It’s the start of a new term, of URY’s Music Librarians are back on Easter Sunday with their top 10 songs of the week. Enjoy!
Flying Visit — Ferris & Sylvester
Formally solo artists, Issy Ferris and Archie Sylvester met four years ago and have been making music together ever since. This soulful love song finds the pair baring their hearts and pleading for the other to stay through their raw vocal delivery. The song begins and ends with the simple statement ‘I love you’, and travels through a child-like yet sombre confession accompanied by guitar, strings and a hammond organ
Regarding the single Ferris & Sylvester say, “Quite simply, it’s a love song. It’s all the things that we often want to say — ‘I love you, please don’t leave me’ — but we stop ourselves because we’re grown up and grown ups don’t do that.
Find their 12" Red Flame vinyl released exclusively for Record Day in participating stores, and find out more about the day from our guide.
The Cracks — Another Sky
Another Sky are part of the rise of female fronted indie rock bands that are beginning to emerge much to our excitement — but Catrin Vincent’s vocals are unusual enough to catch our attention above the noise. ‘The Cracks’ is inspired by all the young women and girls who are fighting against injustice. The little girl who was fined by the council for setting up a lemonade stall, the kids suing the US government for global warming and teenagers like Greta Thunberg to name a few. “It’s about our generation’s unique position of facing extinction.”
The song is taken from the group’s forthcoming EP ‘Life Was Coming In Through The Blinds’, set for release on 14th June.
Car Crash Carnivore — HYYTS
Glaswegian duo are back with their new single, Their music draws parallels with the work of Scissor Sisters, Prince, and Years & Years, initially causing a stir with their debut singe ‘Butterflies in my Head’ which was listed on the BBC’s ‘songs of the week’.
“Car Crash Carnivore’ is a warning to all the shapeshifters and monsters that live among us and try to blend in,” the duo says of the new song, “We wanted all the creatures that lurk in the shadows of show business and politics to know that we’re on to them and there’s no price for our souls.”
Damn It All — John Joseph Brill
Damn It All has been released in anticipation of John Joseph Brill’s forthcoming EP, coming spring this year. He describes himself as a ‘thinking man’s brute’, with dark lyricism and a deep baritone voice. His sound takes some influences from Alt-J and draws on typical singer-songwriter styles.
Brill describes the track as “a break up song in essence. A series of memories, each a bad decision, motivated by the fear of letting go of someone. At it’s most elemental it’s about that moment where faced with an opportunity to be good to yourself you say ‘ah sod it!’ and do the wrong thing anyway.”
Second Hand — Lion
Lion (real name Beth Lowen) is a fast rising British singer-songwriter and guitarist who is equal parts Florence Welsh and The White Stripes. 2018 was a breakout year for Lion — it saw the release of her debut EP and she toured with the likes of The Vaccines, Isaac Gracie and Girli. ‘Second Hand’ is her first new single of 2019.
Summer — Moonlight Breakfast
Having gone through a few changes, Moonlight Breakfast are an electronic production trio hailing from Vienna, Austria. Their sound is described as a rough urban mix of electro, soul, beat, nu-jazz and swing. ‘Summer’ is their latest release, and is the perfect tune for the start of summer term.
Yours Or Mine — Rak-Su
Rak-Su, 2017 X-Factor winnners, were the first male band and second only band to take the title and are back again with their new single. It is their first release since their ‘Rome’ EP earlier this year, continues their exploration of pop / hip-hop fusion.
The song is a fusion reggaeton and rap with their signature catchy lyrics. It may not be a surprising release from the band, but it is the soulful sound we know and love from the four-piece.
Favourite Ex — Maisie Peters
Maisie Peters earned widespread acclaim in mid-2010s for her signature acoustic style and sweet voice. Aged just 17, her debut single ‘Place We Were Made’ was a viral hit, gaining millions of streams. Now, she is back with a new single following on from her release ‘Stay Young’ which dropped earlier this year.
‘Favourite Ex’ is a signature lo-fi and emotional song that showcases Maisie’s natural songwriting and performance talent.
Zeitgeist — The New Death Cult
‘Zeitgeist’ is the new single from activist rock group ‘The New Death Cult,’ who describes themselves as a space-age hard rock group who want to spread a peaceful message of anti-war, anti-environmental destruction and anti-corruption.
The group’s hard rock sound is progressive but also takes a lot of influence from classic artists in the genre, including Pink Floyd and Queens of the Stone Age.
Pretender — Wolves By Night
Wolves By Night is one of the fastest-rising young talents in UK dance music. ‘Pretender,’ which dropped last week, is his latest single.
His breakout single of last year, ‘Closure,’ has already been streamed millions of times online and has received significant backing from Radio 1 — this is one rising talent to watch.
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