Harvey Jay Dodgson introduces you to Caroline, Mauvais Sang presents some new décor, The Hickeys do it little by little, Better Be eases the seat back 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) 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, power up these great tracks from near and far:
Harvey Jay Dodgson | Caroline
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Harvey Jay Dodgson is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from the South Coast of England. His debut single Caroline is the starting point for this Portsmouth riser, and it’s an immaculate introduction from a potent talent. Biting guitar pop with a surging chorus, Caroline is a neat, compact, distilled example of what makes Harvey’s music so exciting.”
Mauvais Sang | Décor
HOME BASE: France / Switzerland / United Kingdom.
GENRE: Rock.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Mauvais Sang are a French rock group created in 2017 whose members live and work between London, Paris and Geneva. Directly inspired by the eponymous 1986 Leos Carax film, their sound pays tribute to the concept of creative mixing, linking French chanson, classical music and English rock. Décor is the opening track from Mauvais Sang’s debut album. It describes the perdition of a man in a nightclub, as illustrated in the video. A true musical roller coaster, the track is based on tension: A contrast between a saturated soundscape, punctuated by the oppressive beating of the drums, and a soft and fragile voice.”
The Hickeys | Little By Little
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Indie Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The Hickeys offer a fresh take on indie rock, started by two friends who share a common passion for music and songwriting. This song was written for the early birds!”
Better Be | Seat Back
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Folk-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Better Be is the moniker of singer-songwriter Brandon Stanley. Finding inspiration from different sides of the musical spectrum, Stanley’s sound combines the songwriter influence of Nashville’s Music Row with the breezy wild & free summer heart of West Coast. After spending 10 years as a touring musician and songsmith, supporting acts such as Better Than Ezra, Stanley shifts his focus back to his solo alias. The single Seat Back came together during a session in Music City, spurred by his recollection of being stuck in bumper-to-bumper rush hour on the freeway in Hollywood. Instead of waiting miserably in his car, he parked on the shoulder, walked off the nearest exit ramp, and spent a few hours at a local casino bar. “Instead of sitting there and letting my day be ruined, I went and made an adventure out of it,” he says. “This song is the anthem for all who hate sitting in traffic!”
Motto | Playing Games
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Soca.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Soca music star Motto teams up with New York DJ Bobby Konders to bring you Playing Games, the first single of their forthcoming album Soca Quarantine Breakout.”
Drunk Pedestrians | Ain’t My Girlfriend
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Hip-Hop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Drunk Pedestrians are a group of intergalactic time-traveling ruffians that are usually on the run from various law enforcement, gigging wherever or whenever they are to get some scratch to buy booze or whatever is needed at the time. Their founder Chris Sheidies is a U.S. citizen of Nebraska. They have released six albums, blending or alternating between hip-hop and electronic music. Ain’t My Girlfriend is the first single off their new album F#. It’s a groovy, somewhat naughty hip-hop tune, partly contrasting with the rest of the album.”
Salin | In Tune With The Moon (ft. Sarah MK)
HOME BASE: Canada / Thailand.
GENRE: Funk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “A song about connecting with our intuition and celebrating femininity, this heavy funk number ws written by female drummer Salin and Sarah MK.”
DJ OneMat | Dette Karmique (ft. Nikemsi)
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Nikemsi is back with DJ Onemat.”
J.J. Ann | Souffle Froid
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter and keyboardist J. J. Ann asserts herself with a melancholy and contemplative project, to the sounds of haunting synthesizers. In the new single Cold Breath features a mix of electronic, pop and ambient music. To accompany it: A video shot at La grande Halle de l’Oroi in Nancy, bathed in light.”
False Gharial | Delusional Waters
HOME BASE: Singapore.
GENRE: Metal.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “False Gharial started in Singapore in 2015, with the firm intention to bring some madness in a very polished society. Led by Hatem (guitars, vocals) and Faisal (bass), Aditya (drums) and Francesco (guitars), False Gharial draw a wide variety of influences — from grindcore, death metal and djent to jazz, funk and rock. Their Tragic Demise EP depicts a struggle with dark emotions in the face of tragedy. Delusional Waters is about those tragic events that turn someone’s life into a spiral of sadness, despair and depression. It talks about what goes through someone’s mind while he is heading to his final moments in life before throwing himself into the sea.”
Alligatorz | Piaui
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Tropical Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Inspired by a trip to Rio de Janeiro, DJ Greem and Røn Puma were moved to mix the rich sounds of Latin American culture with diverse electronic and hip-hop influences. After releasing a string of songs and mixtapes while performing from everywhere from Argentina to Colombia, they decided to assemble their eclectic debut album as Alligatorz. The result is a vibrant musical adventure where samba, reggaeton, and baile funk intermix with French electronic production and animated hip-hop vocals, all making for an animated, outstanding approach. Piaui is a fresh and colorful first track in which the exploration of Latin rhythms will heat up any dance floor in the world.”
Pierre Welsh & The Oaks | Je Laisserai Ma Trace
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rock.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The Oaks (an acronym for Only Alan Knows) have already produced two studio albums. Pierre Welsh is the leader, lyricist and increasingly exposed singer (by choice) of the band, whose rich aesthetic palette ranges from a re-invented burning blues (a la Arctic Monkeys) to the organic and deliciously oppressive electro of the genius Tricky. This music will stay with you for a long time.”
Pierre Sibille | Oxygène
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Soul / R&B.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Pianist, organist, singer and harmonica player Pierre Sibille plays blues and soul music — his addiction since his first concerts at the age of 14 in the south of France. Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway; all these voices built the musician, singer and composer. After several years playing in the main Parisian clubs and festivals in France, Pierre became a resident performer at New York’s Sugar Bar, owned by Nick Ashford and Valérie Simpson. Oxygène is the latest single from his album Entre-2-Rives.” “The tune we hum or the tune we breathe, what’s the difference?” he asks. “Freely breathe! Freely live!”
No Comment | Tu Reviendras
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Our new composition is about destiny.”
Emma Hamel | I’m Not Here For You
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter Emma Hamel spent many of her high school years scrawling lyrics in class and singing in her bedroom before she began performing her original music all around the Midwest. Emma’s music pairs poetic lyrics with haunting vocals and stripped-down arrangements that let the story take center stage. Her deeply heartfelt songs are filled with the hopes, insecurities, and uncertainties that accompany the transition from youth to adulthood. “I’m Not Here For You is the first single off my debut album Headspace. It is one of my most painfully raw and personal songs, but also the one I had the most fun creating. I experimented with new sounds, weird samples, varying tempos, and mood shifts. If you’re interested in hearing more, my album comes out Nov. 5.”
Wry | Where I Stand
HOME BASE: Brazil.
GENRE: Power-Pop.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Wry are a rock band from São Paulo, influenced by shoegaze and post-punk, with songs in both English and Portuguese. In addition to being an important force in the independent rock scene in Brazil, the band lived in London for years, touring clubs throughout the U.K. and Europe, and appearing on festival stages. Following up their 2020 album Noites Infinitas, Wry return with Where I Stand. It’s sunny, full of colors and energetic, with lyrics about hope. Wry will release their seventh album Reviver on Nov. 12.”
El Sordo | Solo Contigo
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “El Sordo is a deaf artist from birth. Thanks to a cochlear implant, he can make a living from his passion: Music — especially the Latin music he discovered in Cuba, where he lived during his youth. The Caribbean, its mysteries, its passion and its festive side have become his inspiration. Today he returns with Solo Contigo, from his EP Hasta La Vista. The song is about a woman abandoned by her husband who ends up succumbing to the charms of another man at a party.”
Cosmic Batwota | My Life Be Like
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “My Life Be Like is taken from Bilal, my upcoming second EP. The track is about helping those you love and helping yourself.”
The Arlequeen | Last Drag
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Indie-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Côme Destribois, a composer, lyricist and singer, is proud to present his music under the nom de plume The Arlequeen. The multi-talented native of Caen, France, creates his works from beginning to end, composing, producing and directing his own videos. As diverse and vivid as the colorful patchwork of a harlequin’s costume, his songs express powerful emotions of the soul, like the reflections of multiple mirrors playing in the wind. Come along on his authentic, dreamy, sometimes unhinged, powerful musical journey. Last Drag is about how powerless we feel when we cannot help those we love.”
Yamm V | Eclosion
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am an independent artist in Paris. I compose hip-hop, bossa nova, R&B and house music, I have been writing and improvising rap for 10 years.”
G Shooz | Covid World Order
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “G Shooz takes a risk by challenging the powers that be and the false manufactured narratives to attempt to save humanity and the human soul before it’s literally too late and we are all enslaved by a tyrannical global government. The entire project is done by Grammy award-winning producers and engineers in addition to a world-class video production crew, filmed in Los Angeles. All lyrics were written and performed by one of the most fearlessly original and insightful artists in Hip Hop: G Shooz aka The Eye of Freedom.”
Vivant | Vivant
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Vivant is one of the songs taken from the musical show of the same name. The creation of this show will take place in Nice in May 2022. Vivant is a musical in five acts and 22 tableaux by Nicolas and Régine Luciani. It is a drama on the theme of our survival in the face of imminent ecological danger.”
https://youtu.be/6GXIf9FYkqE
Kirane | Je Suis Moi Même
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Pianist Kirane has unveiled the single Je Suis Moi Même (I Am Myself) from their upcoming EP. This first single of the six-song disc offers a melancholy journey for emotional souls. A classical pianist by training and influenced by artists such as Agnès Obel, Camille and Emily Loizeau, Kirane fuses minimalist piano with trip-hop and other urban sounds and styles.”
Nadine Altounji | Escarba En Mi Alma
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Folk-Pop.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Nadine Altounji is a Montreal singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose musical passion and skills are deeply rooted in the rich soil of her family’s Syrian homeland. In addition to being a talented vocalist, Nadine is a consummate musician, playing the piano, guitar, bass and oud. Escarba En Mi Alma is inspired by Tondero, a style of dance and guitar playing from Peru that Nadine learned during her travels in South America. It is the third single from her album The Stories that Tie Us To Trees.Altounji composed the music in collaboration with Pedro Diaz, Peruvian singer-songwriter in Montreal. The lyrics are by Marcia Castro Gamarra, a Peruvian poet and dancer. The lyrics of the song express the deep aspiration of individuals to showcase their cultural heritage and their sense of connection to the roots often unearthed and dispersed by conquests, colonialism and the onslaught of time. The Stories that Tie Us To Trees represents the fusion of Nadine’s passion for the various rhythms and forms of Arabic music with the wide variety of musical traditions of South America, both Latin and Indigenous. The themes and subjects of the songs explore complex and obscure places on the path of this quest that pushes to find one’s place in a world with a history often filled with tensions and contrasts – the pain of being uprooted, the joy provided. by the sense of belonging, the loss of distinct identity and the rich mosaic woven through family lines, cultural crossings, and their transformation both through love and war.”
https://youtu.be/E1Hs7DGu0f0
Clou9 | Love
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “This song is about being stuck in toxic relationships and being left in the dust and forgotten after giving it your all for a person with a cruel intention from the start. Don’t let the poor character of others bring you down. Everyone is capable of deception. It features top 20 American Idol finalist Anthony Guzman on the hook and we reciprocated the energy needed to create something with personal emotions that others aren’t so open to express.”
Étienne Coppée | Rien De Plus Grand
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Folk.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Étienne Coppée has just arrived — and you won’t want him to leave. “The more personal what we create, the more universal it becomes” — he is convinced of this, and he will persuade you too. His music is an introspection, a transparent diary of honesty, a desire to be in contact with you and make you want to sing along. He just released Et On Pleurera Ensemble (And We Will Cry Together), a first album which sums up his life to date. It is an epic of emotions on a human scale in which tears abound, going from heavy to beautiful. As a listener, you come out renewed by this vibrant journey through despondency that moves from the winter of a heartbreak to the spring of friendship.”
Holy Tokes | Ghosts
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lace up your stomping boots: Canadian rock sentries Holy Tokes are back with dank, danceable single Ghosts. The track presents all the band’s cards on the table, proving that just because a band’s style is dirty, doesn’t mean the sound is anything but pristine. “Music that is talking about true experiences and intrigues in our own way. It’s different sounding music coming from the most honest, and loud parts of our beings, so we hope you can have fun and get down with that feeling while not resisting the urge to move,” says singer Mark Lingelbach. The maestro behind the delivery of the mournful and manic lyrics is not far off, as Holy Tokes evokes a sensation so rhythmic and hypnotic that keeping a rigid neck while listening would be an almost impossible task. “[The lyrics] come from collaborative feelings in the band, we often discuss how a song makes us feel or what intentions went into writing the music and apply that to the lyrics. Often human rights-driven or statements on the human condition, what drives depression or passion.”
Faulty Rivals | Bliss
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Kitchener’s sour, dour and musically sweet hard-rock group Faulty Rivals make a triumphant return to their neverending house party in their new single Bliss. It has all the trappings Faulty Rivals has come to be known for, with some rhythmic twists that shake up the group’s dynamic. Frontman Koi Getson says: “The songwriting process for me usually starts with the music. I tend to have a darker taste for music, so most of the time the lyrics are darker to match the tone of the music. The music is written as an intangible expression of raw emotion, and the lyrics will describe the feeling and experience in a more objective or descriptive way.” Bliss comes from Koi’s personal experience of being stuck in a toxic relationship with alcohol. “Sometimes we become codependent with the things we hate, and which ultimately destroy us. I am glad to be out of that cycle of pain and self-abuse, and I think this song really brings the listener into my internal world.”
Birds From Paradise | Lavande & Camomille
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “With angelic voices and folk melodies, the trio Birds from Paradise welcome you into their cozy and sunny world. Influenced by Simon & Garfunkel, Kacey Musgraves and Angus and Julia Stone, they are releasing their first album Birds. The three young women met during their graduate scholarship in pop music and quickly realized that their voices would blend in perfect harmony. Birds From Paradise are a perfectly balanced group: Lauri-Anne, nature and calm’s lover; Florence, with her festive energetic soul; and Olivia the nostalgic who collects memories from people surrounding her. Their songs highlight their sweet personalities and are focusing on freedom, love and friendship, all values that are so dear to them.”
Giovanni Rotondo | Gliese 1214 B – The Waterworld
HOME BASE: Italy.
GENRE: Neo-Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Giovanni Rotondo is a London-based composer. He has extensive experience working on feature films, TV series and documentaries. He prioritizes maximizing a collaborative environment while crafting subtly multilayered scores. His music spans from orchestral to electronic with a fresh new focus on new objectivity, neoclassicism and minimalism. This track comes from his anthology of pieces inspired by real exoplanets (planets outside the solar system). “The Waterworld is an exoplanet made mostly of water. Water is life for humans but can be also desolation. This piece represents an introspective journey in evaluating how what is indispensable can also become our invalicable barrier.”
Blitz Union | Candidate
HOME BASE: Czechia.
GENRE: Industrial.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Blitz Union are a furious rock band. They combine melodic pop with hard rock and EDM. Using a blend of heavy guitar riffs, industrial metal overtones and melodic vocals, Blitz Union refuse to be put into a specific genre or category. The band stand for much more than music. The idea of creating an “union,” a community of devoted followers is omnipresent in their music. Blitz Union are about standing together in times of uncertainty, pointing out social, economic and political issues — sometimes seriously and forcefully, sometimes with irony and sarcasm, but never conventionally. Have you ever imagined how an election campaign would look like if the candidate (politician) would be totally honest with you? Blitz Union tried to express their imagination in Candidate with a bit of an irony and touch of exaggeration.”
The Nemean Lions | In Spring
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: R&B / Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The Nemean Lions’ EP Sunshine Vertigo takes you to a place where you can feel relieved of your inner troubles, which lifts your spirit and eases your mind. It talks about love and romance but also about mental health and how it can be affected by winter’s darkness. It speaks a lot about how we are part of nature and everything happens in natural cycles. The four songs also relate to the four seasons. The EP is rooted in indie music, though it draws inspiration from soul, funk and pop.”
Amanda Jerlov | Thinking Bout You
HOME BASE: Sweden.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I’m a 22-year-old artist, songwriter, and probably the most un-mysterious person on the planet. I make retro-driven pop with playful and transparent lyrics. Diana Ross, The 1975 and Stevie Wonder are all my queens and biggest inspirations. I want my songs to sound just as “live” as their music does. I tend to make my very small problems a bit too big a bit too often and therefore I love writing. It sets my dramatic imagination in perspective and I get to laugh at myself. My songs usually end up being about some “dramatic” event or worry I’ve put a little too much thought into. I’m an ’80s bop kind of girl. I think maybe I was born in the wrong decade and this song is my proof. While writing it I was listening to a lot of Whitney Houston and Diana Ross. The song’s about my extreme lack of patience and how that sometimes leads me to make decisions I tend to regret. In this particular case, I sing about how I broke up with someone a little too fast, then started questioning if it was the right decision.”
The Official Christian Rapper, Mr. Raj | Dear God
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. In this extremely fast paced song I get right to the point. Without God I am nada, and I stretch it by saying “We all will be nada.” As soon as heard the beat, I came up with the song title and the hook within minutes. There are times I wished I wrote more and made the song longer, but I think it is best to leave it as is. I do music to express my pain and joy and I believe hearing it may help you and others to know that no one is truly alone in his or her problems.”
Joseph Sarenhes | Stand Up
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Stand Up is Indigenous suffering channeled through music. It’s a cry from the heart, a call for awareness and a musical revolution, all with an intensity worthy of a powwow. Joseph Sarenhes, a member of the Wendat nation of Quebec, mixes hip-hop and trap with traditional native songs and drums, performed by the group RedTailSpirit. Their drums sound like thunder and their songs like a war cry. Despite the vehemence of this song, its lyrics and themes are sadly harsh and factual, dealing with the tragedies of residential schools, missing and murdered women and the government’s lack of response to the socio-economic situation of First Nations peoples.”
Oliver James Brooks | Lead Foot
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Folk-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Oliver James Brooks is a Toronto singer-songwriter and multi-insntrumentalist. For as long as he can remember, he’s been fiddling around on his dad’s old acoustic guitar, though it wasn’t until about five years ago or so, that he started turning it into songs. He has been compared to the likes of Kurt Vile and Elliott Smith (two of his personal favourites). His latest effort Storm Chasing is a 10-track album due on Nov. 12. Lead Foot is the third single. The track was inspired by his grandfather’s nickname — he always drove with a lead foot. Brooks reminisces bout piling into the back of his grandfather’s blue Buick Century, watching the world outside stand still as the car sped down the road. “Even though it felt like we were flying around corners, I felt safe.”
Danny Starr | Belong
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “London born and bred, Danny Starr has cultivated a talent for attention-grabbing melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. Often paired with some light-hearted wit, these stories touch upon themes of love, space, heartbreak and environmental catastrophe. Since he started writing at 14, Danny has blended the raw gut-wrenching emotion of inspirations such as Amy Winehouse and Ben Howard with the in-depth storytelling of Passenger and Arctic Monkeys. “Over recent lockdowns we have all had more time than ever to lose ourselves in self-doubt. I have spent many late nights lying in bed plagued with thoughts of days gone by and days to come, always asking myself: Why did I do that? How will I become who I want to/should be? Where am I headed? Do I belong here? I was struck with quite a significant writing block from it as well. However, building a brand-new friendship with Nick (producer) through the making of this song unlocked a new creative rhythm for me. We took the song from the raw form I wrote it in with my lone voice and acoustic guitar through to the punch in the face hard hitting single it is now.”
Seth King | Pillow From Madrid
HOME BASE: Indonesia.
GENRE: Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Destined for the stage, Seth King performed and wrote songs from as early as he could remember. But self-doubt pulled him away from music in his early 20s and he didn’t write or perform for seven years. But music wasn’t done with him. On a holiday to Indonesia, Seth decided to perform a local Balinese song for a friend. A video of the performance went viral and amassed over 1.5 million views in the small island. Now a local celebrity, Seth was asked to sing each day and very quickly began writing all the music he had pushed away for nearly a decade. Pillow From Madrid is his second single from his upcoming debut album. It is a beautifully calm song or a slightly haunting truth bomb, depending on which side of anxiety you sit. It was originally written for an ex-partner who would calm her anxiety by clutching a pillow she bought in Spain.”
