Mercury & The Architects are in love, Anzhelika Kovalenko is in the black, Lyn’O is in a mood, Philippe Lossen & Cocobamboo are in your dreams — and there’s plenty more in store with today’s submissions from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and should) follow me on Spotify HERE, check out my Top 150 playlist HERE, or 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, go HERE. But first, spend some quality time with the in crowd:
Mercury & The Architects | Love Your Life Away
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “We believe in telling the truth. We believe that music has the power to heal and change the world. We hope that our music inspires you to be authentic — instead of telling you what to be, how to be, what to wear, or think, or do. We intend to make music and share it with whomever will listen until our time on earth is up. We will never stop, so please join us on this journey. It will go by fast. We want to inspire a revolution of good, of expression, of enlightenment. Let’s rewrite the rules. We are the new rock ’n’ roll. Love Your Life Away is all about the message. Our intention is to raise vibes, spread love, and deliver hope to as many people around the world as possible.”
Anzhelika Kovalenko | Black Earth (Kara Toprak) Live
HOME BASE: Ukraine.
GENRE: Neo-Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Anzhelika Kovalenko is a Ukrainian pianist. As a student she was part of the European Academy of Young Virtuosos and played concerts in Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. Kovalenko now lives and performs in Germany. In the video, she performs Black Earth (Kara Toprak), written by the Turkish composer Fazil Say, live at the German Parktheater Lahr. The core motif of the piano solo piece is the imitation of the Turkish folk music instrument Saz. In front of 15 cameras and with a light show staged especially for the performance, the 25-year-old pianist impresses with her great musicality. The recording is part of the concert film series WeLive on Tour.”
Lyn’O | Mood
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Soul / Gospel.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am a soul and gospel artist and I am delighted to present my new single Mood. The title deals with the subject of temptation — more precisely of the internal combat that one can deliver vis-a-vis it.”
Philippe Lossen & Cocobamboo ft. Sino | Au Bout De Tes Rêves
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Reggae.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The title Au Bout De Tes Rêves (At The End Of Your Dreams) is the first extract from the album Dans Son Île by Philippe Lossen & Cocobamboo. It’s a reggae track with detailed arrangements and a positive lyrics. Lossen is a music artist from the sun. Between 1998 and 2000, he was conductor of the Pau Caraibes Cabaret in Paris on the Champs Elysées. At the same time, he set up a troupe that featuring the cream of West Indian, Brazilian and Cuban musicians and dancers.”
Helaine Vis | Plenty
HOME BASE: Poland.
GENRE: Soul-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Helaine Vis is a singer-songwriter from Kraków. Her music is based around simplicity — in her lyrics, her emotions, her voice and her guitar. Her songs consist of memories, thoughts, stories, and diary pages from the last decade. Although the songs she releases take their inspiration from alternative music, pop, soul and R&B, she often returns to her favourite: Pure singer-songwriter acoustic sounds. Her debut album Pretty Cliche will be released in autumn.”
Alex Le Play | Have I Ever Been This Broken?
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Indie Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Alex Le Play has lived an artist’s life between France and Canada: Teen bands, a job as an assistant sound engineer, concerts on folk guitar here and there, and a single called Water Song that garnered some attention in Canada. But she has also lived a literary life, writing a PhD thesis on The Stories of Travellers in Canada. Through her musical self-fiction, Alex sings of the strong suns of Lebanon — she is Franco-Lebanese — and the white colds of Canada, where she lived for six years.”
Cøllatéral | Chaleur Digitale
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Indie Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “After a Canadian tour in 2019 supporting their last title Bienvenue A Rouyn Noranda, Collatéral make their post-Covid comeback. Today the Parisian band present Chaleur Digitale, the second track from the Sang-froid album project scheduled for November. With this song, Chaleur Digitale present another facet of the trio: A rock track synchronized to our time, when social networks give rhythm to our lives.”
Colossale | Vie De Crime (ft. Pascale)
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Colossale is a complete artist who can do it all: Rapper and writer in French and English, beatmaker/producer, actor, video dorector, sound engineer, visionary. His first album Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen Volume 1: The Calling came out in June. From ’90s boombap sounds to trapsoul production, Colossale has a vast catalogue of over 200 songs, so you’re only getting the tip of the iceberg of what he can do. Vie De Crime (Life Of Crime), his latest single, is a collaboration with singer Pascale. In 2003, Colossale experienced a traumatic event when two childhood friends were murdered in Montreal North in a setup worthy of organized crime.”
Sandy Duperval | O
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Soul / R&B..
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born and raised in Montréal, Sandy Duperval has been influenced by Whitney Houston, Robin S, Crystal Waters, and Tina Turner, among others. It was Sandy’s thrill during her 15 years of vocal training to be tutored by Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney. Her unique stage presence has kept her schedule full, with bookings throughout her native Canada, in addition to the U.S., Morocco, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, France, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Dubai and many more. Her first opus in a series of songs that will be part of an EP to be released in fall, O takes on the rhythm of warm late summer evenings. “It took me 13 years to complete this song which represents a real rebirth for me,” Duperval says. “Never have I felt so free and able to share who I really am, with my qualities as well as my faults and above all, with the marks made on me by the obstacles I have overcome. In these challenging times, it is important for me to introduce myself as I am, a black lesbian woman, and to share my story truthfully. This song is a chapter in the book of my life and the music video is really a glimpse of my reality, in all its diversity.”
Rémi Geffroy | Odysseus
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Celtic.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Accordionist and composer Rémi Geffroy is a curious, multi-faceted musician. Rich in various influences, he creates his own style, bringing together traditional, classical and jazz music. Born in 1987 in Toulouse, he was immersed in the world of traditional music before starting the diatonic accordion at age 10. A few years later, he started playing bass guitar, integrating various jazz, variety and pop-rock influences. He released his first album Entre-Deux in 2012, followed by 2016’s From Day to Day and 2019’s The Lemming Experience.”
Virginie B | Alpine
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Disco-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Virginie B is a Montreal singer-songwriter and producer who waltzes between multitudes of tones and textures in her compositions. 2021 marks the release of the first pieces of an exciting mosaic, all parts of a first album to be released in January 2022. Inspired by artists such as Diane Tell, Quincy Jones and Jamiroquai, on Alpine, Virginie B delivers a scintillating disco-pop track embelished with aerial flutes and percussion. Sailing between ’70s tones and ’80s analog instruments, her vocal harmonies take center stage. Alpine is the third single taken from an upcoming album to be released in winter 2022.”
Lizzy | 410th_Mad Lover
HOME BASE: Netherlands.
GENRE: Soul / R&B.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lizzy is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from the Netherlands. Influened by SZA, H.E.R., Jhené Aiko, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, she writes almost all of her lyrics herself and even ventures into the world of production occasionally. She also writes for other Dutch artists and is working on lyrics for a Dutch musical. The song 410th_mad lover is a single from her upcoming R&B debut album s e v e n s t a g e s.”
Kenneth Ishak | Something
HOME BASE: Norway.
GENRE: Indie-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Norwegian songwriter and producer Kenneth Ishak’s single Something comes from his forthcoming solo album Native Tongue, due Nov. 5. On his first solo work in just over a decade, Ishak explores his experience of growing up as multi-ethnic, with a Norwegian mother and Malaysian father in Norway, and finding a connection with the parts of his identity that were not always apparent. Something gets philosophical about Ishak’s place in this story, describing being overcome by a feeling of being pulled into a mystery. “Something is very much a cornerstone for me on the album,” he says. “The lyrics explain scenes from my grandmother’s house in Malaysia, what she said to me and how it has come back strong now after many years. Maybe she even knew I would understand later — that I am not just a visitor in that country, that I also belong there.”
Zkari | Fairy Tale Love Story
HOME BASE: Iceland.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “My latest track Fairy Tale Love Story is melodic but experimental, original and different. Some might tag this track “indietronica,” but the experimental elements give a different shape.”
Fre$h Daddy B | Tip Toe
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Tip Toe is a banger off The Tape. I’m looking to connect with people who are serious about this music.”
The Official Christian Rapper, Mr. Raj | Bad Person
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am a born-again Christian. All my songs are written and recorded by me in a professional studio in Texas. I do my level best to explain issues we all deal with in our hearts and minds: Sin, OCD, ADHD, depression, pain, anger, sadness, salvation, happiness, love and joy, to name a few. This is my second single. Bad Person deals with the feeling that we are not good according to God’s standards, and always fall short of his perfection. With OCD/ADHD hammering my brain daily, writing Bad Person felt easy and hard at the same time — jumping from idea to idea with a brain locked on dark thoughts, feeling all over the place. Bad Person is best heard with your eyes closed.”
KingXxStragetic | Shelter In Place
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Hip-Hop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “KingXxStragetic is an upcoming beatmaker and producer from Chicago. Boasting a unique, eccenric and creative style whose waves and vibrations have mass appeal, KingXxStragetic is ready for the world. Shelter In Place comes from an instrumental album released in September.”
