#MusicMonday Review - January 2024

[osornios]

#MusicMonday is the hashtag I've been using for quite a while to share music recommendations from up-and-coming artists. Always fresh, and always different, trying to look for trends before they become one. You can check December's review for more music.

Welcome to 2024. We begin this year with an all-English multi-genre round up, with just a taste of current Mexican Pop. Give it a listen, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

VIANA – LOCA

Esto apenas va empezar

Ya me cansé de qué me inyecten su veneno
Muchos sólo hablan pocos somos los que hacemos
La voz que llevo dentro afónica ha de estar
Hago como que no escucho y no para de gritar

Oye, despierta, date cuenta, ellos no te verán capaz
A fin de cuentas, no te mientas, eso tú sabías ya

Ellos intentan, poco a poco, tu ánimo aplastar
Mientras más traten, ya ganaste
Eso no olvides jamás

The year starts with a bang, straight from Torreón, Mexico. A sincere Latin Pop track about having a dream, and fighting for it, despite what other people might think:

"I started writing this song some time ago, when I had several opinions regarding my decision as to pursuing a singing career. I was, in a way, mad that people doubted I could be able to do so.

LOCA is my response to the criticism, showing them exactly that I'm not crazy for fighting for my dream. And if they thought I would give up, they couldn't be more wrong, since I have a ton of music to share and be heard."

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Viduals – Where Did the Time Go?

Caught between forever and after
You and me
erased, erased, erased

We fly now to Swindon, England, for an Alternative Rock song that takes us to the process of a couple falling to nothing, with many excuses to make:

"The song came about as an exploration into relationships. The track initially started as a bit of a break up song, we wrote the track when we were around 18/19 so it's an older one.

It kinds became less relevant over time so it went through a few iterations. The track evolved over time and now I'd say it charts the whole course of a relationship.

The first verse is the beginning of the relationship where things are hopeful, the second verse things are more shaky, the bridge represents the parting/break up and the outro is the acceptance of this. The track isn't really about anyone in particular it’s more about the theme itself."

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Candid Faces – Telephonophobia

You better run, fear leaking out of your pores
You better hide, never distant from a buzz or a chime
You better run, better lock up all of your doors
You better hide, I think they’re slipping into our minds

Let's travel north to Kingston upon Hull, in Yorkshire, for some Post Punk bliss about those silicone spies that reside in our pockets, as band member Joe explains:

"The song started with [band members] Taro and Ben writing the riff and I thought it would suit the song to write lyrics with a lot of nervous energy to them.

The main thing I wanted to write about was privacy in the digital age, I feel like there's a lot of weird aspects to how we interact with technology, as in how companies seem to primarily make the consumer the product through selling their data. I think at the time there was a lot of controversy around Facebook/Meta and data privacy which probably inspired me more than anything.

It was fun working on this EP because it feels like we all had something to offer each track which I think you can really hear on this!!".

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Matt Edible & the Obtuse Angels – Mirror Shoes

Look at me

I'm vitamin C

A picture of health

Ain't nothin' but stealth

In my Mirror Shoes

I'm a man of the people

I'm the best of The Beatles

I'm crack cocaine

I'm Citizen Kane

I'm True Romance

I'm The Modern Dance

In my Mirror Shoes

We stay in Hull, for a Glam Rock track that will make you put on your suit, head into work, act like a hero, and may end up a jerk:

"A few years ago my partner bought me a shiny pair of platform shoes for Christmas. I loved them so much I declared I'm gonna write a song about these!

The song kind of wrote itself.

It's kind of about the duality of being a rock star that has to do a normal job everyday to pay the bills. It's also about the good and bad in everyone - though some may be better or worse than others..."

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The Flitz – Night On My Mind

Right time, wrong decision

Feel like going fishing 🐟

New day, do the same thing

Get paid, gonna waste it on you

What else can I do?

Cos you gotta get around in this dead end town

Don't know what you're living for

You just want more

Sick of everyone who's waiting at the door

Everything's gonna be working out in time

Into shoetown, night on my mind

We end up our trip in West London, for an Indie Pop song about how a night out in town can be saved by some good ol' rock n roll:

"On the train to my hometown (Northampton) I always saw this massive wall graffiti on the tracks of Euston, platform 6. That's where I got the title from and the lyric “into shoe town, Night On My Mind”. Northampton is historically famous for making shoes, hence shoe town".

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#MusicMonday 2023

We say goodbye to 2023 with this year's compilation. 101 titles from original artists covering all types of genres, representing the multiple trends independent artists are proud to establish. Have a listen:

spotify:playlist:7JlNmwr0gdevuKh5l2qpOZ

Get into 2024, and much more, on the complete Playlist

spotify:playlist:2IYRLjcwf2X9vC0QrI0b0P

See you next month!