[FRIDAY'S FINEST] with Dead Good Music, Nexus and Indie Central Music

 


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Dead Good Music - Sister Lucy - Best at Being Sad

Sister Lucy has become one of the most exciting artists of the year, bursting onto the scene with a string of singles that have firmly made us fans. Her pairing of Grunge with the classic woe of growing up isn’t reinventing the wheel necessarily, but it’s made us excited to hear what she’s got to say about it. With her Big Girl Pants EP coming very soon, Lucy has released one last taste of what to expect from one of our most anticipated releases.


‘Best At Being Sad’ illustrates the stuttering effect an internal monologue can have on the mind. Its lyrics are full of self-deprecation - which we’ve come to expect from Sister Lucy’s work - but is given the reigns to be quite cruel in its mission to curb stomp any happiness that might exist. “I can’t help that you hate me too” collides against the crunch of the guitar, creating an equal impact as the song unleashes with flurries of riffs and solos. 

Once again, this is another song of Sister Lucy’s that seems to nail the relatability. It seems unheard of for a new artist to sound so familiar, yet this is what’s happening here. It’s an exciting time to be a fan, as surely Big Girl Pants’ is gonna deliver.



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Indie Central Music - Joel Borton - Polaroids

Singer-songwriter Joel Borton has released new single ‘Polaroids’, a ‘fun’ song about the end of his marriage. 

The Cincinnati, Ohio-based soloist started his project in 2018 on his return from living in England. Sighing synthwave music with melodic indie pop hooks, Borton then structures these elements around themes of loss, guilt, shame, and frustration in his songwriting.

‘Polaroids’ is Borton’s way of expressing his emotions over a secret stash of sexy photos. When they were dating, his wife took photos on an old camera and gave them to Joel as a keepsake. 


“It was a deeply intimate gesture and I kept them for years hidden away,” comments Joel. “Years later, I could not find them, and I realized she had taken them back and destroyed them. A few months later she asked for divorce. 

“This song tells that story and focuses on my early frustration in her using something I had bought for myself, and realizing in the larger picture, it was a petty thing to be upset about.”

Despite its sad and deeply personal lyrics, the track's energy is kept high throughout the five-minute tune. Even Joel’s recording engineer, Matt Latchaw, had to take a deep breath before taking a second crack at it. 

‘Polaroids’ was recorded at Sabbath recording in Cincinnati, OH and co-produced by Jacob Merritt of Pomegranates. Bass was recorded by Avery Benter of Coastal Club and guitars and synth were recorded by Alex McGrath of Turtledoves and Carriers.


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Nexus Music Blog - YONDER - Walls

It should come as little surprise that Nexus is willing to shout from the rooftops about the latest YONDER track ‘Walls’. Given that our support for the duo who make the act what it is, Alex and Dan Lisle has been consistent since the time that they emerged on the scene with SAHARAS. 


The beauty of YONDER is that the best parts of their musical catalogue can be heard within their releases as a duo. The pandemic may have made a situation come about where a versatile, DIY approach would be supported for being a bold choice in a difficult situation. But as with their previous releases, YONDER unapologetically up the ante with each release. 

Leading to ‘Walls’. A strong, colourful audio palate that is dripping with confidence, merged with reverberant vocals and an anthemic chorus to boot. ‘Walls’ competes for top spot amongst a back catalogue that is uniquely ear marked for its tonality, assurance and understanding. 

Overall, this is a fantastic release that provides yet more proof that YONDER need to be one to watch heading into 2022.

 
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It's All Indie - Courtney Cole - Light

With well over two million - and counting - plays on Spotify is one of the biggest artists we've 'discovered' in recent months. Courtney Cole's latest offering is "Light" and is her second single of 2021 following on from the successful "i miss you".

Speaking about the song Courtney mentions " ... "Light" was inspired by nature, written on the ocean as a poem, and was turned into a song. It was recorded in 528hz, which is an ancient healing frequency present throughout nature. I am a big believer in sound healing, so it's important for my music to not only heal emotionally, as all music does, but energetically as well."


Now, her vocals are the main event here, reaching some incredible highs and while they get ethereal you're almost transported to the clouds where only planes would fly. It really soars above and is certainly some of the best vocals we've heard in a good few years.

The track itself is equally as vibrant, with punchy drums, sizzling synth lines all backed up with her vocals (again I know, but seriously they're amazing) - move over Grimes, Courtney Cole might just be the next big thing in electro-pop.