King No-One – ‘Obsolete’
After a shit-hot 2020 with the release of ‘Not Willing to Sacrifice My Life’ and ‘Roll of the Dice’, King No-One are back with their latest track ‘Obsolete’. This is much less mental than their previous releases, with quite a mellow chorus with lead singer Zach behind the piano for it. The band continue to progress and grow, and are becoming a well rounded act. Surely it won’t be long until we see them on some of the bigger stages!
English Teacher – ‘R&B’
After starting out in 2020, English Teacher have put together a nice little batch of songs. So nice in fact, that I’m annoyed that I’m only discovering them now – shame on me. The track has a steady bass riff, with conversational-type vocals laid over the top of them, and it works so well. The vocal duo confess they’ve been “Writing R&B for you”, and I bet that will stick in your mind until the end of day. After hearing this one, I won’t be losing track of English Teacher anytime soon – excellent release from the Leeds quartet.
Bnny – ‘Time Walk’
We now have the shortest track of the bunch with Bnny’s track ‘Time Walk’. Since this release she has brought out ‘Ambulance’, but we want to throw some shine on this. The track is quiet and not at all in your face. Everything is hushed from the guitar parts to the vocals, which is actually quite calming. By the time your getting into it, singing along with “Time walk, time walk”, the track ends – and you have to hit play again.
Telemarkk – ‘Bloom’
Southampton duo Telemarkk are back for 2021, with their new track ‘Bloom’. This was the first I had heard of Telemarkk, and they were instantly put onto my summer playlists because it they’re just so laid back and chilled. The masterful ways they use the synths are a joy to listen to. Their hooks catch you in, with a similar sort of way Tame Impala does, but with a much pop-ier outlook. Can easily see myself with the windows rolled down driving to town listening to this one.
Extras – ‘Previous Scene’
Next up with have Burton-on-Trent quartet Extras who are you classic indie rock band. The drums on the track are quick and upbeat, really setting the the tone for the guitars to follow suit. The guitars are quite understated, there’s nothing fancy about them which I love, it’s really stripped back, no bells and whistle, lo-fi almost. Will be checking out some other tracks Extras have produced after listening to this one for sure.
Superbird – ‘Leopard Print No-Show’
It wouldn’y be a round-up without something funky, and Superbird have covered us this time with ‘Leopard Print No-Show’. The track is packed with these short, choppy guitars, which allow the vocals to be wildly exuberant, creating an overall funky session. Really fun track to listen to, if you need cheering up, stick this on and get down.
Daria Arkova- ‘Castle of Stones’
Daria Arkova is another artists who started her musical journey in 2020, and is here with her first release in 2021 with ‘Castle of Stones’. This is the most sombre on the list, as Daria almost creates a heartfelt ballad behind the piano. Reminding me of aspect of Lorde & Lana Del Rey, Daria has really nailed down the song-writing in this one as it proves to be one her strongest features – looking forward to future releases!
FlaKes – ‘Keep Going’
As if by pure coincidence, with have another track for you which has FUNK embedded into it’s soul. FlaKes have released their debut track ‘Keep Going’ which has a similar vibe to ‘Good Times’ (apologies for the general reference). The quick slights on the rhythm guitar mixed with the piano unleash a 70’s tone to it, but packaged with the production of a modern track. Interested to see where FlaKes go with their next track, hopefully it keeps the funk and the heart of it.