Channelling hints of Fleetwood Mac, Ryan Adams and The War On Drugs, this new track from LA trio Gen Z is essential listening for thoughtful late night drives. Though it’s the rich and inviting guitar tone that keeps ‘Generation Z’ grounded, it’s the airy, bittersweet atmosphere and introspective lyricism that makes the song so special. Reflecting on the pitfalls of modern life and the haunting hollowness of youth, this track is an anthem for the lost and confused in search of meaning. This song teaches you to revel in the little things, to bask in the minor triumphs in this messed up world to keep from losing your way. ‘Generation Z’ is the sound of a lonely winding road; you’re not sure what’s awaiting you around the bend, instead you just have to take solace in the small victory of simply moving forward.
top tracks
Top Tracks: Mars Motel – City Streets
When you grow up listening religiously to the likes of Led Zeppelin and Rush, it’d be a major understatement to say that you soon learn to appreciate a good rhythm section. With this latest track from Brooklyn based rockers Mars Motel, the rhythm section in particular offers some of the most memorable instrumentation I’ve heard all year. Recorded live for their new EP The Eclipse Sessions, ‘City Streets’ lures you in with its emphatic shuddering drums and a bass line that winds its way towards you like a python through the undergrowth. Upon this foundation of post punk menace, the guitar and vocals build up a mix of Britpop inspired melodies and psychedelic reverb to provide real light and shade. All about young love and subsequent heartbreak, the two sides to the song do a great job of portraying both the innocence and optimism of youth alongside the angst and anguish of a break-up.
Top Tracks: Big Kettle Drum – Bring That Love To Me
How long does it take you to love a song? Some take years before they finally click, some manage to catch you on the first listen. ‘Bring That Love To Me’ took less than five seconds. A hearty little drum intro, a rich old-school organ sound, and a splash of warm welcoming brass was all it took to assure me that I was in for a good time. This latest track from Florida’s Big Kettle Drum, taken from their new EP I’d Thought You’d Be Bigger, offers lashings of classic Motown vibes adorned with a gritty Southern charm. This soulful little number is pretty close to faultless, and carries that all too rare universal appeal. This song is like a magic spell that brings warmth and contentment to whoever hears it.
Top Tracks: Amanda Shires – Parking Lot Pirouette
While some songs are firmly rooted in the past, some embrace a sound that seems like it’s visiting from a not too distant future. This new single from Texan singer/songwriter Amanda Shires is in the rare class of songs that manages to do both. Taken from her new album To The Sunset out 3rd August, ‘Parking Lot Pirouette’ feels like a song made to span generations. That unmistakable lush Wurlitzer sound and the soft country twang of Amanda’s vocals imbue plenty of classic Americana vibes into the track. Her husband Jason Isbell’s guitar work however takes the song to a whole other world. Blending subtle psychedelica with raw droning tones, and with some synth flourishes for good measure, it gives the song an unearthly flair akin to Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’. Projecting the spirit of the wild west to distant stars and far-off worlds, Pirouette is a song that is thoroughly deserving of a few spins.
Top Tracks: The Hip Abduction – Can You Feel It
This latest track from Florida based collective The Hip Abduction is like the musical equivalent of someone who makes friends wherever they go. You know the kind of person, someone that’s universally popular; no one has a bad word to say about them, and they’re loved by people from all walks of life. ‘Can You Feel It’ would be equally at home on heavy rotation on a top 40 station, blaring out of a club in Ibiza in the height of summer, or being sang back at the band from onlookers at some indie festival. I’d struggle to think of another song from recent years that would be such a welcome addition to so many vastly different crowds. All about the sensation of facing a defining decision, a choice that will become a turning point in your life, ‘Can You Feel It’ delivers its message with a mix of infectious synthpop and emphatic drums. Even if this never becomes a worldwide chart-topping hit, it feels like it should be.
Top Tracks: Callum Pitt – Away From The Rousing Parades
Two worlds collide on this latest single from up and coming Newcastle based singer/songwriter Callum Pitt. ‘Away From The Rousing Parades’ opens with folk finger-picking and an airy atmosphere that conjures an image of an endless natural expanse, just begging to be explored. These timeless Americana vibes are shaken up however when Callum throws some homegrown British indie into the mix, combining the raw heartland vibes with some bright melodies, big hooks and an invigorating burst of energy. All about not comparing yourself to others and finding comfort in following your own path, this uplifting single carries an unavoidable air of positivity. A swirling cocktail of influences from both sides of the Atlantic, this intoxicating new track is sure to warm your heart.
Top Tracks: Georgia Blackwell – Stranger
Some of the most enduring pieces of music ever written have been break-up songs, and ‘Stranger’ is a fine example as to why. When a song is written from the heart, like this track from London based singer Georgia Blackwell’s debut EP Good Intentions, it gives the message far more potency. When you feel someone expressing their innermost thoughts and troubles in their work it resonates more deeply with those walking a similar path. It helps even more so to adorn sadness in beauty, and there’s an abundance of beauty to be found here. While the arrangement is lush and refined in its way, it takes a step back to allow Georgia’s enrapturing soulful vocals to take centre stage. Understated and affecting, ‘Stranger’ is a sublime offering of old-school soul that will assuredly find a place in your heart, no matter how broken.
Top Tracks: Flo – Velvet
As blissfully smooth as its name suggests, this new song from London based artist Flo is an elegant and engaging work of beauty. With gentle piano and brushed drum beats that fall like raindrops, strings that soar like a songbird over verdant fields, and vocals as soothing as the sweetest lullaby, this track carries a truly timeless feel. Written from the perspective of her parents, and even featuring them on violin, ‘Velvet’ offers a cinematic atmosphere that leaves you feeling as immersed in your own story as the one that the song itself weaves. It’s a song made for those “staring out of the window and contemplating life” moments, and as it draws you in you begin to forget that a world outside ‘Velvet’ exists. This sweet and sophisticated track is almost too good at what it does, offering the most entrancing and exquisite atmosphere of the year.
Top Tracks: Echo Nebraska – Follow Me
“I won’t let tragedy hang over me” – a laudable decision, but by no means an easy one. After losing their bassist Gunn Park to cancer, it’s understandable that the loss would have a big impact on the creation of Echo Nebraska’s new album. But rather than dwell on what can’t be changed, these Vancouver folk rockers have made sure that their new record Hold Up to the Fire celebrates all the joy and love in life that’s still there to be cherished. Lead single ‘Follow Me’ is a prime example. Boasting big hooks and some fantastic violin, the track reminds us of the people who are always there for us when we need them, and that with our loved one’s by our side we can overcome any adversity. Perfect for fans of Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers, this wonderfully uplifting track is a welcome reminder not to take what we have for granted, and be thankful for the people that bring us joy and comfort.
Top Tracks: Welfare – What I Know, I Know With You
If you’re looking for a song more tranquil and soothing than even your sweetest dreams then I have found the perfect track for you. This sun-drenched new song from Pat Whelan, aka Welfare, is all that and more. ‘What I Know, I Know With You’, taken from his new EP Useful Toil, is a shot of pure serenity to help sooth you on even the most troubled of days. Though it may have been written off the grid in the Welsh Marches, this track is far more reminiscent of a carefree stint in the south of France. You can just imagine this track as the perfect soundtrack for a montage of cruising through the Riviera or down a winding road alongside idyllic vineyards. The lush and dreamy soundscape at work here lends itself to creating one of the most blissful pieces of music that I’ve heard in a long time.
Belwood Music 