Ancient Mariner: “In Solitude”

Gabriel Jorgensen aka Ancient Mariner has made a marvelous dream folk piece titled “In Solitude”, the title track taken from his debut EP. The beautiful guitar throughout the entire song is absolutely stunning, his voice and the synthesizer fit wonderfully with the sad tone of the song. The song definitely reaches its highpoint when the percussion kicks in, accompanied by Jorgensen’s brilliantly sounding vocals. Enough superlatives, you can listen to the song below. 

I’lls: “Plans Only Drawn”

The excellent Australian label Yes Please are set to release another excellent EP from one of their protégés, Melbourne’s I’lls (pronounced ‘isles’). The first single taken from their upcoming EP A Warm Reception, due out in May, sounds brilliant. It features some excellent percussion, dreamy vocals and a stellar use of electronica and guitar. They definitely tried to craft complex sounding melodies and ethereal arrangements, and the result is superb and has been compared to Radiohead. Take a listen to the song below. 

Hanna Cash: “Worst Birthday”

Not sure how CitR keeps on hitting the newest tunes every day, but I’m glad to have stumbled upon Hanna Cash’s “Worst Birthday”. This outfit based in Manchester makes beautiful fuzzy guitar-inspired melodies, led by a dreamy voice that fits extremely well with the reverb-sounding guitars on the debut single. It’s almost April and we haven’t seen much sun around here in Belgium, but I’m sure I’ll have this one on heavy rotation as soon as the sun shows up.

You can stream (and grab!) “Worst Birthday” below. 

Mikal Cronin: “Weight”

By checking Berlin-based blog NFOP, my eye fell upon San Francisco’s Mikal Cronin — a young songwriter who makes music which reminds me of Villagers, mainly because of the intro on the piano and the acoustic guitar. That guitar seems to disappear further in the song when it gets substituted by a heavy guitar with poppy melodies that fit amazingly well with Cronin’s lyrics. His second full-length, titled MCII, will be released May 7 via Merge Records. You can listen to the first track on the album below.

Wintercoats: “Everyone Seems to Be in on Something”

After releasing his first single taken from the new Heartful EP back in January, Melbourne’s James Wallace alias Wintercoats returns with a delicous new track titled “Everyone Seems to Be in on Something”. Just like “Halogen Moon”, Wintercoats crafted another ethereal delicacy. This young man simply keeps on creating the most beautiful melodies and hypnotizing arrangements topped off with his dreamy vocals. Heartful is out on April 17 via Yes Please as a ‘name your price’ download through Bandcamp. Take a listen to the track below, and don’t forget to download it as well.

Anenon: “Sunset and Clocks”

This is our first encounter with LA’s Brian Allen Simon alias Anenon. He creates sultry soundscapes on his upbeat-track “Sunset and Clocks”, a track which seems ideal to me on a late Summer-night. The good news is that Anenon is releasing his four-track EP Sunset and Clocks April 16 on New Projects — that’s more than in time for Summer. On the EP, Brian Allen Simon shares the intimate space in which he recorded the four tunes. You can hear and grab his excellent production below. 

via NFOP

Cloud Boat: “Youthern”

Here’s another simply beautiful and heartbreaking song by one of our favorite new acts, London’s Cloud Boat. “Youthern” is even more intimate than its predecessor, “Wanderlust” — it’s characterized by its breathtaking acapella singing and a deep, Chromatics-sounding guitar. Cloud Boat’s debut LP titled Book of Hours is out May 27. Be sure to check this very place for something special from Tom and Sam aka Cloud Boat soon.

Last Lynx: “Luminous Blue”

Stockholm’s Last Lynx return with a beautiful use of instrumentation, heartbreaking interludes and a strong chorus on their newest gem titled “Luminous Blue”. It’s the first song we get to hear taken from their forthcoming six track EP, Ocean Reels, which is out April 10 — that’s in two weeks and a bit. 

Listen to the track below and don’t forget to grab the tune as well.

via the excellent Ja Ja Ja Music 

Mind Not The Timid: “Flood”

Although Spring should have started over here in Belgium — it hasn’t, and these lovely lads from Nashville are extending the Winter with their beautiful song titled “Flood”. Mind Not The Timid’s beautiful harmonies and whistles kind of remind me of Australian folk band The Middle East, and the stellar sounding guitar and percussion make me love this band even more. “Flood” is taken from the ten-piece’s debut album (more news on that on this place right here soon). For now, you can stream (and grab!) their track below.

via Crack In The Road