Rock fans and indie rock fans alike, this new music video from award-winning band Catastrophe & Cure is sure to give you chills if you are a fan of the melancholic yet playful energy of 80’s band The Smiths. Catastrophe & Cure have crafted their sound around iconic acts in rock history, and their latest album Somewhere Down The Line features this indie-rock delight.
Previously featured on our blog for the single release, we mentioned our thoughts on the song, “Catastrophe & Cure’s sound on this track is reminiscent of some of your favorite 90’s indie-rock anthems, feeling so familiar I would not see why this single would not feature at a club or on your playlist. “
The band talk about the release, “’Another Wave’ was one of the first songs we recorded for our new album. It almost wrote itself. We had a couple of chords, the lead guitar and all of a sudden the song was finished. It’s a song about the ambivalence of love and about being at the mercy of one’s own emotions. “You’re my love / Yet my downfall / You’re my love / Still my pain”…. you get the idea!”
Oslo-based, Iran-born pop and Urban-electronic artist/producer Paria drops catchy cut ‘C’mon’. This is the second release from her forthcoming debut album: the first, ‘Despite All Crazy’ already surpassed 300k streams on Spotify, no surprise for an artist with over 1 million plays in 80 countries and counting.
The 23 year old talent who writes, produces and mixes all her own songs began her music career when she moved to Norway from Iran in 2013. Her refreshing new sound captivates her audience with the pure emotion in her lyrics, rhythmic hip-hop flow and dreamy harmonies. Her vision is to create relatable, honest music reflecting her life, values and experiences; music that connects us all.
‘‘C’mon’ is about someone who tries to convey their basic needs to someone else, but they’re too scared to say the words,’ Paria says. ‘I tend to write story-based lyrics, often from a certain character’s perspective, but this time I just wanted to paint pretty pictures with the melodies and lyrics.’
Musically, she was brought up on artists such as Frank Ocean, Amy Winehouse, Stromae... Her passions don’t stop with music though; she lives by sustainable values, founding her vintage store ‘VintageKid’ in Oslo (also available online) which focuses on upcycling and secondhand clothing, in response to current fast fashion trends.
“C ́mon’ is really my most spontaneous song ever. I wrote it while staying on a farm in Norway last summer. I found myself walking around humming the melody that is now the hook, “c’mon, c’mon, c’mon”. I figured, I could just record it on my phone, then ended up putting the recording in a project and started making a beat. After half an hour I had written the whole song. The hook and the chords gave me a really dreamy and romantic vibe and the melodies went together perfectly.’
Jamie Clarke, AKA Sfven, is a 22 year old music producer from Derby who has already been receiving notable support early on in his career. His lo-fi debut EP ‘Like I Love U,’ which was released earlier this year, quickly caught the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac and the station’s new music champion Jack Saunders. He has also received support from the likes of BBC Introducing, MTV, DIY Magazine, Clash, Dork, Notion and The Independent.
The second EP from Sfven, ‘The Honey EP’ is the producer’s most cohesive statement yet. Sonically, it draws heavily on the very same classic songwriters that Sfven remembers from his childhood, clashing timeless melody progressions and emotion-packed lyrics with breezy, forward thinking production.
“I just wanted to make something that you can boogie to, but also focus on lyrically.” says Sfven. “I think my favourite part has just been experimenting with new sounds, figuring out a direction and whether it sticks. This EP turned out feeling a lot more cohesive than the last one, even though I went a bit out of my comfort zone. Hopefully that comes through.”
Sfven’s recent single ‘Changing,’ which features on The Honey EP, received solid playlist support across DSPS including Spotify ‘NMF UK,’ ‘Peach,’ Apple Music ‘New Music Daily [x20 countries],’ Deezer ‘Brand New UK’ and Amazon ‘Brand New Music and ‘Breakthrough UK.’ The official music video was also added to MTV’s Rocks Chart playlist.
Honey EP also includes previously released single ‘Saint’ as well as the upcoming focus track ‘Honey.’ Standing firm and holding on to who you really are is a recurring theme on ‘Honey.’ The official music video, which is set in Norfolk, follows a unique and romantic storyline of two sock puppets who fall in love at first sight and get married.
Also featured on the EP is the track ‘Funeral’ which became a metaphor for losing a part of your identity. “It became about having a funeral for a part of yourself” Sfven explains, “and having a partner that makes you change – and almost kill a part of yourself – to fit their mould and expectations”
Hotly tipped by the likes of Dork and MTV, backed by Annie Mac and Jack Saunders, and currently hard at work on his debut album set for release next year, Sfven is a one-of-a-kind artist set to make some massive waves in the forthcoming future.
Today, music producer and composer HELMAUD has released single ‘Hey Boi’ ft. DIXIE along with an official music video for the single, featuring fiery songstress DIXIE and of course the man himself. Filmed with a DIY approach, the video captures the pair taking a night drive in the iconic city of Paris, where HELMAUD is from.
Previously interviewed by Muze FM, the music producer commented on his relationship with collaborator DIXIE, “The two neighbours initially met in Thai boxing classes in 2015 (have been doing boxing for 8 years now). They would both come and spar with good energy and an open mind, but DIXIE and HELMAUD only truly started sympathizing in spring 2019, as DIXIE learned HELMAUD was a pianist. DIXIE has a wonderful 1920 Pleyel Piano in her flat, rue St Denis, 75002, so I drop by many times just to jam. And she did the same, coming over randomly while down my block. Hitting me up asking if I’m around, and dropped by for a fast jam, and a lot of white wine… Man, I can’t follow up with her drinking.. she’s way too trained. As HELMAUD’s jazz-infused technique started attracting DIXIE, the two yet-to-be friends very quickly became inseparable. Music, and especially jamming had forged a very strong bond for the two, DIXIE, discovering her attraction for singing and composition, and HELMAUD, finding very much satisfaction through DIXIE’s soul heritage and care-free energy. Hedonism, stoicism, philosophy, friendship, and the ups and downs of relationships have forged their urge to doing music together.”
Talking about the video concept, HELMAUD adds, “After many unsatisfying cuts based on another story from a former director, I decided to change totally and go for a real DIY video. A variation on an old hip hop famous theme: the whip ride – a tribute to American hip hop iconography. We thought this 1964 Cadillac riding along contemporary Paris would fit the soul vibe on the modern beat and attitude of this song. Knowing that Dixie is half American (New Orleans) & I’m a full Parisian, it made sense. No one was in town or available for the last-minute deadline. Then comes Isabel Deprice, an old friend of mine, (who featured in my previous music video “I Know Your Game”, shot by Ryan Doubiago). In the end, it was shot in 2 hours with an Iphone & edited with an Ipad.”
