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Tom H
- Jul 22, 2018
- 3 min
DIVMOND | I'm Not Sayin' (new single)
"I'm Not Sayin'" is the soulful, chill new single from Chicago-based singer-songwriter and producer DIVMOND (a.k.a. Chris Diamond), and the third proper release featuring this talented, emerging musician. DIVMOND's 2017 collaboration ("We Came To Dance") with producer duo Cafe Disko first cast DIVMOND into the musical spotlight, with the track garnering one million streams across music streaming platforms. It was this incredible track that first caught my attention with DIVMO
99 views0 comments
Tom H
- Sep 13, 2017
- 2 min
Juke Ross | Colour Me (debut single)
A few weeks ago, I was flipping through those little Instagram Stories you find near the top of the app, and viewed a clip from a recent Sofar Sounds NYC show that caught my attention. It was a short video showing a stunning acoustic performance from a musician named @jukeross. After a quick internet search, I discovered that this was Guayanese singer-songwriter Juke Ross performing his impressive debut single, "Colour Me." What's there not to like about this song? It's reall
43 views0 comments
Tom H
- Jul 11, 2017
- 3 min
Mike Mentz | #travelpop Video Series
After you've finished reading this blog post about singer-songwriter-traveler, Mike Mentz, you'll have expanded your music vocabulary to include a new word: #travelpop. Not only does it make a great hashtag, but it's the self-coined term Mike uses to describe his style of music that encompasses his two great passions: travel and music. Having performed in over 30 countries, his sound and lyrics are shaped by the always changing world around him. "Perspective is priceless," Mi
169 views0 comments
Tom H
- Jun 1, 2017
- 2 min
Fauvely | Watch Me Overcomplicate This (debut EP)
Watch Me Overcomplicate This is the impressive debut EP from Chicago-based, indie/dreampop band Fauvely, the musical project of singer-songwriter Sophie Leigh. The band consists of additional core members Alice Kraynak (violin, vocals), and Scott Cortez (bass), as well as a rotating cast that includes Chris DePorter, Dale Price, and Alex Burns, who produced, mixed and mastered the EP. Musically, the six tracks on Watch Me Overcomplicate This are catchy, driving songs with sof
139 views0 comments
Tom H
- May 27, 2017
- 1 min
David Swick | Poster Child (debut single)
It was just a week ago that I first heard the music of Nashville-based singer-songwriter David Swick at a Sunday afternoon Sofar Sounds Chicago event. Accompanied by violinist Laura Epling on strings and backing vocals, David captivated the audience in a tiny, packed Chicago apartment with his stunning, flawless, fingerstyle performance on acoustic guitar, which provided the perfect musical soundtrack for his expressive, heartfelt vocals. Among the songs performed was his deb
144 views0 comments
Tom H
- Nov 18, 2016
- 2 min
Minor Moon | "So Composed" (new single)
"So Composed" is the new single from Chicago-based indie folk rock band Minor Moon, the songwriting project of musician Sam Cantor, and featuring Nathan Bojko (drums), Michael Downing (bass) and Colin Drozdoff (keyboards). It is the first sample of new Minor Moon compositions that will be featured on their upcoming EP, What Our Enemies Know. Driven by sounds of a warm, bluesy Wurlitzer piano, soft electric guitar lead and drums, "So Composed" is an ease-back-and-relax song th
46 views0 comments
Tom H
- Sep 27, 2016
- 2 min
We/Or/Me | "Everything Behind Us is a Dream"
"Everything Behind Us is a Dream" is the most recent album from Chicago-based artist We/Or/Me, the musical alias of singer-songwriter Bahhaj Taherzadeh, joined by several fellow musicians, including Adam Selzer, Luke Ydstie, Amanda Lawrence, Cory Gray and Alia Farah. The 11 beautifully composed songs on this impressive release are soft, thoughtful and sentimental - in both sound and lyrics. The predominant instruments across all songs include Bahhaj's simple, yet sophisticate
75 views0 comments
Tom H
- Aug 9, 2016
- 2 min
New EP from Milwaukee-based Ladders
Following their two prior full-length albums, Suha (2014) and Saye Lonnie (2015), Milwaukee-based indie rock band Ladders releases a self-titled EP of five brand new songs on August 10. Founded in 2014, the band consists of Daniel Mitchell (lead vocals, electric guitar), James Sauer (lead guitar, vocals, keys), Dan Oberbruner (bass, vocals) and Myles Coyne (drums, vocals, keys). Ladders' prevalent sound is solid, refreshing indie and classic rock. These are well-written songs
18 views0 comments
Tom H
- Jul 19, 2016
- 3 min
Ring in "New Year's Day" with Yahara's Debut EP
"New Year's Day" is the brand new debut EP from the talented Milwaukee indie-rock band Yahara. The band consists of James Sauer (lead guitar), Cheston VanHuss (bass guitar, background vocals), Justin Otto (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Eric Fricke (keys) and Nick Lang (percussion). I recently had the opportunity to meet the band and hear an incredible live performance of the songs on "New Year's Day" at an intimate Sofar Sounds show in Chicago. I learned that they had just rec
21 views0 comments
Tom H
- Jul 9, 2016
- 2 min
Artist Spotlight - Anna Pancaldi "Dear Joey,"
It is hard to believe that Anna Pancaldi is an unsigned artist, after listening to her music and watching her live performances. I doubt that this will be the case for long. "Dear Joey," is this talented UK singer-songwriter's second EP release, and is the first of a series of EP's that are named after and dedicated to her siblings. "Runaway" is the powerful, featured song that opens the EP with Anna's voice starting deep, and is accompanied simply by the strumming of her gui
53 views0 comments
Tom H
- Jul 3, 2016
- 3 min
Help Yourself to Bryde EP1
"You can't help yourself" leads the chorus of the first track on Bryde's debut EP, simply titled "EP1". But my advice is that you really should help yourself to the four beautifully written and performed gems on this EP. On her Facebook page, Bryde (a.k.a. Sarah Howells) describes herself as "a girl & an electric guitar singing fierce & fragile songs", and that is exactly what you will find on this EP - all songs are written and played by Bryde herself. The opening track ("
47 views0 comments
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MUSIC STITCHES US TOGETHER
SOUNDTHREAD
Music reviews, commentary, interviews, and insight about music you really ought to hear.