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!”
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.”
Merging her unforgettable Swedish pop sound with classic references to the 70s and 80s, ‘Envious’ is launching Elvira onto the pop scene. Envious is her first single off of an upcoming EP, coming next spring. Complete with beautiful chord patterns, harmonies, and a strong groove, Elvira’s sound is inspired by not only old, but new. Growing up, her family used to host dance parties every Friday where they would listen to old music like Earth, Wind & Fire or Chaka Khan and perform for each other. Mixing that with modern day influences, such as Charlie Puth, Meghan Trainor, and Tove Lo, Elvira’s sound is a blended masterpiece linking different eras together, and Envious is no different.
Envious is the first single on the project, but more singles are coming out during the fall. we can expect intimate love songs, beautiful visuals and get to know her better through her songwriting and socials. Envious also comes with a gorgeous music video, filmed entirely on an iPhone in her old apartment. With help from her friends, they planned, directed, recorded & edited the video in two days. The video will be out the same day as the single.
Dutch-Ghanaian singer-songwriter Nana Adjoa releases her I Want To Change, the closing track from her highly anticipated debut album, Big Dreaming Ants due for release on 24th September via Bloomer Records
Following a string of irresistible singles including, Consequence of Sound-approved ‘She’s Stronger’, ‘Throw Stones’ which received praise from the likes of i-D, Noctis, The Voice, C-Heads, Mahogany and Indie Shuffle to name a few, the Complex-premiered ‘No Room’ featured by London In Stereo in their Tracks of The Week and spinned by Chris Hawkins and Lauren Laverne on their BBC 6 Music shows, the upcoming album focuses on Nanas poignant lyricism tackling complicated questions of race, gender, religion, and sexuality – Nana often meditates on the meaning and make-up of one’s identity.
In the reflective new track Nana analyses the human condition, is about how you want to change yourself and your world around you, in many different ways, but it’s always in a kind of passive manner. It’s the magnitude of things you feel need changing that is paralyzing, but not paralyzing enough to not feel the urge to change anymore. Written on the piano, the track was built from the artist original demo I had a demo with the taped piano, delayed taped piano, ukulele, glockenspiel, synths, percussion, and drums. With the producer we built the track around the original demo. Nana handled the majority of the instrumentation herself, using a wide palette of instruments. A process that helped her to develop a multi-layered sound, rich in tonal textures, which is as intimate as expansive.
Nana Adjoa is sonic explorer armed with a deft poeticism and a fierce sense of musicianship, a skilled multi-instrumentalist and trained jazz player. Born in Amsterdam to a Dutch mother and a Ghanaian father, Nana joined her first band as a teenager, choosing to play bass because, every other instrument had been claimed. It was a lucky twist of fate, unbeknown to the musician, her mother had once been the bassist in a Ghanaian Highlife band and happened to have her instrument. Accepted to study jazz (electric bass and double bass) at the prestigious Amsterdam Conservatory, Nana traded the restrictions of a structured curriculum for the free-flow of her own compositions.
Since her debut in 2017 – the vulnerable EP Down at the Root (Pt. 1)– she has been praised for her sonic explorations and effortless lyrical poetry. Her second EP, Down at the Root (Pt. 2) and the Stereogum-approved A Tale So Familiar, increased support from international press including Consequence of Sound and The Fader, influential radio stations such as USA tastemakers KCRW, KEXP and streaming platforms. Making her USA live debut in 2018, Adjoa played a series of headline shows as part of a worldwide Communion residency, as well as performing on some of the European largest festival stages.
