Photo by Barthelemy de Mazenod
Rosier – n’as-tu jamais vu d’oiseaux?
alternative
Montréalers Rosier grapple with all the feels on their recent single “n’as-tu jamais vu d’oiseaux?” Forget that the melody is to die for and that the acoustic backbone marries providentially with the classy electric guitars and production flair, “n’as-tu jamais vu d’oiseaux?” is a delicate yet haunting dirge, wrapping themes of innocence, loss, and frustration in a sparse, hypnotic arrangement. The song’s repetitive structure mirrors a childlike plea, with its imagery of an unreachable bird and impending wolves hinting at something darker—perhaps the inevitability of growing up or the slow erosion of control. The vocals hover between vulnerability and quiet resignation, making for a track that feels both intimate and unsettling. It doesn’t offer answers, only a lingering sense of something slipping away. What’s impressive is that Rosier accomplish something so substantial in just under two-and-a-half minutes. This memorable song is lifted from the album elle veille encore, which is out now.
Homesickness -Asunder
psychedelic folk
From the upcoming album Anamnesis, Danish septet Homesickness offset gentle and romantic acoustic sentiments with metronomic percussion and restrained but lush instrumentation on “Asunder”. A song that muses on the grief of loss shouldn’t be so pretty, yet Homesickness tap into the bittersweet emotions of pain on this beautifully arranged and delicately balanced track. Spearheaded by singer, guitarist, and lyricist Malthe Junge, this Scandinavian troupe features Osvald Reinhold Jensen on Fender Rhodes, Jakob Folke Ivarsson on clarinet and bells, Johan Knutz Haavik on the electric guitar, and Jacob Kaarsberg on cello. The players merge as effortlessly as rain into a river on this pensive tune, not stepping on each other’s toes, but creating a space where the audience can let this unassumingly potent music brew. Anamnesis comes out March 21st via Pink Cotton Candy Records.
Castlebeat – Ivy League
indie
There are equal measures of immediacy and introspection on “Ivy League”, a paradoxically snarling and lulling track from Castlebeat, nom de plume of California’s Josh Hwang. Shades of neon energy emanate from washes of synths, programmed percussion, jangly guitars, and vocals so textured with effects and subtle distortion you’d swear you were listening to KITT belt out a banger. Yes, this is fashionably throwback music, the type used on short-form content to associate with edginess and dissatisfaction with modern culture, likely by the same folk who wear Stranger Things t-shirts. But Castlebeat never comes across as fashionable by choice, here the sense of ennui is palpable, and the music is far too buoyant to feel generic.
Jeppe Davidsen – April
shoegaze
There’s an abstraction of colourful sounds on “April”, a beguiling and viscerally stimulating track from Danish bedroom artist Jeppe Davidsen. Perhaps best known as a drummer for the group First Flush, Davidsen’s solo work is highly stylized. His dreamy guitars battle with obscure sounds and understated drumming to form a nebulous burst of rough-and-ready shoegaze. What is going on in this song is beside the point. Davidsen’s vocal delivery is gentle enough, though far from sluggish, and is embellished by auto-tune type effects to further obfuscate proceedings. However, this is not opaque music, and the soul can heard despite the dearth of explicit cues. “April” is taken from the self-released album Vaere, which is out now.
Mirrortalk – Disgrace
rock
Birmingham’s Mirrortalk pulls out all the stops on “Disgrace”, a blistering new single that flits between barrages of aggressive metallic jamming and more emotionally sensitive songwriting. Following last year’s EP Rest Assured, “Disgrace” feels summery despite the aforementioned aggression and sadcore expressions. There’s a brightness and energy to the cacophonous stew, an environmental astuteness which is transportive. There’s not much information about Mirrortalk available. The press release of this single goes into detail about their motivations for making music and the friendship the members share but never reveals any of their names. Are they just modest? As a music writer I guess it’s my job to find these things out, but for “Disgrace”, I think it’s better to let the music do the talking.