NMF and 10 great singles out now

NMF and 10 great singles out now.

1. Julius Black – Boomerang

After earning international acclaim with his debut EP ‘Dopamine’, Julius Black launched his follow-up ‘Together We Go Down In The Dark’ by sharing its first track ‘Do You Still Dream?’. The single was heralded by Wonderland as “a triumphant return” as Julius continued to add to the tastemaker tips that have positively compared him to Frank Ocean, Phoebe Bridgers and Rex Orange County.

Julius Black now shares a second taste of the EP by sharing the new single ‘Boomerang’. The track is set to add to the 1.1 million streams that Julius has already amassed at Spotify alone. Listen HERE.

‘Boomerang’ is representative of Julius’s ability to embellish songs that initially feel deceptively simple with a selection of intriguely off-kilter production ideas. Vocals and guitar are the foundation for a series of unorthodox touches as swooning vocal harmonies, detuned synths and constantly evolving beats continually add creative yet cohesive curiosities. It’s a song which defies simple categorisation, touching upon alt-pop, singer-songwriter and R&B without being defined by any one genre.

2. Twin Atlantic – Get famous

Twin Atlantic today unveil the tongue-in-cheek video for their brand new single ‘Get Famous’, taken from upcoming new album Transparency – out January 7th – which sees a new chapter unfold in the Scots’ prolific career.

Following the recent charismatic and swaggering ‘Bang On The Gong’, as well as the frantic offering of ‘One Man Party’, new track ‘Get Famous’ is a part Glasgow rap, part punk rock rant – a diatribe on fast fame references from football, pharaohs, algorithms and student loans. No topic is off limits, and the video sees frontman Sam McTrusty embrace every single one in a bid to go viral – all filmed himself from his phone.

“Essentially, it’s me having a meltdown”, says Sam. “I’ve been obsessed with the Instagram account ‘Influencers In The Wild, which captures the best and worst of how desperate people can be for online clout. Makeup tutorials, juicing, landmark tours, kissing pets, posing in all your expensive clothes……it’s all mental, but I can’t seem to pull myself away from it – I’m addicted. In filming this video, I also became elements of what I hate. Even still, it was fun to make and indulge in all these guilty pleasures. Keeping little snippets of setting up and failed attempts was important. Those are the darkest moments of social media that we rarely get to see.”

3. Louis Dunford – My Generation

Following the release of his recent acclaimed EP ‘The Morland’, Louis Dunford has released his emotive new single ‘My Generation’ via Sony RCA UK, showing off yet another dimension to the singer/songwriter’s capabilities. The track is taken from Louis’ eagerly anticipated forthcoming EP which is set for release in February. Speaking about the release Louis says: ‘This song started as a poem that I wrote about members of my family and friendship circle and the struggles I see them take on everyday. When I sing every line I see each specific person and situation in my head. I started writing it in my notes on my phone one day in the pub. The line in the chorus “God only knows what we’re dying for” came directly from something my mate said to me over a pint. He was too pissed to remember when I told him. I always write about the people in my life but as this poem grew into a song I was nervous to play it to anyone as the characters are easily recognisable to people from my community and the situations I speak about in the lyrics are very personal. Luckily after playing it live for the first time at a gig last month in a room full of said people – I was met with nothing but love for it. The more I play it and the more love I receive for it from people from all different walks of life, the more I realise that these struggles and stories, though specific to the characters in my life and my generation, I know are problems that are faced universally’.

Louis recently performed two incredible headline shows at St Pancras Church which both sold out in under 4 minutes and will be playing a further sold out headline show at Lafayette next week on 9th November. In line with today’s release, Louis has announced another eagerly anticipated date at Union Chapel 22nd April. Tickets will be on sale at 10am on Tues 9th November here.

‘My Generation’ follows on from Louis’ acclaimed EP The Morland released in January which featured five tracks that encompass Louis’ honesty, humour and sheer likeability. From the depth of personal emotion showcased on Ballad of Benjamin to the cheerfully nostalgic lead track When We Were Hooligans, the EP was a perfect introduction to the unique sound of Louis Dunford.

4. Marco Parisi – New Horizons

The fourth single to be released from the project, ‘New Horizons’ follows ‘Symbols’, dubbed a “soaring musical experience” by American Songwriter, and earlier singles ‘Lyra’ and ‘Flying to America’. “Untitled” showcases twelve ambient tracks that were recorded in minimal takes, often featuring improvisation. From travelling abroad to family, love and life experiences, the project captures an array of cinematic soundscapes and emotions, with sonic peaks and valleys that mirror life’s most intimate and grandiose moments.

Due for release on November 19 via global artist services company Platoon, the album will make history as the first ever to be recorded entirely using a Seaboard, an innovative keyboard-style MIDI controller that allows users to achieve the same level of expression on an electronic instrument as they might on an acoustic instrument.

5. Cat Burns – It’s Over

6. Solar Eyes – See The Sun

Lowslung sonic explorers SOLAR EYES are set to release their third single in the space of six hectic months. Following on from ‘Acid Test and ‘Naked Monkey On A Spaceship’ they now have the film score-esque cracker ‘I See The Sun’ ready to unleash upon the world.

‘I See The Sun’ was concocted after a conversation between Glenn Smyth, Solar Eyes’ main protagonist, and Jeff Knowler, the band’s mixer. Glenn had commented that he had written this cool ’60s-sounding Tarantino track on a newly acquired 12 string guitar. Jeff had suggested Glenn watch ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ (the fantastic Tarantino film) before recording it. Glenn duly did and then decamped to his loft to catch the ‘I See The Sun’ sun.

There, at the top of the stairs and within touching distance of the stars, Glenn fully immersed himself in the late ’60s, a hazy era of resounding reverb and echo chambers liberally topped with sultry Morricone-coded twangings. Glenn contemplated putting his dad’s old flares on for full on authenticity, but luckily was unable to find them.

7. Foals – Wake Me Up

Ambitious in scale and execution, Foals’ two-part album ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’ took them to new heights as they shot to #1 on the Official Album Charts for the first time and earned the BRIT Award for Best Group. Now Foals share their brand new single ‘Wake Me Up’ as the first taste of their eagerly anticipated new album, which will follow in 2022.

A pared-back counterpoint to the sheer scale of ‘Everything Not Saved…’, ‘Wake Me Up’ shimmers with choppy, Chic-esque guitars, tight syncopated rhythms and Foals’ prototype flair for punchy, insistent hooks. It feels like a natural evolution, blending fresh influences with echoes of their roots as purveyors of rambunctious house party chaos.

Frontman Yannis Philippakis says, “There’s a journey that the band has gone on experimenting with different palettes of sound. This time there was a desire to take it back to more of the initial idea of the band where the rhythm, the grooves and the guitars are interlocking architecturally. We wanted to tap into the physicality of music. And we wanted it to feel good.”

The song’s escapist lyrics are also a departure from Foals’ previous project. Yannis and bandmates Jimmy Smith and Jack Bevan would arrive for writing sessions at their small, airless rehearsal room in Peckham early in the morning. By the time they were finished for the day, darkness would have already enveloped South London. ‘Wake Me Up’ took shape in the midst of Britain’s already bleak mid-winter, which became ever oppressive as COVID restricted the world around us. It proved to be a subliminal influence on Foals, too, their creativity becoming as much a reflection of their environment as it is from their inner inspiration.

Yannis adds, “With ‘Wake Me Up’, I just wanted to write a song about transporting yourself to a better, idyllic situation.  I think we all had that feeling of the last eighteen months being like a weird fever dream that felt surreal but very affecting. I think we all wished we could have woken up somewhere else at various points.”

8. Esther Abrami – Swan Lake Variation

UK-based French violinist Esther Abrami, today unveils her new single ‘Swan Lake Variation’ by Russian composer Pjotr Ilitsch Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893). LISTEN HERE

Accompanied by Iyad Sughader, Esther performs a new piece based on a melody taken from ‘Scene Moderato’, one of the most famous themes in classical music history and part of the ballet ‘Swan Lake’ by Pjotr Tchaikovsky. Composed in 1877 and adored by audiences for over a hundred years, ‘Swan Lake’ is a timeless love story where love, tragedy and wizardry blends, to create one of the most popular ballets of all time.

The piano accompaniment contrasts the slow melody of the violin and forms a contrast to the slow melody of the violin and the overall movement of the piece by playing a dynamic arpeggio chord pattern. It creates the effects of looking at an ocean: peaceful from afar, but getting closer we realize that this calm surface is composed of innumerable small waves. When discussing her choice to perform ‘Swan Lake Variation’, Esther says: “Swan Lake’ is the first ever ballet I went to see as a young girl so it has a very special place in my heart. The idea for this single was to reimagine the original music for a violin and piano duet and give it a new and contemporary touch.’’

The single has been arranged by drummer, composer and producer Ketan Bhatti, who, like Esther, wants to fade boundaries between music genres and cultural spheres. Ketan worked on numerous theater and film music productions, and notably arranged music for urban dance ensemble ‘Flying Steps’. He recently released his album ‘Trickster Orchestra’ via ECM Records.

Esther Abrami will be opening for Katherine Jenkins OBE, biggest selling classical artist of the century, on her 2021 headline UK tour, starting this November. Cherished as one of Britain’s all-time favourite singers, in 2017 Katherine Jenkins was officially crowned the No.1 selling ‘Classical Music Artist of the Last 25 Years’ by Classic FM, and made chart history when her last album ‘Guiding Light’, became her 13th UK Classical No.1 album.

9. Shane Codd – It Ain’t Right

Irish breakout star Shane Codd has unveiled his new single ‘It Ain’t Right’, out now on Polydor.

Delving further into the sugar-sweet vocals and euphoric piano chords that have characterised his output to date, ‘It Ain’t Right’ is an exercise in feelgood dancefloor energy from a master of the sound. Always serving as a highlight of his live sets, ‘It Ain’t Right’ has become a clear favourite amongst fans; its release is an end of the year gift to them ahead of his final shows of 2021. It precedes Sheffield (26th Nov), Dublin (8th Dec) and Belfast (9th Dec), also supporting Jax Jones on his recent UK tour, as he continues his surge through the ranks.

His third single release to date, ‘It Ain’t Right’ follows on from ‘Get Out My Head’ and ‘Always On My Mind’ featuring Charlotte Haining, tracks that were both #1 US Dance Radio singles and have amassed over 80 million combined streams on Spotify alone.

10. The Taylor Twins – El Capitan

With just two singles to their name, The Taylor Twins have earned the support of Radio X and Wonderland, adding to the initial backing they received under the name Butterfly, which included Radio 1, 6 Music, Ruben Nielson (Unknown Mortal Orchestra), Sean Ono Lennon, Willie J Healey, Mystery Jets, Dave Gregory (XTC) and Rodney Bingenheimer.

Now The Taylor Twins – Ollie (vocals/guitar) and Eddie (vocals/bass) – continue their colourful, multi-genre adventures with their new single ‘El Capitan’. As with their previous singles ‘Lost All The Summer’ and ‘Still Play Your Game’, ‘El Capitan’is released via their own Rørvig Records. Listen HERE.

‘El Capitan’ finds the 22-year-olds diving into a kaleidoscopic melting pot of muscular alt-rock, exuberant power pop and stylish psychedelia. It’s a sound which is sweet and stinging in each measure, their space-age synths, celestial harmonies and raucous riffs bringing a flash of effervescent colour as winter approaches.