Crown Lands – Fearless
Progressive Rock
81%
There are two sides to love – the love we give and the love we receive. The latter needs little explanation; we all want someone to care for us and support us unconditionally, someone who understands us and finds joy and comfort in being around us. It’s a need built into every soul, and in a way being that person for someone brings its own reward. It feels good to be there for someone, to be their rock, their shelter from the storm. When you feel like just one tiny person in a big wide world, it can bring solace to know that to one person you are the world. However, as up-and-coming singer/songwriter Rachel Newnham attests on her debut single, sometimes there’s little comfort to be found when the love you give far outweighs that which you receive in return. The poignant indie pop balladry of ‘Nobody Loves You Like I Do’ is a tender reflection on how it feels to be under-appreciated in a relationship, setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm, and yet holding on regardless as you still have so much love to give.
2023 is proving to be the year of the supergroup. First a full album from Boygenius, and now new project FIZZ pops up from out of nowhere! This fabulous four-piece, comprised of longtime friends and collaborators Dodie, Orla Gartland, Martin Luke Brown and Greta Isaac, is the band I never knew I needed. If their arrival out of the blue had afforded me any time to form expectations, their debut single would have blown them away. ‘High in Brighton’ is every bit as effervescent as the band’s name promises. This vibrant slice of playful psychedelic pop boasts boundless energy, thunderous drums, towering harmonies, and 70s Queen levels of whimsy, bombast and theatricality. With a debut album on the way in no time flat – The Secret to Life due 15th September – there’s not long left to wait for another electrifying hit of whatever else the band have up their sleeve.
When you’re a kid you get told constantly that “these are the best years of your life”, and not once do we ever believe it at the time. It’s only with hindsight that we appreciate those carefree days for what they were. From this, we often end up taking away the unhelpful conclusion that we should have done no end of things differently. We can’t change the past however, but what we can do is use those lessons to shape the now. You never know when the part of your life that you’re currently living will be something you look back on as “the good ol’ days”, so may as well live it to its fullest to ensure that your future self has no more regrets. With ‘Body’, Nashville’s Briston Maroney pledges not to take the small things for granted, to feel every emotion at its deepest, and seize the day at every opportunity. Taken from his forthcoming album Ultrapure, out 22nd September, this new single is an earnest exploration of how life’s fleeting nature can make every moment burn brighter if you let it. With a superb video, blending playful live action and imaginative animation, and home one of the most anthemic choruses of the year, ‘Body’ is ablaze with heartfelt ardour and joie de vivre.

The latest fad within the tech world is spreading like wildfire; and unlike the volatile nature of environmentally irresponsible cryptocurrencies, the completely undesired push for the ‘metaverse’, and the blatant worthlessness of NFTs, this one actually has the potential to become part of the average person’s everyday life. For better or for worse, 2023 has seen a major push in the field of AI generated art. With the right program, anyone can input a brief prompt and be presented in mere moments with visuals or written content devised by a complex algorithm. It’s a technology fraught with caveats and controversies, moral quandaries and technical limitations, and before we’ve had the chance as a society to figure any of them out, the AI drive is already moving towards another artistic platform – music. What does this brave new world have in store? Continue reading
We all end up losing the people we love in the end. One day they’re by your side making the world a brighter place, and the next you’re left trying to navigate life without them. But as hard as sudden goodbyes are, there’s something especially harrowing about losing someone piece by piece. The new single from Northern Irish singer/songwriter Bea Stewart tells a story that will feel all too familiar to anyone that’s lost a loved one to dementia. The pain of seeing them slowly fade away, fearing the day when you may be forgotten completely. ‘Ice Cream in the Rain’ reflects on the good times together that disappear into haze as the memories fade. It finds solace in the fact you shared those moments in the first place, and offers a reminder that the person you knew still exists in those little vignettes exactly as you remember them. Between the beautifully bittersweet music video and Bea’s poignant retelling of her own personal story, it’s one of the most moving tracks you’re likely to come across in 2023.
The most common lie ever told is “I’m fine”. Barely a day goes by where we don’t say some words to that effect, but how often do we truly mean them. Sometimes it’s just easier to lie when someone asks how you’re doing than it is to burden them with all the stress or worry or pain that’s weighing you down. Sometimes it’s ourselves that we’re truly lying to – maybe if you just say you’re okay often enough, even when you’re not, it might be enough to make it so. When we’re at our lowest, most in need of help and yet most terrified to ask for it, somewhere deep down we long for someone to call our bluff. We long for someone to say “you’re not okay, not really, what’s wrong?”, but often everyone’s too busy keeping up their own façade to peer too closely at someone else’s. The new single from New Jersey born singer/songwriter Jeremy Zucker lovingly calls us on our bullshit, and offers the helping hand and comforting words that we’re too damn proud to ask for. Everyone’s struggling with something, and ‘OK’ as such strives to be a song for everyone. From its lush sun-drenched arrangement, to the solace that can be found in the empathetic and compassionate lyricism, here’s a radiant and heartfelt track I’d recommend to anyone going through a rough time to help keep the dark clouds at bay.