Helen Ballentine is a LA songwriter who will be releasing her debut EP on Secretly Canadian on June 26. She released her first single “Places/Plans” last month. The second single “Day of Show” just came out.
Skullcrusher seems more the name of a heavy metal act than Ballentine’s melancholy ballads. She fills a shadowy place between acoustic and dream. Her videos are self-directed and show a range of experimentation. For info visit https://www.facebook.com/SkullcrusherLA/
Katie Von Schleicher will be releasing her 2nd album Consummation on May 22. The album draws from a variety of non-music sources including Hitchcock’s Vertigo & Rebecca Solnit’s A Field Guide to Getting Lost. The album touches on the distance between 2 people (physically, psychically). The latest single is “Wheel”
At a time where the distance between people is at its furthest, Schleicher’s music is a welcome bridge. For info visit https://www.k-v-s.net/
Rina Sawayama’s debut album Sawayama comes out in April. She has been leading up to it with a string of singles including the most recent “Comme Des Garcons (Like the Boys)”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv5i5yg-zNc
Sawayama has established herself as a fiery alt rocker who pushed visual boundaries. We’ve featured many of her videos before. Our personal favorite is “STFU!”
Nandi Rose already has 3 albums under her belt as Half Waif. She recently signed to Anti-Records to release her 4th The Caretaker. Rose is also a member of Pinegrove. Her latest single is “Ordinary Talk”
Rose describes the video as “Recognizing your own ordinariness can be depressing, or it can be a relief. In Ordinary Talk, I wanted to honor and celebrate my ordinariness as an incredible tool for making me feel less alone. The song is a reassurance that feeling bad – or ‘ill’ – isn’t something that needs to be corrected. There’s a depth of experience that comes from feeling emotions at their extremes. And it is, in fact, this vivid, varied messiness that makes us human and ordinary.” She will be touring with Iron & Wine in February. https://half-waif.com/
This Tulsa, Oklahoma artist was born in Motown and carries it in her breath. She recently released “Street Light” a video about domestic violence and she is donating the proceeds to Domestic Violence Intervention Services in her hometown of Tulsa, OK.
Quinlan has been the voice of Hop Along, the insanely energetic rock band. Now she comes into her own with the solo album Likewise out January 31. It includes the single “Now I’m Back”
Hua Li is a half-Chinese rapper from Montreal. She just released her album Dynasty. She has smooth vocals and an incredible style with singles including “Mr. Greenlight”, “Social Meds”, and “Mastery.” A recent track, not on the album is the jazz influenced “Outwitted”
Jason & Victoria Evigan are Elephant Heart, a project that mixed beats and styles. The duo is preparing to release their album and has already released the singles “HIYA”, “Warfare” and “The Digital”
“The Digital” is an attack on the internet and social media as the decision-maker. The band also has a nonprofit called The Picture. For info visit https://elephantheartmusic.com/
Cartel Madras – Sub Pop Records’ latest signing is Eboshi and Contra, Cartel Madras from India. They have a confrontational hip-hop style that expresses both individuality and sexuality as shown in the video “Pork and Leek”
They released a mixtape in 2018 and we look to their work with Sub Pop. For info visit https://www.cartelmadras.com/
Raveena Aurora is a Queens based R & B artist who took the reigns in all aspects of her release Lucid. Raveena has a passionate plaintive voice as shown by her Mother’s Day single “Mama”
Lucette – Lauren Gillis’ sophomore album has a lot to back it up, including Sturgill Simpson and his band. Simpson produced Deluxe Hotel Room. The album includes the singles “Talk to Myself” and “Angel”
Lucette brings a combination of introspective lyrics and original arrangements to the album. For info visit http://www.lucettemusic.net/
IbioBio Sound Machine – Ibiobio is a Nigerian language used by this retro disco funk band led by Eno Williams. They dropped their album Doko Mein in March. It features the singles “Tell Me”, “Guess We Found A Way”, and “Wanna Come Down”
Tal Wilkenfeld will release her debut album Love Remains on March 15. Wilkenfeld has been generating interest for well over a year and has been opening for The Who, among others. A sample of her music can be found with “Killing Me”
She is known for angst driven lyrics and an extraordinary bass performance. Wilkenfeld will explode this summer with the new album and more tour dates. For info visit https://talwilkenfeld.com/
This London artist is getting ready to release her debut record, Miss Universe in March. Leading up to that she will be opening for Sharon Van Etten during her tour in February. Yanya has been a slowly growing force on the radar for the past 2 years. She has a distinctive voice and influences from Nina Simone with a rock hook. Here is her new video, “In Your Head” INSERT VIDEO HERE We expect to see her headlining tours by the end of the summer. http://niluferyanya.com/
We featured a Mahogany Lox video last February. Lox is granddaughter of MOTOWN Records founder Berry Gordy. Her sister and niece are also part of LMFAO. Lox has not released an EP or album yet. She opened for Fifth Harmony on their 2018 tour. She is a new pop and soul artist to pay attention to in 2019. See her video for “No Deal” HERE. https://www.mahoganylox.com/
In 2014 Blood Red Shoes made our Best of list as one of the best live shows that year. This Brighton 2-piece is Laura-Mary Carter & Steven Ansell. We’ve featured their new videos this year. When most people think of a boy/girl 2 piece they think of The White Stripes. Blood Red Shoes evokes a more visceral emotion and should be in the class of The Kills and Sleigh Bells. They both sing and play and are aggressive as a band. Their new album Get Tragic comes out in January. https://www.bloodredshoes.co.uk/
Miss Rayon – This Portland supergroup features Hannah Blilie (The Gossip, Shoplifting, Vexations), Jenny Logan (Deathlist, Summer Cannibals, Sunbathe) & Eric Sabatino (Vexations, Cat Hoch Band, Appendixes). Miss Rayon features all 3 band members taking lead vocals on different songs, as well as breathtaking harmonies. The band has a rock core but is experimental and revolutionary in songwriting and performance. The debut LP Eclipse comes out November 16. https://www.facebook.com/missrayonmusic/
Spin Magazine