All the Latest Music News on Nagamag

In Havana, recording sessions are done a little differently. Musicians and producers gather at recording studios, where a well-stocked bar and ample Wi-Fi are available in the lobby. A sense of ease and relaxation permeates the air -- people gather not just to produce recordings, but to create art with each other in a communal music experience.

In the case of ESPONTÁNEO, or “spontaneous,” this quasi-live album was sparked while PARMA team members were in Havana for a recording session trip. Dayron Ortega, an accomplished guitarist and PARMA’s Lead Producer for Cuba sessions, invited his friends Maykel Elizarde and Eduardo Silveira to the studio during the session week. Elizarde lives in a remote village in Cuba and his guitar prowess had been virtually unknown until the release of his first album, SOUTH COUNTY, with Ansonica Records. Elizarde and Silveira, a renowned Cuban percussionist, entered the recording room from the lobby, and the three began to play what become a fusion of a recording and a jam session. Dayron began calling out tunes, which his counterparts would listen along to and then respond and embellish. If Elizarde and Silveira didn’t know the tune by name, they would quickly pick up the melody as Ortega started playing, and then would take it in a whole new, energized direction.

ESPONTÁNEO demonstrates a different side of the music production world -- one where the craft of performance itself and the shared musical moment is not lost in the effort for a perfect take. The groove, spice, and free-flowing energy of this album offers a view into the everyday life of the Cuban music-lover.

The ethereal sounds and storyline are exploring and commenting on themes magnified during the pandemic, such as doubt and self-reflection.

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Ice Breaker is the second single release from Never Better, and a pure feel-good track. Reminiscent of Franky’s Floridian roots, hearing the song makes anyone dream of sandy beaches, palm trees and roller skates. The animation video by Andree-Anne Mercier is an honest tribute to the vibe

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Following a run of massive mainstage festival performances, including Reading & Leeds Festival, TRNSMT, Neighbourhood and Latitude, this summer, Sea Girls have revealed the brand new video for their infectiously honest single ‘Sick’. The track is taken from their highly-anticipated new album Homesick – out 14th January 2022 on Polydor. https://seagirls.lnk.to/HomesickPR

Directed by Joseph Delaney (Ashnikko, HMLTD) in Hackney, the stunningly shot video sees lead singer Henry Camamile reflecting in his gloomy room on all the things that make him sick. “It was very important that this video felt real and didn’t stray from the intended feelings of frustration and repetition I was feeling in my life when this song was written,” Henry said of the video. “Being a filmmaker Joseph our Director totally felt the song’s meaning.”

A band well and truly into their stride, Homesick sees Sea Girls, Henry Camamile, Rory Young, Andrew Dawson and Oli Khan, deliver thirteen measures of guitar driven pop brilliance including 2 bonus Deluxe tracks. A deeply personal record, lead singer Henry Camamile returned to his childhood home in Lincolnshire at the wake of the pandemic, finding himself having to address and reflect on events from his past, both good and bad. A cathartic process, Henry leaves nothing to the imagination with his astute storytelling and candid lyrics. Delving into some of his darkest moments, the uplifting album comes as a sense of relief, a gratefulness for survival. Lyrically raw and packed to the brim with hooks, the band step into new realms with an added sense of maturity and a bigger ambitious sounding record.

Teaming long-term producer Larry Hibbitt with Grammy Award winning Producers Jacknife Lee, Jonny Coffer and Cass Lowe to co-produce the record, Henry reflects on the process: “Imagine us locked down in the studio in rainy Brixton working with the producers remotely on the album in California’s Topanga Canyon. That clashing of worlds is the sound of this record, the DNA. Making an album this way, remotely and 5000 miles apart, was a crazy idea and shouldn’t have worked, but it did.”

Sea Girls, one of the most exciting guitar bands to have emerged in recent times, are the torchbearers for the next wave. Delivering sing-along anthems for the masses, the band’s journey is well and truly on its way.

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The Key Rocks is an independent solo project by Irish Musician and Producer Kevin James Murphy. The Key Rocks applies a low cost, lofi, approach to recording to demonstrate that in this crazy world where there is some much expectation on things being perfect, mad consumerism, and overproduction, that it is possible, without breaking the bank, to get your music out there globally with a little bit of focus and effort. The Key rocks maintains a simple approach. Limited takes, trying to keep the recordings authentic, home-recorded with basic equipment, and with only a limited amount of overdubbed tracks. The songs are written from either a personal or an observational perspective and capture real moments or feelings that I have experienced or observed.

The Line is a song about a moment in time where two people met and had a deeply meaningful experience together. The future was full of promise with a long journey ahead. But for reasons unknown, and due to complications things don’t work out as expected and turn to the worst. If only they had had more time as they crossed a line during their brief time together. If only they had given each other more time . . . . as now it has all turned to dust.

It was recorded in a kitchen in Kuala Lumpur, and kept as simple as possible in line with the simple message in the song.

The Line (acoustic) appears on the album Deja Reve released during 2020.

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Arist shared with Nagamag few words behind this song inspiration:

“ I had just finished a hike through a fragrant forest of juniper, piñon and pines trees, to clear my head. As I was walking through the trees, I felt strength and release in my body, mind and spirit, and thought of the forest as a kind of ‘chapel of the soul'. When I got home to the studio, the energy of the forest was still with me, and the song was born.” - Diane Arkenstone

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Award-Winning, International touring all female group, ViVA Trio returns with their new single WILD and FREE! Famous songwriter and Multi-Platinum UK Producer Ryan Louder, who’s worked with Dua Lipa and Dido, co-wrote and produced this track with ViVA Trio. This stunning song is an anthem of freedom and fearlessness. A centerpiece track of their upcoming concept album, WILD and FREE serves up cinematic drama and fantasy with an epic symphonic track and soaring vocals.

With tours spanning from Europe to the USA to Canada, the trio’s music has been featured on commercials in South Korea, on TV in Europe, Russia and Canada, and on 25 radio stations worldwide, including iHeart Radio Stations. Their recent releases have been featured on all the top four Canadian music blogs and more than 15 music blogs/magazines internationally. In under a week, their recent original song SIREN SONG received 13K views on YouTube, and over 50K plays on Spotify. ViVA Trio’s recent single LORIEN gathered over 90K views on Facebook.

WILD and FREE is another chapter in the unfolding of ViVA Trio’s upcoming concept album release, coming for this Winter. Lose yourself in the fantasy, let your hair down, and live in every moment with ViVA Trio’s powerhouse song: WILD and FREE.

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● JOPLYN is a young and upcoming songwriter, vocalist and producer / DJ from Berlin and her last electronica / house singles have already been remixed by electronic heavyweights such as Booka Shade, HOSH, John Monkman, 8Kays, Robot Koch, Florian Kruse...

● In the past, JOPLYNs work has been reviewed positively by major publications such as Clash Magazine, Kaltblut Magazine, Musikexpress, Billboard Asia, Business Punk and DJ Mag.

Several songs were also featured on Spotify’s playlists such as: Off Pop, New Music Friday Germany & UK, Indie Radar, Gegen den Strom, Electronic Rising, Lowkey Tech, or Dance Brandneu... JOPLYN was also recently handpicked by the Spotify Editorial team to be featured in their SPOTIFY RADAR program which aims to bring exciting newcomer artists to an international audience. She now has about 100k Monthly Listeners and about 5M streams.

● Her single “OUTER SPACE” was featured for over 2min on the new NETFLIX show “WE ARE THE WAVE” (3rd episode) and garnered over 30k Shazams.... Check out the elaborate official music video here: https://youtu.be/mffb3CxKxZQ

● JOPLYN has released over 2 dozen songs already and with her last single “SLOWLY START AGAIN” Joplyn delivered a mid-tempo electronic song which interacts between melancholic and euphoric moods and lyrics. Watch the official vibey music video here: https://youtu.be/k9QNeghk_XY

● She also recently collaborated with electronic giants BOOKA SHADE again and is featured on their latest single “POLAR LIGHTS” which they co-wrote together as well as with FLORIAN KRUSE (Kompakt, Blaufield Music, Terminal M) with whom she did a collaboration with the track “HOURGLASS” last year.

● One of her last singles “MIND ACTRESS”, a vibrant deep house song also featured an elaborate music video, shot in Berlin. JOPLYN wrote the script, directed the video herself and also did the editing to exercise her full creative vision, watch here: https://youtu.be/VIOEcsu7IM0
● For her latest single “SEVERA (daughter of fate)” JOPLYN cleverly combines different elements to an exciting mixture of: Berlin Club Beats, ancient ethnic vocal samples, her own angelic voice and analogue synths and weird arrangements. Check out the music video that JOPLYN filmed and directed on her recent trip through Italy: https://youtu.be/oR00-ofwdRU

● Music Commentary:

The track starts directly with a driving beat and a syncopated vocal chop before the main “old fado vocal sample” gets introduced. The vocal exclaims pain and emotion, supported by warm synths and strings and a melodic line that mirrors the key element. Joplyn’s own vocals enter and warmly keep the melancholic feeling going, while the new bassline and added drums keep the groove going.

In the breakdown the fado sample gets filtered in parallel to the old solina pads and strings creating a mystical yet familiar wam vibe, the drums and synths keep building before the peak of the song.

Now the beat and heavy bassline drive the energy alone and the main elements slowly get re-introduced with added vocal ad-libs and more dramatic synths before the song fades out into the sea of time...

● Lyric Commentary:

“Severa (daughter of fate)” is an homage to Maria Severa, a Portuguese singer and guitarist, claimed to be the first Fado singer. Her influence was paramount to the creation of the genre. The beginnings of Fado can be traced back to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably have much earlier origins. Lyrical themes often include the sea or the life of the poor, infused with a sentiment of resignation, fate and melancholia. Until this day, Fado has remained an integral part of national tradition and identity.

JOPLYN celebrates the perpetuity of Maria Severa’s impact on Portuguese art and culture, insisting that she remains a source of inspiration for generations to come. Her impact transcends time and place, almost manifesting her as this divine spirit watching over the streets of Lisbon, giving creativity to those who seek it - “Now every street echoes your name. Mythical woman. The Daughter of Fate.”

Electronica duo BYLJA is releasing their debut EP Sojourn on the 24th of September via Springstoff. On the EP, listeners will find ‘Unity & Division’ as well as the previously released singles, ‘Rings Of Eradication’ and ‘Another State Of Matter (featuring Rumpistol)’. For the old-school listeners, the EP will also be released on vinyl. With their chilled sound, the duo have received support from several unique publications including Comeherefloyd, VENTS Magazine, Rock & Pop and Bands Of Tomorrow. The duo have made themselves at home on stage, appearing at several of Denmark’s biggest festivals including

Spot Festival, Uhørt Festival, Smukfest, and Stella Polaris, as well as sharing a stage with well-known acts such as Maribou State and Lydmor. Offstage, the duo have also provided official remixes for German duo KIDSØ and Czech duo teepee.

Born and based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Marchel Mørk and Emil Aagaard met each other at a school musical and bonded over their love of cheese and synthesizers. They formed BYLJA in 2018, where they would explore the inspiring sounds of Jon Hopkins, Christian Löffler and Boards of Canada in their music. The Sojourn EP sits closely to these influences, drawing parallels to the works of Kiasmos, Rival Consoles and Bonobo.

Building a futuristic universe with their atmospheric tones, the listener is drawn into the vast, awe-inspiring chasms of space and sound created by BYLJA. It’s within this melancholic tinged world that we find Sojourn, delicately hanging in the balance and providing a light, escapist cheer to the soundscapes. Be prepared to be lulled into a deep reverie as the mesmerizing forward-moving beats keep all entranced in their wake.

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