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Songwriter Blog

Mike Marnelakis laid bitter-sweet affection intimately bare in his pop hit, I Can’t

Posted on 25 January 2023

Greek singer-songwriter, Mike Marnelakis, released the most superlatively bitter-sweet love song with his latest pop hit, I Can’t – definitively proving that the line of light and dark appears within us all, every emotion, and every phenomenon.

Starting with an acoustically strummed and stripped-back intro, the prelude and first verse laid affection down with intimately bare candour. His loaded with emotion vocals harmonically drift into the chorally polished tones, allowing you to drink in every ounce of apathy that inspired the carresively pensive single.

After the proclamation that there is no truth without pain, the progressively seamless single builds into an 80s jangle pop hit that will swell the hearts of The 1975 fans.

I Can’t is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Interview: Sweet-souled London artist Niky Pasolini gives us the best possible Update

Posted on 25 January 2023

With tranquil exuberance and an ear-healing vocal output which is impossible to dislike, we had a chat with the angelic wonder who calls herself Niky Pasolini. She updates us about her brand new 9-track album, her appreciation for Holly Humberstone, and urges everyone to check out the legendary MOTH club in Hackney.

Thank you for speaking with us today Niky Pasolini. Please tell us where you are based and what are you most passionate about at the moment.

Niky: Hello! I’m based in London! And I’m pretty passionate about songwriting and The Thick of It at the moment.

We’ve just listened to your debut 9-track release called Update. Wow. Your voice is so genuine and tender, with deep lyrics that many can relate to. How did you get started in music and can you recall the first time you knew this was for you?

Niky: I’ve been playing piano and cello for ages – I was always one of those dweeby orchestra kids at school. Then randomly my GCSE music class and I went to a studio to record this song I wrote, with lots of flutes and strings, the whole works. The song turned out very cheesy but I had the best time, so I picked up the guitar and started writing more.

If you could perform live on the same stage with any musician in the world, who would it be and why?

Niky: Holly Humberstone!! If I could keep it together. I cried when I saw her at the Brixton O2.

Where do you recommend we go and find authentic live music in your hometown?

Niky: MOTH club in Hackney always hosts great artists. Also, you can find some very cool small classical concerts on Through the Noise.

Who did you grow up listening to and who are you inspired by at the moment?

Niky: I grew up listening to a lot of Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Italian songwriters like Bennato and Guccini. I’m going through a bit of a Paul Simon phase at the moment. Also, I think Wunderhorse’s new album is genius.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given to yourself?

Niky: Don’t deep it.

Last, what are your goals for the rest of 2023 and where can we find you performing live next?

Niky: I’m releasing some new singles after March! They’re more electric and poppy than this album, so that’s exciting. And I’ll be hopping around some open mics for the next few weeks. I’ll make sure to post about them all:)

–

Listen up to this genuine music on Spotify. See more adventures and news on her IG.

Interview by Llewelyn Screen

SMAIBLUE drops soulful new release Fire Up Your Spirit

Posted on 23 January 2023

With a calming energy which will take many breaths into new waters, SMAIBLUE sizzles our attention with an elevated new release to stoke up those flames when we needed it most on Fire Up Your Spirit.

SMAIBLUE is a UK-based indie pop singer-songwriter who makes those transcendent songs which will fill the hearts of many who love something different to the norm.

”In the deepest part of the Indonesian jungle there lies a dilapidated home; this being houses speaking if rusting music equipment. Multi-instrumentalist and varied songwriter Smaiblue began here in 2016.” ~ SMAIBLUE

Calmly holding our hands and flying us into something rather genuine, SMAIBLUE shall inspire many a soul to take charge of whatever is slowing down the progression. Saturated in realness and giving the world a beautifully composed effort to remember, this is a reminder that music can heal anything.

Fire Up Your Spirit from UK-based indie pop singer-songwriter SMAIBLUE is the type of track which will change many moods around. Moulded so sweetly and taking our spirits into a much better place, we find an experience which will surely give many a daydreamer-like daze to cherish for its terrific pureness.

Turn this up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Sorry For The Pain: Sensational Swedish angelic wonder Sofia Ilektra feels like the Lucky Charm

Posted on 22 January 2023

Sung with so much delightful grace and illuminating beauty, Sofia Ilektra rockets our tired souls into a whole new world of intrigue with her mesmerizing new single called Lucky Charm.

Sofia Ilektra is an experimental Stockholm, Sweden-based indie singer-songwriter, poet and creative director who is one of those rare artists who takes breaths away to be rejuvenated.

”She’s often exploring introspective topics whilst blending playful, rhythmic vocals with soothing, ethereal tones.” ~ taken from Sofia’s Spotify page

Showing us how a self-enlightened essence can flip moods around with beautiful melodies, Sofia Ilektra is a tremendously luminous anthem for anyone who needs to be reminded that mindset is everything. Easing our apprehensions into calmer waters, we find a lifeguard-like song to rescue all of our concerns away with calming confidence to savour.

Lucky Charm from the enticing Stockholm, Sweden-based indie singer-songwriter/poet Sofia Ilektra is a supremely stunning soundtrack to get enthusiastic about as it’s pure and sweet on the palate. This exceptionally genuine spirit has reminded us that music is there to be cherished if made with love. Just like life should be right?

Soothe your ears on Spotify. See more vibes on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Old Man Sings: Sarah Streitz drops the moody gem to reflect with called Lonely Woman Blues

Posted on 21 January 2023

Executed with that gritty show-like sharpness which will please fans of the illuminated underground, Sarah Streitz sings with a world-class attitude which will soothe many a sad soul with her Lonely Woman Blues.

Sarah Streitz is a Santa Fe, New Mexico and Minneapolis, Minnesota-based indie singer-songwriter who makes those timeless-like tracks to play for hours.

Cruising through with her high-heeled shoes on which shall sizzle the airwaves just right, Sarah Streitz is at her supreme best and shall bring many hearts a warm gift to treasure forever.

Gliding so elegantly like a night out with genuine friends who won’t leave you behind, as our speakers sizzle and another sip is consumed.

Lonely Woman Blues from Minnesota-based indie singer-songwriter Sarah Streitz is a must-listen for anyone who likes classic sounding music. There is a real flourishing vitality on offer here, which shall shake many stale cobwebs away. Sarah seems to sing with so much class and desire, with her expert storytelling abilities brought to the fore.

If you want a trip down memory lane, this is the perfect tonic.

Hear this fine song on Spotify. View more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Sound Animal stirs souls with her spiritually awakening experimental release, See No See, Know No Know

Posted on 18 January 2023

Taken from the ambiently spiritual world music album, By Voicelight, the standout single, See No See, Know No Know, from the disarmingly compelling California-hailing artist Sound Animal will awaken senses you never knew you had.

With elements of dreamy synth-pop synthesised around the scintillating Eastern tones that nuancedly appear around Sound Animal’s harbingeringly celestial vocal timbre, the soundscape can comfort the disturbed as much as it can disturb the comfortable. The Clannad-Esque yearning vocal lines atop the rich instrumental tapestry that breaks the monocultural mould are nothing but unforgettable.

Listen to See No See, Know No Know on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joey Sherman sings the beatnik blues in his acoustic rock single, Moonlit Night

Posted on 18 January 2023

Moonlit Night is the seminal lo-fi acoustic rock single from the singer-songwriter, Joey Sherman, who needs little more than an acoustic guitar, his engrossingly assured vocal timbre and his beatnik lyrics that will easily appeal to any fans of Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan.

As the ardent chords ring, Sherman transfuses Midwestern soul into the soundscape that may be rough around the edges, but it is still a shot to the heart for anyone who knows how it feels to constantly be rebuilding themselves from the ashes of their former lives with scant foresight over which path to push forward on at the crossroads.

Moonlit Night is now available to stream on YouTube.

Follow Joey Sherman on Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

solos has unveiled his innocently sweet star-crossed indie-pop single, only mine

Posted on 17 January 2023

Recently, there has been a lot of demonising rhetoric about people crushing on their friends; the up-and-coming Boston-based artist and producer, solos, proved that it is completely possible to respect the friend you want to go further with through his single, only mine.

The melodic indie-pop single that pushes the accordance from the acoustic guitars to the front of the mix is an extension of resonance to everyone who finds themselves lamenting over the lack of mutual attraction but maintaining gratitude for the friendship.

The ornately mellow short and sweet track, complemented by the music video, is one of the purest things you will see and hear all year. His crystal-clear RnB-tinged pop harmonies against the mellifluous flow of the instrumentals are wholesomely transcendent.

The official video for only mine premiered on January 13th; watch it yourself on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Californian solo artist, Beau James Wilding, put the grit in folk with his reverently fervid single, SET MYSELF ON FIRE

Posted on 13 January 2023

With the choppy discord in the acoustic guitar strings against his gravelly punk blues vocals, the Californian solo artist, Beau James Wilding, orchestrated a roots rock masterpiece with his latest single, SET MYSELF ON FIRE.

We didn’t need his bio to inform us of his intense emotional relationship with sound and music. But learning that the relationship was strengthened after he was left legally blinded by a disease at eighteen made the fierily ardent passion in SET MYSELF ON FIRE burn with even more reverence.

Any fans of Dogs D’Amour and The Quireboys won’t want this fervidly impactful single to pass them by. The dark poetic imagery in the lyrics paired with the frenetic pace of the guitar rhythms that consume the instrumental arrangement with their ragged timbre is a sobering multisensory experience that reaches the pinnacle of gritty folk.

SET MYSELF ON FIRE will officially release on January 13th. Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chris Cosmo sings the ‘Oblivion Blues’ in his kaleidoscopically melodic alt-indie debut single

Posted on 13 January 2023

Asbury Park, NJ-hailing solo artist Chris Cosmo set the bar for 2023 debut singles transcendentally high with his single, Oblivion Blues. In contrast to the titular melancholy, the alt-indie pop earworm unravels with dreamy, colourful accord spilling from the jangle pop guitars and vocal harmonies reminiscent of his main influence, the Beatles. Don’t worry; you’ve never walked down the yellow brick road in quite the same way as Oblivion Blues pushes you through. Lyrically, the single takes the opportunity to ponder the mechanics of doubt and its tendency to lead us away from our true paths.

Staying true to his motivation to drive infectious melodies and thoughtful lyrics into his music, Cosmo leaves stardust in the soul when he’s had his melodic way with you. With just enough of a contemporary kick behind the 60s psych-pop tones, you’ll be on a sonic plateau before the kaleidoscopic chorus runs through.

After falling head over heels for music at a young age, which left him inseparable from his guitar, he formed bands through his teenage years before his passion became an obsession following the disillusionment that ensued after graduating college. We can wholly relate, which goes a fair way in explaining the sticky-sweet resonance in Oblivion Blues.

Oblivion Blues will be available to stream from January 13th. Catch it on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast