Óregla offer some sound advice, Ninety’s Story bring it home, Nedelko turns red, Sweet Olive coast to victory and more in today’s submissions from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and should) subscribe to my Tinnitist Groover Top 100 playlist HERE, or you can listen to it via the widget at the lower right of every page on this site. If you want to be in an upcoming playlist, click the link just below the widget or go HERE. But first, buckle up as we visit Iceland, Japan, Brazil, Belgium, Germany and elsewhere:
Óregla | Don’t Quit Your Day Job
HOME BASE: Iceland.
GENRE: Jazz.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Jazz is so dead it’s not funny. We are here to revive it. We got funky rhythms, insane ideas and a yearning to do something different. Boredom is the enemy. The enemy is winning. I mean, it can’t go on like this. Don’t you want something that is actually different?”
Ninety’s Story | Home
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Electro-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Ninety’s Story is the moniker of two friends who met in primary school and never parted ways. Inspired by the French 1990’s generation Phoenix, Daft Punk & Air, the duo spread a warm, sophisticated and sensual music sunny as their native region, the French
Riviera. The duet released their debut EP in 2017, along with the single Kikuyu. Now they are back with their latest single Home. In this track, the two boys from Nice tell in a semi-conscious speech about a day of their childhood. Deeply nostalgic, Home suspends time and invites you to let yourself be carried away by fluffy production where the guitar riffs explode delicately, as if not to wake up the one who let himself or herself dream. “Home is the house where we grow up,” they say. “We left our memories and our dreams there.”
Nedelko | Crimson
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Urban.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “It is at the same time a brief reference to King Crimson, an assumed influence of my music, and a nod to our post-modern civilization which forced on the UV until it became a parody of itself, completely crimson in the third degree and very happy to be.”
Sweet Olive | MissyReeve’s Coast
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Jazz-Funk.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Sweet Olive is neo funk made in Normandy. Bassist Virgile Lechevalier and the guitarist Yoann Goglia — brother of singer Célie — each bring a different but complementary vision of music. MissyReeve’s Coast is the dream of escape. It points to the moment when imagination takes precedence over reality and then transforms itself into a determination to move forward in real life. The energy generated by the desire for an elsewhere pushes to build it in the present moment.”
Francesco Palmeri | Ok Ko
HOME BASE: Belgium.
GENRE: Afro-Caribbean.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Here is Ok Ko, my latest single. It is a reflection on everyday society, all coated in an Afro-Caribbean style, and sung in French.”
Sugartone Noise Company | Point Nemo
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Garage-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born in a storage unit in Grand Rapids, Mich., Sugartone Noise Company is a garage-rock power trio. We’re pleased to introduce our new album: Local Band Asked to Leave carries a gritty, raw sound that exposes the guitar-bass-drum combo and keeps the focus centered on energy and presence. In other words, it’s too loud for a coffee shop — but that doesn’t mean it drops tight songwriting. Front to back it’s a carousel of lemon-lime riffs locked in with torch-song melodies and head-bobbing grooves that lean from hints of the blues to almost a little punk. Yes, we want your head to bang, but we also want it to tip back in the shower as you shout out that one chorus days after you made it through your ninth play-through.”
Myyora | Good Times
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born in London with roots in France, The Congo and England, Myyora is full of quiet contradictions. She splits her time between edgy urban London and an eco-friendly garden centre in Provence, getting her manicured nails dirty in the earth. Music has forever been the essence of her life. A songstress of the soul, Myyora blends the different musical aspects of her mixed heritage and travel experiences, creating both easy-to-listen to, poetic, nature-inspired music with reverberating dance numbers, subtly traversing genres as she goes. Her songs work on multiple levels, with easy, lilting rhythms that work their way into the consciousness, but are never quite as simple as they seem. This young singer is a voice for the here and now, but it echoes all that has come before.”
Viq | Eventide
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Julien Pannetier, better known as Viq, is a French electronic music producer based in Paris. He combines Chillwave and Indie vibes to create a unique sound. Using some analog and digital synths, he began releasing music in 2019 and soon started to developed his own style. In 2020, he released his first LP Last Path. The new single, titled Eventide, pulls more influence from post-rock and downtempo music than their previous offering. Warm synth pads create a swirling backdrop for a light and active acoustic drum performance with crunchy guitars fading in and out. Eventide is meant to evoke the bittersweet feelings of the last days of summer.”
Wabisabi | Love Me
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born and raised in Southern California, Wabisabi has always had a passion for music, one that spans across many different genres. From pop to electronic to indie, his exposure to a wide range of musical styles translates into, and inspires the productions he creates. Starting in 2014, he spent the next six years refining his sound and learning the ins and outs of music production. In 2020 he released his first single Gravity, an electronic pop fusion which garnered him much success and has given Wabisabi a good start to his career. He quickly followed up with Propaganda, Cosmic Boy and In Your Arms, all three capturing the unique sounds and styles of electronic, pop, and indie music. With the songs he has released thus far, Wabisabi has established himself as a rising multi-genre artist, capable of putting his signature sound within different styles of music.”
Auggie Velarde | Slime 4Life
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Auggie Velarde is an avant-garde boy from the new era of contemporary music. Blurring the lines between genres and what it means to be an artist, Auggie incorporates technology, experimentation, futuristic aesthetics, and highly addictive melodies into his mysterious project. Auggie creates songs that feel like passionate odes to the future — bridging the gaps between cyberspace and reality. “I recently lost my four-legged buddy Richy and this song was dedicated to him. COVID-19 complicated our situation trying to save Richy’s life and I can only imagine what others have been going through losing loved ones to the pandemic. Richy was my best friend, a brother, we grew up together. This song is for anyone that has lost a soul that was dear to them.”
Drew Schueler | No Comparison
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “New pop artist Drew Schueler is a master at creating unique yet familiar songs full of vibrant vocals and melodies, electro-pop synth textures, electric guitar and programmed beats, similar to Lauv, Jon Bellion and LANY. Drew cut his teeth in Cincinnati, Ohio and Nashville, fronting and producing alternative pop bands but is now breaking into the pop mold. He not only wrote his entire debut EP New Perspective, but also played all the instruments, produced and mixed the entire project himself. “I have always been fascinated by all aspects of creating music,” Drew said. “As with any kind of art, every tiny detail matters and I love knowing everything that goes into my music … No Comparison is a career defining song for my artistry, written for dreamers and self-doubters like me. It is a raw, unfiltered look into my life and how unhealthy comparison can be paralyzing. I empowered the strong and clear message of the lyrics with an energetic celebration of music that I feel captures the moment of self-realization.”
Ravages | Rouge Soleil
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Nourished by science fiction (their name comes from an anticipatory novel by French author René Barjavel), influenced by utopian architecture, modern pop music and their scientific backgrounds (Martin graduated from Polytechnique school of Paris, and Simon has a master’s degree in artificial intelligence), the two Parisian musicians are back with a new singe. After having enjoyed success with their indie-pop band Exsonvaldes, they are now exploring the path of new French electronic music, but song-oriented (think New Order, Phoenix). “Our new single Rouge Soleil, from the new Netflix show Emily in Paris, is a dreamy love song about insomnia. And alpinism.”
Ioka | Ferrovia
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Ahoy there! Here is an electronic instrumental track which is rather exquisite and experimental, yet groovy and brisk.”
Lyras | Don’t Keep Me Awake
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Jazz-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lyras are a 5-piece from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, U.K. Taking influences from artists such as Hiatus Kaiyote, Corrine Bailey Rae and Moonchild, Lyras blend dreamy vocal harmonies and a sophisticated sonic backdrop to create a sound grounded in soul, jazz and contemporary R&B. Their debut single Don’t Keep Me Awake was written on the remote island of Lismore on the west coast of Scotland, where the band spent a week writing before the U.K. went into lockdown in March. They spent their time in lockdown writing separately and sending individual song parts to each other via email to try and maintain productivity, but are now looking forward to getting back in a rehearsal room and hopefully before long, getting out to perform their debut material.”
Manoel Tosto | Beira de Praia
HOME BASE: Brazil.
GENRE: World.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Ranging from blues to reggae to classical, world music is the term that might be the most suitable for Mano’s art. The intention behind his music is to help people feel, reflect, heal or awaken in the same way that Mano himself uses music as a tool of self-therapy. Whether its a relaxed evening stroll, meditation or study session, Mano’s hand-crafted instrumental sounds create a soothing and calming energy that will allow you and your thoughts to rest at ease. Everything you hear is 100% played, recorded and produced by Mano himself. “Beira De Praia came to life while I was living in a tent and camped by the sea. I woke up every day hearing the singing of birds in the morning. The small waves were breaking on the sand. The sound of the fishermen walking in the water, throwing their fishing net into the ocean reminded me of the subtle sounds of percussion. I recorded Beira de Praia inside this tent, in the early hours of the day. It is an example of a day without haste, without agony, of simple joy and total peace.”
PrimitiveFootsteps | Sword
HOME BASE: Japan
GENRE: Electronica.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “PrimitiveFootsteps is a solo project by Japan-based electro musician & painter Masakazu Anai. Musicality is a mix of sound unique to Japan, from contemporary musical approaches to techno and ethnic ones. In 1998, he released the album Cosmic Pandora; in 1999, he release Phase. Its sharp sound is highly evaluated both at home and abroad. From 1989 to the present, he has also worked as a sound source developer for Korg synthesizers.”
