The moniker Lisel might not ring a bell to you and it’s actually pretty normal. This project marks the solo debut of singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Eliza Bagg, also known to be one half of Pavo Pavo. “I had found space in the classical world that made sense for me but I realized I needed to make something that was truly mine, that sprung from my own voice,” explains the artist about this new adventure. After one year of writing and recording, her self-produced debut album is on the way and the first single, “Ciphers,” is already available.

Elegant, pristine yet challenging, the experimental pop of “Ciphers” reminds us of Weyes Blood‘s cosmic and shimmering avant-pop, which is obviously a very good point. And the accompanying Jing Niu-directed music video definitely contributes to the magic. About the visuals, she detailed:

[su_quote]The word cipher has two meanings — it can be a coded message, but it can also be an empty hole, a zero. The song is about the haunting uncertainty in the pathways that have been set out before you, and realizing these courses have become more ambiguous and disorienting than you thought — at best entangled, at worst empty. There’s also, however, the glimmer of trying to find authenticity within that reality — the background choir serving as the basis for the song is simultaneously pure and glitchy, faulty but still true.[/su_quote]

Before adding:

[su_quote]The video is set in three surreal, manufactured landscapes: a celestial beach next to a reflection pool, a dark space where a shadow figure mimics and supports my movement, and a river of red silk. My identity is echoed in the pool and splintered in the shadow figure. [/su_quote]

Watch “Cipher” below and stay tuned for more Lisel‘s music.

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Every now and then a song comes along that just makes you wonder, “Where on earth did that melody come from? How did they come up with that?” Morabeza Tobacco‘s gorgeous new single, “Ally McBeal,” absolutely has that quality, and it just might bring some tears out of you.

The Swedish duo comprised of Vanilla Stillefors and Gustav Jennefors met one night in a club outside Stockholm. Since then, they built up a lot of buzz on the blog circuit throughout 2018 with their first two singles, “TTYL” and “Defenders of the Glam.” With “Ally McBeal,” however, Morabeza Tobacco veer slightly away from the funky, lo-fi chillwave-disco of those tracks and lean into a more nostalgia-drenched dreamscape version of themselves. The new song was, apparently, partly inspired by the animated 1988 family film, The Land Before Time, which at first sounds absolutely absurd. But if you’ve ever seen the movie and more importantly heard the score, you’ll understand how the swelling, cinematic strings in the song’s opening exemplify the duo’s sincerity.

For fans of last year’s releases, there’s still plenty to love here. Under the beautiful synth padding and strings is a bed of cheap drums and melodic bass, the kind of rhythm section one would expect from an old video game soundtrack, karaoke arrangement, or Casio keyboard demo, or more accurately all those things combined. Then come Vanilla and Gustav‘s trademark in-unison vocals, singing from the perspective of someone calling an old flame after having been estranged for some time. And although the washed-out lyrics are often difficult to fully make out, the melody still gets the point across. It’s affectionate and sentimental in the best way. In Morabeza Tobacco‘s own words:

[su_quote]It’s probably the saddest song we’ve written so far… Let’s hope that ‘Ally McBeal’ is gonna help some people open up their tear canals for a little cry that makes them feel better afterwards.[/su_quote]

And as the sound of rainfall closes out the final fifteen seconds, one could very easily get lost reflecting on that high-school crush we’re too embarrassed to admit we still think about. On paper it’s a mess, but in practice it’s transcendent, and it’ll likely catch you off-guard. “Ally McBeal”, along with the previous singles, will be getting heavy rotation around here in anticipation of the full-length album in May, releasing on Luminelle Recordings (run in part by the ever-awesome Gorilla vs. Bear). In the meantime, check out the song’s hazy, dreamlike, VHS-inspired video and let this lovely little lullaby wiggle its way into your head… and your heart.

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Québécois singer-songwriter and producer Josie Boivin, also known as MUNYA, shares today “Benjamin”, the second song taken from her upcoming Blue Pine EP. The 3-track project is the final installment of her EP trilogy to be released as a full-length compilation on March 8.

While the amazing lead single “It’s All About You” was focusing on the pain caused by obsessive love, her new offering is the testimony of an artist who has learnt from her heartbreaks. Written for the first time both in French and English, “Benjamin” is the proof that wounds of love are not insurmountable and that it is possible to develop feelings again. The song comes with dreamy synth arrangements and breathy, caressing vocals that have become the artist’s signature.

A famous American philosopher once sang “Do you believe in life after love?” but we will prefer MUNYA‘s own statement this time:

[su_quote]Many times in my life when I thought I had found love it turned into heartbreak. Like most people, it has made it harder for me to be vulnerable with new experiences and people. In this song I take a step back and realize it’s how we all feel. I make fun of my own vulnerabilities, try to just push them to the side and enjoy my new love.[/su_quote]

Following up on their 2018’s self-titled debut EP, Oslo’s indie pop quartet Das Body have just shared their first song of 2019. With their cheeky leader Ellie Linden in the role of a “lonesome bitch”, the uplifting yet sad “Taller Than The Average Man” evokes a fantasized relationship tinged with bittersweet feelings. Once again, Das Body‘s package also includes polished up Scandinavian pop hooks and astounding left-field arrangements. Listen and check their upcoming US gigs below.

Das Body Tour Dates:

3/7 – New York, NY @ Berlin (New Colossus Fest)

3/8 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd w/ Sexy Dex & The Fresh

3/12-3/16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW

3/17 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa w/ Kate Teague + French for Rabbits

3/18 – Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s w/ Jerry Paper

3/20 – Memphis, TN @ Bar DKDC w/ Melinda

3/21 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout w/ Gumdropp

3/22 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Snake Shack (House Show) w/ FADE

3/23 – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory w/ FADE + Mega Powers

3/25 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups w/ FADE + Rafting + WYD

3/27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right w/ DAWN + Jackie Mendoza

Montreal’s Helena Deland has delighted us in 2018 with the songs from her series “Altogether Unaccompanied”. One of our favourites, the nocturnal “Claudion”, just got a visual treatment. The nostalgic video, which was directed by Bronwyn Ford and choreographed by Rachel Giles, features Helena and her cousin and longstanding accomplice Claudia Picard-Deland. About the track and the video which was shared via Pitchfork, the artist detailed:

[su_quote]The song is overall about the constancy of my relying on and trusting in my cousin Claudia. I marvel at how our relationship has remained essentially similar going through the extremes of childhood and adolescence and into the heavier nuances of adulthood. I have no footage of the choreography we’d make up and practice for months before we’d present them to our dads’ side of the family at Christmas, so this is a selfish homage to one of the ways we’d spend endless time around the age of 10.[/su_quote]

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