UK DJ and producer duo Punctual have unveiled their new single ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, a rework of the Mario classic of the same name.
Punctual transform ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ from a mid-2000s R&B favourite to a melodic club jam, channelling raw emotion and infectious grooves into something made for the dancefloor.
Composed of Will Lansley and John Morgan, Punctual burst onto the scene in 2016 with debut single ‘Eva’, released through Becky Tong’sJuicebox label, which surpassed 5 million streams and garnered support from Zane Lowe, Pete Tong, Phil Taggart and more. They have since amassed millions of streams across their diverse back catalogue, kicking off the new decade with the euphoric ‘Imagine’, a single that drew support from BBC Radio 1 favourites Danny Howard and Scott Mills.
Crafted with the dancefloor in mind, ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ is a club groover that loses none of the emotion of the original.
Madeline Mondrala, well-known as That Brunette, is a Brooklyn based Experimental Pop songwriter and performer who began writing and performing music from the young as of eight years old. Mondrala would later attend the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in New York with peers like Mitski, Verité, and Sean McVerry. She released her first EP Cloud in 2013 and Madelin in 2017. The musician was scouted as a writer and artist BMG Publishing and would work with producers like Dem Jointz (Brandy, Rihanna), Larzz Principato (Dua Lipa, Halsey) and Ryan Marrone (Nicki Minaj). Madeline released her single ‘Coolest Girl’ last month, and is soon to release her EP Millenium Fig on the 28th of August.
We find out more about this singer and songwriter below.
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
Listening to Motown in the car with my mom on my way to school, Playing Hole in my headphones under the blanket in my room when I was supposed to be asleep. Rummaging through my dad’s cd collection and discovering Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. Magical…
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
I usually like to start with me and a piano. I typically come up with a baseline, melody and lyrics simultaneously. Once I’ve written the song I’ll think about the type of production I envision for it. From there I’ll present to the producer I think would be the best fit to help bring the song to life. If they’re into it, we’ll get to work producing the track together.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
That’s a toss-up, but I think I have to say that I like the process of creating music a little bit more. That’s what made me fall in love with music in the first place. I love the feeling of birthing a new piece of music. Every song is my favorite song I’ve ever written when I’m writing it.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
I remember and cherish any time anyone has ever told me either in person or online that one of my songs meant something to them. There’s no better feeling than knowing you had a positive impact on someone through a melody you crafted or words you wrote.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
It would be the perfect mix of bright shiny pop, hip hop, alternative pop, indie R&B, and musical theatre.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
Right now I would definitely be spinning Kah-lo’s latest single ‘Melanin’, some Caroline Polachek, Sudan Archives, Taylor Swift’s latest album Folklore, and Avenue Beat’s jam ‘Fuck 2020’.
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
I would like to achieve a sense of fulfillment within myself in creating authentic songs that represent my life experience. I make music because it brings me joy. I always go back to that truth if I start to feel societal pressure to “be somebody”. Success means being me, and I’m already myself. When I look at things through that lens, I feel very successful indeed.
One last thought to leave your fans with?
Hang in there. Every day is a new opportunity. Rest when you need to. Eat nourishing delicious food. Take a bubble bath. And listen to my new EP Millennium Fig
Directed by Matthew Nelson, the video for MAR V is as surreal and chaotic as the world that we’re living in at the moment, reflecting the pulsating energy of the song itself – wall-to-wall with everything from flashes of a latex-clad gas-masked dancer to tour and lockdown antics.
Discussing the video, director Matthew Nelson explains: “The concept behind the video was a glorified tour vlog turned nightmare. I took influences from directors like Darren Aronofsky and the 90s dance track “Killer” by ADAMSKI.”
Some of the footage used in the video was from the last show that the band played just before lockdown, which was in front of a 1,000-strong crowd at MaNo-Musikfestival in Germany. Drummer, Sam Thorne says “I’d say that the video sort of represents our experience over the last 5 months. The craziness of MaNo and those amazing gigs, all the people and parties, and then a different kind of craziness once we crash landed into lockdown straight after.”
Lead singer and guitarist, Peter Marchant continues: “We had all this footage of us on tour, in the studio etc. which is all well and good, but we wanted to throw some kind of bizarre fly in the ointment. So Matthew suggested we film lots of extra footage in our flat, and use whatever bonkers ideas that came into our heads. We had a lot of hilarious moments shooting these ideas all night.”
Consisting of hypnotic synth lines, goosebump-inducing rhythm and a hint of dark and mysterious atmosphere, Phantom Isle’s latest release, ‘MAR V’ sees the band stray from their art-pop roots with great success; highlighting their effortless capability to blend genres and moods for maximum effect – think LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip style indie-house.
Keyboard player, Joshua Pullen who took the lead with writing the music says: “The song started as a remix of our previous single ‘I Am Urs’ but became a very different beast when I was messing about with a new drum machine I bought. I was listening to a lot of Soulwax and Simian Mobile Disco at the time and loved how they would produce songs with a pounding single-note loop throughout.”
Despite its upbeat and energetic feel, there’s a dark side to ‘MAR V’. Lyricist and drummer, Sam Thorne explains: “The lyrics were actually written about feeling anxious and alone” comparing that feeling to an old friend that follows you through life, saying “you almost miss it when you leave it behind”. Singer and guitarist, Peter Marchant adds, “the song pretty much became the soundtrack of MaNo-Musikfestival in Marburg, Germany, where we headlined in March this year”. 2,000 fans jumped and danced frantically to MAR V’s hypnotic pulse at the festival’s closing show, seen in the single’s official video along with a montage of mischievous and surreal footage from the band’s journey so far. The band arrived in Marburg on March 5th (hence the romanised title, ‘MAR V’), they saw and conquered.
Ease into the weekend with the fresh sounds of Zeb Samuels and his newly released EP, Vibration Exploration. Premiered via CLASH Magazine, the EP features three remarkable songs however, ‘Yellow’ in particular stood out for us. Described as “intoxicating with its prevailing ethereal laden air”, the single is guaranteed to find itself at home on any Sunday afternoon mix.
“I’m really happy to be able to present a purely instrumental EP that displays my exploration as an instrumentalist and producer. Writing vocal-driven music takes on a very different approach to my music and really happy with the outcome.” – Zeb Samuels, speaking with pride about his latest release.
