Welcome one and all to another little edition of our delightful Mini Melon Mix Ups.
It’s that time again where the fruit loops over at Purple Melon HQ share with you all the whirls and wonders of the music world that they have been bobbing along to this week. Without further adieu, pop this on for pure pre-weekend vibes!
Top of the list is a brand new tune from Los Angeles native Mara Connor who has recently unveiled her 1960s cover, a striking rendition of cult favorite songwriter Jackson C. Frank’s ‘Blues Run the Game’. The track is a gorgeous, pared down number that really lets her raspy vocals shine through. This cover will join 5 other tracks to make up Mara’s Decades EP, due May 20, 2021.
“Since I discovered Jackson C. Frank, I’ve felt a deep connection to him and his music,” Connor says. “He became a fixture in my life…I’d recount his life story to strangers at parties and share his songs with new friends… I covered “Blues Run the Game” at my very first shows in New York. The blues really did run the game for him, but he poured it all into his music. It’s a miracle he was able to create such beauty out of such tragedy.”
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Next up we have a newcomer 5-piece group that go by the name of Fyooz. Inspired by young love and long-distance relationships, Fyooz creates a true sonic representation of two lovers broken by space and time with their unique approach to their delicious debut single, ‘Piña Colada’.
From soulful vocals that parallel John Legend, to a moving percussion line and instrumentation that resembles the likes of Tom Misch and Hablot Brown; ‘Piña Colada’ paints long distance relationships in a space where modern jazz meets electronic composition
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Sounding like a more rambunctious Joy Division with their new wave guitars, heavy reverb and laissez faire vocals, Twin Diver unleash the latest in a series of stand-up-and-listen alt rock tracks. ‘Sweet Sick’ begins placidly enough which emits a stand-offish front from the band, but as soon as that chorus kicks in with that pelting drum beat, we’re launched into hedonistic memories of grungey basement dancefloors and drinking cans of Redstripe with friends. Twin Diver’s ‘Sweet Sick’ is a track for the glory days; for days to come.
“Sweet Sick is about boredom and existential dread. A lot of my friends who are also in their early 20s have talked about not knowing what they’re “supposed” to be doing with their lives. Trying to plan your life is a losing game at the best of times, but given the pandemic I think that feeling was exacerbated for many people, including us.”
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If you fancy yourself to be a bit of a electronic music connoisseur, then you’ve probably already come across Golden Vessel, who has worked right in amongst the best and brightest upcoming producer and DJs in the Australian music scene. Those names happen to include The Nicholas, Emerson Leif and Japanese Wallpaper, all of whom worked on new release ‘getforward’ with Golden Vessel. The ten-minute epic journey carries the listener off on dreamy digital landscapes of restless beats, metallic melodies and yearning lyrics. The collaboration is completed with a short-film which was shot recently in the empty streets of Lymington (UK) by video director Harry Deadman.
“I noticed that especially in the last year I’d been gravitating to songs with longer run times that made a nice accompaniment whilst I was cooking or driving or staying calm throughout last year. I decided I wanted to try my own take on creating something that was longform but simple.”
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Another collaboration coming to us from Australia is between long-term friends daste. and Akurei. The work was initiated by up-and-coming trio daste. who are currently heading towards their highly anticipated debut album, dusk / dawn, and ‘expectations’ follows up three awesome tracks we’ve already heard. As the Gold Coast trio share below, this track is all about shaking off the expectations set upon us by society – in essence, you be you!
“Expectations is about stepping outside of the box that the world tends to put you in, and living for yourself instead of becoming what everybody expects you to be. A line in the song that captures this perfectly is “these clothes don’t fit me right, can’t always fit your size”. In life you often get given an outline that you are supposed to fit into, and most of the time it’s better if you let those expectations go and let your true self shine.”
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On our radar next is Russian born, LA living DIIIVA who has dropped an unofficial remix of Ty Dolla $igns ‘Ego Death’ that features music heavy weights Kanye West, FKA twigs and Skrillex. Having received the ‘Ok’ from Skrillex himself, this epic remix is now ours for the listening. Blistering with futuristic, quirky and energetic soundscapes throughout this interpretation is like no other. A truly daring and ambitious adaptation of the original, DIIIVA offers a breakneck, attention grabbing, solid production style. Quickly solidifying herself as an explosive and unsparing producer, she has garnered mass attention from the dance music masters and it won’t be long before she too is featuring on tracks with the likes of whom she’s remixing.
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Another electronic dance infusion for you next in the form of ALEPH’s ‘POLYMER’. Boasting a non-conformation to any specific genre after listening it’s clear to see why. Industrial and futuristic synth sounds fuel this innovative number which features an incredibly unique soundscape throughout. Constantly evolving, ALEPH’s avant-garde nature shines through in this exceptional piece. The lead single from his upcoming debut album ‘Ego Death’, POLYMER feels like the start of an immersive journey just waiting to invite you in.
“I’ve abandoned genre and template long ago and will always strive to write music not bound by tradition, culture, or structure. I have an infinite canvas of sound to paint with, I just want to see how far I can take it.” – ALEPH
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French disco outfit Les Bisous is up now in our MMM lineup. Having flipped an absolute classic with some inventive, groovy disco flare, Les Bisous showcases ‘I’m Coming Out’ ft. TIAAN. Coming at us with all the musicality and vibes of the classic, Les Bisous has revamped this tune to the next level providing something so well loved, yet utterly unique. Breathing a refreshing new life into this absolute banger, it’s ready yet again for dance floors everywhere. Featuring infectious guitar licks and a solid bass, this rendition has funk-tastic written all over it.
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Moving on to something fiery, gritty and rambunctiously rocky we have Florida born Country Rock singer-songwriter Hunter Gill who has dropped his second single and music video for the roaringly powerful ‘Wheels’. A complete 360 from his debut single, ‘Glide’, a heartfelt, emotional ballad, Hunter Gill shows his energetic, riotous side here which gets you up on your feet and raring to go. With visions of a bar in the wild wild west, a beer in hand and Hunter Gill living it up on stage, my only issue, is I can’t currently make that vision a reality. An unexpected pleasure from start to finish, let ‘Wheels’ pick you up and drive you away.
“Don’t worry ’bout them tread marks.” – Hunter Gill
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Endearingly comforting and offering a mix of spoken word amidst a sung vocal, next up is the quirky, heart warming single ‘Mere Mortal’ from John Roseboro. Overflowing with incredibly stylish guitar technique and instrumentation throughout this lovely little number is soft, acoustic and wonderfully unique. Earnest vocals take centre stage as John Roseboro details an exquisite narrative throughout. Taken from his upcoming album Human Nature, this uncovered gem is certainly one to keep close tabs on.
“The song is about wanting something to live (and die) for. It is the first single and opening track from the upcoming debut album “Human Nature”. – John Roseboro.
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And at last, but by no means leats we have the angelic vocals of rising Boston-based Pop singer/songwriter Gillian Heidi. A fond member of the MMM, Gillian is back with her third single of 2021, the soft, achingly beautiful ‘waves’. Sticking to her winning recipe of emotive fuelled pop ballads, ‘Waves’ shows off her apt songwriting ability and mesmerising melody weaving. For fans of Taylor Swift, Alessia Cara, and Olivia Rodrigo, keep your eyes on this rising star.
I wrote waves at the end of eighth grade, when I started to realize that everything was changing. I had recently switched schools, and I was about to start high school. I had this overwhelming feeling of realizing that I wasn’t a kid anymore. Instead, my life was now plagued with worry about tests and relationships and things that, in the long run, don’t really matter. Waves was a moment of realization for me- I was growing up. My life was no longer focused on fun and fairytales, and I was nostalgic for a simpler, easier time. Waves captures a feeling of nostalgia and pain, wishing you would’ve cherished simplistic times when they existed and wondering how you ended up where you are.” – Gillian Heidi
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PURPLE MELON 