LU KALA immigrated to Canada as a young child from The Democratic Republic of the Congo and is currently based in Toronto. Her most recent release, “No Smoke,” co-written with David Charles Fischer (bülow, renforshort), has been racking up listens in impressive numbers. Over the last few years, KALA has been flown to L.A. and New York to work with prominent producers and songwriters, received funding from FACTOR Canada, and was the Grand Prize winner in the sixth annual RBC Emerging Musician Program.

Radiating joy, confidence, and power KALA admits that vulnerably and transparency are a large part of her artist identity. It is the part that brings her closer to the fans and hopefully inspires them to open up. Naturally, we had to get to know her a little more.

Kateryna Topol: Hello LU, thank you for taking the time to chat with us!

LU KALA: Hey! Thank you for having me, I’m excited to be talking with y’all!

KT: So from what I’ve read it seems music, singing in particular, has always felt like a calling to you, can you talk to how it became a career?

LK: I’m lucky to have always known what I wanted to do and I’d walk around and tell anyone who’d listen that I was going to be a singer, I was pretty annoying [laughs]. Things finally started happening for me once I started doing the work instead of relying on luck to take its course. By doing the work I mean writing, performing, networking, trying to improve, and so on. The more I worked on myself and my craft the more opportunities started coming my way.

KT: Was music playing a big part in your family & household?

LK: Music has always been huge in my household growing up. Both my parents can sing and we’d listen to everything from Gospel in my parent’s native tongue to French to English to Céline Dion, Aretha Franklin, the waiting room Exhale soundtrack, and so on. I’m lucky to have heard it all because all those sounds influence my music now.

KT: Were you able to study music in any way?

LK: I’ve never been able to read music, but I’ve always felt it. My family couldn’t afford lessons so I had to teach myself but I wouldn’t change it for a thing. Because of that, I was able to find my genuine sound and really mold myself from a young age.

KT: That’s true to so many other talented artists as well. Ok, so “No Smoke” is basically an anthem to all women who have had to deal with “bullshit men” – to quote you here – which I imagine is really all of us – what has the response been like from your fans?

LK: I’ve gotten such an amazing response from people and have even gotten new fans along the way with this one. It felt really good finally releasing something that’s fun. Most of my songs usually hit the heart and may make you cry but this one truly represents who I am 97% of the time when I’m not writing songs about being alone lol. Kinda ironic. It’s been amazing seeing my fans jam out to it and sing along to the words. So many have told me/posted that it’s their summer anthem and that’s EVERYTHING to me!

KT: Amazing! You are working on a debut EP, when might that drop?

LK: Yes, I have an EP dropping this fall!!!!! I’m super excited for the world to hear a body of work from me.

KT: What can listeners expect from the EP?

LK: Listeners can expect more tears, more sass, and more jams from me. I think this EP truly represents every emotion I feel on the daily and my battle to find my worth, that I am worth loving. I hope those who listen to my EP will see themselves in me and will be inspired to be open and face their wounds head-on. Let’s just say this EP is filled with only true stories and I cannot wait to share them with you all.

KT: Cannot wait to hear them all! Will you share a few more singles before the EP release?

LK: YES! I have a song coming out August 26th called “Love Like.” I wrote this one in the UK, completed it in Toronto and recorded parts of it in LA. It’s super fun/sassy, can’t wait for you all to hear it.

KT: Nice. You are based in Toronto, how has it been coming up as an artist in the city?

LK: It’s been a crazy rollercoaster coming up as an artist in Toronto. Especially coming up as a black plus size pop artist, it’s not something you see much of where I’m from but it’s also been exciting creating in a diverse city like mine and being the start of a new sound from my city.

KT: Yes I can imagine, we’re much more of a hip-hop, R&B, and alternative sound city. Has anyone been helpful in your career?

LK: I am grateful to have had a team filled with friends at the beginning who really helped me find my way and shape the artist I am. I am also lucky to have had a couple of mentors along the way who always push me to be my best. I’m excited for all the artists who are coming out of my city and all the ones to come after, especially those who don’t fit the norm who want to create their own lane or follow in my footsteps. It’s such an exciting time for music and I’m just lucky I get to do what I love every day!

KT: I saw you won the RBC Emerging Musician Program, how did that feel?

LK: That was pretty amazing! I really did not think I would win, I had never released a song and I sent the rough demo of “DCMO” which ended up being my first single, and that opened so many doors for me from one of the judges of the RBC Emerging Program being one of the programmers for iHeartRadio in Canada and giving me a shot and being invited to Babyface’s songwriting camp to me winning the RBC Emerging Musician Program.

KT: Sounds like a fantastic experience! How was the showcase performance at the Great Hall?

LK: The showcase was a great rush of adrenaline. Immediately after my performance I had to rush to the airport to make it to LA [laughs] but on my way to the airport I felt the best I’ve ever felt, and I knew this was only the beginning after all the work I had put in for years. It really felt like it was finally my time.

KT: Do you have a favorite venue to perform at in the city?

LK: I don’t know if I have a favorite venue to perform at in the city yet but performing at Rebel for the iHeartRadio FanFest was a true rush. It was my first time performing in front of thousands of people and to see some people singing back my song was unreal. I can’t wait till I get to do that, and the entire crowd is screaming my song back at me. I know that day is coming! [smiles]

KT: All artists had to change their goals for 2020, have you pivoted in any way?

LK: 2020 has been a blessing and a curse. A curse because of how much the world is currently hurting and all the trauma we’ve all endured this year, a blessing because I had to learn to do things differently and step out of my comfort zone. I had to learn to accept that I only control what I can control, I learned to record myself, I started doing Zoom writing sessions and had to work on a completely new plan for all my releases and my project but that was probably the best thing for me since I had to learn to let go of the things I cannot control. I am so proud of myself for keeping it together and pushing through. Yes, many things got canceled but at least my family, friends, and I are alive and healthy during these times.

KT: Absolutely. What are your plans for the next few months?

LK: The next few months are focused on my upcoming EP with a few more songs and video content to come, I just want to make sure I give you all my very best! Outside of that, I’ve been writing like crazy for my second project and beyond because writing never stops for me. [smiles]

* * *

Stay tuned for more releases from LU KALA in the coming months.

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SLMN (born Mohamed Sulaman) has been playing a wide variety of instruments since an early age and on this new track he showcases his guitar and piano skills. The combination of instruments is slowly building up a melody that caries the listener along a lyrical story about the euphoric days of lost adolescence. When sharing his thoughts behind the track SLMN commented that “feeling like we’ve grown up too quick is something that I think many of us can relate to”.

SLMN’s family didn’t want him to pursue a career in music but by the time he was 24 the artist came to the crossroads with his career and future, realizing that he “had been neglecting music” and it was time to pursue his passion. Since than the SLMN became a go-to producer for a variety of musicians including Tory Lanez, Lil’ Yachty, Anders, Amir Obe and many more. His production credit can even be found on Mariah Carey’s chart topping track “Caution”.

Needless to say the upcoming debut EP Late Bloomer is highly anticipated among the fans. Set to release on April 24th the record promises “a multi-genre project that blends R&B, alternative rock, hip hop, funk and soul to create a hybrid that is held together by my own musical style,” SLMN shared with us.

In the meanwhile, please enjoy “Late Bloomer”.

The post Exclusive premiere: SLMN shares new single “Late Bloomer” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Niall Fitzgerald: How are you spending your time right now, together or separately?

Jen Pague: Adam, my drummer flew out to be with Hope and I in LA a couple of days before the world started canceling events and swiftly had to fly home to Philly due to the craziness. I’m staying really busy actually. I’ve been doing Instagram live streams and beginning to grow my Twitch channel which has been great because it provides an opportunity to make some money after all the shows got canceled. I’ve also been cooking a bunch and spending some really good quality time with my partner. It’s been pretty intense emotionally though, to be honest.

NF:  Your record label, Tender Loving Empire, describes Anna Ohio as “a very real pilgrimage of self-discovery…a self-referential-story about a flawed but strong character reaching for reinvention” – can talk a little on thought process behind the album, as compared to your previous work?

JP: I took a lot more control over the music production side of things. I also feel like I’ve grown a little bit more with how I want things branded for my project. I feel like this album has a story to tell, sort of about moving on from what I’ve always known and taking more responsibility for everything in my life. It’s about growing up. 

NF: Speaking of Tender Loving Empire, this is going to be your first release with them. You’ve relocated from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles – how did you end up getting signing to the Portland-based TLE?

JP: Funny enough, we played a show a few years ago in Delaware and a person working the venue really liked us. That person happened to be friends with Jed Overly who works at the label and boom, a few years go by and TLE swooped in and saved the day honestly, haha. Without them, I’d probably be self-releasing this record and I don’t know, haha. This business is really tough to break into if you don’t have a bunch of cash. TLE has been nothing but a dream to work with and they really value their artists. I’m super lucky Jed found us. 

NF: Does the approach to songwriting change at all when trying to craft an album around a character, like Anna Ohio? 

JP: I think any character I have ever created has been just an extension of myself, so in that way no. It’s also freeing in a way to take yourself out of your own head for a second to write for someone else.

NF:  Your music has been described as, among other things, “synth-pop” – Is that the sort of vibe we can expect, musically speaking, to pop up on Anna Ohio?

JP: I think I cross genres a lot. When I first started writing and recording music in high school, I was super inspired by synthy bands like LCD Soundsystem, TV On The Radio, M83, Bat For Lashes, and Of Montreal.  Radiohead’s album, In Rainbows, also was a huge inspiration throughout high school. That being said, I think I have incorporated a lot more guitar layers and stuff in the songs. I don’t know, you can expect a sort of mixture of guitars and synths, with a little pop in there.

NF: Any artists, book or film, in particular, that inspired you during the writing of this album?

 JP: Phoebe Bridgers, Elliott Smith, St. Vincent to name a few.

NF: Any in particular that inspire your art overall, in a more general sense?

JP: I’m always inspired by Radiohead and St. Vincent. 

NF: Live streaming of artists performing in their homes has gained a lot of momentum due to current circumstances. Obviously, it’s really all that music fans can hope for in terms of entertainment for now. What are your thoughts on the live streaming phenomenon in general?

JP: In general, I think it’s great. I think inevitably it’s going to be a huge industry that provides another source of income for artists. Whether it’s for music, art, design, etc. Streaming platforms like Twitch provide really unique ways for artists and fans to engage with each other. At first, I was terrified of streaming, but now I find it more and more interesting. 

NF: Do you think live streams can be an effective, captivating medium going forward? 

JP: Absolutely. I think people find it interesting that they can interact with a performer in real-time. Requesting songs, donating money, commenting.  It’s really interesting. 

NF: How is it performing in a room alone to a device? 

JP:  Addictive. It’s like a rush of energy, especially on Twitch when strangers comment and you know they’ve never heard of you before. It’s also strange being able to access the world by just pressing a button, boom! you’re live. I do think there is a weird psychological thing that could potentially be dangerous in this world for streaming as an artist. If the dopamine rush is not contained or acknowledged, there might be some problems in one’s thought pattern. 

Images by Brian Legoo

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In a true bedroom-music fashion dekleyn started producing in Justin’s tiny childhood bedroom and over the years have moved into the spare bedroom in the rental house Justin lives in, he shared with us over email. Most of the time “the songs will start with a simple 20-30 second loop with mumbled words over the top” from the duo come together and “start to form the structure of the track and continue working on the lyrics both together and individually.”

After releasing the EP Thrive in 2019, dekleyn buckled up and are now focusing on their debut album. The duo have already written quite a few songs and hope to tour with the new album when the time is right. For now, as the teaser of the upcoming album, Matt and Justin are sharing a new single titled “One More Night.” The song is a story of love, heartache, and mixed emotions.

“We really enjoyed working on this one, it was the first song we started working on after we completed the Thrive EP. We finished it, scrapped it, re-worked it, and eventually after months of work we got the track to a place where we love the energy it brings, whilst also having an emotional aspect that shines through when you focus on the lyrics.”

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Meeting us from a temporary home in New Jersey, Two Feet and I chatted over Zoom, a social channel that seems to have become the (temporary) new normal. Like many people he has been escaping the New York pandemic, moving from one AirBnB to another with his dog and a make-shift recording studio, taking in the outer-city nature and focusing on his craft.

Music has always been a part of Two Feet’s life. Growing up he was drawn to all music, playing whatever he could find on repeat. His father is an unintentional music collector and in that very similar, unintentional manner has been teaching his son musical foundation since an early age:

“He didn’t mean to but as a kid, he might have subconsciously sort of trained me to become a producer,” Two Feet shared, “We would listen to records and he’d ask ‘What is that sound?’ and I’d be like, ‘That’s the bass’ and he’d be like, ‘Yeah, what’s that?’ so I was picking up sounds out of productions early on.”

At the age of 18, Two Feet left school and begun to focus solely on music, playing piano, guitar, writing lyrics, and “neglecting” his social life to become the best musician he could be. For two and a half years he made music out of a small apartment in Harlem, occasionally collaborating with bass players and drummers but the noise eventually began to frighten the neighbours: “Cops were showing up at my door, everyone was complaining and I was threatened with eviction. So, I turned to synths that I could just turn down real low and hear in a different way. I started putting synths and electronic drums into my music because I had to and then that’s how my sound formed,” he shared with GQ earlier this month. The core foundation of Two Feet’s production, however, is a drumbeat:

“I mix a drumbeat that I really like and then I kind of build on top of that drumbeat; I start to build a melody over it and then I add chords for interesting production around it. I think the most important thing to have is a really good beat, really good top melody, whether it be with your voice, a guitar, or another instrument, and then if those two things are really good then the rest of the song kind of fills out naturally.”

A child of the internet Two Feet was one of the lucky musicians who the Internet gave back to: in 2016 he shared an original song, “Go Fuck Yourself” on Soundcloud late at night and in the most simple terms, woke up the next day famous. This virility expedited Two Feet’s career but his talent as a writer and performer is what got “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” airtime on the radio, something that he considers one of his proudest accomplishments so far.

Today Two Feet is signed to Republic Records, the same label that represents Ariana Grande, Drake, and Glass Animals (another great accomplishment I might add), and on March 13th he dropped a new full-length record called Pink. To no surprise, the album was an immediate success among music critics and song-by-song promptly made it to the music fans’ “Sexytime” playlists. Set against pronounced bass lines and vivid synths Pink is a sensual story and a reflection on Two Feet’s intimately private experiences:

“It is definitely a personal story, I guess I was trying to compartmentalize parts of my life in the past couple years, and the best way for me to do that is through music, you know, so some of the songs are really nostalgic. A lot of it is about the passing of time or like what happened in the past, title track ‘Pink’ is certainly about that” he pointed out.

“And I think that I’m falling
I’m tripping and I’m crawling
It feels like rather often
The years do come to pass
And I keep getting older
My mind is getting colder
The things that all once mattered
I know for sure won’t last”

For Two Feet music is a therapeutic outlet: “I don’t know where I would be without having that outlet, you know what I mean…I think everyone has their own outlet, in a different way. But [music] is really essential to my existence, I would go crazy if I couldn’t make music. I need it. I definitely need it.” This emotional transparency carries beyond the music itself, on the day the album came out he shared an Instagram post introducing the record with a statement: “With the way the world is going right now, I hope listening to it gives you some peace, or makes you cry, or makes you feel sexy, or makes you happy, or briefly brings you to a different world. As long as you feel SOMETHING I’m good with that. I worked hard on the tracklist. This isn’t an album of singles, it’s a ‘thing-in-itself.’ Please listen in order. Front to back.”

To promote the new record Two Feet has been getting ready to tour but as most of the world he too is now grounded and the tour is postponed. “There’s nothing I can do. It’s really unfortunate for me for several reasons: A lot of my promotion comes from my live shows, so live shows are super worked out and very elaborate,” he explained. The live performances for him are a transfer of energy which he nourishes by maintaining an open dialogue through everything he does publicly, but performing live, in particular, is a great opportunity to open up and share, “It’s the craziest high ever, playing in front of people,” he once told Louder than War.

As a musician who shines brightest through live performances, Two Feet has two “totally different” audiences: “There’s the audience that lives online and then there’s a touring audience,” he clarifies, “And our touring audience is as loyal as rock band audiences… so [live shows are] the best way to promote, it brings your fans out … and it’s kind of a huge blow to me professionally, that we have to reschedule the album, but it’s happening to everybody and we want to keep you safe. We want to keep my crew safe. It’s the only option. But it’s a huge bummer because my crew, they live on the road and they’re really out of luck right now.” We later returned to this topic when reflecting on the current state and things he cares about. As a call to his fans and other artists, he pointed out that there are platforms that help these working crews and platforms that can help you give back from your own successes. The live tour, whenever it resumes, is aligned with Plus1.org and a $1 from each ticket sale will be donated to the SRNA (Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association). “You sell 50,000 tickets, it’s $50,000 for an organization and I think it’s something that every artist in the position where they can give a little back should definitely do.”

An upside of social isolation is the room that it creates for creativity. With all this time on his hands, Two Feet has begun working on his next album and is almost halfway through it. “I’m pretty excited about that. I honestly think I might be able to get it out there this year,” he admits hopefully. One of the goals for the next release is to be even more open with his lyrics, which he retrospectively wishes he had done with Pink. The remote studio set up is very DIY which feels pretty normal: “It feels kind of how it use to be … you know, I’m used to being on the road anyway so in that respect it’s kind of similar … outside of the comfort of my home.” I wondered what equipment the brought with him on the road and as he turned his phone around to show this make-shift studio, set in front of a sunny window, he admitted it was much like the early days of true bedroom production: just a mixer, Stratocaster, an Apollo 11, laptop with Ableton software, and most importantly – the guitar.

The advent of technology allows us all to stay connected while maintaining distance so during this break from touring Two Feet has been taking advantage of live streaming platforms like Instagram, offering the audience to even pick the tracks he performs ahead of time. Looking into the near future, his immediate goals are to complete the next record and promote Pink on the road as soon as it is safe to do so. The bigger picture, however, is wider and much more ambitious: an amped-up live performance with dancers and a bigger live band is on the wish-list; a collaboration with an established rock band like The Strokes or Arctic Monkeys is one of the more ambitious goals but working with up-and-coming musicians like himself or perhaps writing music for film is seemingly more within reach, and these days, everything is possible.

All images by Johannes Lovund. Courtesy of the artist

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In an interview with Voyage LA Keller shared that she focuses on making “relatable music” through telling stories. One of her early releases was a song called “Bad,” a story of a young woman in a troubled relationship. The topic of relationships is a common one in Keller’s lyricism, the “Weekend,” for example, was a reflection on a situation where one of the individuals is not emotionally invested in the relationship.

With the new single, “High & Hurt,” Keller takes a few steps back towards the first encounter. The song “captures the essence and that feeling you have for a stranger when really, you didn’t expect to feel anything at all. You connect with this person; you had high hopes, but in the end, you’re left with disappointment and a heavy heart.” The point Keller is working to make, however, is that disappointment is all right and should be embraced with a full spectrum of emotions.

Give it a listen below or try a platform of your choice here.

The post Song premiere: Sky Keller shares new single “High & Hurt” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Jordan Mackampa is (currently) best known for his 2016 EP, Physics, especially “Yours to Keep” and “What Could Have Been.” Four years later he delivers his first album, Foreigner, with the same sweet soul, but with more spunk.

Foreigner opens with “Magic,” a jangly pop-funk tune that swifts one far from the COVID-19 enclosures to a tropical restaurant on Maui. Blithely repeating “I can’t get enough of your love,” for a couple dozen times, Mackampa ends the mantra with a sly, upturned smile, a bouquet of soul, R&B, and pop.

Mackampa says Foreigner has been in the works 25 years (his entire life), and there’s a lovely autobiographical quality to tracks like “Love at First Sight.” It’s one of those signposts of maturity that stay with us forever.

And why is this debut album called Foreigner?

The soul singer was born in the Congo then moved to London before he was two-years-old. With an Estuary accent, he says his Congolese roots gave him the rhythm and melody that appears in the album growing up. In England, he formed a more folky, indie style when he picked up the guitar around 11.

The emotional terrain in Foreigner is quite autobiographical, but the lyrics never get into specifics. It’s instead expressed through repetition of lyrics like “I’ll keep holding on till you let go,” as in the track “Tight,” one of the sweetest songs about a hug ever. The repetition does pop proud, and like any reliable earworm (or sermon) repetition makes “Tight” one of the catchier songs on Foreigner.

When asked what people get from his music, Mackampa replied, “a man who’s very honest with his emotions and feelings, and it comes out through his music.”

It’s the strength and occasional weakness of the record. “What Am I” is a similarly beautiful song, but it ends up fitting into a Mackampa template that starts to fatigue. There are lovely string sections and a lonely trumpet shuffling in the corner, but there’s a danger of the constant honesty venturing into a lovely monotone. The more generous interpretation of this is, as a wise YouTube viewer of Mackampa’s view for “Magic” writes: “You literally never make a bad song.”

Perhaps crescendos will be used in the next album, or he’ll play with passagio in live performances. The track “Parachutes” doesn’t fly up or down as much as parasail for several minutes. “If ignorance is bliss, then I’d be better off not knowing you,” is pleasantly rendered, but a tired emotion we need some newness behind to take notice.

The second half of the album becomes more personal and deeply charged. In the title track, Mackampa wonders about his mother tongue, what disconnection he feels in a foreign space; the slow introduction and solitary voice eventually get a galloping fleet of drums. “I will not stay where I’m not wanted/but I don’t want to leave,” in a higher register that echoes Jeff Buckley.

The beauty continues with an imagined letter from the singer’s father. “Care for Your Mother” has the classic (if tired and gendered) troupe of the father telling the son to take care of his mother in ways that the father couldn’t. Mackampa’s spectral voice is nearly powerful enough to excuse the father.

Foreigner smartly wraps up with the poppy beat “Warning Signs.” We get a flash of casual brilliance with “I was blinded by the taste of your skin.” He couldn’t see the warning signs that this certain someone was no good for him. What a great conclusion to one’s first quarter of life.

The post Why we fell in love with Jordan Mackampa at first sight. Review of “Foreigner” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The event opener is Remi Wolf, Los Angeles-based musician, who performed an engaging, high energy set with a 2-piece band (drummer and guitarist). Remi has been writing songs since the early age of 15 and has recently released a 6-track EP You’re A Dog!, which was made in “a bunch of bedrooms across California,” she shared. Remi’s music is a blend of electronic and acoustic synths layered under her pronounced, well-developed voice. For tonight’s performance, Wolf went through the tracks from the EP (closing with “Shawty”) played a new song “Hello Hello Hello,” and an R&B infused cover of MGMT’s “Electric Feel.” Wolf is an entertaining performer to see live, she is contagiously energetic, full of stories and live commentary, drawing the audience in with every jump and shout.

With a slight delay Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Joshua Karpeh, aka Cautious Clay, took the stage immediately going into “Sidewinder,” a track off his most recent release Table of Context, the third EP in the collection so far. This Toronto show is a part of the Context Tour, which wrapped up shortly after in Philadelphia, but the tracklist variety traveled through all of Cautious’ releases thus far.

Cautious and the band were very casually dressed and performed in an equally casual attitude, the floor lamps creating a living room type of environment. We’re at home here. After playing the second song, “Settler’s Paradise,” Cautious greeted the enamored crowd – “It’s good to be back.” Next to the microphone carefully placed are a saxophone and a flute, which he picked up multiple times throughout the set, impressively switching from percussions to guitar or simply pacing the stage with a mic.

As if satisfying unuttered requests, he played the saxophone during “French Riviera” (Resonance EP) and then the flute for a new track. Having been listening to Cautious Clay since the release of his debut single “Cold War,” I’ve unconsciously imagined what it would be like to see him perform live, and now seeing him live I was missing a bit of energy. The vocal delivery was a lot more low key than on record and many of the songs had a slightly different live rendition, which is admittedly quite common. In some instances, like with “Joshua Tree,” quickly followed by “Blood Type,” the live renditions were more alive, heavier on instrumentals, and louder on the vocals, complemented with flashing lights it was an impressively memorable showcase of Clay’s range as an artist.

The stage had no photo pit allowing the fans to get incredibly close to the artist. At some point Cautious squatted at the edge, singing to the girls in the front row and then shook hands on the way out at the end of the night – a nice touch when it comes to appreciating your audience. Clay’s music is relatable and easy to sing along to, Blood Type, admittedly the most popular release so far, is about “the frustrations of dating and not knowing yourself in that process,” he once told Fader, a topic many people in this crowd can likely relate to, especially when the lyrics are sung in a warm, soulful voice.

Halfway through the performance Cautious shared with the audience that he was, in fact, working on a new album, “still don’t have a name,” he said, “just testing stuff.” The lucky city dwellers got to hear quite a few of those new songs throughout the evening, most of which also had no names, but the encore performance ended the set with a bang when Clay performed “Shook” – a song from this upcoming, yet to be named, or dated album. I’m sure that just like the many earlier releases this album will suddenly appear on your Spotify release radar, causing a double-digit replay. But for now, we wait, and if we know something sooner we’ll be sure to share the news with you.

The post Cautious Clay on tour, sharing new tracks and playing the favorites appeared first on Quip Magazine.

San Fermin, Brooklyn-based chamber pop eight-piece (named for the infamous Spanish festival involving the running of the bulls) wrapped up their American tour last Friday. On the road to promote their latest release, The Cormorant I, the band played expressive, dynamic music to a fresh-faced audience at the Brooklyn Steel.

Fronted by the vivacious composer and multi-instrumentalist Ellis Ludwig-Leone, San Fermin proved that they have a lot to offer in a performance. A non-exhaustive list of instruments played during the hour-and-a-half set included keyboards, violin, bass, guitar, saxophone, drums, and maracas. At one point a trumpet got caught in a guitar chord, and the crowd shared a little chuckle with the band for their endearingly awkward transition. There were several occasions of big laughs on stage. The bandmates clearly have a good time playing together, and a hearty passion for the music. There was a kind of youthful purity to their set, a very light and fun big band geek energy. 

San Fermin shined brightest when they dove head-first into their dramatic anthems, stunning with tracks like “Bride” and the more recent release “The Hunger.”

Leading ladies, Karlie Bruce and Claire Wellin, are impressive vocalists, offering range and feeling in their honey-smooth voices.

The lulls involved San Fermin’s slower songs. “Cerulean Gardens” could have been left out of the performance and none would have mourned, I suspect. During that song, I looked over to see one audience member yawning. Then I yawned.

True to their shining form, San Fermin brought back the energy to close out with a bang. Charlene Kaye, the former lead singer of the band, was welcomed to the stage as a surprise guest, much to the audience’s roaring approval. Kaye dazzled the crowd with a lively rendition of 2013’s “Sonsick,” during which, enthusiastic trumpeter John Brandon jumped into the audience, waking everyone up.

San Fermin gave a memorable and spirited performance, gifting audiences with unreleased tracks from their next release, and giving us all something to look forward to with the forthcoming completion of The Cormorant project.

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The 23-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Holly Fletcher, who goes by the stage name of Låpsley, has emerged from a three-year hiatus with music in tow. She gained quick fame for her innovative electronica and soulful voice but has yet to release music since her first album, Long Way Home, which came out in 2016.

The announcement came as a letter on Instagram, where she thanked her audience for their patience while Holly embarked on a journey of self-discovery. “I needed that time and isolation to care for my mental well being; in order to create something that I felt was the truest version of myself,” she wrote. In the four-track EP, These Elements, we see this transformation, to be released on December 6th.

The EP starts with “My Love Was Like The Rain.” In this song, she melts natural themes with an electronic beat. It’s a song that explores contradiction both technically and thematically. She paints images of water—leading us through rain, seas, pools, blue skies, and arctic fronts. This is where the title’s namesake comes in, “I embody these elements,” she sings over echoing electronica. Holly has the listener drowning and then floating as she ultimately embraces elements— the good and the bad.

Låpsley continues with the natural theme in her second track “Eve,” where she plays with the biblical Adam and Eve story and the themes of greed and taking. The faint high-pitched sounds of birds chirping, twisted in a way that they nearly mimic the sound of a siren or static electricity, forges a spookiness over the dark and stormy beat. If you’re looking to dance out of a breakup, this anti-love song is it.

In her last two tracks, she takes a turn from the dance bops that embody the two preceding tracks. Holly also repeats her iconic vocal drop, a technique she debuted in the song that put her on the radar in 2014, “Station.” Holly electronically shifts her pitch generating different voices. If you didn’t know, you might’ve thought she added another vocalist, but instead, it results in mystifying androgyny (similar to what she did on “Station“).

For “Ligne” she settles in at a slower pace with a string arrangement. The experience is ethereal and full-bodied even while remaining simple and direct in lyricism, “it’s not easy letting go, it’s not that simple, somebody you love,” sings the chorus.

Holly ends on a solemn note, with “Drowning” that takes a letter-like quality. She calls out to her mother and then to her father. Her words are questioning, pleading, and seeking advice, “You said I can only swim so far, I was like a fish in water. So why am I drowning?” she sings.

Låpsley may have disappeared for a few years but Holly Fletcher was still out there working hard, and now she’s come back swinging.

With a long-awaited album like this one, you would expect some transformation and self-discovery, but Låpsley shows us that even more importantly, she’s found self-acceptance and she strides with a renewed confidence. These Elements validates that times can be tough, but it also emanates empowerment; it’s the perfect comeback.

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Mackampa hails from the UK and has a small but strong collection of singles and an EP in his repertoire. His pop-infused productions, soulful voice and strong, poetic lyrics haven been slowly paving a pathway to success that’s inevitably about to come. Earlier this month we chatted with Jordan about his process and music career so far. As one might imagine from that conversation Mackapma is calm and collected and appears just as such in front of the live audience.

The set began solemnly with  “What Could Have Been” from his Physics EP (2016) – what he called a “not happy” but “not a sad” song. Listening to the lyrics this middle ground is quite evident and a bit sad: ‘We could never know if this house could be a home / For more than day or two / There’s no happy ever after..’ Despite the lonesome lyrical story the song created a breathable and light atmosphere in the small room – a great start to the night.

This show, in one of Toronto’s most historic dives, was Mackampa’s first time in Canada: “Today I’ve tried something called Tim Horton’s,” he shared, “I had something called an egg and sausage biscuit,” he shrugged his shoulders in confusion as the crowd laughed. For the next song, “Saint,” a slightly more fast-paced track with heavy guitar, Jordan invited the fans to sing along. A few people in the audience were very familiar with the lyrics, belting them at the top of their lungs, endearingly out of key.

“Thank you that was beautiful Jordan,” someone yelled during the quiet pause.

For the second half of the set, Jordan moved into slower tracks like “Midnight,” sharing deeply personal stories with the room between the songs. Sadly, venues like these don’t carry sound well all the way to the back, swallowing the singer’s softly told stories into the void of the chatter. The front of the room, however, felt like a deeply intimate living room show.

For 30 minutes, Jordan worked his way through the songs jumping the timeline from “One in the Same” (2018) to most recent singles like “What Am I” – a modern take on Marvin Gaye’s classic “What’s Going On.” Wrapping up his short performance with a “Thank you” Jordan left the stage to greet the fans at the merch table where he stayed for the rest of the night, smiling and shaking hands.

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Jordan Mackampa’s debut album Foreigner is set to drop on March 13th, 2020, but for now, here’s the most recent single  “Parachutes.”

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