The great music just keeps coming!
Below is an eclectic mix of five new releases that we are vibing with right now.
1. Miss Me – Carley Varley
With music inspired by the likes of Hayley Williams, Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne, UK based indie pop singer/songwriter, Carley Varley, has a passion for mixing pop music with edgier indie elements to create catchy and hooky songs with lyrics that speak their direct message to her listener.
Carley’s latest song, ‘Miss Me’ is the second single release from her upcoming EP, which was delayed due to pandemic related lockdowns.
“This is my favourite song from the EP and my best one that I’ve written so far. ‘Miss Me?’ was so personal to me and I think it shows both vocally and musically. I get lost in this song and I hope listeners do too.”
The song is ultra personal and highlights the question of whether someone’s love for you is real.
Carley mixes alternative aspects with indie pop sounds to create her unique blend of catchy and ‘pull at your heart strings’ sounds that you hear in ‘Miss Me’.
You can find more of Carley Varley at:
Website – https://carleyvarley.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/carleyvarleymusic
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/carleyvarley
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/carleyvarleymusic
You can listen to ‘Miss Me’ below:
2. Weekend Punks – Weekend Punks (EP)
This UK based surf pop/alternative rock band, Weekend Punks, love to create a sound with high reverb, loads of distortion and an intense nostalgia of times and places they have never visited, throughout their music.
The band declare that they create a sound that resonates as surf pop and gives you that fun, beachy feeling, however living in the UK, have relatively little experience with surf or sun.
Weekend Punks have released their self titled three song EP, ‘Weekend Punks’, which was recorded between Southampton in the UK and Reykjavic in Iceland and features a 90’s nostalgic feeling sound.
Listening to the tracks, the high and vibrant energy of the distorted guitars, addictive and catchy drum beats and the hooky vocals, will have you wanting to jump in the car and head straight to the coast, to feel the sand between your toes and dive into the waves.
You can find more of Weekend Punks at:
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRJYIxUv0aWwKPpmg4XqE_w/featured
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/weekendpunks
You can listen to ‘Weekend Punks’ below:
3. The Rain – AYKO
Dreamy pop, Scandinavian artist, Nikoline Christensen is the woman behind the musical project, AYKO and creates a sound inspired by artists such as AURORA, Agnes Obel and Billie Eilish.
AYKO loves to challenge and rebel against the constraints of traditional pop culture and move into a realm of freedom of sound with a playful and innovative soundscape.
Beginning her musical writing journey at the age of 16, AYKO, creates an atmosphere of vulnerability and emotion through her powerful vocals and has performed her tracks at some of the biggest music festivals in Norway including Over Oslo, Kongsberg Jazz Festival and Oslo Pride festival.
AYKO’s self written, composed and produced, latest single, ‘The Rain’ is her second single release and was written in a cabin outside of Norway.
She “was looking out the window, looking at the storm that’s raging outside and she felt really tiny compared to the weather and the world. The song is about the feeling you get when you take time to take in what’s around you.”
The track features beautifully, yet simply played piano, stunning and alluring vocals, eerie string sounds and subtle percussive sounds throughout.. You will be hanging onto each of AYKO’s words.
You can find more of AYKO at:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/aykoofficial
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRuXB2BQYgM
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/aykoofficial
You can listen to ‘The Rain’ below:
4. Isla – Bridget Kelly Quinn
Scottish artist, Bridget Kelly Quinn is inspired by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Karen Dalton, Jeff Buckley, Tori Amos and Billie Holiday.
Covid-19 lockdowns began to change the direction that Bridget’s music took, as she started taking piano lessons with David Lennon.. During this time, she began to work on creating her original music.
Recorded in her home Studio in Paisley at the end of July and mixed and mastered by Beccastarr, Bridget Kelly Quinn’s latest single, ‘Isla’ was written during lockdowns and began as an acapella song that she sang to her daugher.
It was written at a time where she was realising what was important in her life and she wrote the song about her becoming a mother and being kind to one another.
“It was the first time leaving the city I live in since lockdown and was so surreal. I had been in a bubble for nearly a year and a half of looking after my little one and caring for my mum who has dementia. It was like discovering another part of me again.”
As you listen to the vocals you will be swept into an emotional world of piano lines and Bridget’s beautiful yet unique vocal sound.
You can find more of Bridget Kelly Quinn at:
Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/bridgetkellyquinnmusic
You can listen to ‘Isla’ below:
5. Home Sweet Home – Betsy Stiles
US based singer/songwriter, Betsy Stiles, has a passion for creating an atmosphere of romanticising reality through her music.
Recorded in her home studio, Betsy Stile’s latest single, ‘Home Sweet Home’ is about loving someone who is going through the ups and downs of addiction.
“I wanted something truthful, enchanting, but also a dark because this song is about loving someone who suffers from addiction and addiction for those who suffer, and those closest to them is full of dark moments.”
The song begins by featuring beautiful and simple piano lines, along with the sweet, raw and emotional sounds of Betsy’s stunning vocals.
As the song progresses, the track builds into a darker and stronger atmosphere with a percussive beat and you will be taken on a journey of the depth of experience in loving someone with addiction and taken into the story world of what home looks and feels like on this journey.
You can find more of Betsy Stiles at:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/betsystilesmusic
You can listen to ‘Home Sweet Home’ below:
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.