WATCH: Shana Cleveland – ‘Don’t Let Me Sleep’

For me, Shana Cleveland’s new single is something from another time in an alternate universe. ‘Don’t Let Me Sleep’, from her upcoming album, has shimmering guitar licks reminiscent of a desert wanderer. Layer that over Cleveland’s effervescent vocals and it’s a sterling performance of futurist folklore; a psychedelic vision explored in the music video that accompanies the track’s release.

With the vast palm-scattered soundscapes of her other project La Luz to influence her sound, Cleveland’s ‘Don’t Let Me Sleep’ is a sonic homage to the great guitar-wielding crooners of days gone by, with distinct shades of the likes of ‘Moon River’ and ‘Wichita Lineman’.

With this exquisite track as our first taste, it seems that Shana Cleveland’s first foray into a full-length LP is less of a dipping of toes into new waters, and more of a full body submersion into a warm oasis pool, the waves rippling into an infinite sea of ethereal sound and peaceful refrains. Night of the Worm Moon is already looking to be a serene reverie, and with influences rooted in the Afro-futurism of Sun Ra and cosmic consciousness, it may be the perfect score for a midnight journey through starlit desert.

Night Of The Worm Moon, the upcoming album from Shana Cleveland, is out 5th April via Hardly Art.

Luke Janke
@jankeleg

Photo Credit: Eleanor Petry

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Track Of The Day: HAVVK – ‘If I Don’t Tell You’

Starting with a naggingly hypnotic but spiky guitar riff, ‘If I Don’t Tell You’ from London/Ireland/Berlin grunge three piece HAVVK is a perfectly taut, tension-fuelled track, which signals just how far the band have travelled in the past couple of years. With a post punk energy and urgency that is reminiscent of the likes of Charlotte Hatherley and Ex Hex at their immaculate best, this latest offering also echoes the likes of power pop bands such as The Go-Go’s.

The track dangles the potential of the live show at the listener like a promise, and is definitely one you can jump around your bedroom to. In terms of their forthcoming debut album, Cause and Effect, it promises great things, and if you are tempted to see the band live, they will be touring the UK throughout May so do check them out.

 

Cause And Effect, the debut album from HAVVK, is out 22nd November. Catch HAVVK live at the following dates:

2nd May – Oh yeah Music Centre, Belfast
3rd May – The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle
4th May – HATCH, Sheffield
8th May – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
9th May – Broadcast, Glasgow
11th May – Castle and Falcon, Birmingham
12th May – Magic Teapot, Leicester
16th May – Paper Dress Vintage, London
17th May – Zed Ally, Bristol
18th May – The Den, Bath

Cazz Blase
@CazzBlase

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Track Of The Day: Ida Wenøe – ‘Another Kind Of Love’

‘Another Kind of Love’ is the new single by Danish Music Award nominee Ida Wenøe. She is a singer-songwriter blending spectral folk sounds with Nordic Noir, conjuring up a surreal landscape where the inner ghosts sing haunting tales of love and loss.  

The song has a simple arrangement with finger-plucked guitar, subtle harmonies and percussion. Its magic is in Wenøe’s clear cut voice, as sharp as a diamond, which to my ears is an instrument in itself, carrying the music with it. The harmonies and dreamy guitar pick up pace as she sings, complementing the song but not overpowering it.

“I have given all I had just to fall” – the loneliness is articulated and resolved as the song unfolds and the memories are left behind. Wenøe’s voice soars with emotion at the turning point, as echoing vocals reverberate on the contrast between hate and love; “I hate to hate, I’d rather wait on love.

“Which will we choose…? Trust me, this captivating song will have you in tears by the end. Tears of love, tears of joy; tears at the sheer beauty of it. 

The Things We Don’t Know Yet, the upcoming album from Ida Wenøe, is out 12th April via Integrity Records. 

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

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Premiere: Imi – ‘Margins’

Having received acclaim from BBC Introducing and BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, and supporting the likes of Let’s Eat Grandma and Ghostpoet, Leeds-based artist Imi is set to release her atmospheric new EP this month.

Taken from the EP, new single ‘Margins’ offers a dark, ethereal soundscape. Propelled by pulsating beats, the sweeping splendour of Imi’s powerful vocals soars alongside glitchy electronic hooks, creating an utterly bewitching creation. With shades of the likes of the sparkling alt-pop of Goldfrapp, it oozes a haunting grandeur that’ll send shivers down the spine on first listen. Of the track, Imi explains:

“Margins’ explores the peak of my frustrations, offering a mocking account of my past constraints, but over time my thoughts on this have evolved. While my ambition for change hasn’t faltered, my perspective has matured in a way that is more accepting and is able to find happiness in the everyday.”

Listen to ‘Margins’, for the first time, here:

 

Lines, the upcoming EP from Imi, is out 15th March.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Portia Hunt

 

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