Hello world,
Here’s your latest FP Picks update. We’ve got loads of great new music as always inc trx from James Bruner, Terra Twin, Bess Atwell & more. If you like what you hear please follow and share this playlist, it helps us keep doing our thing by getting the algorithms on our side. Also please support the artists featured in any way you can!
Until next week
Helen (Futureproof) x
Terra Twin – The Recogniser
London based indie outfit Terra Twin have shared a new single from their upcoming EP Static Separation and state: “The Recogniser is a feeling of someone leaving. It’s a post-apocalyptic exploration of what life looks like when the river-dancing contest has gone on for too long and you get a free drink in the pouring rain.” Frontman Maxim Baldry told NME of the EP: “We wanted to elevate our sound and make it a bit more muscular. We’re still keeping true to our Americana and country influences, but we wanted to make it muscular, loud and a bit more trashy. It’s definitely a shift from everything we’ve done before, which was a little bit more Big Thief-y. We’re going into a space that feels authentic to us, but a bit more crunched.”
Common Saints – C’est la Vie
Common Saints is the personal project of renowned London-based producer Charlie J Perry. New single C’est la Vie is a breezy first taste of the upcoming debut album Cinema 3000 (due out on 1st November) and it’s a track that’s typically on brand with the artist’s ’70s-inspired, psych-soul style. “Come on get your groove on / Get get get your groove on!” goes the chorus refrain, encapsulating the song’s infectious ode to sunny escapism. It may have arrived as autumn approaches, but the spirit of summer lives on in this three minute journey of blissful smoothness and warm production.
Welly – Cul-De-Sac
New single Cul-de-Sac is Welly’s vision of a love song – or love as soured in smalltown suburbia – with experimental shifts in tempo and tension starkly at odds with the statis of two people at “dead-end-road”. The video puts an irreverent spin on parochial storytelling, literally bringing smalltown politics to life. Welly dedicates the track to: “The girl next door, except you’ve both grown up a bit now and the WKD isn’t as sweet as it used to be. So whilst it’s fun to go back down the streets we used to own, we realise we’ve far outgrown them … but have we outgrown each other? … My director Harvey Payne came up with the model village concept. Perfect. And a perfect excuse to spend an evening half-drunk pretending I’m the indie-dance Godzilla.”
Fiona-Lee – Nothing Compares To Nineteen
Indie newcomer Fiona-Lee has shared a heartfelt new single and explains: “Nothing Compares To Nineteen is my own story of growing up and struggling with anxiety and depression when I was at school. I wrote it a couple years after a life long friend had taken his life and I was experiencing grief for the first time. It made me think about a conversation I’d had with my dad when I was about 15, where he told me that he’d also struggled with depression when he was young but never got help … So I guess the song is really something I hope young people can find some comfort in, knowing that they’re not the only socially anxious kid out there that’s intimidated by the boys at school – and I also hope it can keep the conversation going about the importance of men being able to express themselves truthfully and feeling they can ask for help when they need it.” Beautiful vocals & poignant songwriting – love it!
Lexi Berg – Lonely Satellite
Known for her ethereal and otherworldly vocals, singer songwriter Lexi Berg is back with emotional new single Lonely Satellite. Lexi spoke to Punk Head: “Lonely Satellite explores the paradox of modern urban life where stars are hidden by planes and satellites, symbolizing our disconnection from nature and increasing isolation despite our digital connectivity. This song urges listeners to find perspective and peace by looking up at the sky, reminding us that true fulfillment comes from connection, love, and presence, not constant achievement. When looking up, we are reminded of the vastness of the world and our small place in it.” An atmospheric and captivating track with a great message.
jasmine.4.t – Skin On Skin
Singer-songwriter jasmine.4.t (aka Jasmine Cruickshank) sings about the tangled joy, heartache, camaraderie and isolation of transfeminine life and is the newest signee to Phoebe Bridgers’ record label Saddest Factory. Not only has Bridgers thrown her promo muscle behind Cruickshank, but she also produced new single Skin On Skin with both her boygenius bandmates, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. Jasmine states: “Being signed by Phoebe Bridgers is immediately going to open me up to a wider audience. I take it seriously, just to be a visible trans woman role model in music, because there aren’t that many, and there should be more.” jasmine.4.t’s music bursts with moments of love through its fingerpicked guitar, punk bombast, and raw vocal takes. She combines performance with activism and uses her platform to advocate for trans rights and marginalised groups.
Bess Atwell – Where I Left Us
Brighton based singer-songwriter Bess Atwell has shared surprise new single Where I Left Us which is taken from new EP More Than Science. Premiered by Steve Lamacq, the track’s an introspective breakup song that highlights the realization that everyone can be seen as the ‘bad guy’ in someone’s story, it just depends who you are talking to! After a summer spent touring with The National, a series of UK dates in October will culminate in her largest headline show yet at KOKO in 2025. Another captivating track from Bess Atwell with thought-provoking lyrics and beautiful vocals.
The Last of the Fallen Angels – U Bahn
It might not be a new track, but we discovered U Bahn from The Last of the Fallen Angels on 6Music recently and we’re loving it! Telling the tale of a couple escaping everyday life, U Bahn is dreamy and cinematic – a searching ode to escapism and the flair and reinvention associated with the crossing of borders. It’s something the duo, who recall a classic throwback template in terms of the structure and genders of a pop act, know a thing or two about, seeking to marry the increasingly adored sub-genre of dream-pop with the still beloved but far more abandoned trip-hop. Sam Nixx’s floaty vocals hover over deep-diving percussive beats and ecstatic chorus melody. Production from Simon Ellis, at the boards for the likes of S Club 7 and Spice Girls, reveals just how defunct boundaries really are.
Katy J Pearson – Maybe
Katy J Pearson has shared a fresh slice of sun-soaked pop in new single Maybe from her upcoming album Someday, Now. Katy states: ““I’ve had this song with me for years now— it took a while to get there… When I was in the rehearsal room with Huw Evans [H. Hawkline], a few lyric tweaks happened. The chorus used to be ‘maybe I need your love / to show me that I’m good enough’ and he was like, ‘Why are you being like this to yourself? It should be the other way round!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, ok, thank you, feminist ally in the room.’ When a man’s telling me what to do in a studio I can get my back up pretty quickly, so it was brave of him to suggest it, but he was right.” Katy’s new album is shaping up to be her most confident yet, packed with catchy hooks and warm vibes. She’s also hitting the road with a series of in-store gigs during release week, followed by a full-blown UK headline tour and European dates with The Last Dinner Party.
James Bruner – When I’m Down
Nashville based singer-songwriter James Bruner releases his new single When I’m Down & returns to the UK for promotion before supporting British rock band The Struts on their European tour. With its lush arrangement & heartfelt vocals, new single When I’m Down is a taste of what’s to come on James’s soon to be released debut EP of the same name. Written during a period of vulnerability in his life after a romantic break-up, the song sees the artist facing down uncomfortable facts about their part in the relationship with the realisation that moving on & looking to the future is the best way forward. James states: “For me the song is a representation of my own story but I‘m thinking it may be a beacon of hope for others going through a similar thing.” Check out tour dates & treat yourself to his scintillating live show.
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