Today, as we explore more incredible artists and releases, we are taking you on a trip all over the world, from the USA, to Canada, to Sweden, to Iceland and Portgual.. enjoy the trip!
1. Can I Now Feel – Greg Bounce
Lisbon, Portugal based and British born, Greg Bounce was the man behind the UK band, Cocoa Futures..
After the heartbreak experienced by the loss of a long-term relationship, Greg headed from his home in the UK, to Lisbon, where he began to embark on a soul searching journey. Little did he know that Portugal would become his new home.
With his new outlook and new scenery, Greg Bounce began to explore his music career with new eyes and started his solo music career.
‘Can I Now Feel’ is the second single that Greg has released under his solo outfit, with his first single, ‘Fear That Love’ having been so well received.
As you listen to ‘Can I Now Feel’ you will be swept into a world of synth pop beats and Indie Pop grooves, along with the smooth vocal sounds of Greg.
Inspired by the outdoors and hiking, Greg created a track that provides the perfect background song for getting yourself into nature and exploring.
Greg is increasingly in awe of what nature has to offer and loves to explore his world through hiking adventures..
“When you go on a big hike, the path is never straight, it always follows a trail behind mountains
or valleys.”
You can find more of Greg Bounce at:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/gregbounced
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/gregbounced
You can listen to ‘Can I Now Feel’ below:
2. Fine – Otherwoman
Julia Be is the incredible Toronto, Canadian based woman behind musical outfit, Otherwoman, working closely with her husband, Timothy Be who cowrites with Julia and produces the music.
With a dreamy R&B vibe, Otherwoman’s latest single, ‘Fine’ is a love song.. It’s a song about trust and taking that leap of faith to put full trust into your partner. The lyrics intertwine the metaphoric use of a dance partner to symbolise the romantic partner being portrayed.
“We so often hear songs about unfaithful, untrustworthy partners (and we’ve written plenty ourselves); we wanted to write something a little more hopeful.”
The song begins with a simple beat and understated instrumentation and as Julia’s vocals begin to kick in, you feel as if you are simply having a conversation.. ‘take your time while you can..’
As the song builds with sounds of synth and groovy guitar, you can’t help but bop.. or dance.. along to the track!
This is a great feel-good addition to your playlists.
You can find more of Otherwoman at:
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcDN7WNBOHsn6fGBalubDw
Instagram – https://instagram.com/otherwoman.official
You can listen to ‘Fine’ below:
3. A Year Ago Feat. Saenabi And MTLano – Tonie
Vietnamese-American producer, Tonie creates and produces vulnerable pop-indie music with a particular goal in mind.. His goal is to make you cry.. to be taken over by the vulnerability in the music.
Residing in Brooklyn, New York, USA, Tonie spends his days producing music within a Brooklyn sky-lit home studio, which gives him the inspiration he needs to create his emotional synth pop tracks.
Tonie’s latest upbeat track ‘A Year Ago’ features Korean/American singer/songwriter, Saenabi and a Filipino/American rapper, MTLano and is the first single of their upcoming EP, ‘Songs To Sing To Myself’.
The song was written just over a year ago and reflects on a time of uneasiness, doubt and immense growth.. It’s a song about celebrating the small moments and victories and taking pride in our resilience.
While the topic of the song is about a difficult time in life and contains much vulnerability.. the track is fun and upbeat and will give you a sense that you are on top of the world.. a feeling of hope for moving forward with life.
This is a great track for a roadtrip or for summer gatherings.
You can find more of Tonie at:
Website – https://www.itstonie.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/toniemusic
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/toniemusic
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tonie.wav
You can listen to ‘ A Year Ago Feat. Saenabi And MTLano’ below:
4. Stay Still – Silja Ros (Album)
Icelandic contemporary R&B singer/songwriter and actress, Silja Ros began her musical journey at the age of 17, performing her music filled with authentic lyrics and Jazzy chord progressions live.
Featured on The Voice in Iceland, Silja moved on to releasing her debut album, ‘Silence’ which was featured as album of the week on Icelands national radio station Rás 2.
Silja Ros, currently residing in Los Angeles, USA, is back with her second album, ‘Stay Still’, which takes the listener on a heart-felt journey through love and acceptance.. the journey of transformation from an unhealthy type of love to true healthy love with both yourself and others.
The first track on the album, ‘Body & Soul’ begins with the light and dreamlike sounds of jazz piano, creating an entrance into Silja’s spacious world of self love. As Silja’s sultry voice enters the song, you are drawn into listening to the story.
As you listen to the tracks, your ears will resonate with sounds of dreamy piano, jazzy guitar riffs and groovy bass lines, along with stunningly beautiful vocals.
This is a great album to listen to, when you have the time to take it easy and listen to the message behind the tracks.
You can find more of Silja Ros at:
Website – https://www.siljaros.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/siljarosmusic
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2bUPxTQJEu360cWlGkSq_A
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/silja.ros
You can listen to ‘Stay Still’ below:
5. Drifting Apart – Illumen
Swedish Stockholm based three piece outfit, Illumen, have been compared to a cross between British singer/songwriter Tom Grennan and The Wombats.
The deeply thought out meaning behind the band’s name, ‘Illumen’ comes from the concept that the band illuminates the darker sides of themselves and combines this with the darker times that we are living in. Their goal is to take that darkness and work towards making a difference through the emotions within their music.
In light of these times, Illumen’s latest track, ‘Drifting Apart’ talks of the vulnerability behind the fading of emotions in relationships, which could include that of a lover, a childhood friend or a close relative. They acknowledge the fear that many of us face with these emotions, but also the familiarity of the feelings.
As the track begins, you are immediately brought into the presence of the song.. Illumen say that this is intentional.. a way to provide a wakeup call to the listener. The vocals that are present right from the beginning are raw and emotional and provide a conversation surrounding the melancholic feelings.
As the song progresses, at about 30 seconds in, you feel the drop of the bass and the mood changes to a more hopeful sense of moving forward and a positive future.
This is a great track full of depth and a range of emotions!
You can find more of Illumen at:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/illumenmusic
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/illu.men
You can listen to ‘Drifting Apart’ below:
6. Lobster Song – Jared Demeester
Chicago, USA based singer/songwriter, Jared Demeester derives his blend of 50’s style jazz and indie-folk music from his home studio.
Growing up, it was clear that creativity was running through Jared’s veins as he was surrounded by family who created all kinds of music and art.
After finding a guitar under his parent’s bed, Jared started learning to play the songs of his biggest influences of 50’s and 60’s Jazz, Charles Mingus, Billie Holiday, any of the Ella and Louis records, Ahmad Jamal and Ray Brown Trio.
Jared DeMeester spent the pandemic quarantine period exploring what it meant to self create and produce his own music.. The latest of which is ‘Lobster Song’.
‘Lobster Song’ was inspired by the much loved sit-com, ‘Friends’.
“Encouraging a heartsick Ross Geller in his off-and-on love story with Rachel Green, Phoebe Buffay famously claims that, they are one another’s lobster. Phoebe says that lobsters fall in love and mate for life and that “you can actually see old lobster couples walking around their tank holding claws”. “
As you listen to the song, you will be taken away in a laid-back feel of his clever lyrical creations as well as instrumentation that makes you feel as if you may just be swimming underwater.
You can find more of Jared Demeester below:
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1tvVVw54z0
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mynameisjaroldo
You can listen to ‘Lobster Song’ at:
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.