It is that time of the day when you start to feel drained and are just looking for the perfect indie-rock anthem to unwind with as you lick your wounds – enter band Giant Sky. Giant Sky’s latest single ‘Snow’ via Bloody Sunset Records is sure to be a godsend for sure. This London-based band wrote this song about isolation and the effect that it can have on one’s relationships and mental health.
Lyrics like “The world goes crazy, but you and I remain the same/ There’s no way that I can go into the void of my own” spreads a message of light & connection in times of darkness. One can easily fold and let physical isolation rob you of your sanity and happiness. Giant Sky’s ‘Snow’ reminds one that no true connection is ever lost if it is real.
In these challenging & limiting times, the band needs to connect to their fans in other ways. They have urged fans to support their Kickstarter campaignon socials, which includes exclusive band merch: “f you were considering getting our EP or album on release, here’s a better way to do it – supporting the campaign gets you limited edition versions, t-shirts, mentions in vinyl sleeves… check it out! We know it’s a weird time, but if you want to support new music this is a great way to do it. “
Rising London based singer-songwriter Khazali is poised to announce a brand new release with the arrival of ‘NYC to CDG’, an introspective minimal pop gem lifted from his debut EP ‘Going Home Vol. 1’ due 17th March through Kitsuné Musique.
Drawing on a myriad of influences from RnB, Soul, electronica and pop, ‘NYC to CDG’ is the first single taken from the EP and will be accompanied by a cool lyric video featuring Khazali himself. He says: “NYC to CDG is a story about a character trying to escape his small town for famous landmarks. That character isn’t me – I grew up in the big city. And I actually escaped to a small town when I was 19 – when the journey to this mini EP began. I really needed someone to tell me that what I had around me and inside me was enough, and I could never escape this anxiety. So I just said it to myself. It’s nice to have a love letter for me, by me.”
He goes on to add: “Five years in the making from start to finish, Going Home (Vol.1) EP is the first of two mini EPs that I finally feel are ready to be heard. The EP tracks my use of songwriting as a way to better understand my anxieties about life, using dream journals as a device for lyrics.”
With a soft touch that floats above indie-tronica infused electronic beats, recent Kitsuné Musique signee Khazali creates a brand of alternative pop that exists in a space that subtly references teenage influences; SBTRKT, Sampha, Little Dragon and HONNE. Raised in West London, Khazali recalls his earliest memory ‘in a hotel lobby watching Christmas movies’ whilst his Moroccan-born single mother worked as a cleaner.
But it wasn’t his childhood dream to become a singer-songwriter. Although always keen on the arts in some form, Khazali’s journey to his debut EP, ‘Going Home’, was almost accidentally born out of using songwriting and poetry as a therapy for generalised anxiety disorder, diagnosed in his second year of graphic design studies at a small seaside-town university.
After a suggestion from sixth-form school peer and Slow Dance Records founder Marco Pini (of indie band Sorry), Khazali – who has not been classically trained in singing – began exploring his vocal range, and has found comfort in that expression. With ‘a naturally sunny disposition’ (Notion), his voice makes you ‘feel careless’ (C-Heads), with a unique style that spans melancholy, euphoria and dreaminess.
Bridging the gap between pop and innovative dance music results in bangers like ‘GOOD THINGS ARE COMING’ by the duo HOFFEY and music producer Vincent. Vincent & HOFFEY have gifted current and future fans with an official lyric video to sing along to. With lyrics that speak on doubts and the negative ruts that one can find themselves in at any point in their life, the jovial and bursting bass drops make the weight of the lyrics from the beginning melt away from the abyss of negativity.
Speaking about genre classifications and their current sound on ‘GOOD THINGS ARE COMING’ with Phuture Mag (read full interview), HOFFEY mentioned, “‘GOOD THINGS ARE COMING’ would be considered electro-pop! Having Vincent produce this track made it even more so exciting because he loves to think outside the box and push the limits just like us. It’s definitely an anthem of positivity and good vibes!”
Released via renowned record label Physical Presents, this single is a guaranteed hit. HOFFEY’s poised flair paired with Vincent’s daring electronic range sets fireworks alight in one’s mind.
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.
