Névé goes boom, Corah doesn’t care, Raphaël Dénommé steals away, Séraphin serves up lunch — and we’re just getting started 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, get started with these outstanding artists:
Névé | Dynamite
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: indie-Rock.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Névé evoke as much whiteness and radiance as vertigo and dangerousness. The alliance of five musicians were nourished by pop, rock, folk and jazz. Oscillating between spatial pop and earthy Americana, psychedelic rays and noisy post-rock, minimalist ambient loops and urban folk, Névé combine the French language with resolutely Anglo-Saxon musical influences. Recorded live and filmed in a sequence shot, Dynamite presents a rather calm side of the group, alternating soaring pieces and more lively rhythms. Another live video recorded during the same session is also available. Several audio titles are being mixed, with a view to a first EP.”
Corah | A Nadie Le Importa Na’
HOME BASE: Spain.
GENRE: Jazz-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Corah is Carolina Araoz, a Peruvian singer-songwriter, saxophonist and musical director. Her first album Bloom is a sensory and melodic journey that guides the listener through an intense and joyful musical experience. Her music is an invitation to sing, to live. Corah’s music is a call to curiosity; to a life of freedom, of love for nature. Electronic sounds, synths and bass drums suggest Latin and African rhythms that invite you to move. Her album due in July 2022 is inspired by Peruvian folk music, with sounds of the world and electronica.”
Raphaël Dénommé | Thief
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Blues.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Originally from the south shore of Montreal, Raphaël Dénommé drifts in the Americana movement where folk, blues and soul mingle. Influenced by Alabama Shakes, Nathaniel Rateliff, Black Pumas and Sturgill Simpson, Dénommé just released the album Hard Time and Broken Mind (Vol 1).”
Séraphin | Carolina Lunchtime
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Folk-Rock.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Carolina Lunchtime by Seraphin takes us on a chiaroscuro stroll around a drama; that of a woman abused by her own spouse. The melodies of a gypsy violin deliver all the darkness of this drama, punctuated by folk guitars that accompany the choirs encouraging Carolina to free herself from the grip of her husband. The video looks like a black and white mini-western. It is the first extract from the new album 7665, which will be released in April.”
KarlA | Je Suis Née Comme Ça
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “KarlA, is a young songwriter, performer, dancer and producer. She started music with the violin, and also plays piano, guitar and bass. She began to compose at the age 11. In 2017, she decided to participate in her first singing competition and won the first two prizes of her career. Her style is characterized by her charisma as well as her energy. Her lyrics advocate self-confidence, working to achieve your dreams but also, never giving up. Her musical style revolves around pop, electro-pop and hip-hop, having passed through classical music, rock, hard rock and many other styles. She does not want to limit herself to a single style, this which is the strength of her character.”
Émilie Landry | Shanel
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Folk-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “With her 2020 album Arroser Les Fleurs, Émilie Landry made her place in the country scene. The album earned two nominations at the 2021 East Coast Music Awards for Francophone Album of the Year and Contemporary Folk Album of the Year.”
Le Twan | Average Earthling
HOME BASE: Switzerland.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Originally from Switzerland, Le Twan, aka Antoine Gautier, has a background in rock, playing drums in the L.A. indie and hard 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 music productions, Le Twan has created his own genre-bending style. Finely detailed beat constructions unite with melodies grounded in the sound of analog synthesizers. Think New Order and Tomita merging with Star Wars. Average Earthling is part of my new EP. It’s about space exploration and going beyond our own solar system. It is portrayed in the video, when the spaceship is reaching a binary star (solar) system. I am specially pleased with the work done by the CGI artist.”
Ishimye | Devenir Celui
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I like to go from rock to eclecto to pop, etc. I’m a singer-songwriter, but I also compose for other artists. My new song mixes a lot of styles to become one.”
https://youtu.be/P5GbJPnWsuY
Pierre Welsh & The Oaks | L’Avenir Est Loin
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Explore, search. Go on a journey far away. Return with pockets full of fragments of reality transformed into sharp songs. Pierre Welsh has done this all his life. The man is enigmatic, discreet, but he traces a straight course like the mast of a boat. The expedition of the moment is Oaks: It’s a rock band — powerful, sovereign, but more so an artistic collective where everyone creates intuitively during live sessions of great freedom. Oaks have already produced two studio albums and a live EP. The second single from their forthcoming album L’Insaissable (due in March), L’Avenir Est Loin (The Future is Far) is based on a poem by Victor Hugo which says: ‘The scientist says the sky is empty, the priest says Hell is full.’ The song inspects this quote from the point of view of a man who just wants to live his life despite the ideology of atheism and religion, hate and violence. L’Avenir Est Loin brings hope: The future is far but it exists.”
Drew Schueler | To Know I Hurt You
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Indie-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “New pop artist Drew Schueler is a master at creating unique yet familiar songs full of vibrant vocals and melodies, electro-pop synth textures, electric guitar and programmed beats, similar to Lauv, Jon Bellion and LANY. Drew cut his teeth in Cincinnati and Nashville, fronting and producing alternative pop bands, but is now breaking into the pop mold. He not only wrote his entire debut EP New Perspective, but also played all the instruments, produced and mixed the entire project himself. “I have always been fascinated by all aspects of creating music,” Drew said. “As with any kind of art, every tiny detail matters and I love knowing everything that goes into my music.” To Know I Hurt You is a raw and painful look into the thoughts of a person who has lost all they loved, due to their own mistakes. It acts as a sorrowful apology, knowing that even forgiveness might be too much to ask for.”
Waleed | The Day
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Soul / R&B.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Waleed is a young singer with a lot on offer. He is a self-taught pianist and guitarist. His musical influences know no boundaries: From jazz to the Motown groove, by way of R&B and hip-hop culture, he creates a junction, revealing his own identity. His debut solo The Day is part of an EP to be released next spring. “This track truly stands for the person I am, from the beat to the lyrics: energetic, positive and beaming,” he says. “Introducing myself to the world with such a song does me justice, and in turn, makes me proud.”
Quatuor Esca | Fragments-4. Variations II
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Neo-Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The Montreal female quartet Le Quatuor Esca have accompanied an impressive catalog of artists (Half Moon Run, Bruno Pelletier, Elliott Maginot) both on stage and in the studio. The fourth movement of their original work brings it to an end with the magnificent work of François Vallières.”
Andrew Celestine | Shattered
HOME BASE: Denmark.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The first EP from Andrew Celestine, Shattered is a sublime electro-pop work somewhere between Depeche Mode and Moderat, French touch and scandinavian influences. Shattered is the outcome of a two-year journey for the self-taught artist. Grimy and impactful, these five tracks borrow from different inspirations and genres while maintaining a dark and melancholic landscape with synth-pop textures and lingering beats. Shattered is an open-hearted invitation into the melancholic, harrowing and at-times sorrowful universe of an artist making his musical debut. In a unique way, it narrates heartbreak and what can happen when you fall out of love.”
Blind Season | Dye Your Name
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Rock ’n’ roll and turbulent relationships have gone hand in hand since the beginning of time. The origins of Blind Season are no different. Beginning with a ragtag group, Blind Season underwent five different incarnations until Shane Sigro, the founding guitarist, was faced with the ultimate decision between succumbing to normalcy or proving the previous members wrong. Choosing the latter, he doubled down by penning the music that would breathe new life into Blind Season. Their upcoming album is an ode to loneliness and toxicity that feel as if they were ripped from Billy Corgan’s diary and featured in a film by Tim Burton.”
Wilona | Do It For Me
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Soul / R&B.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Raw, authentic, and relatable, emotive singer-songwriter Wilona (aka Joy Eyimofe Futughe) has a dynamic atmospheric soundscape. Born in Nigeria, raised in Vancouver and influenced by these very different cultures, she started pursuing career in 2019. She started the year 2022 strong by releasing her first original song Do It For Me and is working on that song’s official video.”
Elaine Kristal | Tested
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Soul / R&B.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Elaine Kristal is a singer-songwriter from Staten Island. A powerful and soulful vocalist, her voice offers a healing component, striking a harmonious balance between soothing and fierce, pacifying yet rousing. Many of us have lived through a relationship with that one toxic person that we will never stop loving or thinking about, no matter who we ultimately end up with. Tested is about that toxicity. We get hurt but we often stay. We stay but imagine being far away. We look up to the stars and wonder if there is someone out there that is better for us. “I wrote this song after seeing my friend very upset after getting into an argument with her boyfriend,” Kristal says. “The odd thing was that he was being very insulting and disrespectful towards her. It made me wonder why anyone would stay in a relationship like that. But I also realized that there is nothing rational about love. We will often do the exact opposite of what we would advise others to do.”
