Perth, AustraliaGriffin RL defies categorisation and draws inspiration from numerous iconic bands, and then bottles up every ounce of creativity to let it explode across a slightly dark and immensely heavy soundscape on his track Smile. We have drawn-out, throaty vocals that make their way through a structured smashing of instrumentals. Smile emphasizes feelings of hopelessness and heart-wrenching, soul-numbing intensity that sprout with complete vulnerability. Griffin RL delivers an addictive hit of longing, a need for approval, and a remedy that is only found within two upward curves of simplicity: a single smile. Each verse climbs into a higher octave, the tempo builds, and the guitar strums kick into final gear as Griffin RL bursts into infectious emotion, leaning into the final lap of expression and leading to an outro climax. It's accelerated, volatile, sudden, and beautifully sharp! “Over the years, I’ve created and listened to an array of different genres and musical styles. I was brought up on Jeff Buckley, Gorillaz, Leonard Cohen, and Frank Zappa, just to name a few. The inspiration for Smile came from an obsession with a heavier style of music that occurred throughout my adolescence and into my early adulthood. The attention-grabbing lyricism and songwriting of some of the earlier influences I mentioned, combined with the distorted landscapes of bands like Bring Me the Horizion, Citizen, Deafheaven, and The Story So Far, inspired me to create something that reflected the isolation and anguish I felt at the time of writing.” - Griffin RL Recorded and mixed by the seasoned hands of Matt Templeman, whose fingers have adorned projects by Sly Withers and Pot Plant House Party, Smile finds its sonic home. Then there's the touch of Michael "Jelly" Jelinek, who completed the mastering, elevating Smile to new heights. “The track was recorded and mixed by Matt Templeman (Sly Withers, Pot Plant House Party, late 90’s) and mastered by Michael “Jelly” Jelinek (Psychedelic Porn Crumpets). Over time, I have maintained a good friendship with both of these creatives. Matt’s undeniable ability and perfectionism made him the ideal engineer for my process, and I’m thrilled with the sound we formed in the studio together. Meanwhile, Jelly is an absolute master of his craft (no pun intended). His work on the track added a real oomph to the final product, and I couldn’t now imagine it sounding any other way.” - Griffin RL With a couple of musical gems under his belt, Griffin RL has created space for more variety in the near future. Stay in the loop and keep Smile in your rotation.
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North Carolina, USAWhen Kami Michelle and Toyin create, it's soul-soothing, like the moon to the stars and fire to a candle. These two are mesmerising and enticing while they're harmonizing, and as they vocally ascend, they emotionally submerge into the profound depths of love with their release, Go Round. This track is heaven on earth, delivering angelic tones and delicately airy exhales. Kami Michelle and Toyin's tune dances in melodic lightness; their songwriting captures the essence of falling and surrendering to love; the guitar strokes vibrate with gentle peace and emanate a slow burn of pure euphoria. Go Round is a perfect addition to any playlist featuring Alex Isley. The song transition between the two exudes the energy of connection and the pleasantries felt when discovering the planet of love. Kami Michelle is fearless when it comes to wearing her heart on her sleeve, and this is reflected in her pen. "Go Round was influenced by Love Makes the World Go Round by Deon Jackson, and the cadence of the song was influenced by Into Orbit by Alex Isley. What started off as a content idea for a TikTok I was doing called If I Wrote for Alex Isley turned into the making of this song. In 2021, I was listening to some of my unfinished songs with my college roommate/friend Dorothy, and I played the track for her. She told me that she thought her best friend from Ohio, Toyin, would compliment the song very well since our voices mesh together. Toyin and I co-wrote it via Zoom calls and sent the track-outs to each other to create the song in its entirety. We dream of getting this track placed on film or television for black love scenes." - Kami Michelle Produced by SFR Beats and mixed and mastered by BRNDN, Go Round further proves the breath of life that is still bubbling in the hearts and minds of producers when it comes to the soundscape of R'N'B. "The beat was already made by SFR, but the mix and master were done by BRNDN. (@brn.d.n) is a singer as well, so I got him to mix our vocals, as I knew he would add an organic touch to it." - Kami Michelle Kami Michelle is an artist to keep an eye on this year and beyond as she explores her musicality and dives even deeper into her heart and mind space to produce more soul hits. Take a listen below to her catalog, and be sure to tell a friend to tell a friend that R'N'B ain't dead. Here we have a full range of eclectic acoustics and gently guided vocals on Dylan Lounsberry’s 7-track EP, Mastication 2. Using three foundational elements that drive the whole listening experience, Dylan takes it in stride to polish his skills and produce an instinctively wild chamber of emotions controlled by drum patterns, guitar strings, and synths. At the forefront, Mastication 2 feels like it’s beaming with light sprouts of positivity; however, a closer listen reveals the digestion of unfortunate events in this life's journey. “The creation of this EP was bred entirely out of a drive to be better when I felt I was failing everything that I cared about. It was an outlet for grief, rage, and apathy towards the world at large. It took many years and many iterations for me to be comfortable enough with my abilities as a musician, engineer, and producer to get it to a point where it could be presented to the world. This was written almost entirely through and out of grief for a number of loved ones lost from 2019 to 2021. It was originally sketches on an iPad that I waited until I had the necessary skill set to make sure they had a light to shine. I refuse to pigeonhole myself to any specific influence or sound, so this EP reads more like a box of chocolates than a dime store romance. Though it may never resonate as being outright sad, I know it has a malaise air throughout.” Do You Mind If I Talk For Awhile The opening track of Mastication 2 is an upbeat crowd-pleaser. Listeners will instantly feel uplifted by the drum patterns that invite you to release every bit of tension with each rhythmic thump playing within the center of the track. In Position And Without Words Continuing on the dopamine escapade with jelly-infused synths that bounce freely, lightly stroked guitar strings are quickly kissed by the added component of keys. Expect to slowly yet happily drown in the wonderful production of Dylan Lounsberry. Rose Sequence A welcomed switch-up of instrumentals and an added touch of distorted mic vocals call for a focus refresh. The soundscape exhibits a strumming seriousness and flows with electric string reverb that rewrites the sound of a rose. An Act Of Trust In The Unknown Dylan Lounsberry creates a structure with his cinematic drizzle of sounds. It’s giving movie credits, art show intros, runway themes—any creative endeavour where the music can lead and suggest the emotional narrative taking place. You can't control the music; you must let it flow through you. Purge Releasing loop bursts of guitar and drums, this track symbolises the essence of a purge quite well. You don’t know where it will go or how it will end up, there is no structure, just a release of frequencies plus some snazzy synths. Radioactive Nomenclature Laced with an eerie echo and a fascinating deceleration of mental stimulation, each string stroke exposes Dylan’s mastermind ability to manipulate the senses with each tempo switch. What To Do The closer comes with a sense of sonic relief from what Mastication 2 has achieved; it sums up the Dylan Lounsberry experience with gentle vocals of freedom and a soft ending that takes listeners on an audible glide through the sky while discovering what’s hidden below. Since the release of his progressive Mastication 2 EP, Dylan Lounsberry has dedicated his time and energy to improving his skills before his next big drop. His recently released single Stay (Remix) features Grungik and explores a variety of millennial, arcade-like sounds. Click the link below and explore the world of Dylan Lounsberry and IYCM’s uncovered tracks and EPs of 2024 thus far. Houston, TexasWoah woah, some ish we keep on the low low but I can guarantee that this joint 'Water' by Amir Jackson isn't one of those things. Amir Jackson releases his bars with ease as his effortless tone drips with a calming steaze. His cadence pours out creativity that drifts listeners away like an unpredictable wave while keeping your attention at bay. Amir's nonchalant delivery makes it believable that he could spit verses while in a deep sleep. Water flows in a river of expression and swirls in a whirlpool of Amir's experiences and balanced ego. What we have here is a new wave of art that can't be categorized, only aurally consumed. It's a musical ripple, and Amir didn't come to play, and that's on every opp. "Once I heard the production for the song, it was an instant rush of ideas and concepts that came to me. They aligned pretty well with creating something that was going to be easy to flow with, so at that point, I knew the forthcoming energy would come from the proper place. Somewhere focused on that feeling of being cool, calm, and collected while addressing any topic or handling any task." - Amir Jackson If the mission was to translate the sound of water into music, then Sonus captured it brilliantly with this production! The instrumentals create reflective ripples in the cerebral, it's a gentle tempo, synth-wavy, loop-bubbly tsunami. "I found the beat and sent the producer Sonus a snippet of the beginning of the song; he immediately responded, and at that point I knew we had something that would last for a long time." - Amir Jackson Snoozing is for the weak, and Amir Jackson has proven that this isn't a habit practiced with his latest album, Nightmare on Crystal Lake 2: A Dark Musical. There's a line-up of releases for 2024, so tap in with Amir and enjoy our Spotify rotation below featuring Water! LONDON, UKIf this didn’t hit your tastebuds in 2023, then 2024 is where you’ll find your new musical addiction. Allow your auricles to enter and absorb the futuristic, dark electro pop extravaganza released by artists and producers FHUR and Ōkubi on their collaboration ’Tricep’. At 0:01 seconds, your cerebral is pulled into a choppy, synth-heavy astral dystopia, and a zing of focus energetically shoots through the body when FHUR lays her ominous vocals down. She pushes out a decadently breathy tone and emanates a sweet mystery, oozing a desire for complete submission and surrendering to a craving for love that leaves her empty and aggressive. There is a sonical appetite for adventure on Tricep, and as the dopamine hit reaches an all-time high, it plummets straight back down like a meteor heading to earth. Behind the stimulating layers is a deep, dark tune that exposes the bitter side of a once-believed love story. “Tricep was produced remotely with Ōkubi and me bouncing ideas back and forth. The lyrics for the chorus came to me immediately (I’ve been stocking up stomach ache pills since I met you), just pure anger for what I was going through at that time.” - FHUR Tricep is the second single off FHUR’s sophomore EP, and it revels in all the wonderful aspects electronic music provides, from the fade-ins and creeping bass buildup to the upbeat tempo and the ultimate climax that pierces the prefrontal cortex. It’s delivered with songwriting simplicity that allows listeners to resonate in their own emotional way. Ōkubi's skillful blend of tape-infused synth elements adds to the moody soundscapes; the track navigates between the realms of a love and hate song. “Tricep started as Ōkubi’s sonic experimentation with tape-processed sounds while still keeping the epicness of his sound design. This epic idea finds contrast and balance with the harsh pop chorus, which is beat-driven and whose lyrics accentuate the caustic feeling. Tricep became a perfect example of left-field pop, where sound, vocals, and theme go hand in hand to create imagery more than just a song.” - FHUR When you add Tricep to your playlist, go ahead and add FHUR’s latest release ‘Cortisone’ and Okubi’s recent single ‘Shattered Tides’ to the playlist as well. Click the link below to refresh your listening and receive an upgrade to your music taste. MELBOURNE, AUSDrowning out the voices with gritty guitar riffs, dirty drum patterns, and electric pop-indie rock vocals, The Engagement breaks boundaries with their highly anticipated head-banging track, The Enemy. The energy is upbeat, zapping like a lightning strike, and the lyrical content shows up with an opacity that snuffs out any glimmer of light from the bolt. A positive and negative charge lingers as The Enemy drills below the surface and explores the darkness of the mind and one’s perceived reality when facing obstacles in the music industry. You can expect a package full of aggression, anticipation, gentle profanity, a steep build, and an instant audible drop that completes the listening experience. The Engagement isn’t afraid to blend, blur, and break the rules, and The Enemy represents that both sonically and visually! It’s adrenaline-fueled and powered by past pain, cerebral tension, and an electrifying emotional release. “The Enemy is about our internal struggles and frustration as I confront the challenges and obstacles that arise throughout the band’s journey. The profound lyric 'I’m my own worst enemy, and no one cares' aptly depicts these emotions, offering a poignant depiction of my experience.” - David Di Cristoforo The Enemy pulsates with raw emotions; it's instrumentally infused with a shouting shimmer and a steady spark that carries throughout the whole track. Stu Watts dabbled in his magic with his hands in the production, and Zak Knight of Earthside Studios took charge of the mixing, bringing it all together. The Engagement has a treat for fans this March; get your calendars and pen out for their upcoming show alongside Valerie Hex, which will take place at The Penny Black in Brunswick, Melbourne. The evening will be nothing less than high energy, fun entertainment, and a great experience, AND it's free! In the meantime, hit our Spotify-curated playlist below to immerse yourself in The Engagement's energy and listen to The Enemy! |
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