Twice the music, twice the trouble, twice the fun. Jerry Folk has released two hard-hitting singles on the same day, both of which have been released under the Folkestad Recordings label. First impressions are everything, and this blew ours away. My, oh, my, do we have a lot to discuss. Let’s delve deep and figure out what makes these records tick.
Let us begin with ‘sadsongwtf’. The single conveys a moody atmosphere reminiscent of an era of darker-sounding hip-hop. Minor keys evoke a melancholy that we find ourselves pleasantly lost in. It’s easy to think that XXXTentacion or juice WRLD would have heard the melodic 808 kick in and memorable snare pattern snap and immediately felt inspired to drop a hot 16.
‘All The Things’ is the complete opposite. Degenerating 8bit plucks carry that blissful videogame quality. We fixate on the stuttered synths, which pan across our field of hearing as if to notify us that Jerry Folk has levelled up. What a fun experience we had listening to these twin tracks.
Forward-thinking producers eevee and sweeep have returned to the studio to produce a pleasantly haunting record called ‘the one’. The single is a sneak preview of their forthcoming collaborative album vandalism and selfcare, scheduled for release under eevee’s Secret Souls label.
The single feels as if it represents a forgotten place, once loved but now lost, eroded by the sands of time. Like a flame in the wind, noises flicker, casting long shadows on the walls. Crickets chirp in the corners while spinning vinyl crackle calls to us, inviting us to explore the abandoned ruins of memory and melody.
The single is as much of a deconstruction as it is a production. Bits and pieces fall away, collapsing beneath our feet so that we plummet into a torrent of emotion that the two creators have unleashed. But we swim through, arriving safely on sturdy shores where eevee and sweeep wait to warm us.
JUNO and SOCAN Award-winning electro-pop artist Dragonette delivers the infectious power-pop anthem ‘New Suit’, available now via BMG. ‘New Suit’ is the first release for Dragonette (the professional moniker for highly sought-after songwriter Martina Sorbara) following a newly signed global recordings agreement with BMG earlier this summer, and the first new label partnership for Sorbara in over a decade. Dragonette describes ‘New Suit’ as a “power-pop pep-talk”, and a “mash-up of retro and contemporary sounds and imagery”, and the track serves as a much-anticipated first look at a forthcoming collection and Dragonette’s first full-length release since 2016’s Royal Blues. Also available is the stunning lyric visualiser for ‘New Suit’, a striking pop-art collage paying homage to stop-motion animation techniques.
Of ‘New Suit’ Dragonette shares, “The lyrics include classic words that are intended to ping-off digital era concepts. But at its heart, the song is about finding your way back to your power while the world keeps shaking up your life.”
With a career spanning over fifteen years, Dragonette has scored numerous global hits including ‘Pick Up the Phone’, ‘Let it Go’, ‘Tokyo Nights’ with Digital Farm Animals and Shaun Frank, ‘Outlines’ with Mike Mago, and the chart-topping ‘Hello’ with Martin Solveig, which garnered a JUNO Award win for Dance Recording of the Year. Collaborating with the world’s biggest DJs including Martin Garrix, Basement Jaxx, Kaskade, Galantis, and more, Dragonette’s musical diversity knows no bounds, and as a songwriter her credits include Keith Urban, Cyndi Lauper, Pretty Sister, and Carly Rae Jepsen with The Knocks among others.Creative versatility shines across Dragonette’s four acclaimed studio albums, including Galore (2007), which earned Dragonette a JUNO nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year. the JUNO-nominated Fixin To Thrill (2009), the JUNO-nominated Bodyparts (2012), and 2016’s Royal Blues. With global headlining credits too numerous to list, Dragonette has also supported the likes of Duran Duran, New Order, Ke$ha, and Miike Snow, and amassed major festival credits, playing to thousands of fans at Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, Glastonbury, and Lollapalooza. Now, with the release of ‘New Suit’, Dragonette moves into the newest chapter of her illustrious career, with more new music news to come later this year.
Committing to raw power, UK band Mellor has shared their latest record ‘Gargoyle Groove’, which is a culmination of years spent listening to bands like Oasis and Arctic Monkeys.Released under Triple B Records, the single gives us a hint of what their forthcoming album, titled Problematic Passions, will sound like.
The record feels like pure expression. It is as if Mellor held back nothing while they delivered each note and lyric, which is probably true given the intensity of the track. There is nothing mild about it. No, each chorus is an undiluted thrust of distortion.
The band originates from Redding, UK, and was started during its members’ younger years. There is an element of their rebellious youth that has carried through, becoming a part of the band’s charisma. It’s as if we are watching a live performance from an old, beat-up coach in a garage plastered with peeling band posters and littered with crumpled beer cans. We’re happy to lounge around and listen while Mellor tweaks their amps and floors their pedals.
