Photo by Zina Zabudkina
Courtney Farren - Happy
alternative pop
San-Franciscan vagabond Courtney Farren spent much of her youth and young-adult life moving around. This has lent a sense of experience and wisdom to her songs, which all have a youthful vivacity even as they turn to low-tempo sadcore introspection. Although her first EP, Nothing Like It, was recorded when the writer was just 18, Farren recalibrated and moved to a remote village in Croatia to reimagine her sound. The years following this sojourn in Europe saw Farren return to California and mix Mediterranean romance with trendy West Coast sensibilities. Her newest EP Rabbit King is an up-close and charming collection of four alternative pop songs. On "Happy", Farren subtly mixes birdsong into a piano ballad that is memorable for its simplicity and the easy recognizability of the emotion behind the words and playing.
Gaetha - Mirage
ambient
Klinger - Orbit
neoclassical
Klinger is the mononym of German composer and producer Christoph Klinger. Klinger comes from the southern town Rosenheim, but relocated to Hamburg after graduating from Philosophy studies. After releasing two pandemic-inspired EPs from 2020 onwards, the artist has birthed the debut album, Mosaik. From that album comes the single "Orbit", on which he fuses sweeping cello and earthy percussion with an inspirational chord progression to create a track which transcends normality with audibly grand ambitions before circling around its gravitational centre like the title suggests. A breezy, effortless ride with a nice view.
Movie Club - Spinner
instrumental rock
From Venice, California, psych rock duo Movie Club blast through hooky melodies and repeating patterns on "Spinner", a single taken from their second full-length album Great White. Drummer Jessamyn Violet and guitarist Vince Cuneo on guitar make up this deliciously carefree duo who may not have much glitz nor glamour, but who have enough panache to take their straightforward psychedlic instrumental rock stunts to epic places.
The Cosmic Hour - 90 Billion Celestial Spheres
ambient