Sweden’s @Darinofficial returns with first English-language song in several years “Can’t Stay Away”

DARIN, “Can’t Stay Away”

He focused more recently on recording songs in his native Swedish, but Darin Zanyar is now back with his first English language hit in about eight years with “Can’t Stay Away”. Checking back in my own blog pages, the last time out of several occasions where I wrote about his music was in 2014. The award-winning singer started as a teenager as the runner-up in Swedish Idol in the early 2000’s, and has had seven #1 albums in Sweden. And if this new song is any indication where he’s heading, it’s towards lighter dance pop than the darker drama of “Lovekiller” and “Breathing My Love” more than a decade ago. Musically and stylistically, “Can’t Stay Away” is full of fun Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake vibes, while lyrically it pushes the intrigue of a potential crush you don’t know if you should pursue.  It’s spry and refreshing, and I’m so very glad to be writing about Darin again!

England’s @BenedictCork sings a relateable kiss off “Have A Good Life (See You Never)”

BENEDICT CORK, “Have A Good Life (See You Never)”

Who can’t relate to saying “Have A Good Life” to an ex? We’ve all been there, and some of the relationships have ended worse than others, but there are usually a number of common denominators – neglect, lies, money, etc.  UK singer/songwriter Benedict Cork nails “Have A Good Life (See You Never)” in his first (and quite well done) video above, with its common scenes of various release after the control of a relationship is gone.  It’s from his forthcoming EP Secrets I’ll Never Tell, which also features recent the single “All My Famous Friends”. Despite the subject matter, the song has a breezy melody with jaunty piano work, and a choral backdrop that represents all of our voices in a way and helps it become a singalong.

SoCal electronic dance producer @JayB1rdmusic creates euphoric anthem with “Gone Tomorrow” with singer Clay Agnew

JAY BIRD and CLAY AGNEW, “Gone Tomorrow”

The path for Jay Bird continues upward with his latest release “Gone Tomorrow”.  With this track, Jay creates a second collaboration with singer/songwriter Clay Agnew (the first being 2019’s “Hold On”) that mixes nicely with other anthemic songs from the styles of Arty through to Seven Lions. Still maintaining a progressive direction, the production is richly layered and creates an inspiring and euphoric setting for a theme that we all need to keep in mind as we live our lives.  Continuing to stay one step ahead of the game, including his frequent outreach with his audience as well as fellow producers, will help Jay Bird latch on to new fans as his talents grow and evolve.

NYC singer/songwriter @PeterWisemusic calls out for individuality in “Window Dressing”

PETER WISE, “Window Dressing”

Peter Wise basks in a classic pop/rock setting and reshapes it and makes it his own in “Window Dressing”.  He’s supported as diverse talent as The Eagles and Lisa Fischer, and has his own stories to tell in his own way.  Graced with a beautiful tone in his voice, you might think at the start that “Window Dressing” might be full of upbeat whimsy, like early Jason Mraz. But the song is about staying true to yourself and forging your own path, rather than being a cookie-cutter facsimile to the latest trend in pop music.  He gets his point across in an earnest, ear-catching way without having the need to create a big anthem about being an underdog.  With fine songs like “Window Dressing”, expect Peter Wise to get his due as more people learn about him and his songs.

British singer/songwriter @EllaMcCready breaks free from a toxic relationship in “Fine On My Own”

ELLA McCREADY, “Fine On My Own”

“Fine On My Own” could easily be the theme song for anyone who has discovered all the positives to life after a toxic relationship.  It’s written and sung by London’s Ella McCready, who is being quite rightly compared to Jess Glynne vocally.  Touches of the melody in “Fine On My Own” will even remind you of Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be”, on which Jess famously sang lead.  Ella was born into a family of musicians and her voice has a force unto its own. It has some nifty raw, soulful edges, combined with power and control that even some Broadway singers do not have. “Fine On My Own” succeeds particularly as an empowerment anthem for women and should open up some doors for Ella McCready.

Meet new German dance producer Thandi with catchy deep house track “Monument”

THANDI, “Monument”

I enjoy discovering songs that are intent on leaving their mark on you in unique ways.  German producer Thandi is relatively new to the scene, with a bevy of singles released within the last year of so, and his latest is “Monument”.  It’s got a classic deep Eurohouse thump to it, but is full of subtler, more introspective moments.  In fact by the two minute mark the song goes a little too quiet before it steps back into its memorable chorus, so stick with it.  “Monument” is a metaphor for not always staying in the present. Even if some times have been tough in the past, there will always be signposts that you will remember. So don’t ignore the past, incorporate it into the present and balance out your memories with good and not-always-so-good. Thandi is also a singer and his sincere vocal helps make “Monument” even better.

The double whammy of talent that is @SanHolobeats and @ChetPorter bring you anthemic “you’ve changed, i’ve changed”

SAN HOLO and CHET PORTER, “you’ve changed, i’ve changed”

“you’ve changed, i’ve changed” is a straight-forward song that is loaded with ear-grabbing power, thanks to its larger than life chorus, as brought to you by the dynamic talents that are San Holo and Chet Porter.  Although both artists’ biggest successes have been in progressive electronic genre, “you’ve changed, i’ve changed” is a rock song through and through. Included are keyboard and xylophone interjections provided by Chet, who also sings lead with a vocal that will sit especially well with Porter Robinson fans.  Anyone else who has seen San Holo in concert knows he is a real crowd pleaser rock star-type who immediately draws in the audience.  And likewise, I’ve seen Chet perform, and he’s an unpredictable melodic perfectionist.  Bringing the two together is indeed a really good thing that needs to be repeated.  I can certainly visualize “you’ve changed, i’ve changed” as the opener at a San Holo concert.  It’s included in San Holo’s new album, out this Friday, called bb u ok (album 2).

Listen to reflective and reassuring “We Know Who We Are” by @SaidTheSky and @OlivverTheKid

SAID THE SKY and OLIVVER THE KID, “We Know Who We Are”

“We Know Who We Are” is a brand new anthem for the sad boi/progressive electronica crowd courtesy of Said The Sky and Olivver The Kid.  Said The Sky (aka Denver-born Trevor Christensen) of course is part of the House of Illenium and played as part of Illenium’s band when I saw his show in September 2019, and “We Know Who We Are” is released on Illenium’s 12Tone label.  It’s got a friendly vocal by Olivver, and it’s a well-written and well-rounded song that takes the listeners through many reflective, happy, emotional times of the past, and then brings them back grounded and full of confidence with a huge singalong chorus.  With festivals and shows resuming, expect to be hearing “We Know Who We Are” regularly for the rest of the year.

Check out “rot” by Axel Mansoor @iamaxelm from his EP “i hadn’t ever loved myself”

AXEL MANSOOR, “rot”

While I’ve written several times about SoCal-based singer/songwriter Axel Mansoor, the recent Clubhouse Icon and Emmy Award nominee spent some time overseas in his family home in Mauritius, and has shared a lot of personal release through his EP “i hadn’t ever loved myself”, from which is culled “rot”.  The EP also contains “kids can be so stupid”, which I wrote about not long ago.  “rot” took me longer to figure out and process, with its jangly arrangement and fuzzy production (below, reminding me of Chet Porter and Alison Wonderland’s wonderful collaboration of last year called “Bummed”) which tends to obscure some of the lyrics but is an enjoyable listen nonetheless.  But do check out the acoustic video of “rot” above.  What I’ve appreciated most about Axel in writing about him since 2017 is how genuine he is.  He takes this with him on the Clubhouse APP in his Lullaby Club, and to his Facebook and Instagram videos.  It’s a lovely version of “rot”, and now we can hear all of the lyrics, which strip away the “rot” of our younger years (which we always take with us anyway) in favour of our eventual growth and maturity, which make us better people in the end.  

 

Australia’s @NeedsNoSleep_ teams up with Germany’s @FabMassimo for festival anthem “Get Up”

NEEDS NO SLEEP and FAB MASSIMO, “Get Up”

Simply put, “Get Up” is designed for a good time, and once you’re up you’re gonna stay there if Australia’s Needs No Sleep and Germany’s Fab Massimo have their way.  The song features a cool sung/spoken vocal that brings a number of other songs come to mind (90’s dance smash “People Are Still Having Sex” by LaTour and “Right Here Right Now” by Famba, among them).  It’s designed for loud play at festivals and clubs, and there it will find its greatest success with its rich deep house groove and huge synth beats.  Just….. dance!!