Charlie Ashcroft’s Musosoup Round-Up February 2024
Charlie Ashcroft: Presenter @amazingradio, DJ @SomebodyTM_Club. Also a @QPR fan, a @RecCollMag columnist + #Spotify Playlist curator with @music_gateway
Continuing 2024 in fine style, here are ten discoveries from a wide cross-section of musical styles, freshly plucked from my MusoSoup submissions list in February. Enjoy!
Once again I’m using this column to heap praise on Lucie Glang, whose new track ‘Seagull’ is absolutely stunning. Following up her previous release ‘Friend’ which I wrote about on here in January, Lucie’s put out another memorable piece of well-crafted acoustic pop.
Another act making a quick return to this column, after a very strong start to the year, are Learn To Surf, with a mellow slab of slow-burning dream pop in the shape of ‘Passing By’. Lovely instrumental textures on this this one.
February also saw a great collaboration land in my inbox from Aimés and Ethan Conway. ‘I Still Think About You All The Time’ is soulful indie-pop of the highest order, courtesy of the talented Sydney-based pair.
Back in the UK, Liverpool quartet Sleeping Together have gone and struck gold with their new new single, ‘Daisy (Marc Jacobs)’. It’s an impressive radio-friendly concoction of sun-soaked riffs and excellent group harmonies.
Another big release to surface in the MusoSoup feed in the past few weeks came from HoneyWire. ‘Lovely’ straddles nostalgic synthpop and heartfelt pop noir to glorious effect.
Proklaim is someone else who I’ve written about here before, so it’s fantastic to have him back in our midst with ‘BAD TING’. Without question, one of my favourite rap songs to be released this year. An artist on truly prolific form at the moment.
Turning our attention to the club for some commercially-minded EDM, we head to Scandinavia for the brilliant Assa Music. The Norwegian producer has reworked ‘Typical’, originally by Alok and Steve Aoki, and the results are superb.
Melbourne singer-songwriter Magdalia also made an impactful return this past month with ‘Hold It Up’. Teaming up with Mayzie Chew, the song is a bona fide campfire folk anthem, with added film-soundtrack-pop sheen. Wonderful stuff.
I loved playing by The Avelons on my Amazing Radio show recently and it makes sense to give them a shout out on here too! ‘Chit Chat’ is a genuine belter, centred around a glorious chorus and some delightful nods to classic powerpop and surf rock.
Last up, The New Nostalgia. ‘A Fridge in Berlin’ is a high-octane maelstrom of commentary-laden punk, carrying on in exhilarating fashion from where they left off with their ‘BLEED & BLOOM.’ LP back in 2022. It’s huge.