Emily Parish is heading straight for the stars with her new single Moonbeam. Her voice is a revelation, as she effortlessly colors her musical canvas with sweet emotion and intuitive precision. A little jaded from a suspected string of poor lovers and the plight of creative success, this chip on her shoulder only came to make her stronger. You can hear a drip of malcontent when she brings her lower range, its a bit of attitude to contrast her buttery alto as she smoothly trims the upper range with affection and passion. She expressed that she’s been giving in to what’s good about this experience, and pushing out the bad mojo.
Her new aptly titled EP Don’t Need Much was created in the midst of an existential crisis. In her words she shares “as a mid-twenty year old trying to figure out what the hell I’m supposed to be doing, and then adding in a pandemic.” The last couple of years have been tough on all of us, but especially on those approaching the crossroads of their lives. Throughout life we will enter several transitional periods, but these last couple years have been rare. Emily’s take on this moment, and the arrival of these works, serves as a reminder to let your love shine through.
Emily is a combination of wonderful songwriting and infectious appeal. This sneaky siren draws you in with hometown appeal and then grabs you with sultry fury. Her lullaby delivery will swoon, and her sad girl vibes are exciting, like getting away from someone fake and finding the only real girl in town.
Emily joins the ranks of other up and coming indie sad girl faves Rhona Macfarlane and Girlhouse who have unique, enriching vocal abilities and amazing songwriting skills. On the new EP she traverses between indie folk and indie pop and we are here for all of it.
Hear Moonbeam now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
Fintan McKahey channels the spirit of Laurel Canyon on the vibey new single Amber. Fintan’s progressive piano and evolving guitar set the backbone for pedal steel player Kealen Kenny to navigate the outer worlds of this pensive folk. The combination carries the aura of the timeless acoustic 70s classics, the worlds of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, but in a new indie folk package. The panned vocals recall the sacred space vibes of Elliot Smith while Fintan’s writing inherits the intellect of fellow Irishman Damien Rice.
An ode to transformation, Amber was born from new inspiration. Fintan is going to be a Father. In a world where so many would falter, Fintan was overjoyed with the unexpected news. He shares, “After that everything just started flowing, it felt like I finally had something to say again, intensely inspired by awaiting our baby boy and writing this song for the woman I love.”
Amber is a proper tribute that shares the magnitude of this monumental moment in Fintan’s life. The artist has intense lyrical skills full of imagery and depth. He’s been gaining buzz in his home country, and it’s only a matter of time before he breaks international.
Lyrically, Amber travels between two parallel experiences in the same life, as Fintan laments the lowest lows and celebrates impending highs. It’s a conversation on life and its constant changes, how we respond to them, and how they follow us. Gone but not forgotten, those tribulations that haunt our tender souls.
Fintan delivers a bluesy, soulful guitar solo with picture perfect tone to close out this homage. It’s got all the class and feel of John Mayer’s best work. This instrumental section lends itself to reflection, as the lyrical message brews within the listener. It’s all here to take you back to that one line, “Cause I found them useless without you.” Fintan knows to let it resonate, you have to understand the struggle to get here, but the elation is real, and with relief: liberation. That is the beauty of Fatherhood, if you’re willing to give yourself to it.
Thank you, Fintan. For wanting to be there for your baby boy. An inspiration for men everywhere, and an incredible talent.
Hear Amber now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
As far as we can tell, so far songwriter Matt Gombau has released two singles on Spotify, and they are both fantastic. His latest, Breathe, is a collaboration with musician/producer Gwenshana. Together the pair designed a masterful arrangement. From the subtle synth atmospheric elements, to the distant backing vocals, to the sporadic chimes, the listener is immersed into Gombau’s dream world. A bi product of indie folk influence, this self proclaimed fan of Damien Rice and the Tallest Man On Earth has an affinity for authenticity. Artists who stayed true to themselves, inherently beautiful and poetic in their natural state. And at its core, Breathe in essence is about Matt and his acoustic, as he plots each note with careful nuance, picking his way around the melody.
As the song progresses and the shuffling drums start to move in, Matt responds to their presence, aware of how he can play between them, within them, into them. A conversation ensues between the descending guitar and the revolving drums, Matt’s voice weaves its way between two worlds. “Hoping to find what’s true to me,” caught between two existences, simultaneously, Breathe is about the polarity of what can be controlled and fate. “I won’t see them growing, the seeds I’ve scattered in my secret garden, eaten by the crows and blown away by the wind of fate.” It harkens back to one of the most important teachings in Eastern philosophy: Life is suffering.
It sounds daunting, but there’s a deeper meaning. Truth is in the suffering, breathe and let it happen. The meditation of existence, brought to life in this art. Hear Breathe now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
“She talks to herself, emptying the kitchen shelf, she’s looking for something to ease the pain, another one goes down, it’s all the same.”
Watching someone losing the fight with alcoholism is painful. Without wanting to help themselves, interventions are futile. On his new single Woodlands Drive, Songwriter David Ost lends his talents to this familiar tragedy. With humility and grace he carefully recounts the sad realities of addiction.
“Will you promise me you’ll make it through the night.” David sings with the hurt of a loved one in helpless agony, collateral damage plagued to observe the slow demise of their companion, watching as they become a shell of their former self, a slave to the bottle. It goes so far that he just wants to see her happy for a moment, “let her stare into the sun she’s seen it all.”
A mix of neo soul and indie folk, David Ost recalls the aura of Hozier and James Blake, but more rugged, as if he just drew from his cigarette before unloading these moments into the microphone. He alternates between a smoky croon and a devilish falcetto. Everything is from the heart and mixed to bare naked the intricacies and overtones in his singing.
David had it all going for him before the pandemic put the entire industry on standby. Starting in 2019, his music found its way onto 2k+ playlists and even got some airtime on MTV Germany. David should claim all of that back with his new release. He is a promising new talent with major crossover appeal, as his music is undenialbly indie but with some mainstream pop sensibility. Hear Woodlands Drive now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 