“Autumn,” the new single from T@NE, is a pop song of sensual proportions conveying the feeling of fresh kisses on your lips, romantic nights, and ecstasy. Autumn is sure to highlight what love is and can be.
Composed by T@NE and Be Steadwell and produced solely by T@NE, Autumn went through many musical stages. From the time T@NE and Be sat down at the piano and laid out its foundations, to the point of its completion where it became an epic pop song, one thing that stayed consistent throughout the writing process was the feeling and the vibe of the composition.
Album design by Fishman Art 89
“Autumn” is a step in a new direction for T@NE. The track exemplifies the diversity of T@NE’s sound, incorporating different pop elements to create the sensual vibe the song brings. While the sound of “Autumn” may stray away from the intricate jazz and rock heavy tones of T@NE’s debut single, “Rock Joint,” the quality of the track shows T@NE’s progression as an artist and producer.
T@NE – a musician, saxophonist, composer, producer, rapper, and vocalist – hails from Brooklyn. Growing up in a musical environment influenced T@NE’s deep love and passion for what he does. T@NE, along with his bandmates Taber Gable on keyboard, Andrew Renfroe on guitar, Dan Pappalardo on bass, and Peter Manheim on drums, are making music for the future. Incorporating elements from all genres of music and fostering a real sense of unity and teamwork allows T@NE’s music to be enjoyable, inspiring, and energizing to listen to.
New York City based band, Black Suit Youth, released a new single off their upcoming album, The World Is Almost Over, due out this spring. The group began work on the album in late 2019 following the release of groups 2017 projectFalse South. The 9-song LP navigates the harsh reality that the worst may be yet to come.
“Survivor’s Guilt” is the second single off the bands upcoming new album. Bryan Maher, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, comments on the song’s meaning:
It’s a song about two buddies of mine, Mark and Mike (who was Black Suit Youth’s original bassist). I miss Mark and Mike the most out all of those I’ve lost. The first verse is a reflection about Mark when we were teenagers, and the second verse is about Mike and I growing apart before his untimely death and the total shock of it.
Bryan Maher, Guitar and Vocals
Formed in 2005, NYC’s Black Suit Youth remain a relentless 4-piece outfit that blend elements of punk rock, classic rock, and indie rock. Two-thousand and ten saw the release of the LP, Meet Me in Death Valley, from which Black Suit Youth managed to secure opening gigs for Story of the Year, Alien Ant Farm, The Undead, and more.
After a few DIY tours, the album was re-released on vinyl. In 2016, the band signed with 59 X Records and released 2017’s False South which saw the band take a new direction while maintaining their DIY punk rock ethos. Black Suit Youth is comprised of Bryan Maher (Vocals/Guitar), Fed Canalos (Guitar), Juan Orellana (Bass), and Ray Mazza (Drums).
East Williamsburg based singer/songwriter, Sam Rappaport, released his debut single today, “Till the Morning Comes.” The song is an intimate and emotional piano-driven ballad with a paced delivery that recalls Norah Jones and Randy Newman.
For most of his life, Sam believed he was headed for a career in the NBA. But after a clarifying stint as a shooting guard on the Vassar College Men’s Basketball team, he decided to turn his aspirations toward his first love: music.
I have to be honest–I was a mediocre D3 college basketball player. I held onto the NBA dreams as long as I could, but once I hit college it was pretty clear that those dreams were out of reach. Still, I spent the first three years of college thinking that I’d end up overseas playing in some Euro league. I remember finishing a practice my senior year, running to the bathroom, heaving all the liquid in my body into a trash can, and thinking–I don’t want to do this anymore. So I quit. And it was quite liberating, until I realized there was a great void in my life that I now had to fill.
Sam cut his teeth as a keyboardist in Chicago, playing for two years with R&B singer Brandon James at venues across the city. At Brooklyn open mics, house parties and comedy shows, he started to gain his footing as a songwriter with the ability to pull from folk, rock, and soul to craft intimate, understated arrangements.
Rappaport is also a member of indie-rock band Gooseberry, and began writing “Till the Morning Comes” early in the pandemic, knowing that it would be geared for his solo work.
I’ve been playing piano since I was five. It’s always been there. But frankly, I’ve never felt that I was good enough to put it front and center. I mean, I still don’t. There were a lot of mental blocks I had to find my way around before I was able to share the things I was writing.
“Till the Morning Comes” is a song that I wrote toward the beginning of the pandemic. It just seems to flow better as a piano-driven ballad, as opposed to something that needs a drum kit, electric guitar, etc. I wanted to open an avenue to release solo material that might not fit with Gooseberry, which leans a little more toward indie-rock.
With a style that reflects the aforementioned Jones and Newman, his song writing style is still in development. Rappaport teamed up with East Williamsburg based producer Lorenzo Wolff. A stripped down piano ballad soars into a second chorus with the help of ethereal synths and the twang of a lap steel. It is there that Sam’s knack for poignant storytelling and tasteful melodies is on full display.
If I do have a songwriting style, I don’t know what it is. I’d rather others decide. I have, over the past year, spent a lot of time listening to Tom Waits and Randy Newman, and I’m sure those influences show up in “Till the Morning Comes.” I’m interested in storytelling, loneliness, intimacy, the sounds of an old upright piano–I hope some of that comes across in the song. I’m still finding my footing.
The vocals, both melancholic and hopeful, float delicately above the instruments. “Till the Morning Comes” is a song that rises from the stillness of the night, yearning for some way to steel itself against the uncertainty of tomorrow.
Brooklyn-based psych/electronic-rock artist White Cliffs (aka Rafe Cohan) just released his latest single “Just Like You” on January 29. The single commences the first release off of his upcoming EP Stockholm. After spending years experimenting with a variety of instruments, genres and vocal styles, White Cliffs made his first ever EP. Keep an eye out for Stockholm available shortly on major platforms February 19.
White Cliffs maintains the fine balance between being a musical purist and an unconventional creator. His mastery of instruments and entrancement in the art of producing can be seen as a curse to his canvas. Nevertheless, his complexity and dedication to his craft allow him to gain reason within the collage of sound he puts together.
“Just Like You” illuminates an ambience of summertime through the layering of a psychedelic tone, conversational lyricism, and guitar effects. An effortless blend of indie rock, soul and electronic creates a unique yet dynamic anthem. The hypnotic sound he is able to make gives off feelings of late night car drives where time seems to stand still. White Cliffs reminds everyone of the constant struggle of self-acceptance and learning to celebrate our individuality.
White Cliffs Songwriting Process:
I wrote the song about our playful and hypocritical struggle with accepting our true selves. And that struggle is just a part of pursuing a career as a musician… You’re constantly drawing this attention to your project, and in the process, you end up learning quite a bit about yourself, both good and bad. Usually, you experience some denial or imposter syndrome, but after time passes, you are left with acceptance.
Look for the claymation “Just Like You” music video that Cohan directed, produced, and edited himself. Soon to be released tomorrow, February 3.
White Cliffs career is just beginning and on the rise. Previously, he held performances at Panorama Festival in New York City and at CRSSD Festival in San Diego, which leaves the future looking bright for the upcoming artist. He even toured with acts like Big Wild, Elderbrook, and STS9.
White Cliffs limitless potential becomes more evident with each new project he releases. His latest double single release “Six Cylinder Run”/”On My Mind” demonstrates that exact captivation he can hold the listener in. His ability to produce hypnotic layers of sound yet still make each single unique exemplifies his artistry.
Singing-songwriting couple, Katya Diaz and Chris Hierro, combine artistic forces and sound to form Break Out the Crazy, their soulful band that prides itself on breaking genres and blurring the lines between them. The worldly couple is released their newest single, “Fool For You,” on January 29, a song that explores the theme of risking everything for love.
Katya Diaz has a lengthy background of touring internationally, both a singing and dancing background, for artists such as Passion Pit, Beyoncé, Alejandro Sanz, and Thalia. She worked as a vocalist for Snarky Puppy‘s Family Dinner DVD in which she sang background for Lalah Hathaway’s Grammy-winning live performance of “Something.” For the past five years, she’s shifted her sights onto songwriting, even writing the national commercial for JC Penny’s 2015 spring campaign and getting to work alongside acclaimed writers Itaal Shur and Stewart Matthewman.
Writing and producing Latin music from a young age, Chris Hierro has worked with many popular artists such as Leslie Grace, Eli Jas, and Prince Royce. He toured as a keyboardist and backup vocalist for some of Latin music’s most popular artists, including Jerry Rivera, Obie Bermudez, and Alejandro Sanz. One of his most noteworthy songwriting and producing achievements is reaching the #1 position of the Billboard Tropical Airplay Charts with the hit, “We Never Looking Back” featuring Toby Love.
Together, the recently married duo has composed singles in multiple genres and themes, ranging from soulful love songs to tropical pop songs made to dance to. Their newest single, “Fool For You” is accompanied by a powerful and hypnotic music video showcasing the couple’s passion for both their music and each other.
Old Fame, an indie rock band from Rochester today release their long-awaited single “Act II.” With strong influences of psychedelic post-rock and emo, the band follows up previous singles “Short Cub” and “Cumberland” with “Act II,” all part of their EP Nowhere to Be, to be released in the next few months.
Old Fame is Ben Armes (vocals, guitar), Doug Kelley (drums), Evan Clark (guitar), Jay Asarese (bass) and they’ve been a part of projects including Like Vintage, Alberto Alaska, Emulet, and Heavy Lies the Crown.
Due to the chaos of 2020 and the COVID-19 restrictions that shut down the band’s studio, the second half of Old Fame’s EP that was originally meant to be released in 2020, was pushed back to February 2021. With fans eager for the long-awaited conclusion to Nowhere to Be, Old Fame today share their latest, “Act II.”
Given the challenge to describe the track in one word, nostalgic comes to mind first. “Act II” brings the listener back to the days of owning a myspace profile or listening to 92.7. It’s a song full of emotion and passion one can only suppose was strengthened by the hardships of 2020.
Writing new songs gave us time to refocus on the world around us and incorporate our feelings in response to current events into the songs. We spent many weeks file sharing home-recorded demos back and forth until covid restrictions were temporarily lifted allowing us to safely rehearse and head into Wicked Squid Studios to record with Ian Fait & Josh Pettinger.
Doug Kelley
The build-up and flow of the song are impressive given the band’s smaller presence in the alt-rock community. The EP in its entirety showcases the band’s journey, as well as shows what they’re capable of, paving the way for future works to crush the scene.
Below, you can find the link to their newest song as well as explore their music in its entirety. If you’re a fan of alternative rock, they might be right up your alley.
Alternative duo Yo Kinky is in its nascent stage, with members Tom Unish and Laura Wight meeting in early 2020. The duo immediately felt a musical bond, and started crafting songs together.
Laura Wight and Tom Unish of Yo Kinky
Queens-based band Yo Kinky follows their first single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” with the second single, “Resistance.” The song is delicately created, yet exudes a confidence created by Tom Unish’s spaced-out guitar licks. The sonic landscape undulates with hypnotic layers of sound; the song yearns for the intimacy long lost by social isolation.
Laura Wight sings “Love is all we breathe,” and “Swing me off my feet,” transporting the listener to a beautiful place where love is all-surrounding. “Resistance” is an ode to the sanity one has during this time by finding delight in the small things in life.
“Resistance” follows their first single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which, albeit its darker vocal passages, is playful, seductive and clever. It has received heavy play on WFMU’s radio station, as well as named as one of the best tracks of 2020 by Three Chord Monte. The band is beaming in their own path as they create and release more infectious music.
Over 2020, Yo Kinky self-produced and are releasing their first, self-titled EP. This collection of songs addresses trust, communication, love, loneliness, freedom, identity, and expectation. The group combines drum machines and bright, buzzing synths and guitars that shimmer with reverb and delay.
Yo Kinky’s music is reminiscent of Blondie, X, Mitksi, and Soccer Mommy, as they blend the pop and rock elements of indie into an incandescent artwork. When shows are possible again, Yo Kinky looks forward to playing locally, nationwide, and beyond.
Yo Kinky’s debut EP is due out on February 26, 2021.
Indie-folk singer Mackenzie Shivers releases her first single “Martha’s Vineyard” for her upcoming 2021 full-length release, Rejection Letters
Singer, songwriter and pianist, Mackenzie Shivers, premiered her new dreamy video for her song “Martha’s Vineyard.”Her song radiates the intimate, eerie qualities of indie-folk, akin to Phoebe Bridgers. At the end of the song, a spoken-word verse adds mystery and edge to Shivers’ unique sound. The music video features a vignette of Shivers alone on a beach save her acoustic guitar, immersed the world of her music.
I’m not sure I ever learned healthy ways to express anger. But I’m learning now. I’m much more comfortable with sadness than I am with anger. I think that’s because female anger is so often met with shame and dismissal. That’s certainly been my experience, and it really started to hit home as I wrote this song.
Mackenzie Shivers – “Martha’s Vineyard.”
Shivers’ third full length album was borne out of the strange circumstances which we have all endured in 2020. She sought refuge in Cape Cod from her home in New York City. With an old family guitar gifted by her father, Shivers experimented with alternate tunings, thanks to Instagram live tutorials from folk artist Laura Marling. Since touring was an adventure left in another world, Shivers inadvertently wrote a collection of songs that became Rejection Letter.
Her newfound time for introspection led to topics she seldom discussed on past records. Female anger – questioning the contemporary world, trying to have a child and struggling to conceive color. This record is in a poignantly personal way. She hopes that her lyrics help those with grand uncertainties can listen to someone that feels the same. Shivers revels in her rebellion, embracing her fiery nature.
“I’m proud that I found a way to make this record during a very scary, chaotic, uncertain time. I wanted to make something that would give my listeners permission to get angry, to commiserate. My goal is always and ultimately to remind people they’re not alone,” says Shivers.
I feel like this is me at my best and most complex to date. You get to see new sides of me through this music – a darker, moodier, sometimes angrier side. But it’s still whimsical. It still balances that dark with the light.
Prior to her upcoming third release, Mackenzie Shivers has released two full-length albums: 2014’s Neverland and 2019’s The Unkindness and three EPs titled Living in My Head (2016), Ravens (2017), and Midwinter (2019). She currently lives in New York City with her husband.
PLUSH is an all-girl rock band comprised of four members, all under the age of 21, with a mission to embody the heart of rock and make a name for themselves in the music industry. With powerful vocals and a sound that holds true to the genre, the four girls set out to break the boring, repetitive mainstream culture and bring back classic rock.
If you’re a fan of The Voice, you might recognize the lead singer, Moriah Formica, a contestant back in 2017 who was affectionately referred to as “The Rock Goddess” by Miley Cyrus. Drummer Brooke Colucci, otherwise known as Rock Angel, is a well-established artist on social media, with acknowledgment from John Lennon, solidifying her talent and standing in the rock community.
Guitarist Bella Perron is a freshman at Berklee College of Music with an artsy presence on YouTube, regularly uploading impressive, drool-worthy guitar covers. Bassist Ashley Suppa ties the group together with beautiful bass backing, even being noticed by Ace Frehley of KISS.
The mission of PLUSH is to bring the heart of rock back to the mainstream with a new fresh spin on the sounds you already love. PLUSH hopes to inspire young women everywhere to follow their dreams, regardless of whatever challenges may lie in the way.
Moriah Formica
On January 18, 2021, PLUSH dropped a promo for their upcoming single, “Hate,” available to be pre-saved and expected to drop on Apple Music and Spotify. The excerpt shows how well the band flows together, as well as the emotion and passion each member brings to the table, leaving nothing to be desired. The song focuses on a topic relatable to many, wanting to hate someone who broke her heart. But being unable to forget the love she had for them, she hates that she still loves them.
X Ambassadors have announced a collaborative project with emerging artists, creating an eclectic atmosphere for their genreless songs to swim in. The multi-platinum band shared the first single from (Eg), titled “ultraviolet.tragedies” with emerging artist Terrell Hines, a fiery track that captures the band’s multidimensional production. The song and electrifying music video are available now at all digital retailers through KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records.
Album Art for X Ambassadors’ Upcoming Release (Eg)
Several other fresh artists feature on (Eg), such as Jensen McRae and Earl St. Clair. Both highly collaborative and prolific, X Ambassadors crafted a project as a free-flowing, experimental venture. Sam Harris revealed that the impulse to create arose from new discoveries in production and songwriting work with others. “We wanted to give voice to these incredible artists that people may not have heard yet, and really let their imagination be at the forefront of everything,” he says. “They’re all very much artists with their own unique style that’s so specific to them; they truly don’t care about fitting into any sort of mold, or curating their sound to anything other than what they envision.”
Harris says that their collaboration endeavors have encouraged the band to dive into their creativity fully, to make what they love and not overthink the process. (Eg) has a natural sensibility of the pure joy and freedom that come with the art of collaboration. On “ultraviolet.tragedies,” X Ambassadors join with artist Terrel Hines. His sound amalgamates eerie soul, alt-pop, hip-hop, post-punk, and southern funk, building a colorful world for his songs to live in. Georgia-born and Los Angeles-based, Hines critiques society, ponders the limitlessness of technology in his songs that captivate the listener with the true magic of inventive music.
“ultraviolet.tragedies” was borne from a jam session between X Ambassadors and Hines that shines in the music video. More cinematic, including pauses for conversation, this song sings eerily to a futuristic visual. Created with Microsoft Azure Kinect Body Tracking SDK, the artists are captured in 3D in real time so that they can be superimposed into any world of their choice. The technology opens a world for X Ambassadors’ insatiable creativity in their music.
Hailing from Ithaca, New York, X Ambassadors is comprised of three hyper-creative men. Lead vocalist Sam Harris and keyboardist Casey Harris are brothers, with drummer Adam Levin whom they met when Sam attended the New School in New York City. Their full-length 2015 debut VHS launched the band on a three-year touring escapade. With radio hits such as “Renegades” and “Unsteady,” their release is now certified platinum. The lyrical content draws from the Harris brothers’ youth. ORION, their sophomore release,followed in 2019. After years of world touring, X Ambassadors have crafted more innovative, bemusing songs for release on (Eg) this year.
