Spin keep an eye on you, Kristian North is living the dream, Metò isn’t so sure, Léa Èlka gets her ya-yas out — and they’re just a few of the artists who came to play 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 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. Now, let’s kick things off:
Spin | Thought I Knew You
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Pop-rock band Spin have established themselves through touring, licensing their songs to TV and film, a #1 song on the iTunes Indie charts, buzz on tastemaker music blogs, and viral videos. Their continually evolving, genre-bending sound combines alternative, power pop, and electronic elements with soaring pop-style melodies and vocal harmonies. Thought I Knew You is a modernly produced throwback to the 1960s style of songwriting with some edge. Spin have also premiered a video that was shot entirely remotely during the pandemic. It features ’60s, ’70s and ’80s-inspired imagery throughout the “devilish” storyline as well as footage from the 1960s British horror film Peeping Tom.”
Kristian North | Fantasy
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Funk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Kristian North is a songwriter whose poetic wordplay and deep crooner voice lay the foundation for candid songs that have approached the hi-fi soft rock of Warren Zevon, the arty disco of Roxy Music, and the smart new wave of Sparks or Elvis Costello. Here’s Fantasy, the first single off Kristian’s new record Passion Play. The video is a groovy one-man disco party. I hope you dig it and spread the word about it.”
Metò | I Don’t Know
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Indie-Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Metò is a Quebec City multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer who moves through a multitude of tones and textures in his musical compositions. As his father fell seriously ill in 2019 and had to be taken care of until his passing, Metò decided to adjourn his reality in triumphant melodies of romanticized epiphanies. From his bedroom and a friend’s basement, he organically sewed a tunic of sound to produce his first EP: Alstroemeria. It took root in a year where Metò travelled through death and tears, friends and cheers, hope and fears, to finally arrive here, ending with a project filled with authenticity. It’s a nuanced work in which folk and minimalist arrangements meet with songs rich in organic textures, somewhere between Bon Iver and Patrick Watson.”
Léa Èlka | Yaya
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Urban.
THE TRANSLATED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “My first single Yaya has just been released. I have an urban style; my influences are R&B, rap and pop. I direct and produce my clips myself. Yaya is a hip-hop music video with a lot of young dancers.”
Bronswick | Mes Automatismes
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Voluptuous and catchy, Bronswick create haunting electro songs and realistic sound fiction, with hints of both pastel and charcoal. Together, immersed in a creative connection revealed by their first EP Errances, Catherine Coutu and Bertrand Pouyet offer timeless pop sounds somewhere between new-wave urban electro and synth-pop. Mes Automatismes is a song which deals with the theme of existential crises — to a melancholy but dancing tune. “We are talking here about the difficulty of daring to change your life when it no longer suits us, and how difficult it is to be able to get out of the image that others have of us. But there are many paths for everyone that you have to dare to explore in order to find yourself. Directed by Pierre-Nicolas Riou, the video is experienced as a journey through cold and suffocating apartments, through machines that run on empty, endlessly, like a heart that struggles in the last minute just before moving on to the next level.”
Tikom | Ève (ft. Estelle Poscio)
HOME BASE: Switzerland.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Instinctive and radiant electro offering a large spectrum of passionate rhythms, colours, warmth and earthy essences. “For the past four months, I have been continuing my organic exploration of the electro-luminous world of Tikom, searching for colours, materials and textures. Progressive techno, this piece ends up with a flying end full of harmonies.”
Pouvoir Magique & Einki | Shantra (ft. Fakear)
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Global Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Pouvoir Magique (Magic Power) and Einki associate with Fakear on this ode to the god Vishnu, the creator and protector of the universe and time in Indian mythology. This singing mantra mixing Om, spiritual voices, flutes and organic percussion is a UFO — both dancing and orchestral — that only gains in power as it listens. The clip created by Clément Vincent (Pouvoir Magique) accompanies this feeling of exaltation with strong visuals where we follow Garuda, the winged mount of Vishnu who travels through imaginary and psychedelic worlds. Shantra is a beautiful gift to start together the year 2021 under divine protection. We believe in it!”
Creeptones | Vacant Winds
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Creeptones got their start in 2009 in New Jersey Carmine Stoppiello and Nico Lucido. Although Nico left the group years ago, their new single Vacant Winds features his lyrics — sent to Stoppiello out of the blue at a time when the pressures of today’s society were really wearing on him. “Let go the pain that imprisons you” — a simple phrase that’s easier said than done, but to the willing, it’s a wakeup. Nico explains: “I guess you can say that I was just thinking about the situation we were in, with life literally changing before our eyes … We’re getting older, so we are growing apart whether we like it or not, like how your skin sags. It’s falling away but it’s always attached, just like us. Sometimes we do things that remind us we are still part of the same body of work.”
Frimo | 200 (ft. P-Smark)
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Young talent from Quebec Franglais, I want to bring my vibe to the local trap scene and make a name for myself. Here is 200, an introduction to my world.”
Paupière | Coeur Monarque
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Led by Julia Daigle (visual artist) and Pierre-Luc Bégin (Polipe, We Are Wolves), Paupière are a glamorous and flamboyant duo from Montreal with an underground sensuality that creates pop music that is both naïve and profound. In Paupière, there is “skin” (peau) and “stone” (pierre), the organic and the mineral, sensitivity and hardness. Paupière, with its raw words and uncompromising melodies, confirms with its new album Sade Sati its desire for authentic expression. In Paupière, there is also the word “pop” as in Pop music. Their writing services the melody, offering us songs filled with catchy little phrases that turn and turn in our heads until they’re fully anchored in our memories. Mixing English synth-pop and French chanson, the neo-romantic duo let us hear echoes of Human League, Deux or Depeche Mode. Their intertwined voices sing the adolescent and hedonistic romanticism of the ’80s as much as our contemporary disenchantment. Coeur Monarque, their new single, is the fictive story of a girl who lives her life according to her moods. Her freedom isolates her from the world and she ends up lost in it. Cœur Monarque is light and poppy, just like its protagonist.”
Le Twan | NFC
HOME BASE: Switzerland.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Originally from Geneva, Le Twan, aka Antoine Gautier, got his start drumming in the Los Angeles indie-rock scene. In 2003, he began producing and DJing electronic music at parties and events in the desert. Bringing an indie influence to his electronic productions, Le Twan has created his own genre-bending style. Finely detailed beat constructions unite with melodies grounded in the sound of analogue synthesizers. Think New Order and Tomita merging with Star Wars, with Le Twan playfully leading as movie director with his unique contemporary touch. In psychology, NFC — the need for closure — is the motivation to find answer to an ambiguous situation.”
Stefano Pesapane | Urban Flow
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Electro-Jazz.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born in Italy in 1962, I started playing drums at the age of 8 and by 16 I was playing in nightclubs. Had formal schooling in music in Rome (1977-81) and Umbria (1988). In 1984 I had my first professional experience with a band called The Nightworkers; I spent two years with them playing in Morocco and Greece. In 1987 I joined Rocky Roberts Orchestra, touring across Italy. From that time I played in other bands and with bandleaders such as Sonny Costanzo, Tony Scott and others. In 1999 I moved to The Netherlands and started playing with local bands and musicians. Urban Flow is about that vibrant, dynamic urban mood.”
Bachot Muna | Fire Lady Dance (Na Bwé Nè)
HOME BASE: Belgium.
GENRE: Afro-Jazz.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Bachot Muna is a Belgian-Cameroonian multi-genre artist, singer, producer, and songwriter. The talented musician is poised to leave an impact on the scene with his distinctive sound and unparalleled style. From a young age, he was immersed in music as he learned multiple instruments and even conducted an orchestra of 16 people. Through his vocal performances, Bachot Muna radiates raw emotion through explosive, uplifting instrumentation. Inspired by love, joy, and peace, Bachot Muna strives to push the envelope with his sound and bridge various elements from different genres to make a well-rounded, dynamic style. The artist seeks to connect intimately through his lyricism and Afro-jazz. Bachot Muna will have listeners engulfed in the musical world he creates with his no-frills approach and realness.”
Gideon Foster | Money Don’t Lie
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter based in the U.K., looking to express my journey of life through music. Money Don’t Lie was a question, not a statement. The song really wrote itself. I put a pen in my hand and the words came from elsewhere. It’s really the story of how we have allowed materialism to infect everything in the world — even spirituality. It begs the question: Do we really want a world where even love costs money?”
Keith Mosfet | Now Your Life’s Gone
HOME BASE: Canada / Netherlands.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian-Irish indie rocker Keith Mosfet returns with Now Your Life’s Gone, his most creative work to date. Mixing psychedelic garage rock with an ’80s drum sound, an unforgettable synth line, and a back-and-forth male vocal akin to The Beatles, he’s crossed genres not yet fully explored. Says Mosfet: “I was lyrically inspired by a close friend joining an anarchist group. After high school we drifted apart, but were always still close. I watched her begin to slip away after being manipulated by the leader of a cult-like group in Hamilton. She later joined them to destroy a block of small businesses to protest large corporations — while ironically leaving the Starbucks alone.”
Dry A | Nihil Obstat
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “After two singles, more than 25,000 plays and some very fruitful and enriching contacts, my album Time For What is now available.”
Terry Blade | Mr. Robertson
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Indie-Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Terry Blade is an award-winning Chicago-based singer-songwriter, known for using his unique sultry baritone to explore an artistic sound that fuses soul, R&B, jazz and blues with indie and folk influences. His musical style has drawn comparisons to artists like Tracy Chapman, Keb’ Mo’, Meshell Ndegeocello and Amos Lee. This song is in the style of Chapman, and is a deeply personal account and dedication to young African-American men who have wrestled with the difficulty of having an estranged father. The song is featured on Terry’s debut album American Descendant of Slavery, the Album. The 19-track epic takes us on a heartfelt ride — from hard-hitting rap rhythms to smoothly enchanting acoustic melodies, the release covers a lot of ground and really shows off Terry’s versatility.”
Aéronèf | Mal De Terre
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Symphonic Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Aéronèf are a multi-instrumentalist duo based in Brittany, resulting from crossed paths between French variety and symphonic rock. On original keyboard compositions, Violaine Le Provost delivers her unique gaze on the world that questions her. David Chivers, a complete and versatile artist, synthesizes and augments the score in a perpetual sound quest. A myriad of musical experiences on the clock, Aéronèf defend a poetic and soaring space. Shaped in the demand for classical, the two professional violinists met in 2006. Strongly influenced by Radiohead, David became familiar with the rock-electro sound and added the guitar to his instrumentarium. Since 2020, the fusion of their intrinsic motivations has taken over. In their first single Mal de Terre, the duo tackle the theme of existential vertigo on a melancholy and soaring board, a mille-feuille of classical and rock sounds combined with refined rhythms. A dozen titles are in production and are scheduled for release in 2021.”
