Barry Paquin Roberge strut their stuff, Blitz Union make plastic fantastic, Meresha sees red, DJ Absurd turns blue — and they’re just the first courses on today’s musical buffet from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and should) subscribe to my Tinnitist 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, dig in to these tasty treats:
Barry Paquin Roberge | BPR Strut
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Exordium to Extasy is Barry Paquin Roberge’s upcoming sophomore album: A disco-influenced, vogue-a-licious opus that will make you conga into a fiery night of dance, passion and good times. This album will make you travel through time and space — only to find yourself doing the hustle in a disco dream world. It’s the good stuff! Exordium to Extasy will be available Feb. 26. BPR Strut is the first single — accompanied by a video in which BPR invite viewers to strengthen their core and test their mental fortitude. Directed by longtime collaborator Ariel Poupart, who also plays the role of a mastermind known only as The Vision, the video shows the band in skin-tight spandex, filming a straight-to-VHS home-workout tape destined to fortify the masses … and control them!”
Blitz Union | Plastic
HOME BASE: Czechia.
GENRE: Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “It wasn’t exactly the free choice of four rock musicians — Mark Blitz, Schtorm, Shodushi & Governør — to form a band called Blitz Union. But after Mr. Blitz, a mysterious and powerful being recruited the four Czech men, they simply had no choice but to go on a musical journey. Driven by the mission of giving a voice to the voiceless, shedding light on grievances of today’s society and uniting people through music, the band from Prague is ready to form a new era of rock music. Using heavy guitar riffs, industrial metal overtones and melodic rock vocals, Blitz Union refuse to be put into a specific genre. Blitz Union is about standing together in times of uncertainty, pointing out social, economic and political issues. Sometimes serious and forceful, sometimes ironic and sarcastic. But surely never conventional. About the track Plastic, they say: “Many people have expressed their views on plastics and the problems associated with them, with their overproduction. But no one cares how it is the other way around. What do plastics think of people?”
Meresha | Red Headed Lover
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Meresha pens uncommonly thoughtful pop, and for the better part of a decade, she’s been entertaining us with electronic and dance music of surprising depth. But sometimes, she wants to roar — and on Red Headed Lover, she’s doing just that. The clip for the upbeat, compulsively danceable pop song gives us two Mereshas: one blonde, bobbed, and reserved, and another with flaming red tresses, flirtatious and ready to rock. Which one is she? Well, she’s both, of course. One can’t exist without the other. No matter how passionate she gets, Meresha never loses that balance and cohesion that have always been hallmarks of her work. There’s a male object of desire in the clip for Red Headed Lover, and Meresha isn’t shy about chasing him. Yet, the real relationship in the video is between the artist and the woman she sees in the mirror. As she slips effortlessly between the two, the message is clear: identity is mutable, and even the most ruminative artist must sometimes set herself afire to get what she wants.”
DJ Absurd | Everything Blue (ft. Iram)
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Dub Reggae.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Paris producer DJ Absurd has returned with the dub-leaning Everything Blue, complete with a gorgeous vocal from Iram. Showcasing his serene side to his artistry, Everything Blue blends walking basslines and ethereal flutes for transcendent results. The video directed by Emma B. and N. Dombrovski depicts two indigenous companions navigating rugged rural landscapes.”
Klaim | GSM
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rap.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Originally from the French Riviera, I have loved rap since I was very young. I am curious about all styles, even if I am more drawn to darker and more colorful worlds. This project is the one that comes closest to my artist expectations. Mysterious, dark and touching are the adjectives that best define my universe.”
Purpleston | Keys
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The universe of Purpleston is authentic and daring, with the deep melodies of trip-hop mixing with the dynamic rhythms of electro and of the house. Harmony is created between haunting voices and powerful bass, between planing guitar and dancing percussion. From these contradictions is born the warmth of Purpleston, which brings together melancholy poetry and euphoric ardor. Purpleston is comprised of three musicians and one singer: Gaëlle, whose warm and hypnotizing voice recalls the sound of Morcheeba. Their new album Soul Keys will be released on May 7. The new clip and single Keys gives you a taste of this magnificent opus.”
Julien Manaud | Save Me From Myself
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Julien Manaud is a creator of soundscapes, a composer, a musician and a performer — and also a sound technician, producer, editor and manager. Today, he shares his new EP Adaptation, Vol.2. Once again accompanied by pianist Alexis Dumais, Manaud offers intimate and personal covers of songs by Radiant Baby, Das Mörtal, Kid Francescoli and HWYS.”
Just Delayed | Locked Up
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE TRANSLATED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Just Delayed is a project created and led by Thierry Leduc. He writes the majority of the compositions and puts his disturbing and rocky voice at the service of his atmospheric works, sumptuous arrangements and rich instrumentation: Here a string quartet, there brass or doubled voices, and everywhere a delay used as an instrument in its own right. More than 15 musicians took part in the recording of their album, whose unique title … is an invitation to choose your own path. Locked Up is a new single from … ”
Seleminga | ><
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Trip-Hop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Seleminga is a French-Senegalese singer and producer based in Berlin. Mainly influcended by her travels but also the club culture, she is trying to cross all boundaries with her music. The result is an experimental trip-hop project with a smooth touch. “This song — written out of anger In Bruxelles almost a year ago — might be hard to swallow. Still, I think it deserves to be heard.”
Trauma Lanes | King Of Thieves
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Post-Hardcore.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “King of Thieves, by Milton, Ontario’s Trauma Lanes, sounds like a burning Cadillac El Dorado ripping down a wintery Canadian highway. Blending the sassy emotions of post-hardcore and the chaotic distortion of punk, King of Thieves explodes right out of the gate — with its heavy, palm-muted guitar chug — into an incendiary and aggressive track peppered with complex riffs, thundering drum fills, and cheeky harsh vocals. Like most Trauma Lanes tunes, King of Thieves concerns the crushing blows that come with the party lifestyle — a behaviour the members of Trauma Lanes knew all too well pre-pandemic. “Ever moshed by yourself in your kitchen while cooking? That’s what we want our fans to be doing,” Trauma Lanes say. The track is the first single of their upcoming EP Nosferatu, a collection of vicious tracks. Trauma Lanes is made up of Brendan “Sinco” Sincovich on vocals, Gayton Corkett Turk on guitar and Deren Bostanci on bass. For the time being, Trauma Lanes recruit one of their many friends to fill in as the drummer.”
Pierre-André | La Couleur De Ma Peau
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Pierre-André, born in 1960, is a French author, composer and musician. His pop music is influenced by ’80s groups like Dexy’s, Kid Creole, ABC, Magazine or The The. La Couleur De Ma Pea (The Color of My Skin) is based on an episode in the life of Nat King Cole. In 1948, he bought a house in the beautiful neighborhood of Hancock Park in Los Angeles. The residents let him know they didn’t appreciated “unwanted” people in the area. Cole replied, “Neither do I. And if I see someone unwanted around here, I’ll be the first to complain.”
Realma | A Hint Of Pink
HOME BASE: Serbia.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Otherworldly. Transformative. Postmodern. Meet Realma, a sorceress and songwriter. The musical alter-ego of Serbian-Chinese polymodal artist Ariadna Vrljanovic-Zhao, she uses otherworldly sonorities and narratives to confront the everyday in all its light and dark hues. Fused together by an omnipresent witchy quality, Realma’s music is both atavistic and postmodern, gloomy and empowering, but most of all filmic and lifelike. She calls her new track A Hint Of Pink “a very specific, atmospheric and cinematic neo-symbolist metasong with atypical singing inspired by my native Serbian/Chinese folkloric roots.”
https://youtu.be/8q86BYPFGpA
YNG Nine | Pyrite
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rap.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “YNG Nine is an underground rapper of Haïtian descent based in France. A musical chameleon who changes color according to his mood, he goes from suave and softspoken to screamo and from melodic to rhythmic. Pyrite is his sixth single, named after the mineral to symbolize deceptions of life. The single showcases Nine’s suave voice, paired with a sharp flow against a well-crafted instrumental of smooth guitar chords, paced drums and bouncy 808s.”
Einsam | Stuck Pig
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Trip-Hop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Einsam is the solo project of Bristol-born producer and songwriter Sam Jackson. Stuck Pig is his second release. Written between 2016 and 2020 while he was living in Vienna, the song is shaped by rising intolerance and increasing polarity across the continent. In sound it’s a return to Bristol’s trip-hop and dub heritage, with shades of Talk Talk pianos and a pop edge.”
Viktor Spasov | Jeremie Thomas
HOME BASE: Sweden.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Viktor Spasov is an indie rock astronaut / jazz guitar Jedi / intergalactic songwriter traveling the galaxy in search of extra-terrestrial sounds. Jeremie Thomas, the third single from upcoming EP Phoebe (Part Two), is about watching one of your best friends fall into depression, and following their journey through panic attacks, medication and sadness. It bears witness to the strange passage from adolescence to adulthood — and how much it can change someone.”
Mada Mada | Ouragan (ft. J.A.M.)
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Mada Mada is a Montreal producer and composer blending together post-rock, classical-jazz and electronic music. Dressing up his voice with rich and singular textures, he delivers a surprising musical vulnerability through a variety of contrasting arrangements. His universe is sure to captivate as well as to bring along his audience into a poetic and cinematic experience.”
Limboland | Discover
HOME BASE: Norway.
GENRE: Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Limboland is a band with a blissful blend of both genre and expression. High and low, calm yet feisty. With Limboland you’ll experience everything from beautiful harmonies to psychedelic carousel rides. In Discover, Limboland show their span across genres, moving from riff-based rock to psychedelic and ethereal.”
Marcas Mac | Bruidhinn (Bright Light Bright Light Remix)
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Marcas Mac is back with a new take on his single Bruidhinn: A pan-Celtic pop remix by Welsh-born, Manhattan-based Rod Thomas, known to fans as Bright Light Bright Light. “The song itself is in response to the constant abuse and marginalisation of Gaelic and other minoritised language-speakers in the press and online,” says Marcas. He refuses to be beaten down, though. While the song confronts the mistruths and recurrent tropes which plague Gaelic and other threatened languages in the U.K. and Irish press, it also serves as a call to arms to speakers across these islands to take pride in their languages and cultures and continue to speak them.”
Steroman | Splashing Around
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Steroman is a songwriter from Paris, who has been influenced by everyone from Funkadelic to Led Zeppelin, Lenny Kravitz to Remy Shand. He has a unique sound you could qualify as Urban-Soul. But ultimately, Steroman is not a person. he’s a concept. Says Steroman: “Here’s my brand-new song. The inspirations are quite obvious — Daft Punk, Chromeo, many more — but I also put a lot of myslef in it! I played and sang everything; there are no samples! I would recommend listening to this with a big sound system or headphones to fully appreciate the mix!”
