As always, it’s been great to continue to conversate with exciting new independent artists this month, and once again there’s a blossoming variety of musical flavours for you to explore and enjoy. Remember if you know an up-and-coming artist/group that deserves more recognition, you can recommend a song to be featured in a future article by clicking the button at the top of the page. You can also listen to/follow the playlist of all the tracks on Spotify by using the playlist on the right. So, without further ado, here are this month’s recs!
Lara de Belder – Turn It Over
Up first this month is talented singer-songwriter and actor Lara de Belder, with her infectious jazz-infused alt. pop debut Turn It Over. A track all about desire and obsession, and drawing influences from big names such as Celeste, Jamie Cullum and Erykah Badu, it’s no surprise that this song feels like a fusion of various different musical styles, a fusion which leaves us with a high-energy, powerful, unique debut. It’s the first track in what Lara describes as a ‘concept album about the breakdown of a relationship’ and there’s even a sassy, vibrant music video to go alongside it, which you can watch here. The track feels fresh and new, a personal blend of various genres, that results in a song which is anything but generic. Lara will be dropping her follow-up later this year, as well as performing at Femme Fest in September, a new queer women’s music festival! In short, Turn It Over is a pretty epic debut, and I can’t wait to see what comes next!
pekipsy – Disco Eyes
Another unique and exciting new artist I wanted to spotlight this month is pekipsy, who is dreaming big. He released his debut Disco Eyes at the beginning of the year, a song about getting stuck in an increasingly toxic relationship, but not having/seeing a way out. Musically the song is chill and poppy, with potential influences from acts like The 1975. This is just the beginning for pekispy though, as he has lots of new music on the way very soon. His follow-up serotonin is released before the end of the month, and has said it will be going in a slightly different direction, describing his new tracks as ‘heavier’ and ‘something to dance and mosh and sit on your lovers shoulders to’. After the year we’ve all had, that sounds perfect right about now, so keep your fingers crossed and your eyes peeled for what pekipsy has in the pipeline!
Alex Mather – For All I Know
Up next is an artist with a long list of talents, from song writing, to producing, to even RUGBY! Having signed to the Melbourne Storm at age 15, Australian Alex Mather’s career took a slightly different turn after an injury forced him to hang up his rugby boots and pick up his guitar. Moving to Sydney then propelled him to work with high-profile producers and writers, as well as co-write hits for other big artists. The promise this young musician shows is evident, and his new release For All I Know only enforces that. Inspired by the likes of Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, this track is a great one, and is just the beginning of what Alex has planned. He’s also recently joined Patreon, where you can access behind-the-scenes content and exclusive previews, by clicking here. Expect lots more exciting stuff from this guy very soon!
Melanie Baker – Broken
Finally this month we have the exciting Melanie Baker, with a sombre but gorgeous track Broken, taken from her 2020 EP of the same name. Having already supported massive new artists such as Maisie Peters and dodie on tour, Melanie shows no signs of stopping as she continues working on new music. Focusing on honest, raw, direct lyrics about relatable human experiences, it’s clear she writes from the heart, and the vulnerability of the song ironically shows her power and strength and promise. A beautiful song, with huge potential! Keep your eyes peeled on this one!
