We’re somehow nearly at the halfway point for the year and we’ve added ten more tracks to our Discovery Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. This week our Track of the Week is “Calm The Sea” from folk artist Kim Churchill.
Fresh from a European tour and following the release of previous single “Hobbies”; “Calm The Sea” is a cozy, wholesome and warming hug of a folk song. It has all the hallmarks of a classic Churchill song — catchy riffs, earthy acoustics, and his trademark infectious optimism and positivity.
“Calm the Sea” also comes with a healthy dose of unabashed sentimentality too, with Churchill writing the song “when I was feeling really grateful for my partner and the nurturing and inspiring world we call home… It’s about having that wonderful person to ride the waves of life alongside.” It’s the perfect antidote to the winter blues.
We’ve been fans of Naarm/Melbourne-based artist and songwriter MEGHNA since we premiered “Bad Thoughts” back in 2020, and it’s a thrill to hear her latest tune “I See Red” which has dropped this week.
The track was inspired by inappropriate behaviour at a networking event, which she has understandably railed against. In this day and age, it still goes on!
Meghna explains: “This random man (definitely not age-appropriate) approached me and started grabbing my shirt, touching me, feeling my shoulders. He asked while leering, “What is this material you’re wearing?”.
“I See Red” is a punchy and inspiring response to an outrageous action.
It was a highlight with audiences at their recent shows at Great Escape and Wide Awake, now Franco-American Art Pop duo Faux Real are releasing their latest single “Walking Away From My Demons”. The track, taken their upcoming debut album Faux Ever (out Oct 11th, City Slang), is such a vibe. It’s an upbeat dance anthem, that almost revels in its vibrancy. It’s a lot of fun, with memorable and catchy choruses, an ‘angelic’ music video, and some pretty sound and empowering life lessons. What more do you need?
“Riptide” is the debut release from 18-year-old IKE who hails from Byron Bay. The voice of IKE on this track will stop you in your tracks. He is an artist who we feel will be hard to pigeonhole – taking influence from a wide range of genres.
In “Riptide”, he sings about the challenges faced by his generation: “Riptide is a song about a struggle with mental challenges and the modern-day influence of drugs on a young mind. A boy finds himself succumbing to pressure to smoke and drink “not grow up as sober” and because of those influences, and doing those things, he finds himself “falling over and over again” into the traps of those escapes that now flood his mind. “Destinations have no end” refers to the dreams that once seemed so close. But as reality settles in and as he gets older and older and his “leaves keep falling”, the world doesn’t stop around him.”
There’s a maturity to IKE’s songwriting, which complements his incredible voice. And if that’s not enough, he also produced the track.
“Distant Mirage” is the latest single from Australian rock band Stitcher. Opening with Arabian and desert rock undertones the six minute track takes the listener on a journey full of drama and rock spectacle. It’s all very much reminiscent of the golden age of rock and roll, with big guitars, sprawling solos, and endurance. You’ve also got that powerful lead vocal too. For a young band, Stitcher certainly aren’t holding back – this is six minutes of rock and roll drama, and we’re here for it. Sydneysiders can catch the band tonight at the Metro Theatre, with Who’s Your Daddy. Then they’ll be off to Brisbane and Melbourne in July so keep an eye out.
“England” is the new single from your next favourite ‘boy band’ – Boy Bleach. The alt rock five piece are from London’s East End council estates and have been making a name for themselves across the UK and Europe. They’ve played Reading & Leeds Festivals, they’ve supported the likes of Yungblud and Simple Plan and have gained the attention of BBC Radio 1 and more. “England” is also a pretty good jumping in point for listeners and captures what the band stands for: big riffs, incisive lyricism, big choruses, and an eye of well poised social critique.
Also added to the playlist this week are new tracks from US shoegazers Evil Twin (“Pale Moon”). and US indie darlings Hippo Campus (“Tooth Fairy”), as well as premieres from Aqver (“WON’T CHANGE ME”) and STAHR (“All Night Long”).
Catch all the new music updated every Friday on Apple Music:
and on Spotify:
Here’s the complete list of new additions this week:
Kim Churchill “Calm The Sea”
Meghna “I See Red” ft. Adyn Young
Faux Real “Walking Away From My Demons”
IKE “Riptide”
Hippo Campus “Tooth Fairy”
Stitcher “Distant Mirage”
Boy Bleach “England”
Evil Twin “Pale Moon”
Aqver “WON’T CHANGE ME” [Exclusive Single Premiere]
STAHR “All Night Long” [Exclusive Single Premiere]
