We’re all a little haunted by who we were, and who we thought we’d be. We start out life so naïve and ambitious, head full of dreams, picturing ourselves as the main character in some epic adventure. As time goes by, our stories seldom lead to the glorious highs we envisioned. Life gets in the way, fresh hurdles and challenges get written into the plot, ever more pages appearing between where you are now and the happy ending you’re working towards. We coast through the years, just trying to get by, until our story becomes so unfamiliar that it feels like it was written by someone else entirely. What would our younger selves think of us now, I wonder? Perhaps that’s we get so drawn to tales of great heroes and fantastical worlds – because after too long in the real world, we start to feel like side characters in our own story. ‘Ghostwriter’ finds Megan Dixon Hood trying to reckon with the stranger described in all the ink scrawls laid before her, and where her idea of herself fits within the story so far, before resolving that the ending is still yet to be written. A stunning return to her bewitching gothic folk roots, ‘Ghostwriter’ is a powerful reminder that every new day is a blank page, and a new chance to rewrite your own story.
top tracks
Top Tracks: Cristina Hart – Little Crimes
It’s been said that when you look at someone through rose tinted glasses, all their red flags just look like flags. You can become so besotted with the wrong person that you can no longer see them for who they truly are. You’ll keep getting hurt time and again, yet still believe every insincere apology. Your friends will worry about you, call out the toxicity for what it truly is, and in response you’ll just keep making excuses for the one who hurt you and say “you don’t know them like I do”. Eventually some transgression will be the one that tips the scale and causes their glamour to drop, finally letting you see the way they’re treated you. “I know what you’re like, now that I’m on the other side“. Our favourite pop rock powerhouse Cristina Hart crushes those discarded rosy glasses beneath her boot heels on her fierce new single ‘Little Crimes’. Full of fire and confidence, it’s all about calling someone out for the pain and frustration they’ve put you through, all the time and energy you wasted telling yourself they were right for you, and making a promise to yourself never to welcome them back into your life. I’m loving the edge, energy, and self-assuredness woven into Cristina’s recent singles; keeping the momentum going, and growing the anticipation for what the next era has in store for this rising star.
Top Tracks: Exploring Birdsong – Romanticise
I love a good villain song – they were the highlight of practically every Disney film as a kid. Villains in movies always seem to be having a blast; hogging the spotlight, chewing the scenery, performing ridiculously over-the-top acts of wickedness and skulduggery. The kind of villainy we encounter in real life however is nowhere near as charming. Everyday evil is something simple, banal and empty. We rationalise the actions of those that hurt us as something intentionally antagonistic and spiteful, because that makes sense, moreso than the reality that toxicity is often just their broken default setting. ‘Romanticise’, from progressive pop trio Exploring Birdsong, takes the everyday evil of a toxic relationship and dials it up to moustache twirling levels of villainy.
Written from the perspective of the perpetrator, it depicts someone with a well of malice within, who sees the world through red lenses. Someone eager to cause pain (“I opened up your chest, your heart is on a plate, So I filled the wound with salt, and put it on a flame“) and so cartoonishly wicked as to view positivity with derision and distain (“You could romanticise a car wreck at 80, the sky while it’s raining“). A great villain song delves into a darker place while still being a fun ride, and between the twisted lyricism, the gut-punch metal breakdown, and that addictive earworm chorus, Exploring Birdsong absolutely nailed it. ‘Romanticise’ is one of band’s best tracks to date, and I can’t get enough of it.
Top Tracks: Holly Humberstone – Die Happy
I’ve heard it said that falling in love is giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting them not to. There’s danger inherent in being so vulnerable with another person, to let so much of your own happiness ride on them. Holly Humberstone’s latest single embraces the danger. ‘Die Happy’ is all about throwing yourself into love, fully and recklessly. Whatever the outcome, the rush is worth it. Holly’s soft heady vocals carry a dreamy quality in the vein of Lana Del Rey, while the wistful synth work imbues the track with the same level of nostalgia and romanticism as a John Hughes movie. The beating heart of it all though is its gorgeous, bittersweet chorus. That earworm refrain of “if we crash and kiss the dash, baby, tragically, To die with you is to die happy” feels like a line lifted straight out of ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’. This kind of airy gothic romance suits Holly down to the ground, and leaves me eager to hear what other delights her next record will have in store.
Top Tracks: Patricia Atzur – Freddy Krooner
Things like grief, trauma and heartache have a way of lingering in the back of your mind long after you thought you were over it. A lovely day can be ruined by something innocuous triggering a memory you thought you’d long buried, or a peaceful night can be ruined by your subconscious mind reopening a dark chapter. Barcelona based artist Patricia Atzur perfectly captures the latter, the moment when dreams turn into nightmares, with her ingeniously titled new single ‘Freddy Krooner’. Opening with a gorgeous soft jazz melody that feels like the soundtrack to a romantic summer getaway on a sun-kissed tropical beach, the track takes a dramatic shift halfway through into darker territory. A frantic pace kicks in, urging you on as though some unseen terror is hot on your heels, as the wailing guitar begins to hum with the menace of a swarm of angry hornets, all before collapsing back into the tranquil setting where we first started. What’s more, the music video really adds to the dreamlike feel with its trippy and unnerving Twin Peaks style visuals, able to slip between the dreamy and the nightmarish with ease. On ‘Freddy Krooner’, Patricia Atzur not only hones in on a great concept, but commits to it wholeheartedly on every level, elevating it into something truly fascinating.
Top Tracks: Del Roscoe – Black Hats
The best folk songs are those that feel like they’re telling a story that’s been retold a thousand times. Words of wisdom that get passed down through generations, scary stories flitting from one fireside to another, tales warning about the horrors that lurk just beyond the woods. With ‘Black Hats’, Atlanta based Americana outfit Del Roscoe give voice to a cautionary tale that feels especially apt and timely for the world we find ourselves in. It sees the same old vicious cycle of hatred personified as some skeletal spectre heralding the end times; describing those that peddle fear and lies, stoking mistrust and division, all in order to sate their own greed and desire for control. Nestled within this twisted tale lay sage advice about how best to stand firm against the rising tide of darkness – shoulder to shoulder, in solidarity with one another, and refusing to give an inch. Pairing this prescient message with a wonderfully handcrafted video, with a pop-up book storytelling style and the band sporting uncanny paper mache masks, does wonders to add to the spooky campfire atmosphere. Breathing new life into an old warning that sadly oft needs repeating, ‘Black Hats’ is a story that deserves to be shared far and wide.
Top Tracks: Elina – Scars
The way a vinyl record crackles away in the background like white noise. When an artist hits a duff note, or snaps a string. Recordings that capture a singer taking in a breath, or doing their best to choke back tears during an especially emotional ballad. Nothing endears me to a piece of music more than moments of humanity like these. There’s just something so raw, so real, about having those flaws on full display, rather than trying to polish over them and hide them away from the world. If only we could embrace that same mentality when looking at ourselves in the mirror. Swedish singer/songwriter Elina celebrates the beauty in imperfection with her charming new single ‘Scars’. How every scar tells a story, every odd little quirk adds up to make us unique, and to the right person every fault we’d otherwise try our best to hide is what drew them to us in the first place. Teaming up with British singer James TW for this gorgeous duet, their voices intertwine beautifully to deliver a tender message of love and acceptance: “All of your flaws, You make them yours, Has it ever crossed your mind that they are what I love you for“.
Top Tracks: St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Sitting In The Corner
There’s such a vast library of music out there that it could take a hundred lifetimes to hear it all. While part of me wishes I had all the time in the world to listen to every single artist who would otherwise slip past my radar, I feel like that would somewhat diminish the joy of discovery. Half the fun of finding something special is knowing that it could have easily slipped through your fingers. Though most of my time is spent championing up and coming artists, often my most thrilling discoveries come from hearing an established act for the first time. Up until now, powerhouse soul ensemble St. Paul & The Broken Bones have managed to pass me by like a ship in the night, but upon hearing ‘Sitting In The Corner’ it feels like I’m just now stumbling upon a band that I was always destined to meet. Those soaring soulful vocals, the rich brass arrangement and sumptuous strings, the boundless energy of the drum beats – it’s just divine. Where has this band been all my life? You’re telling me I have half a dozen records of this splendour to dive into? Marvellous!
Top Tracks: Amelie Lucille – Polar
There’s nothing like hearing a voice that just stops you in your tracks. The world grinds to a halt, there is nothing else in that moment. That’s how I felt hearing ‘Polar’ for the first time – and every time since. It doesn’t dazzle me with intricate runs, or by belting out big notes; I’m instead utterly entranced by how assured and effortless it feels. There’s a deep soulful melancholy as dark and rich as a fine wine, coexisting alongside moments as airy and delicate as a dandelion seed carried by the faintest breeze to pastures new. It follows every mournful cry and elegant uplifting swell of the gorgeous string accompaniment as easily as breathing. Everywhere it wanders there’s a comforting warmth to be found. Amelie Lucille’s voice feels like the golden glow of sunset. How it’s able to seep into every leaf, cascade down every roof tile, permeate every crack in the pavement, and in that one moment make the world feel like a more beautiful place. That in itself is something special, but to then emerge from my reverie, and discover that this spellbinding singer is only seventeen, just left me even more awestruck. To have such expressiveness, confidence and emotion in her vocals this early in her musical journey is simply astonishing, and I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Top Tracks: The Paper Kites – Every Town
When they’re at their best, Australian indie folk outfit The Paper Kites are one of those bands whose music just feels like home. There’s a sense of comfort and familiarity to their sound that keeps drawing you back. With the warmth of its dreamy arrangement, and the affecting tenderness of its melodies, their latest single ‘Every Town’ is a shining example of that magic in action. Taken from their new album If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, out 23rd January, it has a gently uplifting energy to it that feels like being seen. Being known. That heartening hand-on-shoulder feeling you get when a friend says that something reminded them of you. When you return to an old haunt and they still remember your regular order. When you visit family for the holidays and you all slip into time honoured routines and traditions like it’s second nature. ‘Every Town’ feels like a celebration of all the small moments of love and connection that we carry with us. The ties that bind us, ground us, that persist through all manner of change, and time, and distance.
Belwood Music 