Author: Lucy Lerner

Cameron Hayes has found her niche in her brand of dark pop that sits on the periphery of bruised and dreamy. We championed the British singer-songwriter in early 2020 with her single and music video Drown which was followed up by the rock-tinged Superego. Both songs feature on Cameron’s debut EP Medicine which includes the title track of the same name. Medicine powers through with a blissed-out euphoria and Cameron’s typically catchy, anthemic chorus. “Medicine is about coping with the downfall of a relationship, when you harbour feelings of anger and resentment but also sadness as you don’t understand what…

There is a beguiling wistfulness to Iris Zhang’s new single small ache. It feels melancholic and nostalgic and the music video set in Christchurch, New Zealand where Iris grew up adds to the sentimental feeling. Silky vocals float over poetic lyrics, jazz instrumentals and a contemporary R&B and neo-soul landscape. small ache ties in themes of love and loss and Iris Zhang captures the listener with an honest charm. When the song ends you feel an ache in your heart. Darling I know, our kind of love, it wasn’t the planBut people they change, I hope that you, you understandThat…

Hauntingly ethereal, the new single Let’s Live Here by Entity 97 x Rice Yao, transports you to another world. Ethereal vocals float along a fluid melancholy with intricate electronic flourishes. A love story set in a busy city, feeling constricted and longing for escape with your partner, this is serene storytelling at its best. Entity 97 is the project of Chinese producer Kuangyu Tian and the track features Rice Yao, a young singer-songwriter, producer from Shanghai. New single Let’s Live Here explores various emotions through sound. The genre-bending track features instruments which swirl and bloom amongst a blissful soundscape. “Living…

Erika Wester’s new single Nightingale is soothing and intimate with a winding melody that gets stuck in your head. Gentle acoustics and sweet vocals marry together to create a song which lifts you despite the somewhat melancholy lyrics. Guess I’m just sad in December,Hope no one remembers,I picked flowers instead of letting them grow The New Jersey singer-songwriter has a distinctive voice which brings out the warmth and delicacy in her new single. The beautiful acoustic textures and harmonies elevate the song even further. “Nightingale is a song about being lost, and questioning why we’re always so hard on ourselves…

Having released one of the catchiest tracks of 2020, UK rising star Jack Rose has now unveiled an acoustic version of Better On My Own for the festive season. Raw, dynamic and perfectly stripped-back, Rose’s acoustic version of his hit single hits all the right notes and allows each element to shine. Effortless vocal runs, breezy guitar licks, a glorious earworm of a melody. Better On My Own has all of these and more. Jack Rose is an 18-year-old artist from Kent. He has toured with Faith Evans on her UK tour and supported Tinchy Stryder, and Beverley Knight amongst…

Amongst the Christmas songs that are in full flow at the moment, Rosa Pullman has released a little indie-folk nugget called Sing Sweetly. It tugs at your heartstrings with a swirling feeling of nostalgia and a lingering melody. The warm, intimate acoustics blend with a foot-tapping beat and Rosa’s tender vocals coo and sail over the sweet melody. “Sing Sweetly is about making the choice to keep the heart open, and chose wonder over worry. And to believe that everything that is meant in love will happen in its own perfect cosmic timing.” Rosa Pullman is a singer-songwriter from Southern-California…

Melpo Mene is back with the beautifully expansive Once Had It All. Following his October release Get A Rocket (one of my personal favourites this year) I was excited to see what the Indie-Rock artist would release next. And Once Had It All doesn’t disappoint. With a lilting, lullaby-like melody it starts gently and soon billows with soaring instrumentals and expressive vocals. The song is a rich tapestry of sound and emotion which teases your senses. Melancholy and pain about the dissolution of life is magically transformed into a rapturous sensation which resonates deep into your soul. “You set out…

Olive Louise’s last track Bad Things was one of our 2020 highlights and she is back with another dreamy number called Undefined. Olive is known for touching on personal subjects and combined with memorable melodies, ethereal vocals, polished instrumentals and a spilling of emotion in her lyrics, her songs are bound to have an impact. Undefined is about acceptance and beginning again. It is inspired by the loss of Olive’s parents and how she started to live again after a long period of grief and self doubt. “I refer to the Phoenix rising from the ashes because it felt like…

I think we can all agree that 2020 has been one hell of a shit storm. However, every cloud has a silver lining and so much incredible music has been born during a time people would rather forget. One of our 2020 artist discovery highlights, Redd, is back with her heavy dose of nostalgia and distinctive retro indie-folk sound on new single Heavyweight. You’re immediately launched into a finger-clicking, toe-tapping melody with a languid groove and Redd’s expressive vocals and playful lyrics. It’s thrilling, slightly dark and feels as if it were conceived in a vintage era with Redd having…

Indie pop artist Matilda Eyre draws you in to her latest single Let Me Be. A brooding dark pop gem about expressing yourself it features complex layers amongst an airy, ethereal soundscape. Emotive vocals and harmonies bounce off rather dark instrumentals creating an altogether bruised song which is utterly captivating. “Let me be me. Let me be whole.” Matilda Eyre was not idle during the pandemic and converted her father’s trailer into a garden music studio so she could write daily. And from that, her #100DayProject was born. Let Me Be is the first track from Matilda Eyre’s upcoming EP…