50: Mid-week music from DOUGLAS SAVAGE, EDIE YVONNE, DREW FRIEL and BAD HINTS...
Review post number 50! Had the pleasure of writing 117 reviews over a span of 50 posts so far on this Local & Live Media journey, each post bringing new music to the platform and playlists. There's no sign of stopping though... here's 4 more to add to the list!
Douglas Savage - Black Mould
'rugged and raw'
📍Liverpool, UK
🔊MELLOW BOPS PLAYLIST🔊
Rugged and raw, Douglas Savage has caught our attention over the years for their vivid lyrics and dark mystique. For those of you left mesmerised from former single 'Sugar High #2', Savage's 2024 release 'Black Mould' offers a wider perspective of the artist's sound - complete with the timeless full band arrangement, experimental production and illustrative vocals. With the idea of black mould growing on the surface, with deeper connotations to the death of Judy Garland, Savage effortlessly seeps personality through any cracks in the song: deep and dark yet contagiously catchy in the choruses (a bit like black mould itself). Delicately muted guitars morph into gritty distortion, and intimate vocals mutate to echoing internal whispers throughout the track, as the black mould transforms the airwaves from pristine production to pure destruction at the end - a credit to the attention to detail in this alt-rock track. For mundane mornings in late winter, find comfort in the depths of Savage's latest single. (Released 21st February 2024).
Edie Yvonne - Delusion
'this mainstream-destined track is cut with alt-rock edginess before being coated in indie-pop shimmer'
📍Los Angeles, USA
🔊FRESH FINDS PLAYLIST🔊
At just 15 years old, Edie Yvonne proves she is a power to be reckoned with new explosive track 'Delusion', released this Valentine's Day. Produced by Nicky Swedin and Cormac Liotta, this mainstream-destined track is cut with alt-rock edginess before being coated in indie-pop shimmer: driving bass lines and snappy guitar riffs holding a strong backbone for this third instalment of the artists' teen pop anthems. With personality laced within every element of the track, background chatter and attitude-packed vocals make you feel part of Edie's tight-knit circle whilst depicting the toxicity in the relationship at play in the lyrics, and the subtle backing harmonies right from the beginning of the song give off that girl-band, stronger-together feel. After being lured in by Edie's undeniable vocal capabilities in the verse, you get thrown into an arena-filled concert in the anthemic chorus: head-banging and arm-throwing encouraged. This ecstatic feeling carries on through the rest of the track, leaving you feeling confident and invisible by the end of this dynamic Gen-Z soundtrack.
Drew Friel - Don't Run For Office
'Friel draws upon post-punk, pop and electronica to construct a nostalgic take on the state of the world'
📍Birkenhead, UK
🔊FRESH FINDS PLAYLIST🔊
The sophomore release from Birkenhead's Drew Friel, 'Don't Run For Office' isn't short of playful sounds and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the perfect remedy for dealing with today's upside-down society that we have all found ourselves in. Fusing together acoustic guitar with a platter of synths and outer-world sounds, Friel draws upon post-punk, pop and electronica to construct a nostalgic take on the state of the world. Witty and insightful, Friel's lyricism shines through the old-school instrumentation with fresh perspective and a dash of personality, carrying on from his former release 'Breakfast Bar' back in November of last year. After taking us through this duality of old and new throughout 'Don't Run For Office', we are left with a final wave of mellotron as it draws to a close: a hopeless melancholy swan-song drowning out any sign of hope for a better future in this Utopia. (Released 13th February 2024).
Bad Hints - Pure/Show
'an epilogue to the modern world we find ourselves in'
📍Lancaster, Pennsylvania
🔊FRESH FINDS PLAYLIST🔊
Drawing us in with warped sound effects and a haunting vocal, Bad Hints offers complete duality in her first EP 'Pure/Show'. The former track, entitled 'Pure Gold', offers a swampy synth hook against a tribalistic drum backbone to create a sense of unease. Written around the miscommunication in conversations where people talk at you instead of to you, Bad Hints experiments with a palette of strange sounds and gritty production to unravel the issues in today's self-absorbed world - the final product being dark and mysterious. In complete contrast to it's cryptic opening, the latter track 'Pretty Show' presents itself as an alt-rock anthem, calling upon beauty standards, vanity and perception filters with heavy distortion and satirical lyrics throughout. With a cinematic first half to the track, we drop back to a more vulnerable state half way through, utilising nothing but raw vocals and lo-fi guitar to portray the hopelessness of growing up in this naive narrative of being surrounded by egotistical characters. Slotting together with a razor-sharp edge, 'Pure/Show' is an epilogue to the modern world we find ourselves in. For lovers of The Last Dinner Party and Paramore, this EP is one for you. (Released 28th January 2024).
Head to our Local & Live Media Playlists below to catch these tracks in action, and as always - keep streaming and discovering new artists! 121 reviews across 50 posts on this music blog, all hand-picked by ourselves to share far and wide. Enjoy discovering!
Review No. 50
by Meg Shaw, Local & Live Media