Former Washington D.C. area native, Susan Darvishi leads off this week’s new music Friday. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “This week’s selection is absolutely incredible!” It is a plethora of great tunes that really stand out amongst their genres. We’ve got pop-rock, techno-garage, dance and disco, arena rock and pop-punk, reggae-ska, and singer-songwriter sounds that we can’t just live without. Find these and other excellent tracks on the Alchemical Records Mutligenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.
Susan Darvishi exhibits her vocal talent and control even before “Don’t Wanna Hear It” truly begins in earnest. The song’s smooth rhythmic transitions form the foundations for Darvishi’s message of empowerment.
“As an artist, you’ll often find that people feel the need to give you unsolicited advice, wanting to impose their visions of who they think you should be onto you,” says Darvishi. “These unwanted comments can often get frustrating, especially if they’re leading you in the opposite direction of your true identity. As an Iranian-American female trying to break into the industry, I’ve heard insulting lines ranging from ‘you should really market your exotic sex appeal’ to ‘you might want to consider changing your last name,’ and my response, like the track says is: ‘I don’t wanna hear it.’”
As pointed out in Rolling Stone India, Darvishi is a former DMV resident now residing in Los Angeles. We are so thankful to have been introduced to this rising national talent with ties to the DC music scene.
Shaq & Ry are the pop duo Ohyah. based in Boston, Massachusetts, and “and they love you babe.” Ohyah. came together during the pandemic to keep the music flowing and the duo has amassed an impressive number of impressive tunes since launching in 2020. Ry is also a member of Copilot which has been touring the east coast – sharing bills with: OneRepublic, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Ripe, NEEDTOBREATHE, Guster, and Washington D.C. indie soul band Oh He Dead. “Good Day” features TikTok influencer Fia James, who heard one of Ohyah.’s earlier singles “No Release” on Boston radio. “We asked her to sing on the new song and it came out awesome!” says Ry.
Jeremy Black has released his latest EP, Part of Me. This is the third of four EPs experimenting with genre and sound by blending elements of techno, garage, lofi, hip hop and ambient. Hailing from California, Black is a long-time indie producer and composer now based in Berlin. The EP’s title track features vocals from IUMA, a Cologne-based singer Julia Leimenstoll, whose poppy and catchy vocals complement the piano and pop-dance composition of “Part of Me”.
Black comments “As a child, I had a deep fear of being alone in the dark and really believed at times that there was something else out there. Looking back I think it represents the mind’s ability to be creative and create something from nothing.” Black spent his formative years as a regular collaborator of pop producer John Hill (Portugal The Man, Santigold) and is also an original member of Justin Vernon’s (Bon Iver) and The National’s ‘PEOPLE Collective’.
PinkPantheress and Sam Gellaitry join forces for the long-awaited “Picture in my mind”. Speaking on the track Sam Gellaitry says, “after meeting Pink P for the first time in London last year we decided to schedule a trip for her to come to Scotland and write. I’m so happy with how this one turned out and it was an honour to witness how much of a visionary pink pantheress really is. this track will be my summer anthem for now and many many years to come.” The song is a beautiful blend of Pink Pantheress’ signature vocals and Gellaitry’s electronic influences.
“Glass” is the latest single from Berlin, Germany-based husband and wife duo Fox & Bex, also known as Love Command 0. Preceded by “Guilty (Release the Wolf)” from their forthcoming debut album Integration releasing later this year via BIGWUPP, “Glass” continues to embrace Love Command 0’s relentless passion for 1980’s Italo Disco, New York Mutant Disco, and 1980’s electronic freestyle. The video pulls together clips of a classic Sci-fi series to tell a new story with elements of humor. There is an abundance of personality shining throughout the video, the track, and the artwork. It won’t be long until you’re hooked.
Austin, Texas-based one-man band Bryan Rolli, also known as Ne’er-do-well is set to release his debut EP ‘Fun Days’ on September 30th. So, in one month you’ll have the pleasure of checking out the other four tracks blending the arena rock aggression of Mötley Crüe with the fizzy hooks and whip-smart lyrics of Fall Out Boy. “Compromise” is the lead single from the project; a track that might hold you over til the release of ‘Fun Days’ if you have it on repeat.
“Edge of the Ocean” is a reggae-ska track with an incredibly mellow, thoughtful, and reflective personality. It’s beautiful. The sweetly delivered vocals combine with the steady drum groove and uptick of the guitar before filling with layers of ambiance reminiscent of gentle breezes and lapping ocean waves. “Edge of the Ocean” is a song that feels very true to itself, focusing on striking that emotional chord rather than showing off its prowess. In doing so, it does both. “Edge of the Ocean” is the latest single from Stick Figure’s forthcoming full-length album ‘Wisdom’.
Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Donovan Woods has joined forces with acclaimed American singer-songwriter Natalie Taylor for a heart-wrenching new single, “Hang On To Me.” Taylor’s elegant vocals, acoustic guitar, and strings carry “Hang On To Me” through the first chorus before being joined by Woods. Both songwriters sing in a whisper, and the song’s overall feeling conveys preciousness and vulnerability.
Woods notes the theme of of the song is to capture ” a moment when two people realize things have changed and maybe something’s slipping away.” Taylor added, “Some songs just pull a storyline out of you as you’re writing them and ‘Hang On To Me’ definitely did that. Donovan was the perfect artist to help paint the picture of how complex a relationship can be. Some of my favorite songs are ones that tell a story and that’s why I love this song so much.”
Daniel Warren Hill is an American musician, writer, and motivational speaker. He is best known as the frontman for Washington DC area Alternative Rock band YellowTieGuy, as co-founder of Capitol Groove Collective, and increasing the exposure of artists on a global scale through his work with Alchemical Records.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
