Emmecosta • Effort • 2023

"...the perfect soundtrack to those twilight hours spent walking home from the club"

COMPLEX 

 “All post-club beats, somnambulist synths, and that gloriously Nordic sense of melody”

CLASH 

“Shimmering atmospheric sweeps, synth flourishes, funky guitar and bass, tropical percussion, and soulful crooning combine for exquisitely layered texture”

STEREOGUM 

Wings of Desire • Runnin' • 2023

https://www.wingsofdesire.co/

“A bit like if Bruce Springsteen had a mid-’80s Jesus And Mary Chain phase” Stereogum 

”Wings of Desire cite the '00s indie scene and '80s Factory Records as primary influences and you can definitely hear a little New Order (but also a little Springsteen)” Brooklyn Vegan

“Now Hear This” The Independent 

"Wings Of Desire craft dazed pop jewels" CLASH 

TOUR DATES
8th February - Manchester - YES
9th February - Sheffield - The Factory
10th February - Newcastle - Bobiks
11th February - Glasgow - The Poetry Club
13th February - Leeds - Oporto
14th February - Birmingham - The Sunflower Lounge
15th February - London - The Lexington 

Podcast #2 • Ali Horn of Loominance Records • 2023

Ali Horn is a indie musician, singer-songwriter and founder of Loomiance Records https://www.instagram.com/loominancerecords/?hl=en

I caught up with Ali from his home studio in Liverpool UK. 

Featured Track

Podcast #2

 

The Ivies • Ego • 2023

https://ditto.fm/the-ivies-reflections

Wielding its multifaceted influences like a Swiss army knife, The Ivies’ debut EP

is ‘more prog than most psych bands, more psych than most prog bands’ –

cementing them as unique in their musical execution. Crescendoing into

existence, the trio humbly show off their skills as writers, with intricate guitar

work and melodies that echo both The Beatles and Black Country, New Road.

The band explores more sonic possibilities than ever before while the songs stay,

at their core, genuinely great. Tracked over four days at Liverpool’s Material

Studios, the record sets elements of Shakespeare and Dostoevsky to a progressive and layered instrumentation, culminating in an apocalyptic finish, after tales of

helplessness, jealousy and anxiety.

deary • Fairground • 2023

It’s an instant classic; an ethereal lullaby atop a languid breakbeat, which began as an attempt to replicate My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Soon’ but ended up somewhere in between Portishead, Felt Mountain-era Goldfrapp and early Saint Etienne.

Jenny Bakke • 'Can We Move To Mars' • 2023

“An honest and beautiful ode to friendship” – Nothing But Hope and Passion

“Wistful lilting vocals weave through a sonorous suite of Scandi pop, synths and subtle percussion. A superlative meditative pop track, that deals with the secretive and painful feeling of envy” – God Is In The TV

“The Norwegian artist’s vocals glide across the indie-pop foundations to create a sleek track bursting with honesty and elegance” – Lock Magazine

In 2022, Liverpool-based Norwegian musician Jenny Bakke made her musical debut under the moniker Helven, releasing her debut EP, volume 1, a collection of synth-laden lo-fi pop. Now she’s preparing to make her return with Morild, her most personal collection of songs yet, fittingly to be released under her own name.  Today she has released a new single, the hauntingly beautiful 'Can We Move To Mars', via 9AM Records.

English Teacher • Song About Love' • 2023

“A Leeds post-punk four-piece who take their place in the front rank of great new British bands” The Sunday Times

 “The fierce and magnetic draw of a future punk great” NME

“A brilliant new voice in UK guitar music” DIY

“A sprawling tour-de-force” So Young Magazine

“One of the very best new bands around” Dork

“They could be your new favourite band” The Line Of Best Fit

Eric Silverman • Lost Connection • 2023

Website

"Filling the air with fumes of Floyd, Yes, and Young, filtered through acolytes from The War on Drugs to Soundtrack of Our Lives, Silverman's new album, Stay In It, is a heady dip into altered-dimensions cut to tape on Jerry Garcia’s old recording console." - RAVEN SINGS THE BLUES

 

"Take a kaleidoscopic journey through consciousness with a trippy, mind-expanding Moog leading the way to unexpected places." - BANDCAMP: NEW & NOTABLE

Stay In It is an album in the classic sense. It’s a cohesive song cycle purpose-built for pit stops at points beyond along the California country corridor. Sonically, Stay In It feels equally at home in 2023 as it might in 1972, evidenced by nods to After After The Gold Rush-era Neil Young, Jonathan Wilson, and The War on Drugs.

Podcast #1 • James Smith of Good Good Blood & Fox Food Records • 2023

Here's the start to a new year and a new experiment at ifitbeyourwill blog… I've started to connect with indie artists, record label peeps, promoters, bands to shine a light on some gem's in the rough. Please subscribe and enjoy. If you're interested in joining me on a podcast drop me a line @ ifthisbeyourwill@gmail.com

Featured Track

Episode #1 with James Smith

Josh Rennie-Hynes • Morning Stars • 2023

"Exquisite, shimmering guitar colors and fine lyrical details. 4 out of 5 stars." - Rolling Stone

"Take the outrageous alt-pop flair from the outback and mix it with the pristine Nashville production and we get something that smells like Parcels bathing musically with Lord Huron... a contagious alt-pop banger that displays the artist’s tenacious knack for experimental pop and hooks." - Glide

 

"Pushes the limits with lush pop arrangements over profoundly engaging songwriting. The music serves to uplift Rennie-Hynes soaring, honeyed vocals – just rough enough around the edges to keep things interesting." - Ghettoblaster Magazine

"Leading with yearning, guitar tones that are instantly redolent of the song’s philosophical nature, the artist sells it with its wishful chorus, sifting through the ebb and flow that our lives all inherently produce." - PopMatters

Murray A. Lightburn • "Dumpster Gold" • 2023

www.murraylightburn.com 

Murray A. Lightburn, the longtime frontman of Montreal’s acclaimed The Dears, returns today with a deeply personal new single “Dumpster Gold,” to announce his third solo full-length album, Once Upon A Time In Montreal, for a March 31release via Dangerbird Records. The album, which Lightburn jokes is an audio version of a biopic, was inspired by the passing of his father, a jazz musician from Belize who moved to Montreal via New York to reconnect with his teenage sweetheart. The two were married for 56 years, until he passed in April 2020 in a Quebec nursing home where he’d been living with Alzheimer’s. Lightburn shared a video for the single earlier today via RANGE. Watch + share it via YouTube. Pre-order Once Upon A Time In Montreal.

bonny doon • Crooked Creek • 2023

I HEARD THE PREACHER SPEAK AT CROOKED CREEK I HEARD THE COYOTE HOWL FROM DEEP IN MY BOWELS I HEARD THE TREES SLOW DANCE IN THE NEON WILD AIN’T IT CRAZY HOW I STILL FEEL LIKE A CHILD I HEARD THE SOUND OF A NEW WORLD BEING BORN THRASHIN’ AND A’ CRASHIN’ INTO FORM I HEARD LOVE IN THE DISTANCE CALLING MY NAME ASSURING ME THAT EVERYTHING IS THE SAME I TOOK A RIDE ON A RAINDROP AND WHAT DO YA KNOW I CAME ACROSS SADNESS SITTING ALONE I SAID WHAT’S THE MATTER SADNESS, WHY ARE YOU SO SAD? SADNESS REPLIED, THAT’S JUST HOW I AM AND THERE WAS LAUGHTER AFTER THE CAROUSEL COMPLETING THE CIRCLE, FAR AS I COULD TELL AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE YOU’RE GOING WITHOUT DOING THE MATH IF YOU’RE STEPPING IN SHIT, YOU’RE PROBABLY ON THE PATH YEAH I KNOW GOD SHE’S A FRIEND OF MINE COMES OVER FOR BEERS ALL OF THE TIME SAYS THE ONLY THING CERTAIN IS THEY’LL DRAW THE CURTAIN AND TIE A LITTLE BOW AROUND YOUR LOVIN’ AND HURTIN’ I HEARD THE SOUND OF A NEW WORLD BEING BORN THRASHIN’ AND A’ CRASHIN’ INTO FORM I HEARD LOVE IN THE DISTANCE CALLING MY NAME ASSURING ME THAT EVERYTHING IS THE SAME

Silver Moth • Mother Tongue • 2023

A leap of faith reaps extraordinary rewards on Black Bay, an album of depth, atmosphere and daring from the collective known as Silver Moth. Recorded under unusual circumstances, Black Bay is the sound of seven storied musicians yielding to shared goals; a policy of trust in action. Between hushed incantations and molten guitars, 15-minute noise-rock epics and healing psalms, the record is a testament to connectivity and receptivity: to a union of disparate minds committing to something greater than the sum of its parts.

Circa Waves • Never Going Under • 2023

Never Going Under is the encapsulation of a continued upward trajectory for Circa Waves over the last decade. Becoming one of Britain's most influential and adored guitar bands across five genre-defining albums. 

Slow Fiction • In the distance, where it doesn​’​t matter • 2023

"Let their garage-rock guitars and the song’s enthralling crescendo give you a sense of catharsis (and even make you dance)."
- Alternative Press

"Bright-eyed early noughties guitars are behind the wheel on this one, trailing an atmospheric hum of feedback and dancing rhythms [...] either grab the nearest box of tissues or strap on your dancing shoes; ['In the distance, where nothing matters'] is a ferocious groover with an unrepentant sense of enmity."
- So Young Magazine

"'Top 10 Movie Scenes' finds the band slowing down for a more expansive effort, crafting a widescreen offering traced with fuzzy indie rock textures [...] The track’s soaring climax feels perfect for a coming-of-age movie, capturing an emotive high in brilliant instrumental color.
- Under the Radar

Hiding Places • The Fly (EP) • 2022

mui zyu • Sore Bear • 2023

"The Hong Kong British artist, born Eva Liu, is on a mission to escape. She outstretches her hand, inviting you to come with her into a fantasy world run by sorcerers, witches and lonesome warriors. Clam shells swallow dinosaurs whole, but zyu quells any fear." - NPR

Good Good Blood • Johnny Was An Ocean Child • 2023

All of the days and all of the nights

Break me down, break me down

Right?

I can hear it coming!

All the disease, all of the blight

Cancels out, cancels out light

I can feel it forming!

And when we find out how to survive

We will all, we will all die

I can see it coming!

Johnny was an ocean child

Look at him dive, oh look at him dive

Swimming deep below the tide

Trying to find somewhere to hide

Catch him in a fishing net

Keep him as your little pet

Take a look, you can bet

He’s as cute as cute can get!

And when the days turn into nights 

We will all we will all sigh 

Let them entertain us!

All of the dreams and all of the lies 

Make us all make us all, cry 

Please don’t let it change us!

Time begins to move real slow

Johnny starts to feel real low

Trying to find a way to go 

But there’s no one who can show 

How he can escape your net 

Or how to stop being a pet 

Take a look, I can bet 

He’s as dead as dead can get!

Stay Tuned: Season 2 • 2023

'Stay Tuned: Season 2' contains all songs from Perpetual Doom's beloved TV theme song cover series. Every Thursday, a new track will premiere until the season is over. Twenty classic TV themes by your favorite indie artists. 📺🎶⁣⁣

PerpetualDoom.com

Will Epstein • Oyster Bay • 2023

Website

“His desperation in combating the strength of his feelings and the surrounding soundscape make for an evocative, engaging listening experience” - Stereogum

Z Tapes • Sampler 2022 • 2023

ztapesrecords.com

Z Tapes' 2022. 

Thank you for supporting our artists and our label. We love you, happy new year. 

- Angie & Filip

All proceeds will go towards funding future releases. 

Cover photo by Angie

2023