It took a little more time than usual to spot a fresh new batch of tracks worthy of a placing in the mixtape. For about a week now, I’ve been shifting through countless submissions, trying to unearth the gold we are all used to hearing on this site (I hope you think it’s gold). It was tough but I’m really happy with the five songs that have been discovered this week. Life is speeding ahead at a frenetic pace – summer is coming and this London rain lark better get its act together. I’m sick of getting sunburnt and drenched in the same walk to the corner shop. Come on big man above, sort it out.
Ten Kills The Pack / Dog Earred
Nothing beats a good dose of folk when it’s this catchy and well executed. I was feeling a touch indifferent over the weekend and needed a fix of subtle indie folk to perk me up a little. Along came Canadian songwriter Sean Sroka (Ten Kills The Pack) with his latest melancholic single, Dog Earred, and my musical thirst was quenched. God, I’m getting super expressive with my reviews these days – probably suits this track though, Sroka lays pretty much all his inner emotions out on the table in this single. Totally transfixed by this track, honestly, it’s so feckin’ good. Loads of people are going through existential crises’ at the minute due to the pandemic hangover – art like this helps those souls out.
Snasen / No Alfa
As a crazed fan of downtempo, through my endless hours of listening to the genre, I’ve pretty much exausted almost every single combination of clinks and clanks possible – or so I thought. This new single from Norwegian beatmaker Snasen really opened me up to a whole new style of production. This isn’t your ordinary, run of the mill, electronicly fused single. The intricate and original way in which the track is layered gives it a new and fresh appeal. It’s definitely different, a feat that’s quite rare in today’s musical environment. Another song suitable for reflective moments or shoe-gazing.
SUNDUR / To The Top
This one needs a little more love than it’s received to date. SUNDUR is a brand new duo arriving on the Indie/Trip Hop scene and ready to make a good ol’ go of it. Consisting of two special musical people, LA based vocalist Savannah Lancaster and Icelandic native DJ Platurn, they plan on bringing their fine fusion to a record player near you very soon. Having just released their single To The Top, the debut album Somewhere There’s Music will soon follow. All I have to show you tonight is the aforementioned debut single and if this is an accurate reflection of the forthcoming album, we are in for a treat when it drops. This one features pensive strings from Keith Lawrence which deserve a mention.
Isaac Jack / Applesauce
Another brand new artist arriving on the circuit is a highly talented 18-year-old called Isaac Jack from Dorset. A couple of days ago, he released his debut EP The Salt The Stays and the middle track of the three, Applesauce, got firmly lodged in my head immediately. It makes me really excited when I stumble across musicians releasing their first songs for public consumption. Putting your head above the parapet is the hardest thing for creatives and releasing your very first material to the world is a ballsy move.
I’ll never forget the tragic silent reception my first attempt at ghostwriting a book got when I sent the file to family members of the subject. My head was above the parapet for the first time in my life and it was daunting. I had to re-write that book and may have to re-write it again later in the year. Life is all about learning to deal with being scrutinised critically and improving yourself and your work accordingly. This Isaac lad has clearly been fine tuning his sound for years prior to this release, it’s so accomplished and pure – he has nothing to be worried about, he is ready. I’d totally recommend listening to the full three track EP.
Arnold Mitchem / Teach Me How To Love
I absolutely loved the tagline that accompanied the submission of this song; it read: ‘a real band in a real studio‘. An accurate statement on the face but since 99% of the music sent to this blog is produced by artists in their own bedrooms or with huge electronic influences, it’s refreshing to come across a good old fashioned band churning out a high grade track together in the studio. Arnold Mitchem is a great frontman. His sound is in the mold of Geraint Watkins or Edwyn Collins and his band compliment his bluesy vocals well. Teach Me How To Love is a song about moving on and overcoming loss – it’s a welcome slice of oldschool in a technology dependent industry. This is a real one. The video is cracking and was directed by Anthony Tedesco.
About ‘The Sound Sniffer’
The Sound Sniffer is a music blog that’s still only a baby – Founded in early 2019 by Kevin Coakley, a music writer and ghostwriter. ‘The Sound Sniffer’ also runs gigs and showcases in London since Oct 2019. The showcases are picked from artists found in the blog’s submission inbox.
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