Brandy Zdan "Falcon"
Nashville-based artist Brandy Zdan has been through quite a few dark moments over the last two years and she opens up about these moments in her upcoming album Falcon set to drop on October 29, 2021. Zdan describes the album as, “Falcon is my story of the last two years,” Zdan wrote. “A story of miscarriage, loss, grief, pregnancy, motherhood, trauma, isolation, depression, hope, and love. I gave birth in a pandemic, became a mother in isolation, pressed pause on my career, lost my livelihood, battled postpartum depression, and faced some of the darkest moments of life. Grand plans of big producers and fancy studios fell away, and I had to figure out a way of telling my story on my own.”
Bat Fangs "Queen of My World"
Born of a shared love of hair metal, partying, and the reckless spirit of rock and roll, Washington D.C./ Carborro, NC duo Bat Fangs brings a fiery combination of shredderistic guitars and heavily harmonized hooks. Guitarist/vocalist Betsy Wright (Ex Hex) and drummer Laura King (Mac McCaughan, Speed Stick) united after playing a show together in their respective projects, with the goal of pushing Wright’s pop focused songwriting in a bolder, brasher direction. Taking up the primary songwriting role and shifting to guitar, Wright steps outside of the typical Ex Hex sound with Bat Fangs’ rowdy rock.
Elena Setien "Unfamiliar Minds"
Basque artist Elena Setién shapes the ethereal into immediate on the stunningly pristine songs of Unfamiliar Minds. Her command of melody and resolute voice are complemented by lush arrangements that surround the listener in a world of intimate beauty. Setién is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, collaborator and improviser, having worked with artists like Mary Lattimore and Steve Gunn as well as composing for film and television. On Unfamiliar Minds, Setién reflects on isolation, confusion and harnesses uncertainty with optimism on ten ghostly wonders that capture ineffable feelings in radiant detail.
Maya Shenfeld "In Free Fall"
Sounding like Caterina Barbieri covering Wendy Carlos’s gamechanging “A Clockwork Orange” OST, Berlin-based artist Maya Shenfeld’s debut is a thoughtful, gorgeous expression of limber synth technique and advanced compositional skill.
Shenfeld’s musical background is diverse: she’s played in punk bands, composed for new music ensembles and worked in a fine art context. On “In Free Fall” she attempts to distill her experiences into a coherent whole, and does so while taking thematic cues from German artist and theorist Hito Steyerl, whose work is referenced in the title. Shenfeld originally trained as a classical guitarist and studied composition before having her horizons expanded by punk and improv. More recently, she studied with Italian modular whizz Caterina Barbieri, whose influence looms large in Shenfeld’s harmonious synth-led compositions.