases her début single ‘September Sun’ on September 15th.
No stranger to the Irish music scene Karen Cowley now presents her first solo project under the moniker, Krea (pronounced ‘Kree-ah’). Her first offering, ‘September Sun’, is a warm, piano and harp lead track. With heavy nods to the Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’, ‘September Sun’ places the song writing and intimate vocals at the forefront.
About the song Krea says: “September Sun is about overcoming grief. Going through it yourself and watching those you love go through it. I started writing it last September on an impromptu sailing trip off the west coast of France, near Nantes. It was a day where the fog of grief lifted for a moment and things felt good again. It’s about holding onto the good days in anticipation of the bad.”
Krea is a seasoned performer having gained critical and commercial success as one third of Wyvern Lingo, as well as performing with the likes of Hozier, Lisa Hannigan, and Wallis Bird. A vocalist, pianist and now novice harpist, Krea is very excited to step out on her own with this collection of songs. She is on Twitter, Facebook and Insta.
Marcus Mumford has released ‘Better Off High’.
‘Better of High’ is from Marcus’ début album, ‘(self-titled)’ which will be released on 16th September. We’ve previously heard ‘Grace’ (Week 59, August 2022) which was the second single from this album.
Marcus Mumford new single, ‘Better Off High’ is a sprawling, euphoric track that explores the complexities of self-medicating.
While ‘(self-titled)’ is Mumford’s first solo album, it’s still a deeply collaborative work. It finds him working with vocalists and/or co-writers such as Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers and many more. Marcus is a founding member of Mumford & Sons, who have topped the Billboard 200 with three of their four studio albums and sold 3.7 Million albums in the UK.
Marcus will also be touring in the UK and Ireland.
UK and Ireland Tour Dates
14 Nov. Leadmill, Sheffield
15 Nov. 02 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
16 Nov. 02 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
18 Nov. The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA, Norwich
19 Nov. 02 Institute 1, Birmingham
20 Nov. Uni Great Hall, Exeter
22 Nov. Marble Factory, Bristol
23 Nov. Albert Hall, Manchester
24 Nov. Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool
26 Nov. SWG3 Galvanisers, Glasgow
28 Nov. Olympia, Dublin
Tickets are available from Ticket Master
The album can now be ordered. Marcus has a website, at marcusmumford.com, and is on Insta, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.
Prentiss has a brand new project, ‘prequel EP’ from which ‘Cardigan’ is the lead single.
At age 15, Prentiss Furr has already developed a strain of unbounded pop music. It reflects his love for the surreal and unexpected. Weaving together elements of pop-punk, ’80s new wave, Americana and R&B, the self-taught artist from Jackson, Mississippi always adds an inexplicable twist to his heartfelt tracks. Translating his interest in digital art and video editing into music production, Prentiss started experimenting with music in his adolescence and soon found a community of likeminded artists on social media. They encouraged him to publish his work. In late 2020, Prentiss broke through the noise of new music with ‘October’ and then a string of singles. In 2022, he packaged these fan favourites into an EP, ‘hey Prentiss’, and started performing the music live. He is now working on a new project – his ‘prequel EP’ – which features new and previously released tracks, including ‘Cardigan’.
Prentiss has a website, at heyprentiss.com, and is on Twitter and SoundCloud.
Rina Sawayama released her new album, ‘Hold That Girl’ on 16th September.
Multidimensional, British-Japanese pop sensation Rina Sawayama shares the third offering from her highly anticipated sophomore album ‘Hold The Girl’. It is due to be released on September 16th.
Speaking about the origin of the new single, Rina says, “‘Hold the Girl’ was the first song I wrote for the record at the end of 2020–I had gone to therapy and had a revelation, so I decided to write this song…that was the start of it. I was crying before going into the studio to write about it.”
Rina is on Twitter, Insta and Facebook.
A recording of the show is available on MixCloud.
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