Eclettica Opium become legendary, Greg Dallas takes a tumble, An Early Bird stays positive, Mike Amon holds on tight, Clara Cbd sends you to dumpville — but you’ll fall in love with her and the rest of today’s submissions from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and should) visit to my Tinnitist Top 150 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, enjoy today’s fusion of style and substance:
Eclettica Opium | Cupide and Psyche
HOME BASE: Italy.
GENRE: Prog-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Eclettica Opium are an ambitious project that want to create a bridge between all fields of art in a fluid way and without setting limits. Hence the need to give a name to the genre that contains all the other genres: Prog-Pop, the prog technique combined with the universal comprehensibility of pop. It was born from an idea of all the members, who met in Milan, although they are currently scattered throughout northern Italy. Cupide and Psyche is an alternative version of a song released in 2019. The original was a symphonic rock song that went back to their musical roots and started the album 58. This version includes a lot of electronics, in order to bridge their first album with a followup that will be released next year.”
Greg Dallas | Fallen
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Jazz-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “This song is essentially the opposite of a love song. It’s about no longer being with someone and realizing that you’re not in love with them any more, and the process of coming to that realization. I recorded most of this song myself, and enlisted a few friends to fill in the rest. Catey Esler sings lead vocals and Aaron Lawson is on the drum set. All other instrument are played by me and were recorded in my apartment in Brooklyn and my childhood home in St. Louis. My background is in jazz, but I felt an urge to branch out into a completely different direction and start songwriting. I love the idea of slowly piecing something together and acting as an orchestrator/arranger, as opposed to the very improvisational and spontaneous nature of jazz. I have an EP coming out on May 1 which will include this single, along with a few other songs and some experimental ambient tracks.”
An Early Bird | Holding Onto Hope
HOME BASE: Italy.
GENRE: Folk-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Self-taught multi-instrumentalist An Early Bird’s Holding onto Hope is a springtime folk-pop song delivering a positive message with a compelling refrain you need to listen to when in need of relax moments and good vibes. “Hope is the biggest drive to our life. It makes us feel alive and challenge the world out there,” says An Early Bird (aka Stefano De Stefano). Growing up in Naples, he cut his teeth on the Italian music circuit before going solo: His debut album Of Ghosts & Marvels was released in 2018, followed by the EP In Depths in 2019. The album Echoes Of Unspoken Words (2020) continued a path of exploring that has progressively moved the songwriter from the early folk sounds to a richer and multi-layered sonic dimension. Diviner, his third album, was produced by Stefano Bruno and will be released in summer. On this album, An Early Bird stops being afraid of showing his pop side when creating folk songs. Holding onto Hope is the album’s second single and a captivating foretaste of a new musical universe.”
Mike Amon | Never Let It Go
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop / EDM.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Mike Amon is a DJ & producer of electronic music who released his first music in 2018: A remix of French duo Lura & Ruggiero’s Know Your Name. 2020 was highlighted by the release of his remix of That Girl for the French artist Feder. Following this, he refocused on his project and took a decisive turn in his career, leaving his comfort zone of dubstep and trap for the sound of future house sounds. Never Let It Go is his latest track.”
Clara Cbd | Break Up
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am from Plailly in Oise. I am a composer and performer. I also play guitar and piano. I generally like all styles of music. Break Up is a pop song about a love story shattered by deception. In an environment where few French-speaking artists dare sing in English, this is a song with a natural and different tone of voice.”
LoufoQ | Merci Pareil
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Originally from Drummondville, the LoufoQ duo have juggled hip-hop, rock and funk since the launch of their first album Rap ‘N’ Roll in 2014. LoufoQ’s music is sometimes reminiscent of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Guitarist and technician Phil Beaulieu offers warm, funk-rock-flavored productions without fear of adding the strength and ardor of electro. The vocal agility of singer Fred Simard is more reminiscent of trap and Quebec rap. The mix of styles creates a unique, contemporary sound that is easily recognizable and fundamentally catchy. After having refined their art for several years, they are finally ready to present a series of mini-albums entitled Artistes Improductifs.”
Blaiso | Oh Yeh!
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am a Quebec artist from Paris. I love catchy melody and sentimental text. The song Oh Yeh! is a song that represents emerging music in Quebec. It has attitude in the vocal, a culturally specific slang and an instrumental that moves your head. This song is kind of the headliner of my new EP Algidus, which means cold.”
Julien Brunetaud | Sael
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Jazz.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Piano player, singer and songwriter, Julien Brunetaud has played with artists such as Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Joe Louis Walker or later with Hugh Coltman. His fifth album Feels Like Home will be released later this year. Sael represents the essence of the album: Minimalist swing, catchy melodies, unique arrangements and rhythms The song showcases a groovy and elegant jazz, evolving closely to blues, where improvisation is central.”
Fransoafran | A Wish
HOME BASE: Australia.
GENRE: Contemporary Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I’m a French-born Australian modern-classical violinist, composer, producer and performer. My music aims at shining the light on organic instruments, in particular strings, by supporting them with modern sounds and arrangements. After a classical training, I became part of multiple French bands (Hoy, Payou Rabalat, Liane Edwards, Trapettistes, Malbonheurs, CKoinC, Corcovado Trio). Since moving to Australia, I produce and release my own music and also compose for soundtracks. A Wish is a contemporary classical composition for piano, violin and cello, with a musical motif developing to tell the story of someone barely daring to express a wish, then overcoming their inner fears to transform this secret dream into a firm resolve.”
Remi Dorage | Je T’Adore
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Je T’Adore, Rémi Dorage’s new track, explores desire and submission to an addicting, danceable and punchy rhythm.”
https://youtu.be/FBkYafhlw5s
Lucie & the Robot | Dear Lover
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lucie & The Robot are a band founded by Berlin singer-songwriter and producer Lucie (aka Lucia Vox), featuring drummer Paul Richter and producer Hannes Marget. Lucie’s songwriting is informed by her eclectic taste: She is just as much a fan of ’90s trip-hop and ’80s synth pop as she is of contemporary experimental producers. She says: “Dear Lover is a letter that never got sent — it is a conversation that has never happened except in someone’s head. Toxic relationships can push us into an internal closet, where we fight against our own fears and insecurities. We have imaginary conversations with the imaginary other instead of the real conversations with the real other. It is a dark place that makes us feel lonely while being still together.”
Thomas Marshall | Except You
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Happier with headphones! The drop comes in at 1:05.”
Wave Point | Island
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Wave Point is a new project from Bryan Jones, formerly of Golf Clap & Country Club Disco out of Detroit. Island is Wave Point’s fourth single.”
Montserrat | Plymouth Under Ashes
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Metal.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “On June 25, 1997, the Soufrière Hills volcano of Montserrat erupted, killing 19 people and burrying the capital city Plymouth in ashes and mud. Two-thirds of the 13,000 inhabitants fled to the United Kingdom or the other Caribbean islands. I was 12 and lived in Guadeloupe, about 30 miles southeast, at the time. My home island was covered in ashes and feared a devastating tsunami which luckily never occured. These events deeply affected me. I grew up with hurricanes and earthquakes but was astounded by the amount of force nature unleashed and the human drama happening so close to me. Flash-forward a couple of decades — that kid grew up and lives in mainland France, where he got into extreme music. He has always wanted to mix those sounds with the tones from his home region, while telling the events of 1997. Now, after a few months of writing and recording, with vocalist Carlos Timaure of Venezuela, the project finally goes live.”
Simulated Youth | Kill the Messenger (Android Vocal Version)
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Dance-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Based in Phoenix, Simulated Youth create retro and futuristic dance music with a dark twist. To drive their thought-provoking themes, you’ll hear chaotic breaks, ethereal drops, and clever arrangements. Their goal is always to balance the emotion of the track between bright and dark parts, ultimately providing a fun and original sound that invokes deep thoughts as listeners dance away. Kill the Messenger is their latest single. This energetic dance pop / electro pop song has the word kill 93 times in it. The fun, almost goofy beat definitely provides a unique balance.”
Tired Cossack | Solitaire
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Folk-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Tired Cossack is a sleepy, jittering, celebration of life’s anxious desire and the comfort in loneliness and longing nostalgia. Influenced by Neil Young, The Cure and various post-punk artists, his honest, introspective musings on friends, family, and loss combine with heavy and haunting riffs to put the listener surprisingly at ease with their meandering dissonance and catchy melodies. Solitaire is a lo-fi, indie alt-country tune — as if Kenny Rogers and The Smiths had a jam. Solitaire is fun and energetic, with lyrics that reflect on how love can help when life’s anxieties become unmanageable.”
