We’re back with a mammoth playlist for this week’s Mini Melon Mix Ups, ranging the whole spectrums of styles and moods. There’s something for everyone, so get stuck in and discover your new favourite song!
‘Novia’ is a short and saucy take on Latino pop music from New York native Jake Daniels. He uses the winding melodies and hip-tapping rhythms of Salsa and combines it with radio-ready pop songwriting as an ode to the glamour of Spanish dance classes. Feel free to reenact your own dance fantasies while listening along.
“The song was inspired by dance classes — of which originated in Spain — that I was attending at the time of its conception and also a mixture of film Noir style films that I was watching. ‘Smooth, but sexy’ was what I kept wanting to create when thinking of how to write and compose this song. Although the bass line has a similar feel to a few of my other songs, the production is much more of a smooth dance in my opinion. In the end, I wanted to make something that I could dance to.”
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Brace yourself for the undeniably beautiful and sensitive portrayal of walking away from a relationship with all the clarity of what it truly means. This is at the heart of Kat Frankie’s single ‘Love’, featuring vocalist Fama M’Boup. Together the pair present each side of the story, while sometimes harmonizing with a transcendental effect, but essentially this soft acoustic track is about separation. It’s another gorgeous track from Kat Frankie’s upcoming studio album, Shiny Things.
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Let’s move into the alternative queer anthem ‘Boy’ from Zurich’s 36birds. It’s an alluring mix of minimalistic R&B, inspired by the likes of The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, with hard-stepping trance beats that plunges the sensitive melodies into the underworld of rave.
“The picture I had throughout the song was me partying at the club and exploring the atmosphere, talking about all the boys there.”
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When you first start listening to ‘Mother Teresa’ from Denmark trio Say So City, you might think that we have a pretty pop song for you, but don’t let first appearances deceive you. These soft, caring verses are starkly contrasted to the experimental rock chorus which rattles with so much frustration. This meticulously designed alt-electro track is all about not letting your care for others take over the care for yourself.
“To behave like Mother Teresa is credible and incredible, given her — and people like her — contributions of spreading awareness and offering services toward humanitarian efforts. With that said, however, sometimes the cost of heroic efforts simultaneously take a toll on one’s own time and life. And so, this song was essentially written from that perspective – a mother’s perspective. Mothers go through a lot, and always want their children to grow up to be decent human beings — clearly, as they raised and shaped them — but not if that means constantly putting everyone else’s needs and wants before their own. I think someone smart once said: ‘love yourself first, to love others.’
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Alternative, but in a totally different way from what we already have heard this week, it’s time for ‘Feel The Fuzz’ from Londoner common goldfish. It’s a proper slice of nostalgic Brit rock that sounds like it came straight from the old school days of the Stone Roses and Joy Division, with a generous helping of fuzz.
“The track embodies the sense of dreamer’s optimism (“the fuzz”) and the feeling that led me to change career paths and pursue my passion in music. We only lead one life, Feel the Fuzz is about helping people see that they should value their experiences over materials and not always seek the easy options in life.”
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Next up and channeling the darker side of alternative rock, we have new track ‘Evil People’ which is oozing with attitude from Bright Young People. Following on from angst filled debut single ‘Lie In The Sun’, the Welsh rockers are back with even more infectious, energetic and rock inducing feels in this new release. Offering a level of maturity not yet seen from the young band, they continue to display their lovable brand of riotous, feisty and powerfully punchy tunes.
“is about small town mentality: ‘They’ll drag you down so shady ! Evil people, Evil people’ It’s basically that , people not wanting you to succeed.”
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Adding to our truly mixed bag this week, we have Calista Kazuko and her art pop offering ‘Panda’. It’s comprised of an array on quirky percussion (hand claps, metallic tings, acoustic drums), bold piano and the artist’s own theatrical voice. If you didn’t get the message from the video, ‘Panda’ is all about the magic of mothers.
“‘Panda’ is a celebration of Motherhood. A thank you to my own fabulous Mama and a thank you to the magical little Bean growing in my tummy. Now, having taken a few months dedicated to milk-stained maternal bliss, I’m so excited to share this very special song and video to celebrate Mother’s Day 2022.“
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We continue riding that ever changing genre wave with the mystical and magical offering from middle eastern artist Jem and his mesmerising visual for second single ‘Lost’. Overflowing with desert dry guitars and gorgeous ethereal vocals, Jem truly transports his listeners to a world of his very own. With his upcoming debut EP ‘Don’t Let Me Disappear’ just on the horizon, we can’t wait to continue the ever enchanting musical journey that is Jem.
“I always felt I was different. I didn’t fit anywhere. And to be fair, I never bothered to be a perfect fit for anyone or anything. Over the course, music happened to be a lens for me to share my alienation.” – JEM
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We dive head first into alt-indie land next with brand new, infectious single ‘Tongue-Tied’ by the lovable Glaswegian outfit Oh Romance. The fourth single in their armoury and hot off the heels from the previously popular release ‘Another Night’, this newest offering is a fast-paced, upbeat gem fuelled with rock n roll sensibilities. Its playfully romantic, incredibly catchy and quite frankly impossible not to like as are the young band themselves. Keep your eyes on this talented bunch!
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Canadian artist Luke MacDonald AKA chasing luma is up next with alt electro pop tune ‘motions’. Beat driven and filled with gorgeous synths, ‘motions’ is painted with chasing luma’s light airy vocals and thought provoking, authentic lyricism. Defined as a multi-hyphenate project defined by introspection, chasing luma explores some of life’s most challenging yet fulfilling themes. With ‘motions’ being his second single to date chasing luma showcases remarkable songwriting prowess and we can’t wait to dive deeper into the world he’s creating.
“In the process of trying to forget everything I once knew about creating music and starting from scratch, I was met with a lot of frustration and roadblocks. At the time of writing this song, I was not in a particularly healthy headspace. So I dealt with that in one of the only ways I knew how to – which was to plug my guitar into an amp, set up a microphone on a stand, and to belt out my frustrations — and just hoping something good would come out of me. luckily on that day, ‘motions’ basically wrote itself. I remember just screaming the first words of the chorus “i’ll come back, yeah” almost through tears. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment! ‘motions’ has a bit of a claustrophobic feeling to it, feeling trapped or stuck in a place. but I think this song is the sound of having hope to break through, and addressing what’s holding you back from being where you want to be.” – chasing luma
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An R&B champion graces the pages of Purple Melon next in the form of new track ‘3 Words’ by James Aaron. Having lent his smooth, luscious tones to numerous TV ad’s and The Kingdom Choir now James steps into the spotlight with this uplifting and empowering new number.
“I wrote 3 words while visiting Florida. It was inspired by one of my guy friends in the UK experiencing domestic abuse. We don’t often hear stories like these, so it was about shedding light on a different perspective. A lot of guys stay quiet even when things are tough.” – James Aaron.
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A fully fledged album is on the cards now from Dubai based duo TeleChild as they reveal their debut full length project ‘Turn On Your Favourite Show’. Made up of Hadi Baba and Charles Anouzi, two long term friends, this dream team have brought to life a collection of tracks that encapsulate the pairs enigmatic ability to take blues/ alt-rock and give it a fresh and exciting modern twist, the album is full of glorious soundscapes which blend airy analogue synths with vivid guitar lines and warm welcoming vocals.
“Albums are a big deal to us. It’s been a personal goal of ours to create one ever since we became serious about music. Two recording studios, 3 flights, 7 guitars, and a dozen pedals later, not to mention the hundreds of voice notes exchanged, our debut album is finally released. It’s where Charles’ melancholic dreaminess meets Hadi’s sarcastic appeal. Join us through an eclectic sequence of ten alt rock songs made up of loads of melodies, tempo changes, improvised bass and drums, reverb… and hear us chant: “Let’s hide behind our cheers and wine, and try to change our state of mind, the moment you come back home, Turn on Your Favorite Show…” – TeleChild
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We’ve got some sophisticated silky smoothness for your ears next with new single ‘Feel Alive’ from South East England artist George Wilks. A singer, songwriter and producer, his auspicious blend of jazz, funk, gospel and pop influenced tunes envelopes his listeners into an emotive, nostalgic musical realm. His first single of 2022 so far, we can’t wait to sink our teeth into more new music from this confident, inviting emerging artist.
“During the time of writing ‘Feel Alive’ I felt like life was starting to return to normal after the pandemic, and I remember feeling like I was able to do all the things I’d wanted to do, and experience new things. That sense of adventure that I had been missing over the previous 18 months was an inspiration in the writing of this song, and I wanted the lyrics to reflect that sense of anticipation. That feeling was put into the context of meeting someone for the first time who you have an instant connection with, and you get that sense of anticipation and excitement about the adventure that may unfold having met this person.” – George Wilks
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Limerick based Stacey Dineen is back with her second single ‘Over It’. Featuring classic heartbreak themed lyrical phrases and coated in her distinctive vocal style, Stacey’s words cut like a knife to anyone who has been through a similar situation. Connecting with her fans on the deepest of levels, Stacey thrives in writing music that is on her heart.
“It’s about being over the hurt but not the person, while trying to move on.” – Stacey Dineen
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Serving up a chilled slice of beat driven, electro alt pop now with aussie artist Benji Lewis and his newest single ‘Head Rush’. Effervescent and filled with all of the new relationship feels, ‘Head Rush’ is aptly named and gorgeously produced. Giving us a brief taste of his upcoming EP ‘Floating’, we are greatly looking forward to what else Benji has in store for us.
“This song tells the beginning of a relationship and all the many feelings that come with it. It starts off quite innocently with a story of two people falling in love, but then it starts to delve deeper into the thoughts, feelings and struggles of being in love with someone who’s way of life & love is so different to your own. It’s a major head fuck, but “HeadRush” seemed more appropriate for a song title haha.”– Benji Lewis
Rounding out our genre adventure, singer-songwriter Ian Janco offers up a lovely slice of indie-folk tenderness via new single ‘Something New’. Like so many good songs, it’s deals with love, loss and looking back on an old relationship with a mixture of joy and sadness. Look out for Janco’s upcoming Rapture EP.
“Something New was written shortly after a breakup in the first Lockdown. It captures the feeling of knowing that a relationship is coming to an end, but still having love for a person even though they’ve moved on. On one of the darker days of that time, it just poured out of me – an expression of sadness and longing but also a kind of optimism for what’s to come. I hope that some people resonate with it and helps them get through whatever they may be going through.”
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PURPLE MELON 