Thee Marloes "Perak"
From Big Crown Records:
When you first hear Thee Marloes, their particular soul sound may seem familiar enough. There are the weighty drums, a crooning guitar, and a beautiful voice singing about unrequited love and the complications inherent in affairs of the heart. But then there is something undeniably different about Thee Marloes and their music, something new and distinct. And while you may be acquainted with soul music, you’ve probably never heard it from Surabaya, Indonesia—the place they call home.
Thee Marloes are Natassya Sianturi singing and playing keys, Tommy Satwick on drums, and Sinatrya (“Raka”) Dharaka on guitar and handling production. Their sound has the universal appeal of soul, jazz, and pop, but with a distinct approach attributable to their local culture and global influence. The world’s introduction to Thee Marloes’ debut album Perak, started with “Midnight Hotline” the scorching A side to their debut 7” on Big Crown. A punchy dancefloor number with an infectious chorus, vibey piano, and jazzy guitar licks. Contrasting that energy in the classic plug and ballad pairing dynamic, the B side “Beri Cinta Waktu” has all the makings of a beloved soul ballad but the lyrics are in Indonesian. Regardless of any language barrier, the sentiment in their music is palpable, helping to make their songs relatable and heartfelt. The rest of Perak fits perfectly in between those bookends of both energy and language, “I Know” is a mid-tempo burner that talks about pulling the veil of lies off a love affair founded on falsehood. “Not Today” is right up there with the grooviest feel good songs you could ever play on a Sunday morning with Natassya reminding us to make space for ourselves no matter what life throws our way. “Mungkin Saja” brings the tempo back up with another dance floor smoker while “True Love” finds Thee Marloes dipping into the soulful side of jazz with a beat ballad that could soundtrack a Tarantino dance scene. “Over” starts out with a heavy drum break and evolves into an epic arrangement drenched in layers of gorgeous melodies capturing the havoc of a love affair that ends abruptly perfectly.
Perak is a journey from the heart of Surabaya into the spirit of the soul sound. It’s about creating a space where none existed, and doing it because you love it. You can tell that Thee Marloes enjoy making their music, from the process of writing and recording, to performing in front of crowds. “We want to share what we live,” Natassya tells us. No
matter what language you speak or culture you come from, Thee Marloes music and energy is so charming that we will all be keeping it close to the turntable for years to come.
Torres & Fruit Bat "A Decoration"
A Decoration is a six-song collaboration between Mackenzie Scott of TORRES and Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats. In working together, Scott and Johnson neither changed TORRES or Fruit Bats at their core to suit their collaborator’s ideas, nor did they merely look for places in each other’s music where they could fit themselves in. A Decoration is something else entirely, something new and vibrant and vital to the catalogs of two songwriters whose most recent albums, Fruit Bats’ A River Running to Your Heart and TORRES’ What an enormous room, found them at the peak of their creative powers, at a perfect moment to begin a new conversation through song.
JakoJako "Segmente EP"
From Mute Records:
Koçer’s passion for electronics began with an urge to play with sound, and a desire to learn more about the world of modular systems and patch cables. Her meticulous studies soon progressed into performing regular live sets in Berlin, a Berghain Residency and a position at Berlin electronic music institution, SchneidersLaden.
In recent years, her success as a performer has grown steadily, and she has also been involved in several motion sensor dance projects with dancers at Superbooth and Kraftwerk Berlin, has performed at the Royal Albert Hall with Bonobo, and at the Barbican in London with an improvised ‘Circle Of Live’ performance that featured dance and a specially commissioned art installation.
JakoJako’s unmissable live performance has fed directly into the new EP – all four tracks originated in her live show – giving the EP a propulsive urgency imbued with her distinct take, described by RA as “fragile techno written in the key of wonder”.
The new EP follows the Verve EP, her debut for Mute, a full length album, Metamorphos (2022, Bigamo) and her collaboration with Rødhåd, In Vere (2022, WSNWG), both of which came hot on the heels of two blistering remixes for Mute – New Order’s Be A Rebel and Martin Gore’s Vervet.
Slowey and the Boats "Slowey Goes West"
From Hi-Tide/Nu-Tone Records:
A sunset cruise to where the wild west meets the Pacific breeze”
On their 4th LP, Slowey and The Boats take a sharp turn from the tropical influences that have been the band’s North Star for over a decade. To set Slowey’s new course, the band has tacked toward the land of mesas, rattlesnakes, cowboy tall tales, and Stetson hats. Maybe it was inevitable that the band would head west. After all – starting in 1865, Stetson Hats were made in Philadelphia, the home city of Slowey and the Boats.
The concept album features classics of the western songbook by songwriters such as Cole Porter and Roy Rogers. “This album pays tribute to some of our favorite songs of the American West” according to Boats captain Isaac “Slowey” Stanford.
“This collection of tunes will take our listeners on a musical journey across the western deserts and beyond,” continues Stanford. “There are classic cowboy songs like “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and “Don’t Fence Me In”, and also a few surprise selections such as Duke Ellington’s “Warm Valley.”
“We think our fans are really going to love this album,” concludes Stanford. “So saddle up and get ready to head west!”