Jan 4, 2021
Seven Fresh Songs #53
A Song per Day
Happy New Year! Check out our first list of seven songs of 2021, including one that was released on January 1. As always, follow along on our Apple Music or Spotify playlists to see what awesome music is being created outside of the billboard charts.
RYAL — Thunder (Solo On The Dancefloor)
Some artists were severely struggling to create anything during the challenging and strange year that 2020 was. Others managed to blend out the constant noise and distractions, pursuing their art. While Jacque Ryal of New York-based alternative synth-pop duo RYAL had her very own scarry COVID experience, she and her collaborating partner Aaron Nevezie came up with a flurry of new songs and videos, of which we could premiere Closure. The most recent single is “Thunder (Solo On The Dancefloor)”, and Jacque even filmed the accompanying music clip herself.
She says about “Thunder (Solo On The Dancefloor)”:
Both the song and music video are in memory and dedication to my college roommate who died from COVID this summer. As I was recovering I heard he passed. He was a drag Queen in the late 90s / early 2000s hence what inspired the music video. I shot and directed it and it stars my friend, actor, and performer Sam Given.
The song itself and also the music video are compellingly magnificent! Starring in the clip is Sam Given, who also choreographed his dance performance, and adds:
Dancing to this music on film transported me to a place I hadn’t considered: a community where I can fight for the creatives I believe in and stand up for goodness. I was just expecting to dance and make pretty shapes with a good friend, but what came out was anger, sadness, trauma, clearing my heart and allowing hope and magic to take root.
Watch the video now and get taken someplace else for a little while with our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with RYAL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Daemes — Riptide
“Riptide” is about a time further into a relationship than it is typically covered by pop music: when the grace period of courtship ends and a new more meaningful phase begins. In her dramatic debut song Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Dorothy Daemes approaches with deep insecurities but also much courage. Rest assured: this is how lasting and fulfilling relationships are built.
Listen to “Riptide,” our Song Pick of the Day here:
Connect with Daemes on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Walker & Royce — Need2Freek
Out with the sweet holiday cheer, and in with some energizing dance music! Let’s shake those extra pounds off again, and dance away any lingering negative feelings toward 2020. Time to look with optimism into the future with 2021 approaching fast.
New York DJs Sam Walker and Gavin Royce, better known as Walker & Royce, recently released their first original single of 2020: “Need2Freek.” The tracks opens with classic rave keyboard chords, passed through lo-fi filtering, and paired with 8-bit inspired riffs evoke a sense of nostalgia, and that is probably what initially got me. Until the soothing vocals kick in, with its encouraging mantra of “I’ll never stop dancing,” and that is what we do.
For more of this, check out what Walker & Royce offer on their Twitch Channel itsGOODTV, hypnotic and exhilarating! While you’re at it, pay their label a visit too: Dirtbagrecords.
Listen to “Need2Freek”, our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Walker & Royce on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Lauryn Peacock — Coming Over Me Again
The outgoing year brought us many new experiences. One of them is spending time with little distractions from the world around. Nashville-based singer/songwriter Lauryn Peackock lets her new song “Coming Over Me Again” lead up to a soaring chorus that describes these moments with joyful intensity. “All the time alone left me able to think, to really dig into some great memories,” Lauryn says. “At times, they felt embodied, like I was being visited.”
Listen to our Song Pick of the Day “Coming Over Me Again” here:
Connect with Lauryn Peacock on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Tourists — Another State
“Another State” by English indie-rock quintet Tourists, is a hazy, dreamy, and utterly beautiful song. It is taken from their debut album bearing the same title. The single comes also with a music video, that picks up the nostalgic vibe, about which the band says:
With the video, we wanted to give people a glimpse into our world down here in Torquay….Living here has played a big part in who we have become as people but also as a band. We have always felt like we’re in our own bubble here, cut-off from everyone else, like we’re doing our own thing musically, which has contributed hugely to our sound and our individuality which I feel is everything. So this video was our little nod to Torquay.
But wherever is Torquay? A quick Google search revealed a little seaside town in Devon, England somewhere between Plymouth and Exeter. It looks absolutely lovely and I would love to visit. Now. Luckily, we have the music video to escape there for a little while. Listening to the album, I get quite an early 80s vibe, “Another State” notwithstanding. There are darker nuances on the album and the five-piece comments on “Another State” as follows:
It’s about drifting off to another state of mind, the highs and lows, paranoia it can lead to in a relationship for example. But ultimately the importance it has for your wellbeing to experience it and disconnect with the world for brief blissful moments.
Listen to “Another State”, our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Tourists on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check out the album on Spotify or Apple Music.
Halo Kitsch — Do You Feel Like A Sinner Yet?
It is the last day of the year and that is a good time to cut out of your life what does not serve you any longer. In her latest song “Do You Feel Like A Sinner Yet?” L.A. singer/songwriter Halo Kitsch describes how she tried to escape her own downward spiral. The song packs much drama and energy in its furious finale and inspires courage to fight back against whatever holds you down.
Halo Kitsch explains:
Through the exploration of self-discovery, I finally found vocabulary that defined the contagious toxicity of a co-dependent love trap. With the same pain it takes to grow, I reflected on the cyclical nature of what felt like a sinking rock bottom. Isn’t it ironic how the abused becomes the abuser? In hindsight, I suppose I wrote the song to myself as much as to my partner. After all, two wrongs never make a right. So, the question I pose is, ‘When have you had enough?’
Listen to our Song Pick of the Day “Do You Feel Like A Sinner Yet?” on all streaming services or watch the lyric video below:
Connect with Halo Kitsch on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
The Makeout Club — Confetti
With their new single “Confetti”, The Makeout Club releases an instant classic full of beauty and hope. We could not be happier to exclusively premiere the gorgeous track. The Makeout Club is the brainchild of New York composer, Robert Granata, accompanied by Daniel Deitz, Jacob Read-Harber, and Jon Murphy. Together, they create lush soundscapes that take you on an adventure through space and time. With the intention to give their new single a meaningful release date, they decided on the first day of the new year but why?
We asked Robert about the backstory to “Confetti” and he says:
About three years ago, our friend Dan started working on the demo that would eventually become “Confetti.” Unfortunately he passed away before he could complete it, so we pulled out a part of what he had been working on and created a song around it. It has since become a tribute to everyone we’ve lost, including the Makeout Club’s drummer, Jake Read-Harbor. It was the last track we finished together. A bittersweet farewell.
Bittersweet indeed, yet at the same time a stunning testament to life and valuing the arts and above all friendship. Lost but never forgotten!
Listening to the track, you can hear background vocals sung by Dia Luna and you will also notice a saxophone solo which sounds familiar in its exquisite tone and touching vibe. The saxophone is played by no other than Stuart Matthewman who lend all of Sade’s hit albums his craft. With glamglare, our paths have crossed with the legendary musician before and we believe that a year that starts with a song as splendid as “Confetti” is already off to a good start.
And so we are super excited to present The Makeout Club’s new single “Confetti” as our Song Pick of the Day. Listen to the song here.
Connect with The Makeout Club on Facebook, Bandcamp, and Instagram.
