Are you stuck at home? Are you feeling lost without being able to go to your usual local gigs?
Well, here are 11 new releases from East Anglian bands and musicians that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home with a bit about the song/album from each artist.
1. The Magic Es
Song: Hope
Release Date: 10th April 2020
Info: The song has a lot of meaning to singer/guitarist Pete Thompson; it was written while his daughter, born with a serious congenital heart defect, was under the intensive care of The Evelina Children’s Hospital in London. “It was an incredibly stressful time. My wife and I were pretty much living at the hospital for about 3 weeks” recalls Pete. “They had a battered piano at the accommodation block and the song just came out in about 15 minutes one evening”. It’s apt that all proceeds raised from the streaming and download of the single will be donated to the Evelina Children’s Heart Organisation. A charity that offer support to children and young people with heart conditions, and their families.
2. Blood Like Honey
Song: Rooftop Beach
Release Date: 20th March 2020
Info: The song is in reference to the Scrubs episode, My 5 Stages, where both parties go through the 5 stages of grief and how it’s often one in the same even though you’re separate.
3. Phoebe Austin
Song: Running
Release Date: 16th December 2019
Info: The song is about realising that you’ve been running away from yourself all of your life and making the decision not to run anymore but to confront your demons head on.
4. Prey Drive
Song: Shinjuku
Release Date: 22nd April 2020
Info: Shinjuku is a district in Tokyo that I (vocalist Brad) had the pleasure of working in for a while. It’s one of the brightest places on earth due to the vast amount of neon signs and advertising they have all over their buildings. Tokyo was a place I had always wanted to travel to and it didn’t disappoint. It was a completely different way of life, culture and even though is densely populated, felt clean, calm and a breath of fresh air. The song is about comparing your life to other people’s. Always thinking they are ahead and have their act together while you are ‘still spinning around’ trying to find your footing or path in life. It’s about things always changing around you, ‘everyone I know, is with someone new’ and not being able to control them, ‘everyone I love, will leave me too’. The chorus lead line ‘it can’t rain all the time’ is a film reference from The Crow. I took this as a metaphor for meaning no matter how much life throws at you, there will be some light at the end of it. I thought this was a hopeful and optimistic look on life and a good message to not give up.
5. Molly Willis
Song: Bed Head
Release Date: 16th March 2020
Info: Bed Head is my happy, playful, peaceful love song/ode to staying in bed all day - bizarrely appropriate for an extended quarantine situation. It’s obviously a little cheeky, but ultimately it’s just about a really nice morning where the chaos outside stops existing for a few hours and you can just enjoy being with the person you love.
6. Keep It Secret
Song: Wrapped Around Her Little Finger
Release Date: 15th February 2020
Info: Wrapped Around Her Little Finger is a fast paced, catchy, pop punk tune. It’s written about that moment, that spark, when you know your hooked on somebody. Butterflies, heartache, fate and fantasy - I guess it’s a honeymoon period song.
7. The Mild East
Album: A Heartbeat and the Rain
Release Date: 13th February 2020
Info: This album is our second offering following hot on the heels of Spaceman, Starman, Sony Walkman which was released in 2016. The album draws on our musical influences which are an eclectic mix of soul/blues/folk and others. We enjoy creating interesting vocal harmony interactions and these are often a feature of the music.
8. Mojo Preachers
Album: Man Made Monster
Release Date: 28th June 2019
Info: A follow up to our debut, Confessions, this heralds a marked difference in style and mix of genres, with the band having undergone a radical line-up change since that eponymous release. Man Made Monster was recorded and crafted over four months at Rooks Yard Studios, being engineered and produced by Tim Aves & Pete Crisp. The result is this, an eclectic and liberal blend of styles, each track having an inherent presence.
9. Longwave Radio
Album: Sea of Noise
Release Date: 16th February 2020
Info: To me, the album title Sea of Noise sums up the state of the internet today. It can be meant in a good way and a not so good way. Musically the album is in a downtempo/instrumental vein - DJ Shadow is a big influence - but I’ve also been getting into more experimental types of music of late, such as noise and drone, which you might hear a bit of too. I’m releasing the tracks from the album one at a time as they’re complete.
10. Yellowlees
Song: Eliza
Release Date: 10th April 2020
Info: Leaning into the folky acoustic influences explored on his previous EP Homemade, Eliza is infectious folk-pop at its best, coinciding nicely with the change from winter to spring. Eliza tells a story of temptation and unrequited love; wanting someone who isn’t good for you – something many listeners might relate to! It’s a vulnerable, honest, chilled out song: warm guitars and pianos mix with lush harmonies, dextrous lyrics and even acapella vocal sections. It’s still a killer pop song; however it’s full of energy, building throughout and the hook is catchy enough to stay with you for days.
11. Robin Shaw
Song: P45
Release Date: 8th March 2019
Info: The song actually took around two years to write/produce. It is based on all situations I have experienced with employers. Ironically one of the places was the retail store Apple! Not to be negative about them but actually the awful experience I had, led me to the final part of this song. P45 has been played on a variety of playlists on Spotify, radio stations up and down the UK and even reaching playlists in Australia which has been wicked. Last year, I signed a contract with HMV for it to be sold and has been continuing to sell on the shelves.
MORE: Check out our Enjoy Music More podcast
- Listen to all of these new local releases on our Enjoy Music More Spotify playlist, New East Anglian releases
- You can also check out our Best of East Anglian playlist which showcases all of the fantastic music coming from the East of England
- For more local music check out our dedicated page every Thursday in the Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News, our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all other streaming platforms and follow Enjoy Music More on Facebook and Twitter
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