Welcome back to Release Radar, where we compile our favourite releases from the week alongside our monthly favourites playlist!
There has been so amazing releases that have graced our ears this week... here's what we've found!
MOSCOW APARTMENT
First up on our radar this week are duo Moscow Apartment have just shared 'New Girl' from their upcoming self-produced sophomore EP, Better Daughter, set for release on July 10.
Fuelled to write a song after enduring a particularly bad week of misogyny and catcalling, 'New Girl' lays minimalistic guitars over top of each other to create a sound that starts out small and builds to a big ending.
How to explain the naturally-ingrained chemistry between singers-and-songwriters Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla? Musically speaking, Moscow Apartment is as instinctive as they come. From their humble ukulele-and-guitar beginnings to indie pop and rock flirtation, the Toronto-based folk-propelled pop sculptors’ charm and savvy has taken them so far in so little time.
After their self titled EP was released in the Autumn of 2017, Moscow Apartment quickly went on to win accolades and awards across Canada.
Listen to the track HERE Instagram: @moscowapt
JOHN BRAZELL
Napa, California-based singer/songwriter John Brazell is a joyful troubadour with acoustic/pop sensibilities.
His new single, 'Peaches' is a half-pop-half-acoustic vibe that covers a vast amount of sonic landscape.
He says:
“At the end of the day, I want to be somebody you think of who sings and writes really great songs"
He’s a Joyful Troubadour with acoustic/pop sensibilities, an entertainer who loves transforming a room with melody and spirit. With his easy going demeanor, Brazell is most likely to take the stage in a T-shirt and jeans, and very little pretense of being anything other than a guy who likes singing songs.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @johnbrazell
TESSA VIOLET X daysormay
This week, artist and songwriter Tessa Violet had debuted a brand new collaboration with Vancouver-based 3-piece daysormay, featuring on their new single 'Role Model'.
The song is the first single off the band's upcoming EP slated for a release later this year via T∆G Music, where Tessa Violet is signed as well.
An independent artist blazing a path of her own, L.A.-based Tessa Violet released her debut album last year, 'Bad Ideas'. The sole songwriter on all but one of the album's tracks, the project received Spotify's Times Square billboard and has seen widespread success with hit single "Crush" amassing 100MM+ aggregate streams. Tessa spent much of 2019 touring including sellout headline tours in the U.S. and Europe, joining AJR, COIN, and Misterwives on direct support tours, and playing her festival debut at Lollapalooza.
daysormay are a 3-piece, consisting of twin brothers Carson and Nolan Bassett and Aidan Andrews, first formed in 6th grade. Now, 8 years later, they've hit a stride and have already released a debut EP, opened for Cold War Kids, Peach Pit, and Walk Off The Earth, and played festivals such as Bumbershoot, Reeperbahn, and The Great Escape.
While Tessa Violet was looking for openers for her 2019 headline tour, a fan of daysormay tweeted at Tessa to check out the band. So she did. And, she was hooked.
After bringing the band on tour and being blown away - full circle moment - Tessa brought the band to her label, T∆G Music, where she holds a creative development position, and they subsequently signed the band. daysormay will release their new EP this year.
Tessa says:
"We were like maniacs on that shoot day. We literally went straight from the studio at like 3am to shoot at dawn at 5am and were up for well over 24 hours. So much fun though to just be the four of us and our camera op running around Vancouver to put together this music video."
daysormay said:
"...we’d all been awake for 24 hours or more. The night before the video shoot we were in the studio working on Tessa’s part all night and ended up only going home to grab camera gear between the studio and the shoot."
Armed with a brand new EP slated for a 2020 release, daysormay is poised for a big year ahead.
As for Tessa, keep your eyes peeled for new music and video releases to come through summer 2020 as well as new touring announcements to come. On her next headline tour, Tessa will bring daysormay as direct support, and she is slated to support lovelytheband on their upcoming tour as well.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @tessavoilet | @daysormay
IAN MCFARLAND
Ian McFarland is an American songwriter who writes and performs his own music with an accompanying band of friends which more often then not includes his producer Ryan Melone on drums. The pair have recently started writing the songs together and this upcoming decade is looking to be a promising one.
'We’ll Burn That Bridge When We Get There' is a track that has gone through a number of name changes before eventually Ian decided the track was best described as a malafore.
Featuring rock instrumentation and cut live in the B room at Sound Emporium the staccato chorus gives the track a unique percussive flair. Publicity Stunt Double is a ten song record written by Ian McFarland and produced by Ryan Melone and a week following the initial release there will be a deluxe version featuring 11 more bonus tracks that were recorded at varying times throughout the production of Publicity Stunt Double.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @ianmcfarlandmusic
RILEY WHITTAKER
Riley Whittaker has also released her new single 'Old Love' this week, a stunning chilled pop track which shows off her incredible vocals.
Riley Whittaker is a 15 year old singer-songwriter and musician. She plays multiple instruments including guitar, piano, violin and ukulele and has written over 30 songs to date. She performs often throughout Arizona and was recently a finalist for The Voice InstaBlinds.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @rileywhittakermusic
RARIA
RARIA is the bold new face of modern pop. Infusing classic pop melodies and contemporary RnB influences with raw storytelling, she is redefining what it means to create honest art. No holds barred, no subject is off-limits. Her authentic debut, ‘Will You Tell Your Girlfriend?’ describes an unconventional romantic encounter.
“I’ve never been selfish when it comes to love, but I think there’s a weird pleasure when you do something you know you’re not meant to
Travelling overseas to help inspire her project, she found herself getting involved with someone in a relationship.
“I didn’t find out until after we took things to the next level. I felt terrible but at the same time, I wouldn’t change a single thing that happened. I was just hoping that after all the drama he caused, I would at least be worth telling the truth for”.
Inspired by the likes of SAYGRACE, Khalid and Lauv, RARIA is making music to be remembered. Growing up in an Italian family and surrounded by loud personalities, she has found her voice amongst the noise and is ready to make an impression. Valuing the art of storytelling above all else she is ready to speak her mind and excited to share her experiences, making meaningful connections with her audience.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @thatgirlraria
MATT TAYLOR
Trying to escape his mind, Matt Taylor opens through his new single 'The Breath Within Your Chest' in the midst of an argument with a former lover. A frantic back and forth of uncertainty in the relationship but not wanting to give up serves as the basis of the heartfelt, but energetic single.
“There was a lot I didn’t get to say because everything went upside-down so quickly, I wanted to use this song to get those things out. The lyrics are quite uncertain, I’m constantly going back and forth, and it’s confusing because I know there’s a problem but I don’t want to give it up.”
Brighton based pop artist Matt Taylor finds beauty in madness through his new EP.
Originally a singer-songwriter, Matt Taylor found his sound evolve into a new realm in 2019 when he released his first official single, 'Cut You Off'. Drawing inspiration from Julia Michaels, Tove Styrke and Max Martin, Matt creates music that expresses sympathetic topics with unapologetically honest lyrics.
Listen to the track & full EP HERE
Instagram: @itsmatttaylor
MADDOX JONES
British singer and songwriter Maddox Jones teases more new music with ‘My House’, the second offering from his upcoming new EP, ‘Headspace’ set for release on 10th July.
The new cut follows on the recently released ’Headspace’- the EP’s title track and Maddox Jones' first release as a solo artist.
“It’s a bit of a cathartic party anthem. Can we have house parties yet Boris Johnson? If you’re feeling nostalgic for a night out, or maybe even if lockdown has made you take a look at old habits that perhaps weren’t serving you, this is your new anthem”
‘My House’ is a complex anthemic-pop number, one that explores Jones’ personal journey through adulthood, encompassing different genres and styles and effectively representing the multifaceted sound of the upcoming EP.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @itsmaddoxjones
PETER DRUCKER
Peter Drucker tries to write songs that have a veneer of escapism interwoven with a story. His brand new single, 'Concrete' is about a ‘friend’ who seems to have moved on to greener pastures, leaving you behind to drudge through a dreary existence without them.
Songwriter turned accidental frontman, he has developed a style that loosely threads the line between an out-of-phase Kanye blended with “Montana” era John Mayer. He creates melodies with infectious enthusiasm, and a lyrical intensity spanning a well crafted collection of glimpses into his mind.
Youthful and ambitious, Peter burst onto the scene in 2018, with an armoury of tracks ranging from electric guitar driven synth-pop, to catchy, heartfelt string-centred ballads; all aided by a uniquely soulful voice and a dominant sense of groove that leaves listeners mumbling choruses into the night.
Based out of Toronto, he is performing and writing every chance possible, honing and developing his craft by working with local and global talents.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @peterdruckerofficial
KAYPO
Last but certainly not least this week is Kaypo, with his latest release 'Desert Storm' - a story about searching for purpose and faith in life during times of uncertainty.
The song is a metaphorical narrative about being lost in the desert and hoping for rain (or salvation) to arrive. While the song is dark and mysterious tonally, the overall sentiment is hopeful - as the hook concludes, 'soon the rain will come, again'.
Kaypo is an indie-pop artist/producer from Brisbane, Australia.
Listen to the track HERE
Instagram: @kapyo.music
Make sure to follow our MONTHLY SPOTIFY PLAYLIST to listen to these songs and many more new releases from this month!