Best of 2020 • Carla J. Easton • Weirdo

Making music described as “glitter bursting from every chorus” and combining “the ominous glimmer of synth-wave with the maximalist fun of Carly Rae Jepsen’s ’80s throwbacks”, Carla J Easton is a pop songwriter with a back catalogue that would make most people envious.

‘WEIRDO’, a defiant pop album written over the course of a year spent sofa-surfing by Scottish artist, Carla J Easton (Teen Canteen), is set to be released on August 28th on Olive Grove Records. Following on from the critically acclaimed ‘Impossible Stuff’, which was shortlisted for Scottish Album of The Year 2019, Easton set to work writing and recording ‘WEIRDO’ with the help of Scott Paterson (Sons and Daughters) in CHVRCHES old basement studio in Glasgow. The pair met and became friends whilst playing in the live band for The Vaselines 2019 tour and began writing together after playing at The Boaty Weekender by Belle and Sebastian – a festival on a cruise ship round the Mediterranean. 

Jacob Faurholt • Wake Me Up • 2020

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Musically Wake Me Up is more than “a man with a guitar album”. After the basic songs were recorded live, Faurholt started fooling around with his Microkorg keyboard, adding spacey textures to the songs. He also got tracks sent to him by email from Daniel Crowell, a California based musician, who did his parts while quarantined in his home due to COVID19. The albums piano pieces were recorded in Switzerland by the classically trained Samuel Gray, who years back, released an album as Sam Gray Singing on Faurholt’s label Raw Onion Records. Faurholt’s wife Nadia and his daughter also added vocals to the album. Faurholt mixed the record himself and it was mastered by Canadian producer Andy Magoffin (Great Lake Swimmers). 

 

Anna Burch • If You're Dreaming • 2020

With twelve months of heavy touring behind her, the Detroit songwriter is ready to go with her sophomore record, If You’re Dreaming – a more considered, confident and predictably polished body of work than her 2018 debut, which introduced her proficiencies for energetic and complex melodies and lyrics laced with irony.

Where Quit The Curse at times felt a little empty and, to be harsh, repetitive when it came to instrumentation, the new record compiles the previous album’s qualities with more dynamic arrangements, which create more space for her soft and seductive vocals.

Current situation aside, If You’re Dreaming feels like a cat’s day spent sat looking through the window – largely sparse and delicate, with the occasional rush of excitement. The slow-climbing chord progressions carry as much emotion as her lyrics, pointedly on single Tell Me What’s True, which sees Burch almost whisper over the softened, staccato keys.

This silky-smooth delivery mellows further still on the charmingly dreamy, Jacket, where the restrained instrumentation balances sublimely with her vocal to create one of the record’s highlights. secret meeting

Dumb Things - Dumb Things - 2019

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The first look at 2019… Sounds pretty damn cool.

It's been a long time since we found albums that sounded like the bands we liked so much, slovenly, fresh, fun, elegant. Do you remember what you felt listening to Pavement, Beat Happening, The Feelies or The Chills? That’s what Dick Diver, Twerps or Nap Eyes are bringing us now.