Groover Playlist 166 | Get Your Kicks

Jupiter Flynn, Elliston Stone, Bantunani, Farrow & more artists you need to hear.

Jupiter Flynn sorts out a misunderstanding, Elliston Stone are unforgettable, Bantunani gets in the swing, Farrow are a breath of fresh air 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 200 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, kick back with these new additions:

 


Jupiter Flynn | Misunderstanding

HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Jupiter Flynn is a young singer-songwriter born from Amsterdam. She started composing short songs on the piano at the age of six, has lived in Tokyo, New York, Sydney and Frankfurt, and is now based in Berlin. Her compositions are of a fragile, light-footed indie-pop quality, while her husky voice and dark coming-of-age lyrics form a strong counterpart that lends her work a captivating depth. Misunderstanding is an uplifting indie-rock song telling the story of the emotional rollercoaster of a toxic relationship.”


Elliston Stone | Recalled But Not Remembered

HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Indie-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Recalled But Not Remembered is a song that describes people who are dispersed in the world with no real home and no knowledge of their true identity. It is inspired by the courage of ancestors whose names are not remembered on any memorial stones. Many took their own lives to set themselves free, others were cast away in the waves for the sand to be their grave. It’s a song a people who are identified as African, American, English, French, West Indian, Brazillian, South American. The scattered. This is a song that really is a celebration of remembrance for those captives that were and are the original stolen unfree, the kidnapped and sold who have no clue of their truth. it’s a song that aims to connect to the energy of my ancestors.”


Bantunani | Pigalle Swing (Mes Amants)

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Electro-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “More than music, Bantunani offers his own electro Afrofunk style based on heavy bass, funky guitars and wise lyrics that describe our deep feelings and the world state. This great live entertainer has recorded more than 12 albums. In this film clip, Bantunani immerses us in the Paris of the Moulin Rouge, between the 1930s and our days, bringing back to life the voice of Fréhel, the unforgettable forgotten, for an adaptation of his title Mes Amants at the crossroads of hiphop and swing. Between jazz cabaret, crazy streets and amorous pursuits, we let ourselves be taken in by this frenetic seduction where desire, betrayal and dance mingle.”


Farrow | Breathing Air

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: R&B / Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Joy is revolutionary. Farrow are a rock ’n’ soul band from Buffalo with thought-provoking lyrics and infectious melodies. This diverse group of musicians create songs that make you move to the movement and savour everyday joys like eating a fried pierogi dipped in hot sauce. Led by producer/bass player André Pilette and singer/lyricist Michael Farrow, the band features Tim Webb on drums, Michael Ruopoli on percussion, Cory Clancy on guitar, Rufus “Breezy” Cole Jr. on keys, and Danielle Johnson on backing vocals. Breathing Air is from our debut album Agitate. We speak to social injustice and racial inequity in our music, among other topics.”


La Substance | Lève Les Yeux

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:La Substance are a hybrid rap group/collective formed in 2020. They are made up of the rapper Lambda, six musicians, a sound technician, a videographer, a graphic designer and an FX animator. Their lyrics are polished and hard-hitting, flirting with “conscious” rap and storytelling. Their musical style is dense and eclectic — some will hear the influence of J.Dilla, others the rock power of Rage Against The Machine, still others the heartbreaking pop of Radiohead. The collective claim an aesthetic that is both accessible and complex, both musically and their its graphic universe. With their second track, La Substance make us dream, transporting us to where French rap has only too rarely ventured: A hovering groove inspired by American rap/neo-soul, with dreamlike lyrics and precise flow.”


Djakarta | Alive

HOME BASE: Australia.
GENRE: Indie-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Djakarta is the music project of singer-songwriters Raphaël and Tristan Stuart. The multi-instrumentalist brothers craft intimate pop songs, seamlessly blending acoustic and electronic textures inside their studio in Paris. With dreamy musings on lives spent between two continents (they are French-born Australians) set against melancholy, sun-drenched folk-pop arrangements, be ready to embark on a physical and spiritual journey. Produced and mixed by Stan Neff, this first single is out alongside a free-flowing, sun-soaked animated video by Paris artist Baptiste Perrin. Amid the buoyant repetitions of a muted piano, the rippling echoes of a cello and the watery lilt of acoustic guitars, a tranquil voice soars gracefully above the song’s surface, inviting us on a regenerative journey towards the horizon.”


Ana Barajas | Ojos Bonitos

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “This Colombian-born, Austin-based singer-songwriter has developed a very unique sound that embraces rock, jazz, electronic, Latin folk and classical music. She grew up listening to her Dad’s record collection that included artists as diverse as Manu Dibango, Mecano, Julio Iglesias, Bach and Carlos Gardel, and learned to sing with the traditional music from the Colombian Altiplano, her mom’s favourite. Ana has released the EP Marea Lunar (2013), the single Lady (2016) and the album The Botany of Dreams (2018). Her new album Mango Motel will be fully released in the second half of 2022. “Ojos Bonitos pays very special homage to my South American roots,” she says. “Ojos Bonitos (Pretty Eyes) is a very powerful encounter with South American sounds and a homage to the classic Andean song Ojos Azules (Blue Eyes).”


Rossi-B | Schema

HOME BASE: Cameroon.
GENRE: World.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Rossi-B (AKA The Fearless Knight AKA The Schemer) is a young Cameroonian artist. A body and soul immersed in music, Rossi-B works hard as a gladiator in order to achieve the objectives he has set for himself. “My project is a new concept on the market with a new sound and style,” he says. “I would like you to help me make it heard by the whole world.”


Monde | Un Jour

HOME BASE: Cameroon.
GENRE: World Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “My name is Monde (World). This is not just a simple stage name for me, but it is first of all a concept where music is simply one of the links in the chain. The single Un Jour (One Day) is a message of hope for all those who are going through any difficulties in life (especially in this time of global crisis). One day it will be fine!”

https://youtu.be/RwJg6oDaahE


Nic All | Mania

HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Electro-Funk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I present to you Mania, a song that I particularly like. I hope it will give you energy! My project is to have fun, play bass and produce my musical universe. For Mania, I have my first video.”


Elaine Kristal | Sweet Escape

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: R&B / Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Elaine Kristal is a singer and songwriter from Staten Island. Elaine’s voice offers a healing component, striking a harmonious balance between soothing and fierce, pacifying yet rousing — you can’t get enough when she sings. She started performing her music with one of her best friends at an open mic. Eventually, people were coming to see her perform and learning the lyrics to her songs — until one day she was performing and the whole place started singing her song. “It’s a high I will never forget, and one I want to have for the rest of my life.” Sweet Escape is a journey of love. A limitless travel with no boundaries — as long as someone you love takes the trip by your side.”


Samantha Leon | I Don’t Wanna Come Home

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Jazz-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Samantha Leon is a singer-songwriter, born and raised in New York. She has a voice that hits your ears and brings back all the sadness, anger and lust of your rawest heartaches. Her arrangements are wonderfully unhurried and her vocals are delicate but bold — like a timeless jazz diva and hot new chart sensation all rolled in one. Samantha’s writing delves deep into personal biography without ever risking obscurity. She wields her pen in a way that relays her most authentic, relatable and harrowing life experiences into lyrics with purity, clarity, wonder, and a gut-punch — the way songwriting heroes like Fleetwood Mac, Alanis Morissette, and Cat Stevens have done it. All of these experiences and inspirations collide ecstatically in her new EP Mystic Lady, a journey that at some moments is heart wrenching, but catchy, and at others moments finds itself purging emotions through transcendent musical peaks. I Don’t Wanna Come Home, is a simple narrative: Not wanting to come home because you know there’s a complicated fight with your loved one waiting for you when you get there.”


BFRND | Hedge Fund Trance (Vladimir Cauchemar Remix)

HOME BASE: Switzerland.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Vladimir Cauchemar remixed Hedge Fund Trance, the soundtrack of Balenciaga’s Spring 23 show at the New York Stock Exchange. The track is now a part of Cauchemar’s Anthropology tour.”


DFNSE | Good Enough (ft. Senpu)

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Funk-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Parisian producer DFNSE combines elements from electronic music to funk as well as pop. “I teamed up with Senpu, a Parisian R&B singer, for this second installment from my upcoming EP. With its pop funk influences, the song draws us into the intimacy of a sensual flirt and a dance animated by the mirror ball’s reflections, the neon and lights back in the ’80s. To enhance the vintage touch, the project has been mixed and mastered by Marcus Linon (Greasy Studios).”


Through The Dusk | A La Force Du Vent

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Metal.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Through The Dusk have been sailing the waves for more than five years under the black flag of melodic death metal. These five pirates from Champagne draws inspiration from Scandinavian groups like Kalmah or Amon Amarth, and galvanize their audience with melodies from the abyssal depths.”


Analias | Stay Away

HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born in the land of spices and mint tea, forward-thinking singer, songwriter and producer Analias knows how to do it all. Inspired by his late father telling him to follow his dreams, he started writing pop songs unbound by genre. Since first emerging on The Voice France, Analias has self-styled a dynamic career that’s included making himself at home in the world-famous Abbey Road Studios and more recently moving to Toronto to take over North America. Stay Away transports listeners straight to the dance floor. The disco-tinged track doesn’t skip a beat in its electric gusto. It is a blissful pop song featuring catchy riffs and bright, hopeful vocals that showcase his youthful energy and positive ambition to enjoy life without dramas. It contains a message to girls to stay strong and not fall for men who will make you sad and break your heart.”


Stiles Brisson | Stories (Edit 2022)

HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Stiles Brisson is a young Canadian singer-songwriter living in France. He released his first song Mondays in 2019 and his second Stories in 2020. A native of Montreal, Brisson navigates different musical genres with influences from Rex Orange County and Shawn Mandes. Today he offers us the new version of his track Stories, a song that has already attracted the attention of labels and won over the public. Spend the summer with Stiles!”


La Grande Truanderie | Loin Des Palmiers

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:La Grande Truanderie are crooks, thugs and rascals. This is a great fraud! Their sound plays dumb, and uses words to atone for evils. “I bet you once dreamed of a summer that would last forever,” they say. “Well, global warming has made it a reality! And the worst is yet to come. We have written the last song of the summer: Loin des Palmiers. It’s a soft ballad in contrast with a hard reality.”


Jonathan AKA J Dub | Megan Thee Stallion x Lebanon Hanover’s Tuned Up Freestyle vs Gallowdance (Dub Mix)

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Jonathan AKA J Dub is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and rapper from Los Angeles. His influences touch on punk, rap, and psychedelia. Some career highlights have included being featured with Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube on the official remix of The Position, playing the Gathering of the Juggalos in 2016, and rocking clubs in ATL and L.A. The common threads in his catalog are unrestricted stylistic growth , respect for all genres and dedication to the craftsmanship required to create his dreams. Look for consistent releases throughout 2022 and beyond. “This is a remix/mashup of Megan Thee Stallion and Lebanon Hanover that I put together earlier this year,” he says. “It’s a blend of rap and goth/post punk. I think it goes hard and I hope you enjoy!”


Vincent Bugozi | My Darling

HOME BASE: Sweden.
GENRE: World Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Vincent Bugozi is an African World Pop artist in London with a focus on creating positive music and energetic performances. The project aims to combine different cultures, connect people through music and bring positivity and unity to people all over the world. They perform a combination of Afrobeat, reggae, Afrocuban and pop. My Darling is the second track from Bugozi’s multilingual album African Seba. This song took inspiration from the track’s cover art, depicting a cheetah stalking a zebra during the beautiful dawn of the Serengeti.”


Zariyah Natalya | Repeat

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: R&B / Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Zariyah Natalya is from Hampton, Va. She debuted in 2017 as a teenager with the single Too Much Has Changed. Her first EP Transparency came in 2020. Her latest project Endangered features production by 8rokeboy, Nelson Leiro and Masked Man. Every track on this 2022 release gives a little something different, bringing the alternative to R&B. Repeat delivers an alternative smooth chill with a strong message.”


Bree Whitworth | Dear Mr. Mannequin

HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “As the world began to shut down due to COVID-19, Bree Whitworth found herself at the end of a relationship. During lockdown, her main solace was her piano and she took to what she does best, turning her heartbreak into song. To date, this West Coast artist has released three albums and numerous singles. She has had one of her songs featured on a television series and another curated for a music library in Paris. For her new singles, Bree worked virtually with producer Zack Wolf in Portland, Oregon. Dear Mr. Mannequin follows Bree’s observations of a person who is emotionless, plagued by the constant stimulation of society, and chooses to isolate. With its tinge of darkened ’80s nostalgia, Dear Mr. Mannequin is destined for the club scene.”


Frolin | A New Horizon

HOME BASE: Norway.
GENRE: Ambient.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I live in southwestern Norway, surrounded by beautiful scenery like the sea, fjords, small islands, forests and mountains. This scenery is an inspiration for my music, and it is my hope that you can feel this when you listen! I have been looking for inner peace, to benefit both physical and emotional health and well-being. This inner search has led to my desire to be a part of the solution for others who also desire tranquility through music, meditation and mindfulness. I hope that you enjoy my soothing instrumental music.”


Van Wilder | Company

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: R&B / Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I’d like to introduce my new single Company to the world. Its chill vibes and content connect with everyone. It’s based on a female who just wants some company.”


D.bé Jayri | Myself & I

HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: R&B / Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “This is one of my latest singles. Please check it out.”


Jade Ashtangini | A Rainy Day In Temple

HOME BASE: Taiwan / United States.
GENRE: R&B / Neo-Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Namaste! Jade Ashatngini is a pianist, composer, cellist and singer-songwriter based in Dallas and Taiwan. Her music is soothing and graceful, mixing modern classical, contemporary, minimalist, new age, classical crossover, ambient and more. Her unique soul can arouse people’s inner spirit and bring peace of mind. “How quiet and meditative it is when staying at the temple in a rainy mountain,” she says. “Beautiful and ambient sounds of piano, cello, glockenspiel and rain. How wonderful it is that music brought those amazing feelings to our lives.”


Ryal | By The Minute

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Electronic alternative duo Ryal are a collaboration between singer-keyboardist Jacque Ryal and producer Aaron Nevezie. Influenced by Bonobo, Thom Yorke, Sbtrkt, Tame Impala and Damon Albarn, Ryal make music embedded with stories and soundscapes. Have you ever dialed a 1-800 psychic hotline? Jacque did on a dare, and was kept on the line with the psychic who gave her hints and visions of her future. Like a video game soundtrack, By The Minute takes their players through dark twists and turns to escape a phone call with a psychic.”


Bright Young Future | I Saw You Flying

HOME BASE: Denmark.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Based in Copenhagen, Bright Young Future are an experimental collage-pop project consisting of Rune Risager and Jacob Abildgaard. Combining ambient, samples, noise, glitch, doom and pop, BYF make abstract and colorful musical montages with synths, organs, laptop, guitars and field recordings. In 2020 they self-released their debut album Black Wings. I Saw You Flying is the emotive, intimate yet spacious second single of their upcoming album Life On The Bridge. An experimental piece of hypnagogic pop with some of the meditative qualities of ambient music, it brings forth pictures of rain, desolated urban areas and vermillion skies. It’s a funeral hymn about letting go and saying goodbye to a loved one you’ll never see again.”


DJ G-String | Billie Jean (ft. Psych0h)

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:DJ G-String is a rising music artist in Chicago. She makes the crowd dance with her selective dance style. She creates an atmosphere where the music feels like it keeps evolving and becomes alive. She can loop, sample, mashup, and beat-match manually on the fly. It can be an ambitious task to re-imagine a legendary song without infringing on its spirit; DJ G-String and Psych0h enhance the playful and intense side of Billie Jean, transforming it in something more than a cover, but rather an electronic revendication of the dramatic essence that made this song unique.”


Hurricane On Saturn | Solo Sangue

HOME BASE: Italy.
GENRE: Heavy Metal.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Hurricane On Saturn are a visionary project formed in 2019 by masked musicians aiming to rework melodic metalcore with EDM to create a new heavy hybrid. The self-produced debut album Killing Field came out in 2020 and combined electronics with rock, rap, metal and post-hardcore. During 2021 the band released three singles. Their second album φnx is planned for the end of 2022. They say: “On Solo Sangue we tried to mix classic thrash metal/metalcore with modern electronic, always keeping the unique mental approach that distinghuishes the band.”


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