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Ellen Beth Abdi delivers the beautifully soulful ‘Tenterhooks’ – Backseat Mafia
Ellen Beth Abdi’s new single, Tenterhooks, is a soulful slice of new jazz, luxuriating in its comfortable skin while subtly pushing at genre boundaries. Off-kilter synth lines and chiming piano figures purvey the track, adding texture and intrigue, but it’s Ellen’s beautiful vocal that truly steals the show. Her voice, rich with depth and emotion, winds around the persuasive melodies, pulling you in and holding you there. Smart, sensual, and effortlessly assured, Tenterhooks plays on the insecurities of modern relationships, capturing that agonizing moment of waiting for a reply, where time feels suspended and self-worth teeters in the balance. As Abdi explains: ‘This a song about the violence of waiting…
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Songwriter Colm Warren Delivers Poignant New Single ‘Thinking Of You’ – Backseat Mafia
Acclaimed Northern Irish vocalist and songwriter Colm Warren delivers an evocative and timeless ballad with his latest single, “Thinking Of You.” Seamlessly blending classic rock elements with orchestral elegance, the track stands out as a masterful exploration of heartbreak and regret, resonating deeply with anyone who has experienced the bittersweet sting of lost love. Rooted in a foundation of vintage rock, “Thinking Of You” is elevated by the lush orchestral arrangements of John Byrne, whose clarinet solos add a soulful depth to the song’s melancholic yet hopeful tone. Warren’s collaboration with his trusted creative team—producer Joe Egan, pianist John Byrne, and percussionist Ronan Nolan—is bolstered by the grandeur of the…
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YARD delivers a post-punk odyssey of imperfection in new single ‘Call’ – Backseat Mafia
Dublin-based electro-noise trio YARD has delivered another intense sonic punch with their latest single, ‘Call’. Known for their genre-blurring fusion of electronic rock and post-punk, YARD continues to solidify their reputation as one of the most thrilling acts to emerge from Ireland’s music scene and beyond. Following the success of ‘Bend’, ‘Call’ plunges listeners into a tension-filled world where pulsating techno beats collide with raw, screeching vocals. The track’s aggressive yet hypnotic sound embodies YARD’s signature style, a frenetic mix that fans of Gilla Band and Nine Inch Nails will undoubtedly find irresistible. Musically, ‘Call’ thrives on its dynamic contrasts. The electronic soundscapes shift seamlessly between euphoria and solemnity, creating an immersive experience that feels cinematic…
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Joshua Idehen Delivers Poetic, Clever & Artistically Unique ‘Mum Does The Washing’ EP – Backseat Mafia
Renowned spoken word artist and musician Joshua Idehen shares the brilliant new EP, Mum Does The Washing. The four-track project, a collaboration with producer and instrumentalist Ludvig Parment, is a masterful blend of poetry, experimental ideas and modern club sounds that offers commentary, emotional resonance and a sense of dancefloor energy. The title track, Mum Does The Washing, is an intimate and humorous spoken-word piece that has already caught the attention of tastemakers like Jamz Supernova and Huw Stephens on 6 music. Inspired by the everyday wisdom of a mother interpreting life through laundry, the song captures Idehen’s unique ability to turn the mundane into something profound. The EP’s second…
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a dynamic new MPB voice which really delivers. – Backseat Mafia
Anyone who caught Bala Desejo’s set-of-the-day at WOMAD UK in the summer would’ve already noted the dynamic Dora Morelenbaum flying in the front line of this exuberant nu-tropicalia band. A vocalist, instrumentalist and composer she’s been at the epicentre of the surge of MPB powering out from Rio in the last few years, not only as part of the Bala Desejo team but also as a solo artist. Morelenbaum’s luscious, dramatic pop surfaced via the ‘Vento de Beirada’ EP last year and now she’s striding out once more with a debut album ‘Pique’ via Mr Bongo Records. It’s an album that’s very much wedded to the close-knit creative new wave…
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Jack Howard Delivers Debut ‘All Things That Came Before’ – Backseat Mafia
Having captured the attention of BBC Radio 1, Jack Howard now unveils his radiant debut EP, All Things That Came Before. This carefully curated collection of tracks is a poignant reflection of Jack’s journey, exploring themes of growth, masculinity, relationships, and grief across five luminous songs. Showcasing dreamy, emotive soundscapes packing some elegant musicality and heartfelt emotion, the EP showcases some brilliant songwriting and fluorescently vibrant performances. With elements of neo-soul in among the pop tendencies on the EP, Jack makes great use of some dynamic distorted guitar riffs and powerful vocal performances, whilst retaining a raw sincerity and relatability. In Jack’s own words:“I envisioned this project as a snapshot…
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A sublime collaboration delivers a fresh and fulfilling ambient statement. – Backseat Mafia
Living with music, living through music, living inside music are descriptions which could all get thrown around when trying to capture Passepartout Duo’s relationship with their sound art. The sonic partnership between pianist Nicoletta Favari and percussionist Christopher Salvito which began in 2015, thrives on constant travel, seeking out new collaborations as well as inspirational settings for recording and performance. It also revolves around an inventive drive to develop new tools to craft their mesmerising soundscapes. So far, on what they see as their “nearly continuous world tour”, Passepartout Duo have taken in fifty-four countries from China to Tunisia, Peru to Austria taking their hand built electronic instruments across continents…
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‘Go-to’ guitarist and collaborator Alessandro ‘Asso’ Stefana delivers a distinctive and tender solo album in his own name. – Backseat Mafia
The Breakdown Ipecac Recordings – 8.9 You could use up a whole review word count with guitarist/producer and multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Stefana’s illustrious CV but some snapshots and name drops will give the flavour. He’s played on albums by Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton (Mondo Cane), Micah P Hinson (I Lie To You), Penguin Café (Rain before seven) and Calexico (El Mirador). He’s been a close collaborator with acclaimed Italian poet and songwriter Vinicio Capossela for decades, as a band member, producer and arranger and his production credits stretch further to the legendary Alessandro Alessandroni (Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack whistler). A guitarist’s guitarist Stefana has worked with Bill Frissell and the…
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‘Something I Do’ – YAGKI delivers a languid yearning song that burns with intensity and soul. – Backseat Mafia
YAGKI, the artist formerly known as Sarah Yagki (and no doubt still is by family and friends) is a firm favourite here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia, and she has just released another thrilling, visceral track ‘Something I Do’. ‘Something I Do’ confirms YAGKI as an important talent in the music scene: it has a languorous, luxurious sound augmented by YAGKI’s velvet vocals and dynamic presence. There is a blush of R&B, a little soul and a little indie pop. The catchy chorus enters the frame with an uplifting sweep and the track is steeped in yearning and desire, an inflection of melancholia. That delicate sense of vulnerability…
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St Vincent Delivers on ‘All Born Screaming’ – Backseat Mafia
‘All Born Screaming’ is St. Vincent’s seventh studio album and marks her first venture into self-production. It serves as the successor to her previous release, ‘Daddy’s Home.’ The album features an array of talented friends and collaborators, including Dave Grohl (watch St Vincent perform ‘Bleach’ with the members of Nirvana,) Foo Fighters’ recent addition Josh Freese, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Cate Le Bon, and Stella Mogzawa from Warpaint. Last year, St. Vincent paid tribute to David Bowie with a cover of ‘Young Americans,’ and much like the legendary Bowie, she possesses the ability to reinvent her persona with each album. Her artistic adaptability was further highlighted by her rendition of Kate Bush’s…
