Indie-pop – RCRD LBL

October 30, 2023

October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Interview with Irreverent Indie Rockers The Valmonts

Irish Indie-Pop rockers The Valmonts have an entrancing new EP, Living In A Paranoid Trance out now. Coming to you from Dublin, with a sound influenced by New Radicals and INXS, The Valmonts bring a quirky edge and raw power to the indie-pop world. Bringing to mind the effortless, fun delivery of The Kooks with a saccharine grit similar to The Vaccines. The EP’s featured single ‘Cry & Get A Little Drunk’, was quickly picked up by Notion Magazine, as well as being added to GoldenPlecs ‘Irish Songs You Need To Hear This Week’. With airplay on over 50 international radio stations and sold out performances in Ireland, The Valmonts are set to take over the indie-pop world. Darragh Whyte (vocals, guitar), Keith Whyte (drums), Cathal Sweeney (guitar), and Tymek Kocurkiewicz (bass) answered some questions about their distinct sensibility for pop hooks, laid over zany melodic riffs.

Walk us through your creative process?

The creative process is something that can always take you by surprise. Sometimes you can be messing around with a sound for weeks. Somedays it all comes together within minutes. It’s that constant dedication that’ll bring out your best performances. Having a space to be creative is super important for us as well as a band. As independent artists there’s a lot of hats that you need to wear so it’s important to kind of separate the analytical brain from the creative.

Who are your biggest artistic influences?

Biggest ones for the band would be acts like New Radicals, INXS and even AC/DC. It’s one of those questions that you almost feel bad answering because you’re never fully satisfied with the answer you give.

What would you like to work with if you weren’t musicians?

We’d be footin’ turf if it wasn’t gonna be music.

What’s one piece of gear you can’t live without? What equipment are you using?

Not necessarily gear but we all can’t live without Cathal. He’s the brains when it comes to all the technical stuff behind the band. Without him we’d be so lost. Some of us can’t even plug in a guitar lead without it going completely wrong. (Not looking at you Darragh)

Tell us something unrelated to music. What are your hobbies?

We all seem to be into our hikes and just going away into nature. Nothing clears the head better than being surrounded by massive hills or a forest. It’s either that or sitting down on a couch and throwing on some GTA San Andreas hahaha.

If you could meet one performer/artist who would it be?

It would be pretty dope to meet Little Simz. Totally different world musically compared to what we’re doing but we just have so much appreciation for what she does. Also meeting boygenius would probably result in a well of tears.

What does the future hold for you as an artist?

We’re already thinking of what we’re gonna release next. We’ve plenty of music we’re currently working on. Some of it is already finished. We’ve had the tunes from “Living In A Paranoid Trance” with us for ages so we can’t wait to show you guys what’s gonna come next.

Follow The Valmonts:
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September 29, 2023

September 29, 2023September 29, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Francis On My Mind shares simmering and uplifting single ‘This Is My Time’

Romanian singer-songwriter Francis On My Mind returns with her latest single ‘This Is My Time’, released on the 29th of September via Universal Music Romania. Precociously musical since childhood, Francis On My Mind is Inspired by artists such as Birdy and Miley Cyrus. Her resulting simmering, heartfelt indie-pop has led to her steady rise of success, garnering over 7.8 million streams across all platforms. Her song ‘Swimming Pools’ became an integral part of the soundtrack for the American coming-of-age romantic drama television series, “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” she’s also performed at Showcase at Waves Festival Vienna 2022, Romanian Creative Week 2023, and Live in Club Expirat.

‘This Is My Time’ is full of feeling and movement; an irresistibly catchy ode to growth, confidence, embracing the moment and listening to your inner child. A fast-paced 80’s beat, wistful synths and nostalgic indie guitars make it impossible not move to the music, while Francis On My Mind’s raw, emotive vocals imbue the track with emotion and youthful wonder.

“‘This Is My Time’ is very special to me, a song I’ve recently written while I was in Tallin,” Francis On My Mind divulged. “I wrote every verse crying and longing for childhood, until I realized that it’s ok to be a child at any age, I just needed to learn how to embrace my inner child.”

Follow Francis On My Mind:

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September 27, 2023

September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

The Valmonts invite you to ‘Cry & Get A Little Drunk’ with their melodious new single

Dublin-based Indie rock/pop band The Valmonts released their new single ‘Cry & Get A Little Drunk’ on the 15th of September via Watts Hill Records. The single will come off of their upcoming EP Living In A Paranoid Trance. The band is composed of Darragh Whyte (vocals, guitar), Keith Whyte (Drums), Cathal Sweeney (Guitar), and Tymek Kocurkiewicz (Bass). Falling in love with music at a young age, The Valmonts were hatched and nurtured in one of their parents’ garages in Galway and have since blossomed into a successful pop rock powerhouse. Their influences include the likes of New Radicals and INXS. Their music has also been featured on major publications like CLASH and received airtime on over 50 international radio stations.

‘Cry And Get A Little Drunk’ is about finding solace in the universality of heartbreak and lost love, and the complicated feelings that arise from it. Jam-packed with a moving combination of emotion and energy, its pop elements give it a catchy danceability. However, the rock elements, reminiscent of the explosive boy bands of the 2000s (think The Kooks or The Vaccines), lend the song its depth and passion. The verses are minimal, measured and introspective while the choruses erupt with emotion, lush power chords, crashing drums and a fervent, full-bodied vocal delivery. The song is extremely moving and poignantly human – and you won’t be able to get the melody out of your head.

“This song came together in the most natural way possible,” the band said.“The four of us one day at rehearsal jamming. Darragh had some lyrics he had previously been working on and by the end of the day, we had a full new song. Recording it was a whole other story. There are more guitar tracks on this song than we can count”.

Follow The Valmonts:
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September 8, 2023

September 8, 2023September 8, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Leon Seti shares delectable electro-pop track ‘And Im Gone’

Italian born, Amsterdam based Leon Seti is the musical act of Leo Baldi. The eclectic artist shared his single ‘And Im Gone’ on the 22nd of October 2022, taken from his innovative album Grimoire. His retro-filled yet experimental electro-pop has been played by the BBC Introducing and featured on Billboard Italy and he’s also received support from CLASH, with his album COBALT reaching #1 on the iTunes Electronic Chart in Italy. Seti’s second album was equally impressive, released to rave reviews it reached #1 on the iTunes Electronic Chart in Italy and the Netherlands, while simultaneously cementing itself in the iTunes Top 10 of general sales in both countries. In addition to this, Leon Seti has appeared at venues such as The O2 Academy Islington and The Spice of Life in London, historic clubs like Spin Time Labs in Rome and Il Cassero in Bologna and at festivals such as Mengo Fest and Pride in Amsterdam.

‘And Im Gone’ is a beautiful blend of electro-pop production and emotionally charged vocals. Enchanting and introspective, It’s a phantasmal collection of Seti’s thoughts, dreams and desires, with a toxic-love at the forefront of the message. Using his voice as his main weapon, Seti wears his heart on his sleeve, inviting the listener to step into his world and resonate with his lyrics and emotive vocals. Reminiscent of artists such as BANKS, Bjork and Imogen Heap, ‘And Im Gone’ is loaded with luscious vocal harmonies and layers.

Leon Seti had this to say: “‘And I’m Gone’, specifically, is a song about wanting to escape from a place of dread and solitude, and even though I talk like I’ve already left, it was actually written while I was living in London and wanting to escape a toxic relationship.“