Oliver Bouchard

Music

VIDEO PREMIERE: Shadow Monster - City in My Sailboat

Brooklyn singer/songwriter Gillian Visco goes by the stage name Shadow Monster and she plays her latest single “City in My Sailboat” to an audience of monsters, albeit cute stuffed ones. The video shows an intimate setting that moves from the meta-level of recording a live performance in an apartment

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SONG PICK: Holy Boy - Lay Your Hands

Helene Alexandra Jaeger aka Holy Boy is originally from Norway, but lives in L.A. Those two places mark different ends of the electro-pop spectrum and Holy Boy take cues from both of them. In “Lay Your Hand” a constant, heavy drum beat over a drone keeps an ominous vibe,

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Five Festival Questions for GIRL SKIN

Girl Skin is a Brooklyn band, led by singer/songwriter Sid Simons and multi-instrumentalist Bailey Blu, plus Sophie Cozine (vocals) and Alex Harwood (bass) and we were more than excited that we hosted their second show ever. Brimming with promise and vision, Girl Skin has already a few songs under

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EXCITED ABOUT: Mothica - Heavy Hearted EP

“Heady Hearted” is the second EP by Brooklyn singer/producer Mothica, who has created her own brand of catchy but edgy pop music that avoids the pitfalls of over-production and pop cliches. And then there are her unique, powerful but vulnerable vocals. Listen to “Heavy Hearted” on Spotify or Apple

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SONG PICK: Feels - Gates

Feels are singer/songwriter Sofi Meronen and keyboardist Michael Myrskog together with producer Joel Jons. their lush and moods electro-pop track “Gates” has been a highlight on my new music play list for a while, so I’m presenting it as our Song Pick of the Day:

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SONG PICK: Little Rêd - What Love Is

Little Rêd is a singer/songwriter based in Bath, England and “What Love Is” is the second song after her debut “Hell”. It is about the uncertainties early in a relationship and musically she translates that message into a multi-faceted, but catchy synth-pop piece. Listen to our Song Pick of

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NEW MUSIC: Elohim - Skinny Legs (Video)

L.A. producer and singer Elohim is a fascinating artist. We have already featured her latest track “Skinny Legs” as a turn into grittier territories after her self-titled debut EP. Now she follows up with visuals: a glimpse into some sort of inner struggle against some dark, seductive force which

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SONG PICK: Kylie Odetta - Stress

“Stress” is a killer, literally and figuratively as in Kylie Odetta’s new track off her just released EP “Undertow”. “This ship is going down down down” she sings and means a relationship consumed by stress and doubt. And by putting this message on top of sultry, jazzy music she

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SONG PICK: Maiah Manser - Sweet Hell

West Coast singer/songwriter Maiah Manser does big pop songs, filled with layers of sounds and noises. Listen to our Song Pick of the Day “Sweet Hell”, the dramatic opening track of her recently released EP “Second Skin” (Apple Music | Spotify).

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SONG PICK: Sister Speak - The Stand (Video)

Sherri Anne aka Sister Speak is from Canada, but she chose images from Peru for her beautiful, cinematic video “The Stand”. Musically she also elegantly connects two worlds: “The Stands” starts out as a quiet, acoustic song and then slowly morphs into an eclectic synth pop anthem. Check out the

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SONG PICK: VÖS - Patience

Here is VÖS, a new duo from London with a debut track that is a catchy electro-pop song at first, but reveal unexpected layers and turns after listening a few more times. That fits well to the topic: the push-pull phase early in a relationship when things are never as

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SONG PICK: Jaymes Young - Don’t You Know

In essence, “Don’t You Know, I want you so bad” is a romantic message, but L.A. singer/producer Jaymes Young delivers it quite forcefully, over big beats and distorted synths. It was a hot summer night when he wrote it, so maybe that explains the heat on the

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SONG PICK: Hån - The Children

Hån hails from Lago di Garda, Italy, a most beautiful place in Europe where in the 90s we sometimes spent a few days in early spring, like many other people from southern Germany. It is not an area one would easily associate with melancholy, but then, being connected to the

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Q&A with Jupiter Deluxe Tube

L. A. musician Darwinn Sato, who records under the name Jupiter Deluxe Tube, is about to release her debut album “Product of Insomnia” with ten dream pop songs where layered synths and guitars evoke the half-wake state of sleepless nights. It will be released not before June 2, but in

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SONG PICK: Ani Glass - Dal I Droi

There is a good deal of exciting music coming out of Wales, but rarely it is a sung in the Welsh language. Under the stage name of Ani Glass, Cardiff-based singer/producer Ani Saunders wants to connect with her language and culture, but she also seeks a larger audience, who

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NEW MUSIC: Grace Savage - Just For Tonight (Video)

“Just For Tonight”, let’s pretend we can make it work. This – kind of self-destructive – move is what the latest song of UK singer/songwriter Grace Savage is about. In the video this translates into a swirl of color and emotion, before it ends with sobering emptiness.

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EXCITED ABOUT: Wall - Untitled

After the 30 minutes of music on the debut album “Untitled” by the Brooklyn four-piece Wall, the wild drumming, wild guitar lines and singer Sam’s intense no-nonsense vocals may make you think that the band wants to shove their world view down your throat as efficiently as possible. But

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SONG PICK: Sawyer - Next Time

Just wait for the “Next Time”, the next, better opportunity to let somebody know that you have a crush on him or her. That moment, when your brain decides if you want to keep your dreams open or do the next step is the theme of the debut song of

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SONG PICK: Natalie Bouloudis - Firebird

A “Firebird” is a mythical creature who rises from the ashes of a destructive fire. The hope that lays in the eternal cycle of renewal is the topic of the latest song by London-based singer/songwriter Natalie Boloudis. Musically she wants “it to sound like a 60’s girl group

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Q&A with Trace

Trace is a singer/songwriter from L.A., whose 2016 debut EP “Low” (Apple Music | Spotify) introduced her as an artist who skillfully uses restrained electronics to create a relaxed, pensive vibe in her songs. This year’s new, just released single “Oh My My” is no different and makes

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EXCITED ABOUT: CryptoChrome - More Human

The European hip hop trio CryptoChrome of USA, Anik and S.O.N. was the first act we saw at last year’s Iceland Airwaves and they set us up to the right mood for the festival. Now their excellent debut album “More Human” is finally out with 11 intense

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SONG PICK: Trace - Oh My My

In “Oh My My” L.A.-based singer/songwriter Trace feels detached from a relationship. Vocals and music are restrained – while she enjoys being adored she keeps herself firmly on the safe side. “Oh My My” is the first offering since her brilliant 2016 EP “Low” last year and we

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SONG PICK: MXMS - I Revenge

MXMS stands for “Me And My Shadow” singer Ariel Levitan’s shadow looms darkly over her opponent. “I Revenge” she confesses and asks for absolution. Religious references, deadpan vocals and heavy piano chords convey torn emotions: the inspiration for the song came from being cheated on by a lover.

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SONG PICK: Black Fly - Sign 2 (Video)

Our Song Pick of the Day comes from Vermont-based musician Black Fly, who does classic, grand and dark synth pop pieces. After his more reflective debut “I Don’t Know”, his new track “Sign 2” builds continuously along an arpeggiated synth line and doesn’t let you go until its

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SONG PICK: Auction for the Promise Club - See Through

A band name like Auction for the Promise Club inevitably raises the questions: How did they come up with this? What does it mean? But then, the music speaks for itself – “See Through”, the new song by the three-piece from Cornwall, England is one of those driven, melodic rock pieces