Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne released his new single, ‘It Takes Me Back." The soulful track showcases LaMontagne's signature emotive vocals and profound lyricism, underscoring his talent as a storyteller. The song’s heartfelt melodies and instrumentation of pedal steel, harmonica, congas and more create an experience that transports listeners into LaMontagne’s travels on the road giving both a nostalgic and fresh quality. To accompany the release, LaMontagne has released a special single visualizer made by his son, Tobias LaMontagne (Zap Film Co.) for fans to experience the lyrics through compelling film shots. Check out the video here.
Sydney-based three-piece Middle Kids released their latest single ‘Highlands’ via AWAL. The single is the band’s second song to be produced by Jonathan Gilmore (The 1975/Beabadoobee). Lead singer/songwriter Hannah Joy said of the song: “Since I was young, I’ve had this yearning to be free. In this song I used an image of the ‘highlands’ as a euphoric place where I have the space to be me, and you have the space to be you. Part of the imagery comes from my Scottish heritage, which my grandmother was always so proud of. I recorded some big slow piano chords which Tim mangled into the atmospheric hits in the intro. When we finished the song with Jon Gilmore in the UK, he thought it was important that the song felt punky, like a bunch of teenagers practicing in their garage. So, there are these 2 energies fighting it out - the constricted energy of the domestic space and the wide-open energy of the highlands. We have a friend who calls this kind of music ‘yearncore’. It’s that impatient energy that says, ‘I can’t keep waiting, I need a change’.”
Minneapolis trio Semisonic shares their latest single “The Rope” from their forthcoming album “Little Bit of Sun,” their first in over 20 years via Pleasuresonic Records/Megaforce out November 3, 2023.The song is accompanied by a music video, directed by Otto Harder and Philip Harder, in which a dog breaks free of its owner and enjoys a bit of time on the lam before getting lonely, spotting a “lost dog” poster, and dashing home. Frontman Dan Wilson shared “My approach as an artist has always been to write from where I am now. It’s been decades since Semisonic made a full record together, so it was interesting to write from the perspective of returning to the band and finding it inspiring but very different. I couldn’t help but think about the early days, about the formative influences that shaped and inspired us, but a lot of the songs are about the present moment in my life.”
Canadian singer-songwriter TALK has shared his latest single, “A Little Bit Happy” via Capitol Records/Range Music. The track will be featured on TALK’s upcoming new album, on which he teamed up with Justin Tranter (Halsey/Imagine Dragons/Fall Out Boy). TALK shares about the single, “For a long time, I didn’t feel beautiful,” TALK explained in a press release. “Every time I looked in the mirror, I hated what I saw. This was my reality every day for the last decade. Then I met my partner, and she was the first person to make me feel happy and beautiful in a long time. This song serves as a reminder of how she sees me. For the times I feel down and out and for anyone else who’s had body image issues or feels like they don’t belong.” Catch him live at Lollapalooza, Life Is Beautiful and Ohana Festival among other tour dates here.