Hello! Lisa here. Every month, I'll be digging through the best new submissions on Musosoup, picking out a handful of tracks that have pricked up my ears and piqued my interest. Hopefully you’ll like some of them too!
It’s a pleasingly mixed genre bag this month, with swaggering psych rock, pretty indie pop, fingerpicked folk and more all coming to the fore. Poems For Dead People, meanwhile, might be my favourite find on Musosoup so far: though the trend for alt-leaning sprechgesang hit saturation point a few years ago, ‘It Is Howling Here’ is a totally different type of spoken word that justifies its literary moniker. Enjoy!
Poems For Dead People - It Is Howling Here
Former metal vocalist turned spoken word poet Ryan Kent has the sort of steady, intoxicating baritone that you could listen to for hours. A deep rumble, whispered in your ear over buzzing industrial bass and scattershot electronics, it’s the grounding force of this second track from his Poems For Dead People project. Atmospheric and evocative, Kent nails an oblique sort of description that paints the edges of the picture and lets you fill in the blanks: “It rains so hard sometimes, all the lights go off / Can you feel that chill? / How much did it cost?” As the nights grow long, it’s the perfect stormy soundtrack.
The Family Battenberg - Foggy
The Family Battenberg’s (let’s face it, ridiculous) name has been popping around the UK live circuit for a little while now, building a reputation for a psych-rock wig out that nods to the retro-leaning tendencies of fellow Cardiff types Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, with a glint of Sabbath in its eye. Fittingly, debut EP ‘Spider Rock Forever’ was recorded at the Buzzards’ HQ and ‘Foggy’ is its glam-stomping, no nonsense, two-minute introduction. With swagger in spades and the riffs turned up to 11, Mr. Kipling won’t know what hit him.
Lady Nade - Rainbow
Another mesmeric vocal here, but in a wildly different direction. Bristol-based Lady Nade has one of those resonant, affective tones that make it all seem effortless; there’s a little bit of Tracey Chapman in there or, more recently, the spine-tingling voice of LA singer Annahstasia. Played out over simple, finger-picked acoustic guitars that build into gentle layers of instrumentation, it’s all kept purposefully spare, allowing her stunning voice to take centre stage.
Edwina Van Kuyk - Never Not To Know Each Other Again
Centred around a wistful melodic hook that brings to mind Sixpence None the Richer’s all-time classic ‘Kiss Me’, ‘Never Not To Know Each Other Again’ is a similarly doe-eyed portrayal of falling headfirst into romance. “Taught me to let go and trust the process / Now I can’t help but notice a whole new point of view,” swoons Limerick-based Edmina Van Kuyk amidst an unabashedly loved up song that exists in the honeymoon period where the hope is endless and the soundtrack is similarly heart-tugging. It’s pretty songwriting, and refreshingly cynicism-free.
Ask Carol - Cold July
Listen to any of the powerful protest music that fingerpicked its way onto the stage at Newport Folk Festival over the years and you’ll know that it doesn’t take someone shouting the loudest to make an impact. Paying homage to that tradition with their latest, ‘Cold July’ finds Oslo duo Ask Carol addressing the climate crisis and the revolutionary spirit of youth with a track full of quiet grit. “Kids are marching in the streets again / Trying to make you people understand,” they sing, following references to Greta Thunberg’s game-changing teenage protest made all the more stirring against the sonic softness.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Stay updated with the latest Muso news, tips, and success stories. Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss an update!
