Tommy Down, the London-based multi-instrumentalist, is redefining soulful storytelling with his 2024 single ‘Mrs Blue’, a heartfelt track from his album 21st Century Living that’s amassed 5.7 million Spotify streams. Hailed by Radio X and Earmilk for its raw emotion, the song showcases Down’s evocative vocals and minimalist style, while his upcoming 2025 EP, previewed by the psychedelic ‘Do You Want It All?’ in CLASH Magazine, hints at an ambitious sonic evolution.
Rooted in his UK-Ghanaian heritage, Tommy’s music channels legends like Marvin Gaye and Al Green, blending soul with rock and introspective lyricism. His dynamic performances at Camden Rocks Festival alongside Frank Turner and regular London gigs, paired with six songs featured in HBO’s Industry—co-created by his brother Mickey Down—have solidified his rising star status. Down’s collaborations with producers like Jeffrey Silverman and Invisible Men (Jon Shave and Jason Pebworth) elevate his genre-defying sound.
The tender ‘Mrs Blue’, with its Al Green-inspired rhythm and vulnerable depth, captures unspoken longing. Tommy Down revealed: “The song was produced by Grammy and Brit award winning producer Jon Shave. I brought Jason Pebworth, one of the Invisible Men, a song I wrote about my girlfriend. It felt like a sixth sense and I wrote a song about that feeling. Jason suggested getting a sort of Al Green‘Lets stay together’ beat for the track, which worked very well.”
Swedish indie dream-pop trio VELVET MOON has unveiled their latest live EP, In The Moment With VELVET MOON, recorded during their December 2024 performance at the iconic Brinova Arena in Karlskrona. Released under Argle Bargle Studios, the EP highlights their beloved 2020 hit ‘Catch The Wave’, a track that has amassed over 15 million streams. With music featured in major commercials for brands like Kappahl and Bollinger, and performances at festivals like The Great Escape, VELVET MOON has carved out a reputation for their timeless, cinematic sound. Their upcoming album, Endless War In The Summer, set for release in April 2025, promises more haunting yet ethereal tracks, including ‘The Hour of King Kong’, ‘A Love Song’, ‘Hymn’, and ‘Daylight’.
The Stockholm-based band, led by lyricist and vocalist Sandra Bjurman, crafts deeply evocative songs that explore both personal and societal themes. Working alongside producers Stefan Örn and Johan Glössner, VELVET MOON blends nostalgic dream-pop with modern indie sensibilities, drawing inspiration from The War on Drugs, Joni Mitchell, and Ry Cooder. Their sound, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, Men I Trust, and La Luz, resonates across generations. Their live performance of ‘Catch The Wave’captures a new intensity, with shimmery guitars, sweeping strings, and Sandra’s soulful, brooding vocals creating an atmosphere that’s both melancholic and electric.
VELVET MOON describes ‘Catch The Wave’ as a poignant reflection on modern disconnection, where fake news and emotional detachment leave people yearning for real connection. The live EP, filled with sweeping melodies and haunting lyricism, offers a raw, immersive experience that studio recordings simply cannot replicate. In The Moment With VELVET MOONis a testament to the band’s ability to channel passion, tenderness, and social commentary into their music, solidifying their place as one of indie pop’s most compelling acts.
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.
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.”
