Seven Fresh Songs #232
New music from Eva Gadd, Hannah Felisa, Hamish Anderson, Kelly Lee Owens, Lark, Half Happy, and October Drift
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Eva Gadd — Out Here
Our Song Pick of the Day feature, which I’ve chosen in advance already since it came out at the end of July, fits beautifully into this week’s newsletter, where we also address the topic of making a living as a musician. (The newsletter for example, touches on the movie Amadeus as well as Austria’s Falco’s smash hit “Rock Me Amadeus.”)
We’re super excited to hear new music from British singer/songwriter Eva Gadd and her new single “Out Here” continues what “The One” has hinted at. Eva lays it all out when she gives us more insight about “Out Here:”
“Choosing to be a creative artist or performer is not everyone’s idea of a sensible career, and I’ve experienced questions like ”but when are you going to get a proper job? and “are you making money yet?” Being made to feel niaive, unrealistic, even stupid for pursui,g music by people who want to bring you down to earth isn’t fun, but I’m tuning out those comments, and in Out Here I want to prove them wrong, but also acknowledge how lonely doing something different than the crowd can be. Ultimately though, the message is positive; In the second verse the words “I would walk this earth to find you” describe myself now, and my future self, knowing deep down, I’ll only reach that person I’ve wanted to be since I was little by staying true to myself.”
Listen to “Out Here,” our Song Pick of the Day:
Hannah Felisa — Naive
The video shows Hannah Felisa as a fallen angel thrown off paradise into a winterly hostile landscape. “‘Naive’ is all about coming to terms with the harsh realities that one faces after moving away from home and adapting to a new environment,” she describes the metaphor. This quiet reflection on growing up pains may be nostalgia for some and solace for others.
Watch the video for “Naive,” directed by Bearwalk Cinema, below or listen to our Song Pick of the Day on your favorite streaming service:
Hamish Anderson — Stir Crazy
Australia’s Hamish Anderson is on a roll! Earlier this year, the guitar virtuoso, singer, and songwriter had delighted his fans with the John Mayer-style laid-back “Late in the Evening,” which he now follows up with the lush “Stir Crazy,” a full-blown nod to the infectious craftiness of ZZ Top. “Stir Crazy” is just so incredibly good that I want to start from the beginning again as soon as it has ended. I can’t wait to hear what Hamish comes up next! Something Santana-esque, maybe? Or more Slash? We will find out when his third full-length album, Electric, drops on October 11th. Something to look forward to.
Listen to “Stir Crazy,” our Song Pick of the Day:
Kelly Lee Owens — Sunshine
“Sunshine” is the song’s title and the entire lyric sheet. The second single off the third album Dreamstate (October 18) by Welsh producer and singer Kelly Lee Owens feels like the rays of the sun breaking through the cloud after a storm. It is a dance track, but like much of Kelly’s music, it also works as a pop song.
Listen to our Song Pick of the Day, “Sunshine,” on Spotify, Apple Music or below on Bandcamp:
Lark — Stars
Sometimes, a straightforward, dancefloor-ready song is all you need to put this little spring in your step and a sweet smile on your face. In my case, “Stars” was everything I wanted and needed right now to leave work behind and ease into a joyous evening. Turns out, it’s also pretty much what the Australian indie-pop artist Lark had in mind when she came up with “Stars.” She says about her new release:
“I was going through a bit of a hard time, and I felt like I was just working the daily grind and trying to get ahead when all I really wanted to do was work on my music. I wrote this song to myself as a wake-up call to snap out of it, refocus on what fills my soul, and get out there and do it. This song is a whole vibe, and it makes me so happy and inspired!!”
Listen to “Stars,” our Song Pick of the Day:
Half Happy — Well Done Honey
It does not happen too often that artists make their day job the topic of their music. But why not? “Well Done Honey” is “quite a literal song about working under a strict boss who always makes you feel inadequate at your job, and being the sucker in the system because you still want to succeed and not show weakness,” says singer Rosalie Miller of Half Happy, a quartet from Cardiff, Wales. The song is a true indie rock gem with chill vocals against scorching guitars, garnished with a video that shows the joy of making music with people you vibe with.
Half Happy will release their debut EP Conversation Killer on September 20. Watch the self-directed video for “Well Done Honey” or listen to our Song Pick of the Day on your favorite streaming service:
October Drift — Tyrannosaurus Wreck
It’s been a while since we had featured English alt-rockers October Drift on glamglare but we absolutely didn’t want to pass on their brand new single “Tyrannosaurus Wreck,” which not only comes with a smile-inducing game on words but with a super sweet video too. Yet, as with all things super cool and also profound, it all comes with a bigger meaning as frontman and guitarist Kiran Royexplains:
“It’s about a relationship breakdown and the balance of life within this band and life outside of it. It’s like saying I’m a huge fucking disaster. It’s kind of silly, it has a tragic sort of self-awareness, making light of quite heavy themes.”
Of course, there’s an even broader story to the making of the video. And I particularly remember one super cool video of the band when Kiran ran, and ran, and ran, and… ran (“Oh The Silence”.) But let’s hear what Kiran has to say about this video shoot:
“I thought it would be a cool concept but I’d pictured it being an actor or someone else in the dinosaur suit. I’m not sure how they did it but the band somehow convinced me to put on the dino suit and drag myself through a little southwest town with the guys filming me. It was a super hot day so it was hard work in the onesie, but I just had to keep reminding myself it was better than shooting the video for our single ‘Waltzer’ when I had water poured over my head for the entire thing at early morning sunrise. The ‘Tyrannosaurus Wreck’ video is kind of silly, but that suits the whole song, both kind of make light of a tragedy.”
The track will be on October Drift’s upcoming album Blame The Young, out on September 27th, 2024. Listen to “Tyrannosaurus Wreck,” our Song Pick of the Day, and make sure to watch the video too:
