Foxy Panic by Maria Jose Govea

DISCOVERY – New Music: 1/2/22

Catch up on new music from the latest up and coming artists from around the world – in collaboration with Musosoup.

Souls and Cities is the solo project of Brooklyn based multi-instrumentalist Ryan Honaker. After various projects across genres including indie rock, improvisational noise, jazz, ambient, neo-classical, hip hop and more, Souls and Cities became his outlet to more deeply explore production and composition, releasing his first album in 2014. His latest eight album, titled “The Endless Inbent Fractals of Connection”, offers 6 dark and ominous journeys into ambient noise soundscapes, achieved in collaboration with long-time productin partners Leila Abdul-Rauf and Jan Hendrich (Qepe). The album represents the latest explorations in the midst of these swirling influences, thoughts, and approaches, attempting to push outward on the boundaries of previous releases.

Using a variety of instrumental inputs, including violin, guitar, field recordings, and keyboard instruments, Souls and Cities explores shaping and molding chaos, composition through texture and structure, and the intersection of organic inputs and electronic production approaches and of electronic musical palates mixed with songwriting approaches. The result is an accomplished release, showcasing the producer’s talent for sound design and emotive composition.

Perttu Leinonen is an ambient experimental drone music producer from Finland. Through being isolated in lockdowns, he landed in moments of the quiet becoming deafeningly loud. This is the story of Leinonen as a person, not an alias, it is what his life felt like over the last two years. His new “Eyes Closed” album reflects a sense of uneasiness with haunting sonic textures, yet serenity and bliss are abundant across the release.

It starts by drawing the listener softly inward to the world of sound. No feelings were off, no sound was judged, the album started from a meditation practice where sound is only observed and not judged. This was used as the basis to create the structure of the album.

Foxy Panic are the LA-based duo of China Morbosa and Lena Brown. They describe their latest single “Anecdote” as “a punk-tronic theme song for when you find yourself overwhelmed with the state of the world and just want to be be forcefully uplifted to a state of bliss.” Although they both grew up hating pop music, the freedom of musical expression which it offers them became irresistible and they adopted a style which remains true to their roots. The result is a blissful track which is both electronic and danceable, without sacrificing their rock aesthetic.

Driftwood. is a producer, singer-songwriter and music video director from Sydney, Australia. Since his debut release in 2015, he’s been making his mark through an output of contemporary rnb and soul paired with his self-curated video productions. On “Bremfields”, Driftwood. teamed up with South London’s Still Greedy to craft a driving future-rnb cut which he describes as “breaking the fourth wall.” He continues: “It’s about the idea that there could be subterranean energies and other factors operating within other paradigms of consciousness. Its about feeling like I’m trapped within this paradigm and I don’t belong here. The one thing I love about art is I have a license to explore ideas no matter how crazy they may seem. It’s fascinating to me that whole genres of music can reside within the confines of 3 concepts and identities.”

The visuals for “Bremfields” are directed by Driftwood. and represent the ebb and flow, the push and pull of energies which are manifested within the material world. It features his friends and collaborators, DOP Matt Scott, Chow Was and Ben Covro.

Los Angeles-born musician Eva Gardner recently released her 2nd solo EP, titled “Darkmatter” The six track release showcases Eva’s skillful vocals, keys, bass and guitar, blending her 90s punk rock roots with more modern synth pop touches. The songs are said to “explore her challenges, nostalgia and gratitude for happy distractions—all tied together through the album name, Darkmatter.”

Eva began performing with live bands in her hometown of Los Angeles at the age of 14, eventually leading her to complete her studies at UCLA, graduating with honors (Cum Laude), and earning a degree in Ethnomusicology. Her professional career began when she toured and recorded as the original bassist in The Mars Volta in 2001/2002. Since then, Eva has performed and toured with numerous artists worldwide, including P!nk, Gwen Stefani, Cher, Tegan & Sara, Moby and Veruca Salt.

More Stories
FHAT Champion Queer Pop Culture In Berlin With ‘Back To Life’ Event