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,Titanic Rising" ist die vierte Albumveröffentlichung der US-Songwriterin Natalie Mering aka WEYES BLOOD, aber ihr erstes Album für Sub Pop Records. Das Album enthält die Lead-Single ,Everyday" und die zuvor veröffentlichte ,galaktische Liebesballade" (The Fader) ,Andromeda" sowie die Highlights ,Movies", ,Wild Time" und ,Something To Believe". Für das Albumcover von ,Titanic Rising" ging die Kalifornierin auf Tauchstation - übrigens ganz ohne CGI. Verantwortlich für das Shooting war der Unterwasser-Fotograf Brett Stanley, der ein komplettes Schlafzimmer für das Cover von ,Titanic Rising" versenkte. Das Album wurde in den ersten sechs Monaten des letzten Jahres geschrieben und aufgenommen - und ist das Ergebnis jahrelangen Tourens und einer kontinuierlichen musikalischen Weiterentwicklung Merings, die auf ,Titanic Rising" deutlich zu hören ist: Transzendente Vocals und schwebende Arrangements, tiefgründige Texte und reflektierte Kommentare über den modernen Zustand unserer Seelen. ,Titanic Rising" schafft es spielend leicht, die Grenze zwischen klassischem Songwriting und post-apokalyptischem Futurismus zu überwinden.

Technological agitation. Narcissism fatigue. A galaxy of isolation. These are the new norms keeping Weyes Blood (aka Natalie Mering) up at night and the themes at the heart of her latest release, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow. The celestial-influenced folk album is her follow-up to the acclaimed Titanic Rising. (Pitchfork, NPR, and The Guardian admiringly named it one of 2019's best.) While Titanic Rising was an observation of doom to come, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is about being in the thick of it: a search for an escape hatch to liberate us from algorithms and ideological chaos. "We're in a fully functional shit show," Mering says. "My heart is a glow stick that's been cracked, lighting up my chest in an explosion of earnestness." And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow opens with the wistful, winsome "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody," a song about the interconnectivity of all beings, despite the fraying of society around us. "I was asking a lot of questions while writing these songs. Hyper-isolation kept coming up," Mering says. "Our culture relies less and less on people. Something is off, and even though the feeling appears differently for each individual, it is universal." Other tracks follow in kind. The lullaby-like "Grapevine" chronicles the splintering of a human connection. The otherworldly dirge "God Turn Me into a Flower" serves as allegory about our collective hubris. "The Worst Is Done" is an ominous warning, set against a deceivingly breezy pop melody. "Chaos is natural. But so is negentropy, or the tendency for things to fall into order," she says. "These songs may not be manifestos or solutions, but I know they shed light on the meaning of our contemporary disillusionment."

Over two years in the making, and many more in the two musician’s shared dream, ‘Real Thing’ unites longtime collaborators Michael Collins (Drugdealer) and Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood). Recorded across continents, ‘Real Thing’ is a return, a refinement and a reminder of the deep connection that has bound these two titans of song over multiple collaborations. The journey of ‘Real Thing’ began when Collins, while on a European sojourn, crossed paths with Parisian producer Max Baby. As one does while in Paris, they found themselves in a studio owned by a member of the 1970s French prog rock band Magma. There, a chord progression long-gestating in Collins’ brain blossomed into a bonafide demo.

Collins recalls, “I realized immediately that it was the perfect thing to show Nat, who I had been wanting to collaborate with again for years.” The connection and musical camaraderie between Collins and Mering dates back to 2014 in Oakland, where a chance meeting and studio session marked the genesis of their enduring partnership. Collins reflects, “Since then, I’ve felt like she’s my musical family. I can’t really ask for more in terms of someone who inspired me to even get to this place in my songwriting.” On the B-side is ‘The News’, Drugdealer’s first collaboration with Robbie Chemical. What began as a simple harmony grew into a panoramic partnership, the musician’s voices effortlessly entwined, and a pop paragon envisioned. Inspired by generational conversations on chaos, change and connection, the track opens a new chapter - topical, personal and unmistakably Drugdealer. As Drugdealer, Michael Collins has crafted a career that blends introspective songwriting with a reverence for classic pop and R&B. A native of the East Coast, Collins’ musical adventure began with the experimental pop collages of Run DMT and Salvia Plath before evolving into the more melodic, refined songwriting heard in Drugdealer’s acclaimed albums ‘Raw Honey’ and ‘Hiding In Plain Sight’.  Natalie Mering, better known as Weyes Blood, has similarly forged a path of emotive, transcendental folk-pop that delves into themes of myth, love and existential longing.

Known for her ethereal voice and evocative lyrics, Mering’s latest works, ‘Titanic Rising’ and ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’, are nothing short of modern classics, though also feel like just the start of this artist’s undeniable ascent.  “For both artists, this is their first song since their respective 2022 albums, and what a way to come back. ‘Real Thing’ feels like uncovering a forgotten ’70s disco duet” - PASTE  “A lush and insistent folk-pop jam” - Stereogum  For fans of Mac Demarco, Kate Bollinger, Men I Trust, Toro y Moi, TOPS, Alice Phoebe Lou, Tame Impala, Thee Sacred Souls, Vacations, Allah-Las, Kurt Vile, Beach Fossils, Slow Pulp, Foxygen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Hand Habits, Father John Misty, Oracle Sisters, Whitney, The Lemon Twigs, Mild High Club, Khruangbin, Angel Olsen.

White Vinyl

Technological agitation. Narcissism fatigue. A galaxy of isolation. These are the new norms keeping Weyes Blood (aka Natalie Mering) up at night and the themes at the heart of her latest release, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow. The celestial-influenced folk album is her follow-up to the acclaimed Titanic Rising. (Pitchfork, NPR, and The Guardian admiringly named it one of 2019's best.) While Titanic Rising was an observation of doom to come, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is about being in the thick of it: a search for an escape hatch to liberate us from algorithms and ideological chaos. "We're in a fully functional shit show," Mering says. "My heart is a glow stick that's been cracked, lighting up my chest in an explosion of earnestness." And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow opens with the wistful, winsome "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody," a song about the interconnectivity of all beings, despite the fraying of society around us. "I was asking a lot of questions while writing these songs. Hyper-isolation kept coming up," Mering says. "Our culture relies less and less on people. Something is off, and even though the feeling appears differently for each individual, it is universal." Other tracks follow in kind. The lullaby-like "Grapevine" chronicles the splintering of a human connection. The otherworldly dirge "God Turn Me into a Flower" serves as allegory about our collective hubris. "The Worst Is Done" is an ominous warning, set against a deceivingly breezy pop melody. "Chaos is natural. But so is negentropy, or the tendency for things to fall into order," she says. "These songs may not be manifestos or solutions, but I know they shed light on the meaning of our contemporary disillusionment."

Technological agitation. Narcissism fatigue. A galaxy of isolation. These are the new norms keeping Weyes Blood (aka Natalie Mering) up at night and the themes at the heart of her latest release, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow. The celestial-influenced folk album is her follow-up to the acclaimed Titanic Rising. (Pitchfork, NPR, and The Guardian admiringly named it one of 2019's best.) While Titanic Rising was an observation of doom to come, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is about being in the thick of it: a search for an escape hatch to liberate us from algorithms and ideological chaos. "We're in a fully functional shit show," Mering says. "My heart is a glow stick that's been cracked, lighting up my chest in an explosion of earnestness." And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow opens with the wistful, winsome "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody," a song about the interconnectivity of all beings, despite the fraying of society around us. "I was asking a lot of questions while writing these songs. Hyper-isolation kept coming up," Mering says. "Our culture relies less and less on people. Something is off, and even though the feeling appears differently for each individual, it is universal." Other tracks follow in kind. The lullaby-like "Grapevine" chronicles the splintering of a human connection. The otherworldly dirge "God Turn Me into a Flower" serves as allegory about our collective hubris. "The Worst Is Done" is an ominous warning, set against a deceivingly breezy pop melody. "Chaos is natural. But so is negentropy, or the tendency for things to fall into order," she says. "These songs may not be manifestos or solutions, but I know they shed light on the meaning of our contemporary disillusionment."

LP pressed exclusively for National Album Day 2021 on gold vinyl in
single-pocket jacket with custom dust sleeve and digital download
coupon.
 Through ‘Titanic Rising’, Weyes Blood, aka Natalie Mering, has
designed her own universe to soulfully navigate life’s mysteries.
Manoeuvring through a space time continuum, she plays the role of
melodic, sometimes melancholic, anthropologist.
 Tellingly, Mering classifies ‘Titanic Rising’ - written and recorded during
the first half of 2018, after three albums and years of touring - as The
Kinks meeting WWII or Bob Seger meets Enya. The latter captures the
album’s wilful expansiveness (“You can tell there’s not a guy pulling the
strings in Enya’s studio,” she notes, admiringly). The former relays her
imperative to connect with listeners. “The clarity of Bob Seger is
unmistakable. I’m a big fan of conversational songwriting,” she adds. “I
just try to do that in a way that uses abstract imagery as well.”
 The Weyes Blood frontwoman grew up singing in gospel and madrigal
choirs. (Listen closely to ‘Titanic Rising’ and you’ll also hear the jazz of
Hoagy Carmichael mingle with the artful mysticism of Alejandro
Jodorowsky and the monomyth of scholar Joseph Campbell.)
‘Something To Believe’, a confessional that makes judicious use of the
slide guitar, touches on that cosmological upbringing. “Belief is
something all humans need. Shared myths are part of our psychology
and survival,” she says. “Now we have a weird mishmash of capitalism
and movies and science. There have been moments where I felt very
existential and lost.”
 As a kid, she filled that void with ‘Titanic’. (Yes, the movie.) “It was
engineered for little girls and had its own mythology,” she explains.
Mering also noticed that the blockbuster romance actually offered a story
about loss born of man’s hubris. “It’s so symbolic that The Titanic would
crash into an iceberg, and now that iceberg is melting, sinking
civilization.” Today, this hubris also extends to the relentless adoption of
technology, at the expense of both happiness and attention spans.
 But Weyes Blood isn’t one to stew. Her observations play out in an
ethereal saunter: far more meditative than cynical. To Mering, listening
and thinking are concurrent experiences. “There are complicated
influences mixed in with more relatable nostalgic melodies,” she says.
“In my mind my music feels so big, a true production. I’m not a huge,
popular artist, but I feel like one when I’m in the studio. But it’s never
taking away from the music. I’m just making a bigger space for myself.”

**LP + Download - Bonus track 'Three Tears' on download***Natalie Mering, the being behind Weyes Blood, embeds her sublime song in a harmonic gauze of arpeggiated piano, acoustic guitar, druggy horns, & outer space electronics. Propulsive, spare drums carry us across the album's course. There is a faded California beauty to Front Row. A gentle honesty that recalls the finest folk music made on the West Coast of the '70s. The hue hangs in the sweet-spooky harmonies, the pulsing sway of the vibrato & the ecstatic chord resolves. But this beauty is scratched with shadow, with dark foreboding, alienation, & acceptance of change. Love & loss balance together in suspended alchemy, as the earthiness of the singer-songwriter tradition wears digital sounds like feathers in its hair. Mering, together with co-producer Chris Cohen contrasts live band intimacy with the post-modern electric sheen of A.M. radio atmospherics. The experimental flourishes sparkle amid the succinct, thoughtful arrangements.The closeness of this record - how personal, alone, & frank it feels - conceals its aspirations to the outside, to the "Earth" of its title. Weyes Blood harbors devastating weight while also universalizing the strange ways of identity & relationships. These are not typical love songs or protest songs -- they are painful, poignant riddles that celebrate the ambiguity of love & affirm the conflict of harmonious life within a disharmonic world.

Sylvan Esso ist eine Band aus Durham, North Carolina. Im Laufe ihrer Karriere haben Amelia Meath und Nick Sanborn vier hochgelobte Alben veröffentlicht, wurden für zwei GRAMMYs nominiert und haben mit einer breiten, vielseitigen Gemeinschaft von Künstlern zusammengearbeitet, darunter Arooj Aftab, Maggie Rogers, Tyler Childers, Reyna Tropical, Califone und viele weitere. ,WDID" ist die erste neue Musik der Band seit 2022. Der Track sowie seine hypnotische, wellenförmige B-Seite ,KEEP ON" entstanden beide aus einer intensiven Phase des Schaffens und Experimentierens der Band. Meath und Sanborn haben das letzte Jahr damit verbracht, mit einer Reihe neuer Mitwirkender an neuem Material zu arbeiten und ohne Zeitdruck in den üppigen Wäldern von Chapel Hill, North Carolina, aufzunehmen. Der Song ist auch der erste, den Sylvan Esso über ihr eigenes Plattenlabel Psychic Hotline veröffentlichen. ,WDID" ist ein komplexer, eindringlicher Track; ein manisches Summen, das sich irgendwo zwischen einem Doom-Scroll um 3 Uhr morgens und der Tanzfläche abspielt. Er sprudelt vor Angst, einer alles verschlingenden, endlosen Kaskade von Krisen. Der ausgefallene, elektrisierende Pop der Band hat sich schon immer aus einem zentralen Spannungsfeld entwickelt - Meath und Sanborn scherzen schon lange, dass das Songwriting von Sylvan Esso aus einem Streit entsteht, einem Hin und Her der Möglichkeiten. Das Songwriting hier - und in der neuen Musik im Allgemeinen - ist locker und verletzlich, eine disparate Collage, die mit Klebeband zusammengehalten wird und etwas hervorbringt, das letztlich sowohl magisch als auch seltsam ist, ein dyspnoischer, schattenhafter Sound, der die Menschen an der Spitze von Sylvan Esso mit einer neuen Unmittelbarkeit zeigt. ,WDID" wurde in Betty's, dem Studio von Sylvan Esso in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, aufgenommen und wurde zusätzlich von Jake Luppen (Hippo Campus, Samia) produziert. ,KEEP ON" entstand aus einer Woche Improvisation mit dem Bassisten Daniel Aged (Frank Ocean, Dijon) und dem Schlagzeuger TJ Maiani (Weyes Blood, Neneh Cherry). Diese limitierte 12"-Single verfügt über eine speziell angefertigte, ausgestanzte Hülle, die als Malvorlage verwendet werden kann.

Bird or Snake is the second full-length album from Em Spel, whose intricate, flute-driven alt-folk pulses with life, from the driving drums and propulsively patterned guitars of “Poet” (featuring guest Sam Wagster on soaring pedal steel) through the organ and vocal-driven road trip love song of “Fruiting Body,” which features bird songs recorded on a handheld microphone in Maine. Bird or Snake teeters joyfully between art-folk and intimate indie rock, with delightfully dizzying vocal harmonies and songs that veer between rock, ambient, experimental, and folk.

This music sounds like nothing else, but fans of Weyes Blood, PJ Harvey, Kee Avil, Robert Wyatt, Laraaji, Laurie Anderson, and Brian Eno will all find something to love.

Rough Trade Records freut sich, das fantastische Debütalbum von Tyler Ballgame ankündigen zu dürfen: For the First Time, Again erscheint am 30. Januar 2026. Mit zwölf Songs, die zwischen Classic Rock, Indie und Americana oszillieren - Ballgame zeigt, wie große Stimmen und starke Melodien Herzen bewegen und Horizonte öffnen können. Die erste Single I Believe in Love, eine hymnische Mischung aus Lennon und Orbison, ist ab sofort mit Video erhältlich - gefilmt von engen Freunden in Ballgames WG. Entstanden am Küchentisch und inspiriert vom Rat seines Produzenten Jonathan Rado ("Schreib den größten Song der Welt"), wurde daraus eine Ode an die Liebe selbst - und an die Narren, die sie macht. Produziert von Jonathan Rado (Foxygen, Weyes Blood, Miley Cyrus) und Ryan Pollie (Los Angeles Police Department), bringt das Album analoge Wärme, akustische Energie und üppige Harmonien zurück - mit Unterstützung von Amy Aileen Wood (Fiona Apple) am Schlagzeug und Wayne Whitaker am Bass. Ballgames Weg hierhin war alles andere als geradlinig: Vom Kellergeschoss in New England über Coverband-Auftritte in Rhode Island bis hin zum mutigen Neustart in Los Angeles. Offenheit, Risiko und der Glaube an sich selbst prägen seine Songs - und werden live zur großen Bühne.

Rough Trade Records freut sich, das fantastische Debütalbum von Tyler Ballgame ankündigen zu dürfen: For the First Time, Again erscheint am 30. Januar 2026. Mit zwölf Songs, die zwischen Classic Rock, Indie und Americana oszillieren - Ballgame zeigt, wie große Stimmen und starke Melodien Herzen bewegen und Horizonte öffnen können. Die erste Single I Believe in Love, eine hymnische Mischung aus Lennon und Orbison, ist ab sofort mit Video erhältlich - gefilmt von engen Freunden in Ballgames WG. Entstanden am Küchentisch und inspiriert vom Rat seines Produzenten Jonathan Rado ("Schreib den größten Song der Welt"), wurde daraus eine Ode an die Liebe selbst - und an die Narren, die sie macht. Produziert von Jonathan Rado (Foxygen, Weyes Blood, Miley Cyrus) und Ryan Pollie (Los Angeles Police Department), bringt das Album analoge Wärme, akustische Energie und üppige Harmonien zurück - mit Unterstützung von Amy Aileen Wood (Fiona Apple) am Schlagzeug und Wayne Whitaker am Bass. Ballgames Weg hierhin war alles andere als geradlinig: Vom Kellergeschoss in New England über Coverband-Auftritte in Rhode Island bis hin zum mutigen Neustart in Los Angeles. Offenheit, Risiko und der Glaube an sich selbst prägen seine Songs - und werden live zur großen Bühne.

Caroline Polachek released her solo debut Pang back in 2019 after having been the lead singer of the acclaimed band Chairlift for more than 10 years. Immediately upon release Pang received major hype and critical acclaim, but in the years since, it has practically achieved a monolithic status in modern art pop.

Not surprisingly, expectations are huge for her sophomore album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, but with excellent singles like "Billions" and "Sunset", it is evident that Polachek is a headstrong and original pop star who is here to stay!

Solid red vinyl, limited to 350 copies. Seven years after their last release (Helltown, 2018), Electric Citizen returns with their fourth album, EC4-a powerful statement of renewal and raw energy. Written by Ross Dolan with contributions from the full band, the album was meticulously crafted over several years and recorded with Mike Montgomery and John Hoffman at Candyland Studio in Dayton, KY. The album was mixed by Collin Dupuis (Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys) in Detroit and mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering in California. The album art was created by Neil Krug (Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala, Weyes Blood), who the band worked with for their first album, Sateen. Now signed to Heavy Psych Sounds, the band is ready to unleash their most potent work yet-a fusion of hypnotic grooves, searing guitars, and Laura Dolan's mesmerizing vocals. EC4 is both a homecoming and a rebirth. Electric Citizen is back!

Seven years after their last release (Helltown, 2018), Electric Citizen returns with their fourth album, EC4-a powerful statement of renewal and raw energy. Written by Ross Dolan with contributions from the full band, the album was meticulously crafted over several years and recorded with Mike Montgomery and John Hoffman at Candyland Studio in Dayton, KY. The album was mixed by Collin Dupuis (Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys) in Detroit and mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering in California. The album art was created by Neil Krug (Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala, Weyes Blood), who the band worked with for their first album, Sateen. Now signed to Heavy Psych Sounds, the band is ready to unleash their most potent work yet-a fusion of hypnotic grooves, searing guitars, and Laura Dolan's mesmerizing vocals. EC4 is both a homecoming and a rebirth. Electric Citizen is back!

Lael Neale's minimalist drone pop draws inspiration from the Transcendentalists, the alienation of modern life, and a rich array of musical influences-ranging from Dionne Warwick and John Lennon to primitive American gospel and Spacemen 3. Her expansive new record, Altogether Stranger, due May 2, was written and recorded in the early morning quiet of Los Angeles. Clocking in at just 32 minutes, the 9-song LP covers an unexpected breadth of musical and lyrical terrain-from garage rock nursery rhymes and creation myths to Motorik dance dirges and solitary Omnichord meditations. A brilliant lyricist, Neale has a unique ability to uncover the extraordinary within the mundane, tackling themes of polarity that recur throughout her work-country vs. city, humanity vs. technology, isolation vs. society. This album is her third collaboration with producer Guy Blakeslee who helps expand the tonal palette while staying true to Neale's commitment to the raw immediacy and hand-made intimacy of home recording. Altogether Stranger - a stunning album filled with dreamlike reverie, Neale's crystalline voice, and echoes of the Velvet Underground - was conceived after four years of oscillating between rural solitude and urban chaos. It finds Neale perched at the piano in a hilltop bungalow, looking down on a rare curve of Sunset Blvd. Here, in this daily ritual of writing, singing, and painting-what David Lynch referred to as "the Art Life"-she creates the space for her most adventurous work to date. Born and raised in Virginia's idyllic countryside, Neale brought the high-lonesome sound of her home state with her when she moved to California to pursue music. After years of writing songs on guitar and playing small venues in Los Angeles, she discovered the Omnichord in 2019, which sparked a new creative direction. This led to her 2021 Sub Pop debut album, Acquainted With Night. That album's 2023 follow-up, Star Eaters Delight, deepened the collaboration with Blakeslee, infusing minimalist soundscapes with a heightened electric energy. The album found a devoted audience, and Neale's subsequent tour included sold-out shows in Los Angeles, New York City, London, and Paris, multiple trips across Europe, and a West Coast run supporting kindred spirit Weyes Blood. This marked yet another return to Los Angeles. Indeed, Los Angeles is not just the backdrop of Altogether Stranger but a lead character. The album's accompanying film - created with Neale's faithful Sony Handycam - builds on her ongoing series of videos, telling the story of Neale as an alien in a suit of mirrors stranded on Earth. Wandering through modern-day LA, she finds both absurdity and beauty in our fragile, untenable way of life. Over the long year it took to write Altogether Stranger, Neale vacillated between childlike optimism and existential melancholy. While she may not have been able to reconcile these opposing states, Altogether Stranger represents an ambitious breakthrough for this singular, self-sufficient artist.

Stille kann entweder Ruhe oder Stagnation bedeuten. Walt McClements hat sich mit diesen gegensätzlichen Kräften auseinandergesetzt, um "On a Painted Ocean" zu realisieren: eine Suite von Akkordeon und Pfeifenorgel geleiteten Stücken, die einen stetigen Kurs verfolgen, anschwellen und sich mit einer Flut von zarten Emotionen erweitern. Der Komponist und Multiinstrumentalist hat den Titel seines zweiten Albums von Samuel Taylor Coleridges berühmtem Epos "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" und dessen Beschreibung eines Bootes, das auf See feststeckt ("As idle as a painted ship / Upon a painted Ocean"). Es ist ein Eindruck, der sowohl den Prozess als auch das Produkt von McClements' Western Vinyl Veröffentlichung widerspiegelt, vom sanften Entfalten eines rauen Schilfrohrtons im Opener ,A Painted Ship" bis hin zum düsteren, mit Effekten beladenen Drone von "Washed Up" und dem abschließenden Flattern und Signalstörungen, die sich in ,Clattering" geräuschvoll zu triumphaler Euphorie erheben. "On a Painted Ocean" ist das Ergebnis eines Zusammenflusses von Ereignissen und Inspirationen, die sich verändert haben wie das Wetter selbst. Die ersten Skizzen begannen mit dem unerwarteten Zugang zu einer Kirchenorgel in Pasadena im Jahr 2022, bevor diese Skizzen zur Seite gelegt wurden, um sich auf ein arbeitsreiches Jahr als Mitglied der Live-Band von Weyes Blood vorzubereiten. Die Monate im Tourbus mit begrenzten Instrumenten veranlassten McClements dazu, den Klang seines bearbeiteten Akkordeons auf dem Synthesizer nachzubilden, und überlagerte ihn mit den Orgelstücken. Als dieser Zyklus zu Ende ging, war McClements begierig darauf die Platte zu beenden, war sich aber nicht sicher, wie er den Faden wieder aufnehmen sollte. Festgefahren in der Flaute einer kreativen Blockade, nahm McClements seine Spuren von bearbeiteten Akkordeons und Synthesizern, Pfeifenorgel und Melodica, Zungen und Pfeifen, die durch Pedale und Computer laufen, in seine ehemalige Heimat New Orleans zum Karneval mit. Nachdem er ein Jahrzehnt in der Stadt in Louisiana gelebt hatte, bevor er nach Los Angeles zog, fand McClements in einer der ekstatischsten und bedeutungsvollsten Zeiten des Jahres neue Inspiration. Das Ethos der Kunst um der Gemeinschaft willen und die Praktiken der Fürsorge inspirierten ihn den Rat seiner Musikerkollegin und Mentorin Rachika Nayar zu befolgen und Mitstreiter einzubeziehen, darunter auch Nayar selbst, die eine zusätzliche Produktion zu ,Sirens" beisteuert. Aurora Nealand, eine alte Freundin und ehemalige Bandkollegin, antwortete ebenfalls auf den Ruf und fügte Saxophon zu den unruhigen Gewässern von ,Cloud Prints" und ,Parade" hinzu. Der letztgenannte Track ist der klangliche und konzeptionelle Höhepunkt auf McClements' Reise zur Verwirklichung von "On a Painted Ocean", wo eine steigende Tonhöhe und aufgewühlte Segel auf eine Feldaufnahme von Community Care treffen. Ein Verdienst von starken Beziehungen und gegenseitiger Unterstützung, das Album zeichnet als eine persönliche Pilgerreise auf - die Anpassung an die Gezeiten und die Erinnerung daran, dass die Gemeinschaft helfen kann, wenn man sich auf dem Meer festgefahren fühlt.

2025 Cream VINYL REPRESS.

When Alex Stephens (A.K.A. Strawberry Guy) self-released his debut single last year, he was merely doing it out of a love for songwriting. What he wasn't expecting was a million Youtube streams and an avid fanbase. Now, the South-Wales born, Liverpool-based songwriter is ready to release a full EP of his compelling, lushly produced dream-pop.

Born outside Cardiff, Strawberry Guy moved to Liverpool to study music and grow as a writer. 'I knew that it was a very artistic city with all it’s creative history, it seemed like the perfect place to move to.' he says. Whether it's playing keyboards in The Orielles or just being part of the city's growing musical scene, Alex plays music for the love of music, something that heavily translates into his adept songwriting.


The intense emotional feel of the tracks he writes is down to Alex's songwriting process, recording the entire EP in his bedroom & producing it himself. 'I feel that it’s important to me to only write/record when you’re channeling some kind of emotion, so I would only work on it when I was in the right mood to do so.' He answers when asked about the isolated environment into which he put himself for the recording process.

Much of the inspiration for Alex's work comes from experience rather than other artists. 'When something significant happens to me, all I want to do is make music.' In terms of musical touchstones however, there's the obvious dream-pop contemporaries such as Beach House and Weyes Blood, coupled with great songwriters of old like Nat King Cole or Harry Nillson. Sonically, a blend of orchestral & synthesized melodies layer together to act as a platform for his heartfelt lyrics.

Opener 'Without You' is a fine example of this, a break-up song of sorts, with an infectious keyboard melody and swirling synths over which Alex contemplates whether it's even possible to find lasting love. The lyrics 'Do you really have to talk about the things you do with him? Do you really have to talk about your love?' hit particularly heavily.

Contrast this with the final track, the titular 'Taking My Time To Be', a powerful song of self-discovery. Beginning with downtempo piano and drums, the song breaks out into a saxophone and synth solo that wouldn't go amiss on a Badalamenti soundtrack. 'The song is about me learning to be comfortable with myself, but then wondering if I'll be accepted for being myself' Alex imparts. It's a fitting closer to a EP driven by emotion and experience.

2024 Repress

“Live at Sound City” is an instrumental collaboration between bassist Pino Palladino, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Blake Mills, and LA-based saxophonist Sam Gendel. Recorded in one day at the legendary Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, the EP presents new versions of compositions from Palladino & Mills’ Grammy-nominated 2021 album “Notes with Attachments” in an intimate chamber trio setting. Across four tracks, the accomplished trio explores common musical vocabularies, then goes about the work of defamiliarizing them in search of something new, blending the sounds of West African and Cuban music, jazz, R&B, English folk, pop, and beyond.

Pino Palladino is a Grammy Award winning songwriter, producer and bassist who helped create the rhythm-section sound of D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Black Messiah, and over a four-decade career has worked with artists including Keith Richards, Erykah Badu, Eric Clapton, Nine Inch Nails, Questlove, John Mayer, Paul Simon, Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock and Adele.

Blake Mills is a two-time Grammy Awards Producer of the Year nominee. He has released four solo albums and produced and recorded with artists such as Alabama Shakes, Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan, John Legend, Perfume Genius, Jim James, Moses Sumney, Laura Marling, Phoebe Bridgers, Cass McCombs, The Killers, Sara Bareilles, Weyes Blood and Randy Newman. His most recent album Mutable Set, released last year, was praised by Pitchfork as “a hushed collection that floats through the subconscious like a tender dream,” and earned their Best New Music title.

Sam Gendel is a musician living in Los Angeles, CA. He is most known for his work with the saxophone, though he is proficient on multiple instruments. His work is diverse and includes collaborations with a wide range of artists including Ry Cooder, Laurie Anderson, Mach-Hommy, Sam Amidon, Perfume Genius, Moses Sumney, Knower, Vampire Weekend, and inc. no world.