NEW TRACK: Heart Shaped – ‘Felt’

An effervescent, uplifting offering full of soothing vocals, hazy guitar sounds and tender lyrics, Heart Shaped has shared her latest single ‘Felt’. Following on from her previous release ‘No Contact’, the Houston-born, now Belfast-based songwriter has provided her listeners with another cinematic slice of dream pop, inspired by the self-deception that can underpin some romantic relationships.

Influenced by the likes of Selena Quintanilla, The Cars, Orange Juice, Faye Wong and Go Sailor, Heart Shaped creates bittersweet, heart-on-sleeve tunes that give a rose-tinted sheen to life’s more affecting moments. “It feels like a movie” she sings at the beginning of new single ‘Felt’, before gently unraveling her thoughts about the duplicitous nature of a tumultuous relationship. Her reflections are softened by a disco-inflected backbeat and shimmering synths, with her vocals delicately floating above both.

Produced and recorded by Declan Legge at Analogue Catalogue studios, ‘Felt’ is accompanied by a music video, shot and directed by Jamie Neish (Broken Film) in the beautifully retro Belfast working men’s club. The video pays homage to many of Heart Shaped’s passions and interests, including Houston punk legends the Mydolls in the film Paris, Texas, the movie Goodfellas and Sade’s expansive visual catalogue.

With the help of her bandmates Kendall Bousquet, John Ahern, Rónán McQuillan, Amy Nolan and Shannon O’Neill, and with the support of Belfast’s Kickstart Programme and Chordblossom, 2023 looks set to be a bright year for Heart Shaped.

Watch the video for ‘FELT’ below.

Follow Heart Shaped on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

Photo Credit: Aaron Cunningham

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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New Track: Hand Habits – ‘Something Wrong’

‘Something Wrong’ is the new single by Hand Habits, taken from their upcoming mini-album Sugar The Bruise, set for release in June. Hand Habits is the project of Meg Duffy, an American musician and guitarist who has played as a studio musician on records by the likes of The War on Drugs, Weyes Blood and Perfume Genius.

It’s not often a song captivates me as much as ‘Something Wrong’ did on first listen, taking me on a journey with its charming sounds and interesting textured soundscape. The track starts with a huge drum sound with an ’80s style reverb and acapella vocals. As a huge fan of acapella, this was the perfect way to instantly immerse the listener, complementing the dark and edgy melody.

The track soon erupts into a warm folky chorus complete with acoustic guitar, dreamy harmonies and gentle vocals, juxtaposed with the very different feel of the verse. In the second verse, a robotic vocal harmony enters, giving it a once more different feel – something slightly unsettling, yet deeply satisfying. 

Building into a more dramatic third, the buzzing synth gives it an enchanting sense of urgency. The repetition of “is there something wrong with that” is an earworm of a melody that gets in your head. Despite the lyrical sparseness, it has an intimacy that draws you in, making you contemplate life. 

The songs on the album were all inspired by a songwriting class that Duffy taught in summer 2021 and were semi-improvised – surrendering to and trusting in whatever sounds and words emerged in the session. On the track, which was co-produced by Luke Temple with additional production, engineering and arranging from Jeremy Harris, Duffy created something which, in their own words, “turned out nothing like I’d imagined it would.”

‘Something Wrong’ is a carefully crafted track, oozing an exquisite stirring depth; setting the bar high for the rest of the album, and I can’t wait to hear it. 


Sugar The Bruise, the upcoming mini album from Hand Habits, is set for release on 16th June via Fat Possum.

Ella Patenall
@ellapatenall

Photo Credit:  Ivanna Baranova 

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LISTEN: Hazel Mills – ‘Enclosure’

The first offering from her upcoming EP The Embrace, multi-instrumentalist Hazel Mills has shared her new single ‘Enclosure’. A beautiful blend of lilting synths, altruistic beats and evocative vocals, the Bristol-based artist has created a gentle hypnotising soundscape that feels more affecting each time it’s listened to.

Set for release on the 19th of May, Mills’ EP The Embrace is informed by many things. Inspired by the contrasting, yet unifying forces of the natural and the synthetic worlds, Mills experiments with elements of both to create her atmospheric offerings. Throughout the EP, sounds of whirling water, clinking metal and knocking on wood are matched with analog synth textures and urban-tinged beats to create a majestic sonic world.

“The battle of nature vs modernity is ever present, and I’m largely drawn to the tactile and the dramatic of both sides of the coin,” Mills explains about these inspirations. “Perhaps my eco-anxiety also just wants to find a way to unite them”. Working alongside producer and engineer TJ Allen (Portishead, Bat For Lashes, Hannah Peel), Mills has woven these thoughts into the narrative of the four tracks that make up her new record.

Following an ongoing long-term tenure as keyboardist and backing vocalist for Goldfrapp and Florence + The Machine – and alongside her solo efforts – Mills will be heading to Australia to perform with Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory and The Australian Chamber Orchestra in early May for a celebration of Classic synth-led film scores (including Vangelis’ Blade Runner).

Listen to ‘Enclosure’ below.

Follow Hazel Mills on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & her Official Website

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Tina Boonstra – ‘If I Could’

Having received acclaim from the likes of Tom Robinson at BBC 6Music and Under The Radar magazine, London-based artist Tina Boonstra recently shared the beautifully anthemic ‘If I Could’, the third single from her upcoming debut album, Circle Back Start Again. The album is a collection of stories inspired by real-life encounters and tenderly asks; what do we do when life doesn’t go the way we expect?

‘If I Could’ is a powerfully poignant case in empathy, dealing with with the difficult subject of miscarriage. Right from its opening power chords and Tina’s crisp vocals, the story begins. “Can we pick it back up where we left it? Right before we got the message / To come back to the ward / ’cause the doctors want to talk.” We are immediately pulled into the stirring narrative by the percussion which conveys the nervousness of the situation, and the ominous piano note bringing a stirring stillness – “There is no going back from here”.

The sudden burst into the chorus is a like a friend offering a steady shoulder to cry on: “If I could I would build you back / brick by brick / and you would fly”. We can feel the sadness and emotional release, especially in the compelling guitar solo with its effective distortion effects.

Strong yet soothing, this song offers support in the face of a grief which is so often not talked about. A truly heartfelt, musically rich insight into vulnerability and getting through tough times.

Circle Back, Start Again, the upcoming new album from Tina Boonstra, is set for release on 28th April.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

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