Friday Release Picks (8/20/21)

Andrew Belle — Nightshade Listen to First: My Poor Heart

Per his Spotify bio:

“Andrew Belle writes songs by feel. The composition comes first. The melody follows. Only after Belle has an internal reaction to the composition do the lyrics finally come. Finding the right words to express what has always been there, but is only now being fully realized. Track by track. Belle writes songs by feel and Nightshade is a vibe. When it came time to record his fourth full-length album, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter, chose to take his trusted collaborators to the vaunted Sonic Ranch Studios, located on the US-Mexico border in Tornillo, Texas. The studio compound, which sits on a 1,700-acre pecan orchard, boasts the world’s largest residential recording studio complex and has been the birthplace of albums by Bon Iver, Beach House and a slew of other notable artists. A good portion of Nightshade takes on a subject that has become part of our cultural zeitgeist — mental health. Specifically, how we deal with life itself and why a lot of us seem to be drawn toward unhealthy coping mechanisms. While a few tracks address these themes head on — ‘Spectrum’, ‘Inside Voices’ and ‘Surprise Surprise’ — the album as a whole serves as a soundtrack for anyone driving out of a season of perpetual midnight in their life; toward a sunrise that is a little more hopeful — through a desert just north of the border. Nightshade is a vibe.”

Bad Tuner — self care EP Listen to First: Back to Me

Per Bad Tuner’s Spotify bio:

“Bad Tuner arrived to Brooklyn, New York in 2015 and since then has been working by day in a light laboratory developing a synthetic replacement for the sun. His evenings are spent in his studio, collaborating with musicians all around the world — using language as a means of transcending time and place. Since his debut in 2018 — bad tuner has toured and released music with TokiMonsta, shared the stage with electronic tastemakers Bon Entendeur, Catching Flies, and Beshken, collaborated with New York Times journalist Ian Urbina by writing a score for The Outlaw Ocean, and has had his music placed on countless tastemaker playlists and radio stations globally.”

Danielle Cormier — Reflexion Listen to First: Riverside

Per her Spotify bio:

“Danielle Cormier is a Nashville based singer-songwriter that has a passion for music that has been prevalent in her life since she was five years old. She learned how to play the piano, guitar, and then eventually started writing songs. Over the course of her career, Danielle has recorded a song with legendary musician Peter Frampton, performed with Vince Gill, and opened for Trace Adkins. She also released a Christmas song called “Christmas is You” that has over three million streams on Spotify. With honest songwriting and vocals that are similar to Norah Jones and Sara Bareilles, Danielle creates music that is both approachable and captivating.”

David Duchovny — Gestureland Listen to First: Everything is Noise

Per his Spotify bio:

“Gestureland (August 20th) is a melancholy, occasionally noisy but ultimately beautiful affair, and another creative triumph for its architect: Musician-actor-author David Duchovny. While fans may know him best for his screen work (The X-Files, Californication), Duchovny has carved out a larger creative role over the years, authoring four books and releasing three albums while earning raves (and a dedicated fanbase) for his live shows. While the feelings on Gestureland are intimate, the music is expansive: It evokes 70s California pop, alternative rock, folk and country. “Nights Are Harder These Days’’ serves as a rollickin’ album opener (shades of Neil Young here), while “Holding Patterns” is softer and orchestral. And ballads such as “Pacific Coast Highway,” “Tessera” and “Sea of Tranquility” find the singer in a more plaintive realm. In its own right, it’s timeless music. “I wouldn’t go about imitating anyone,” says Duchovny. “But for me it’s about classic rock, the British Invasion, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Aimee Mann — you fall in love with certain sounds.” Most of the album written during a fraught time in our country, reflected most directly on the early single “Layin’ on the Tracks,” an urgent rocker the singer released just before the presidential election. Here, lines like “This civil war we’ve been fighting in/Since before the flood/Yeah, there’s part of us that’s always been/At home in the blood” feel damn prophetic.”

Jany Green — Lost in Love EP Listen to First: Lover

Per his bio:

“Alaska-born, LA-based artist Jany Green defies classification. In a short amount of time, the dynamic artist has received broad tastemaker support in praise of his joyful and uplifting vocals, anchored by warm and organic production. “I love experimenting with sounds and genre-hopping, and Jany brings out the best in me, musically and emotionally. I make music to help people forget about the negative, even if only for a few minutes, and remember what happiness feels like.””

Johnny Yukon — Flight Plan 001 Listen to First: Can’t Stop

Per his Spotify bio:

“Over a smoked-out mélange of R&B, abstract pop, and hip-hop, Pennsylvania-born and Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-producer Johnny Yukon threads together an all-encompassing experience. Through grainy visuals captured on Super 8 film and fashion-forward stills rooted in vintage, yet modern panache, Yukon upholds consistent cinematic motifs across sound and style. His world draws as much from Kubrickian attention to detail and Christopher Nolan-style scope as it does from unpredictable production and hazy melodicism. Throughout 2017 and 2018, Yukon carefully assembled every nuance. Between establishing himself as an in-demand songwriter with placements ranging from Lil Wayne’s “What About Me” on Carter V to Young Thug and Ty Dolla $ign to Camila Cabello and Rae Sremmurd, he ignited a groundswell of early fan and tastemaker support as an artist. Accompanied by a Deer Hunter-inspired video, his track “Snooze” generated 5 million-plus cumulative streams within a few months’ time, while G-Eazy tapped him for an assist on “Eyes Closed.””

Khartoum — Vultures EP Listen to First: Vultures

Per their Spotify bio:

“London four piece Khartoum formed in 2017 and are named after the fabled racehorse from Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece The Godfather. Showcased by the fourth and final single on the EP, new release ‘Internet Lover’ perfectly establishes khartoum’s shimmering sound. Internet Lover addresses the challenges of navigating relationships online. It celebrates the immediacy of human connection that is achieved via the internet while warning of the potential for isolation, loss of perspective and the loneliness that is concealed within the use of social media. Whether it’s Bumble, Tinder, Instagram or WhatsApp… it’s bittersweet territory. Khartoum played their first ever live show at the Musée du Louvre in Paris and since then have built a loyal following tearing up stages across London and at events including Extinction Rebellion’s blockade of Marble Arch, London in 2019. The band’s monthly residency at London venue Laylow has seen the likes of Sir Mick Jagger dancing in the front row, and during the first COVID lockdown the band took to the venue’s rooftop to perform a set to locked down Londoners via a drone camera. Their performance at Glastonbury 2019 was described by renowned music journalist Neil McCormick as “capturing the true spirit of the festival” and “the essence of Rock n Roll”.”

Lola Young — After Midnight EP Listen to First: After Midnight (1 AM)

Per her bio:

“Fiercely independent and possessing a true artistic vision, 20-year-old Lola Young has all the potential, spirit and individuality to become the UK’s next biggest talent. Hard work could be her motto. Despite her age, Lola has been living and breathing music for nearly half her life. She started writing songs aged 11, and by the time she reached 13, she had already competed in (and won) a national open mic competition and appeared on a television show that gave young teens a sense of what life working in the music industry was like. “I was still young,” she recalls, “and while I had managers and labels interested then, which was cool, I didn’t really give it a legitimate thought.” Securing herself a place at the prestigious BRIT school (Amy Winehouse, Rex Orange County, Loyle Carner), Lola says she spent her time at the school “finding myself creatively and stylistically”. Still, something wasn’t quite right. “School is a difficult thing because it’s about conforming and authority,” she says of her time spent in education. “And those are two things that I’ve never really loved.”

Lorkin O’Reilly — Marriage Material Listen to First: Still You

Per his Spotify bio:

“Lorkin O’Reilly is a singer and songwriter who writes reflective narratives that fall naturally into the musical spaces he creates; warm, confessional sounds, with nods to traditional folk music. Since immigrating to the United States from Scotland in 2012, Lorkin O’Reilly has been making a name for himself as a commanding new songwriting talent. His transatlantic approach blends old-country inspired open tunings similar to that of Bert Jansch, Nike Drake, and Dick Gaughan; with direct, personal reflections and poetry in the mode of Phil Everum (Mount Eerie), Bill Callahan, or Damien Jurado. Born in Edinburgh, his early musical education was heavily steeped in the sounds of his mother’s native Ireland. When he moved to upstate New York at the age of eighteen to work on a farm, he found an acoustic guitar in the basement, and instantly began to write the songs which would become his first E.P., . Recorded in a single day on two-inch tape, it’s a concise collection which set the stage for his debut album. is the fruit of late night-writing after working commercial construction in Poughkeepsie, New York. The album brought reviews from No Depression (“…a complete folk record that’s as strong as it is subtle”), and a tour of the United States as main support for in 2018. He released the single in 2019, followed by a triptych in 2020 called . 2021 will see the release of his second full-length album “Marriage Material””

Molly Burman — Fool Me with Flattery EP Listen to First: every time

Per her Spotify bio:

“Molly Burman is a singer/songwriter from North London. She wrote her first song at the age of six with her father, and she grew up surrounded by music and incredible stories. With such a disparate and incredible set of influences, Molly could not escape the allure of a career in music. Her songwriting deals with the unfiltered expression of emotions. Molly writes about unrequited love and unwanted attention and everything in between, with an emphasis on the importance of releasing music that is relatable. She wants to make her fans feel like they are less alone. At the young age of 19, Molly has written and self-produced an incredible catalogue of songs. She is now ready to share her music with the world at large.”

Niko Rubio — Wish You Were Here EP Listen to First: You Could Be the One

Per her Spotify bio:

“When creating her debut project, 20-year-old singer/songwriter Niko Rubio found a never-ending muse in the Pacific Coast Highway: the iconic stretch of road that runs along the ocean for nearly the entire length of California, including the Southern California South Bay area where she grew up. Expansive and euphoric, Niko’s radiant form of songwriting perfectly echoes the pure sense of possibility that accompanies driving down the PCH. Drawing inspiration from the collage of artists she’s come to admire throughout her life as well as the mariachi & banda music her grandparents played at home, Niko’s music is an amalgamation of these influences, but unique in its effervescent melodies and unpredictable textures. Using cinematically detailed references and her effortlessly untamed vocals, Niko is ready to take those who listen to her debut EP on a sonic road trip along the highway where it became a possibility.”

Vistas — What Were You Hoping To Find Listen to First: What Were You Hoping to Find?

Per their Spotify bio:

“Scotland based Vistas, consist of vocalist Prentice Robertson, guitarist Dylan Rush and bassist Jamie Law — they’ve made their name by gigging tirelessly across the UK, with word of mouth praise of their chaotic, life-affirming live show travelling far and wide. Backed up by a host of bright, anthemic singles including ‘Retrospect’ and ‘Tigerblood’, racking up over 30 million plays for songs released in the last two years and garnering support from Jack Saunders, Huw Stephens and Annie Mac at Radio 1, the band have quickly become one of the most promising indie bands in the UK. Sold-out tours and support slots alongside the likes of The Wombats, Circa Waves and The Kooks have followed, with the band firmly making their home on the stage. Formed at school and developing a tight bond while fawning over records from The Strokes, Two Door Cinema Club and more, Vistas are as tight-knit a bunch as you’ll find, and this sense of community and togetherness defines their music.”

This list is created by listening to all the releases listed on Consequence. If you have an upcoming release that you’d like to be considered for a future list, please fill out the "New Artist Submission" form on our site with the above information as well as a link to listen.

Please note: submission does not guarantee inclusion.

All band descriptions and genres come from their own words on either Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, social media, or their website.