It feels like a Friday but it’s only Wednesday, this is what happens when I spend 2 days back to back in the office with a stopover in Bristol, I honestly did wake up today thinking that it was Friday, I even got a bit excited thinking about the weekend, only to have my dreams dashed when my 06:30am alarm started ringing!
The new music is coming in thick and fast, I’m receiving on average 4-5 tracks a day meaning that I am still pumping out a new playlist every couple of days, as things slow down (if they ever do), I would like to be putting out a couple of playlists a week but as they say, make hay when the sun shines so we’ll see how we get on going forward.
The playlist is embedded below for you, hit play, have a listen and see if there are any acts that float your boat. I have included the bios and social media links for our featured artists, have a read, go explore and show them some love by liking and sharing some of their posts.
See you on the other side.
Tertia
London-born, Dublin-based, Tertia (tersh-a) is a multi instrumental artist, producer and songwriter.
Tertia put out her debut release, ‘Tertia’s Mixtape’ last year which gained traction from some of Ireland’s biggest music magazines including GoldenPlec and District Magazine as well as Radio plays in Dublin and the UK.
The release of her single and music video, ‘Normal Stuff’ on March 2nd will be her first release since and an example of her evolving talent as a producer and songwriter. ‘Normal Stuff’ depicts the frustration of comparing oneself to someone who is very stable, content and ultimately, normal.
Tertia’s influences include Sault, Billie Eilish and Alice Phoebe Lou, as such, her music is unique, balancing indie-pop, jazzy elements with more experimental synth-based undertones.
Tertia has performed live in prestigious London venues such as Laylow, The Olympic Studios and Camden Assembly as well as Dublin’s Workman’s Club, Sound House and has many more gigs penned for 2022
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The Valery Trails
When a year-long trip around the world with his family was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrew Bower (vocals/guitar) ended up back in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia.
This unplanned relocation means that after several years of being separated by an ocean from bandmates Sean Bower (bass) and Dan McNaulty (drums) while Andrew was living in Houston, Texas, the band now all live in the same city.
The first result of this newfound proximity is the Introvert Blues EP (released on 25/2/22). The title track pairs raucous guitars with an infectious drumbeat (plus more cowbell!) with lyrics that are on point for the lock-down life we are all too familiar with after the last couple of years.
The EP also includes ‘The Benefits of Motion’, an ode to restlessness and travel which provides a counterargument to main track’s celebration of staying home, and Araby, a song originally recorded by 80s Austin band The Reivers.
Further releases are planned for 2022, including the Valery Trails’ fourth album in the second half of the year.
Having given them a good listen on Spotify, they transported me back to the 90’s with their heady blend of guitar led indie rock which is my bread and butter, great stuff!
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Bjartmar
Icelandic artist Bjartmar Thordarson is on fire these days. Having recently celebrated the release of retro synthpop single Danger Zone at club Kiki in Reykjavik, he´s ready to put forward his latest offering, the dynamic single Catching Fire.
Catching Fire, is best described as dark, dreamy, and experimental electronic pop, influenced by the music of nineties trip-hop legends Massive Attack, Icelandic electronic group GusGus with a hint of late Bowie. Bjartmar´s velvety vocals add a soft, melancholic vibe and lush harmonies lend an epic, almost cinematic, feel to the material. It is the second out of 4 planned singles from Bjartmar´s EP single collection Secondhand Dream.
To make the body of work Bjartmar got songstress and producer Zöe Ruth Erwin to lend her production magic to his material. Zöe is probably best known as front woman of Los Angeles based band Little Red Lung, but also for writing the title track for the hit Icelandic film Lof mér að falla. She has just released her album, Shook, which is out via Alda Music (Now part of Universal).
Catching Fire revolves around the theme of love, but not in the most traditional sense. It´s about red hot smouldering love that feels great to begin with but makes us blind to everything around us. The all encompassing kind that can make us ignore red flags, leaves ruin in its wake and, if you´re not careful, burn you to ashes.
As with Bjartmar´s former body of work, Catching Fire is very personal, warm but with a hint of darkness and an eerie sense of danger underneath the smooth surface. His material never shies from self-exposure, and, despite the pop structures underpinning the writing, plays with unusual key changes and experimental soundscapes.
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Stemin
Award-winning singer/songwriter/musician Stemin has officially released his eagerly anticipated new album, Unspoken Dreams.
The self-written eleven-track collection was written and co-produced by Stemin, Benjamin Ventura, and Filippo Bubbico and features collaborations with musicians including Jacopo Volpe, Adriano Matcovich, Pedro Millan, and Chiara Stroia.
The release of the album follows the successful worldwide release of three singles, “Our Universe, Our Galaxy,” “Falling,” and “Love Never Felt So Right.”
In Unspoked Dreams, Stemin explores the dissociation of keeping feelings hidden from ourselves and others — and the liberation of speaking them aloud. The album uses dreamy synthesizers, sharp vocal harmonies, and strong synth-bass lines to create a galactic vibe that bounces, soars, and explodes like the birth of a new star.
Unspoken Dreams is a musical universe where unspoken desires come to life; where tension and excitement collide with vulnerability; and where a kaleidoscope of love — in all its forms — shines light into darkness.
“Allowing your inner dreams and desires to see the light is always a struggle, especially in a society that still struggles with tolerance,” said Stemin. “As a queer artist, I want to tell stories about conquering fears, embracing our true selves, and most of all, celebrating queer love. This album is about the insatiable feeling of falling in love and I invite listeners to embrace every complex emotion that comes with that experience.”
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Charlotte Hall
“‘Telepathy’ is about a controlling friendship I had a few years ago and sharing what that experience was like to listeners. It is about encouraging people to stand up against being treated unfairly and to fight for what is right”, says Charlotte Hall of her latest track.
As an artist, she is influenced by the likes of Yungblud, Blondie, Paramore, Fleetwood Mac and Sam Fender. ‘Telepathy’ however, is very much influenced by Tears For Fears; their song "Shout" in particular, a song released in 1984 about protesting for what you believe in, which still stands true 38 years later in 2022.
Charlotte Hall is a songwriter based in Chesterfield U.K. and her ambition is to be a full-time songwriter. She has written songs under a variety of genres from Country to Indie Rock. She has taken on many different subjects such as sexual liberation, the "Quarter-Life Crisis", toxic relationships and the importance of friendship.
Two singles so far have had airplays on BBC Introducing York and North Yorkshire, and one, "Stratosphere" secured Record of the Week on the same platform.
All in all, a wonderfully written synth led pop banger that reeks of multiple influences harking back to the golden age of synth-pop.
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Glow Beets
‘Better Times’ is the first single of 2022 by EDM Producer Glow Beets.
The UK based DJ Producer has enjoyed a prolific past two years releasing 18 singles throughout 2020 and 2021.
His first single of 2022 features the vocals and songwriting of widely respected UK Singer Songwriter, Joe Jury who also has had huge rise in popularity in recent times.
‘Better Times’ sees a return to the upbeat and positive vibe that Glow Beets is often best associated with. Opening with the central theme of the song’s essence, Jury pleads for the “better times” that surely await us as we move towards the beginning of the end of the global pandemic. Glow Beets’ signature upbeat pallet of guitar sounds, pads, plucks, claps and snaps is met with choppy percussive rhythms, tightly diced catchy vocal chops and a bass guitar that forces your foot to tap before you’ve even noticed all the sonic ear candy that is ladened throughout the track. Add these sonic elements to the hopeful yet melancholic story telling and vocal delivery from Joe Jury and the fusion is a catchy house song that fuses the sensibilities of the singer songwriter genre with summer soaked tropical house.
The track is the ultimate antidote to a long cold winter and heralds the coming of spring which will finally lead to Summer and better times for all!
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SO there you have it folks, another 9 awesome tracks for you to get your ears around. If you liked any of them, please hit them up on the socials and tell them, mention that you heard them on the musomusofm on the radar playlist and they might even buy me a cookie if our paths ever cross!
Please take a moment to spread the word on social media, it’s on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, just head to musomusouk on either platform and give it a LIKE, SHARE, THUMBS UP or whatever you can!
Until next time…..