All the Latest Music News on Nagamag

Cinematic singer-songwriter Hannah Schneider will be releasing her latest single, ‘We’ll Be The Only Sound In The World’ on the 5th of November. The single is the first to be shared from her upcoming album Ocean Letters which will be released in September 2022 via Midnight Confessions. The singer is one half of the celebrated duo AyOwA who have received significant international support from the likes of Huffington Post, The Independent, VICE, The Line of Best Fit, CLASH Magazine and Wonderland Magazine as well as airplay from both BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens as well as BBC Radio 6’s 6mix with Nemone. Independently, Hannah Schneider has been nominated for several music prizes in Denmark, and has performed all over Europe, the UK and the USA.

https://twitter.com/HannahSchneide

Born and based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Hannah Schneider has previously both lived and toured in the UK. Hannah signed to Sony Music in 2009 and subsequently released two full-length albums - a self-titled debut in and Me vs I. In 2014, her third album Red Lines was released on Mermaid / Sony and UK label Lojinx. Her atmospheric sound has also recently appeared in the international nordic TV series Ride Upon the Storm. Constantly evolving, Schneider makes up part of the performance duo Philip | Schneider with fellow labelmate Josephine Philip.

https://www.instagram.com/hannahschneide/

As a daughter to two classical musicians, Hannah Schneider finds inspiration in a wide variety of artists including Hania Rani, Beach House, Satie, Björk, Hania Rani, Serge Gainsbourg and Debussy. The singer’s unique melancholic nordic sound calls to mind the likes of Olafur Arnalds, Aldous Harding and The Cinematic Orchestra.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8QTMG9Y/

Creating an intimate connection between the neo-classical and the modern, Hannah Schneider holds up a mirror to a melancholic world while gently decorating it with shimmering electronic embellishments and an escapable truth. ‘We Will Be the Only Sound in the World’ finds the balance between sensual and melancholic as the singer’s engaging charisma compliments her ambient Nordic soundscapes.

Speaking of the song, Hannah Schneider tells us: “This is the first single from my forthcoming album "Ocean Letters"- an album that is thematically inspired by Danish poet Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen and her little book of the same name, that talks about the evolution of the world as it is seen by the Ocean. This song is written from the perspective of a conch shell, telling its stories of the grains of sand and the waves that indented it, playing with the fact that seashells actually are a kind of amplifier of ambient noise. The song was written during a lockdown in Denmark this January, and it reflects the feeling of pandemic stillness - the lack of aeroplanes in the sky, and traffic sounds that usually create eternal background noise.”

A failure appeared right after SoftWave reached the pinnacle of their career thus far, touring with OMD (February 2020). The government’s new system of lockdowns and several restrictions pulled SoftWave away from their daily routine, deadlines, playing gigs and other immediate future plans.

http://www.softwavemusic.com/

But nothing can get in the way of SoftWave: Jerry kept on producing new music and Catrine observed how the Covid19 crisis affected people mentally around the world, which inspired her to write lyrics to the forthcoming new single “System Failure”. Some people have been struggling to accept the new normal and others simply chose to go with the stream. “System Failure” describes the duality of being isolated in many months without associating with others, and how much life with a computer can disturb the mind and even provoke frustration, depression and in rare cases – anger.

https://softwave.bandcamp.com/merch

The single seeks to show how important it is to maintain a permanent balance, a harmony between connecting with other people via a computer – and actually socializing in physical form.

https://twitter.com/SoftWaveMusic

A contrast between the modern and traditional way of communication, for lack of better wording. For the first time ever SoftWave has included vocoded vocals by Jerry, to emphasize how much certain people live their lives through a computer – and almost communicate to the world with it.

https://www.instagram.com/softwave_music/

The new single is followed by a music video that takes the song’s message to a higher level, reinforced by a Nordic and electric “popish energy”, delivered by the Danish synthpop duo you may know as SoftWave.

https://www.facebook.com/SoftWave-988522371165100/

Artist shared with Nagamag few words about his project and this song:

"Hip-hop was the music that I first fell in love with of my own accord when I was seven. By the time I was of an age to start playing in bands though, punk was what I was surrounded by and so that’s what I churned out. For over a decade I played in countless punk and metal bands. However, when my last band broke up, I decided I needed to make music on my own terms without relying too heavily on others. Still needing a musical outlet, I felt magnetized back to what had lit the pilot light of my drive for music two decades prior. There were definitely people who thought even the idea of me rapping was laughable. It got to me a bit but I didn’t let it stop me. Many late nights, churning up nothing but subpar lyrics and flows, I would feel defeated and an imposter. I’d listen to the rappers I loved and admired and feel foolish even trying to make music in the same genre. Several times I told myself I was done. It wasn’t worth all the failure and discouragement. For some reason though I couldn’t quit. I’d always pick it back up and try again. With a handful of years of practice and study I eventually I went from terrible to not half bad. I’m not under any illusion that I can currently compete with the majority of established underground rappers, but what I do know is, is that I keep getting better and making bigger strides. I’m finding more people who dig what I’m doing and want to support it. And I’ve learned that I can handle the continual feeling of defeat in order to pursue the passion that I cannot seem to shuck. I think it takes a small does of delusion to keep at it. I’m okay with that.

https://karras.bandcamp.com/

This song was a particular challenge for the producers who made the various versions. I recorded my vocals to a J Dilla track that fit the mood perfectly. Dilla being well-known for the “drunken drummer” approach, made the tempo difficult for a producer to successfully recreate. I wanted these producers to build an original and unique beat around my already recorded vocals and reverse engineer me a track that not only matched my vocal melodies but also my exact rhythm. I didn’t want them scooting my takes much or having to pitch correct to fit their melodic chord progression. Many talented producers gave it a shot and a few of them came through with some damn great beats. This version by Jack Lim is a whole different take than I would have expected stylistically and I wound up loving it. I think he brought a nice pop bounce to it that I've yet to establish in my catalog."

https://www.instagram.com/father.karras/
https://www.facebook.com/KINGKARRASMATIC/

https://matthibbard.bandcamp.com/

Matt Hibbard is an American musician, songwriter and mix engineer based in Dallas, Texas. With over 10 years serving the local community as a producer, engineer, vocalist & instrumentalist, he owns a full-service recording studio in Texas. He is best known as a founding member of the indie rock band Relick with his music in placements including Lea Thompson’s ‘The Year of Spectacular Men” & global television adverts featuring the band’s critically successful music.

https://www.instagram.com/matthibs/

https://www.instagram.com/senordraz/

This track was made to connect with anyone who has found themselves in a pattern of subconsciously choosing the wrong intimate partners. Even though we feel magnetised towards these characters and we truly see their inner beauty, it may not be enough for a successful relationship and can often lead to heart break.

https://arevieje.biglink.to/arevieje
https://www.instagram.com/arevieje/
https://www.facebook.com/areviejenahvimusic/

Inspired by our fellow Icelander’s Sigur Rós, our new single Endatafl is aimed at everyone who likes the evocative “Icelandic” sound, Icelandic Indie and Post-rock.

At the core Endatafl is a simple pop song, accessible to everyone, but with an emotional arrangement and a truly dramatic finale!

https://arstidir.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/arstidir
https://www.facebook.com/arstidir
https://www.instagram.com/arstidir/

Artist shared with Nagamag few words behind this song inspiration:

"I wrote this about my girlfriend at the time, when we first met. I liked her a lot really early on, but I knew it wasn't a situation to jump into a relationship. There was a lot of jealousy and shady actions from the both of us. This song displays the toxicity but love we shared. I wanted the instrumental to be up beat and have a dancehall style to it. When the producer sent my the finished product I knew it was going to be a hit."

https://twitter.com/_AlexRussell_
https://www.instagram.com/alexrussell__/
https://www.tiktok.com/@alexrussell__

"Alla Dat" is a fun, energetic, hot-girl-summer anthem. This song is all about getting everything you want out of life and living fabulously. Written by Imogen and Shawn Tyler and featuring a hard-hitting verse from rapper Sha, "Alla Dat" inspires listeners to be confident and have fun no matter who is watching.

https://linktr.ee/143imogen
https://www.instagram.com/143imogen/

https://www.facebook.com/enamusik

ena b. (aka Verena Bachinger) is an Austrian singer-songwriter based in Lisbon, Portugal. She writes about the places, people and experiences that have shaped her life and the things in the world that inspire us to speak out.

Her journey as a songwriter began in 2014, when she began studying composition and writing songs in Jerusalem, Israel. Over the next 2 years, she experimented writing in various genres and styles before moving to Lisbon in 2016.

Once in Lisbon, she began to write in earnest, tapping into a deep well of inspiration from her past and present, honing her craft and developing her own style. Influenced by the sounds of Americana, indie and classic folk, garage and artists like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Cat Power and Aimee Mann, she wrote dozens of songs and collaborated with various musicians from Israel, Portugal, USA and Austria.