SONGS WE LOVED! 3-9 February 2025
A dynamic blend of the freshest, most entrancing tracks from an incredible lineup of artists.
Featuring Andy Stochansky, Tyler Grant, Gregory Darling, Julian Lennon, Fish Basket, Alpine Subs, Dragon Welding, FAKE SUEDE, Attawalpa, Hillside Outlaws, Buenos Vampiros, and The False Dawns
Follow the SONGS WE LOVED! playlist on Spotify
Andy Stochansky - Oxygen
Photo credit: David Patino
Andy Stochansky’s Oxygen song feels like a deep breath after a long, heavy day. With its bright acoustic strumming and a melody that flows effortlessly, the song offers reassurance in its simplest form - a promise to be there.
Inspired by a friend struggling through a painful divorce, Oxygen isn’t about fixing the unfixable; it’s about simply showing up, offering comfort through presence alone.
The refrain, "Let me be your oxygen", is both a promise and a plea, carried by Stochansky’s earnest delivery.
The warmth in his voice and the quiet power in its simplicity make Oxygen feel like a conversation with an old friend, a reminder that even across distance, we can still be each other’s breath of fresh air. Subtle, soothing, and sincere.
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Tyler Grant - Goat Canyon Trestle
Tyler Grant’s Goat Canyon Trestle rattles forward like a locomotive on worn tracks, fueled by rapid-fire flatpicking and the high, lonesome harmonies of Michael Daves.
With every note, you can feel the heat rising off the Mojave, the dust settling into the crevices of an old wooden trestle standing defiantly against time. It’s a song that feels like an old railroad tale passed down through generations - rooted in history but crackling with life.
The second single from Grant’s upcoming album Flatpicker (out March 28), Goat Canyon Trestle is a tribute to the so-called “Impossible Railroad” and the relentless desert that ultimately outlasted it.
Packed with nimble mandolin runs, banjo rolls, and Grant’s unmistakable guitar work, the track is a love letter to bluegrass tradition, carrying the energy of a train barreling toward the horizon.
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Gregory Darling - A New Dream ft. Julian Lennon
A New Dream feels like a quiet conversation between old friends, filled with nostalgia and hope.
Julian Lennon’s voice carries a wistful sincerity, floating over Gregory Darling’s dreamlike production of swirling synths and delicate piano. The lyrics, “I’m helplessly waiting, clocking the days of my innocent youth…”, capture that longing for something lost, yet the song isn’t just about looking back - it’s about finding the courage to dream again.
The reimagined arrangement strips away the original’s orchestral layers, replacing them with an intimate, ethereal atmosphere. Paired with Charlie Warner’s hand-drawn animation, the song becomes a reminder that, no matter how much time has passed, it’s never too late to start again.
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Connect with Julian Lennon
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Fish Basket - Cartboard Racer
Fish Basket’s Cartboard Racer is a forceful instrumental blitz, a sonic joyride through a chaotic, cardboard-fueled Grand Prix.
The trio from Katowice delivers a relentless mix of sharp riffs, breakneck drumming, and dynamic shifts, crafting a track that feels both playful and intense. With no vocals to guide the listener, the music itself takes the wheel, swerving between styles with precision and unbridled energy.
The accompanying video is just as wild - a handcrafted, adrenaline-packed race of cardboard cars that mirrors the track’s speed and unpredictability. It’s a perfect visual complement to the band’s sound: fast, fun, and full of personality.
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Alpine Subs - Walk Away
Alpine Subs’ Walk Away is a warm, jangly throwback that feels like stepping into a faded Polaroid of a lost summer.
With its shimmering 60s and 70s melodies, breezy Americana undertones, and gentle lo-fi textures, the song drifts smoothly through timeless, easygoing pop.
The guitars chime with an effortless charm, the rhythms sway like an old AM radio hit, and the whole track radiates a sense of nostalgia; like watching the sun dip below the horizon on a road trip with nowhere to be.
Taken from Up With The Geese - a sprawling 20-track journey through jangle-pop, indie-pop, and soft rock (a record that deserves to be heard)
This is an invitation to slow down, to let the melodies wash over you, and proof of how simplicity, when done right, can be absolutely captivating.
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Dragon Welding - We Dance Among You
Dragon Welding’s We Dance Among You is a thought-provoking, synth-fueled wake-up call wrapped in a pulsing, danceable beat.
Andrew Golding and Nik Cockshott fuse ‘80s electronica with a restless post-punk energy, creating a track that feels both urgent and eerily hypnotic. Cockshott’s sharp vocal delivery drives home the song’s biting critique of climate denial, while Golding’s layered guitars add tension to the steady, pulsing rhythm. The stop-motion-inspired music video is just as striking, perfectly matching the track’s jittery intensity.
A sharp, simmering protest song that gets you moving while making you think.
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FAKE SUEDE - Love Don't Come Easy
FAKE SUEDE’s Love Don’t Come Easy is a shimmering blend of 70s soul, indie pop, and modern disco, wrapped in Jeffrey James’ effortless groove.
With hints of Jamiroquai and Tame Impala, FAKE SUEDE crafts a track that’s as danceable as it is thought-provoking. The song pulses with a warm, laid-back rhythm, yet its lyrics address something deeper: the frustration of searching for love in a world of dating apps and fleeting connections.
Lines like "The fish in the sea / Have got a disease" perfectly capture the jaded exhaustion of the modern dating scene, yet the song never loses its infectious energy.
The chorus is a mantra of hard-won wisdom: "Love don’t come easy, believe me I know," both a warning and a reassurance. It’s the kind of song that makes you sway, reflect, and maybe even text that person back.
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Attawalpa - Always The Girls
Attawalpa’s Always The Girls feels like a late-night heart-to-heart - soft, intimate, and full of unspoken truths. With hushed, almost conspiratorial vocals, gentle guitar licks, and sweeping strings, the song moves between nostalgia and admiration, capturing that deep, unshakable comfort of being surrounded by feminine energy.
As the first taste of his upcoming album Experience, the song hints at an album rich in texture and feeling. There’s a warmth in its groove, a quiet celebration wrapped in shimmering melodies, making it feel like the sonic equivalent of a long embrace. It’s reflective without being heavy, like looking back at old memories with a knowing smile.
And for those eager to hear it live, Attawalpa’s April 1st show at Below Stone Nest in London promises an early taste of this evolving sound - an intimate chance to witness the magic unfold in real time.
Connect with Attawalpa
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Hillside Outlaws - So Long
Hillside Outlaws’ So Long carries the weight of a love that’s slipped away, wrapping it in a melody that feels both cathartic and comforting. It’s a song that sneaks up on you; the steady pulse of the acoustic guitar, the aching steel notes in the background, and Louis Bigras’ voice, heartfelt yet steady, delivering every word like it’s been lived.
There’s something undeniably honest about it, like an open highway at dusk, stretching endlessly as memories flicker in the rearview mirror. A departure from their usual high-energy, crowd-rousing anthems, So Long taps into a different side of the duo: one that embraces vulnerability without losing their signature character.
Co-written with Jeff Johnson, it’s a song about letting go, not with bitterness, but with the quiet understanding that some goodbyes are necessary. It’s a song for the late-night drive, for the ones who’ve loved and lost, and for anyone who’s ever needed to say “so long” to something - or someone - they once held close.
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Buenos Vampiros - Puedo ver el mar en tus ojos
Puedo ver el mar en tus ojos feels like a memory you can’t quite place - soft, distant, but incredibly vivid. Buenos Vampiros blend shimmering guitars and airy vocals into a haze of post-punk nostalgia, where melancholy and warmth blend harmoniously.
There’s a quiet ache in the way "Nada puede salir mal" (Nothing can go wrong) repeats, like trying to convince yourself that everything is fine when you know deep down it isn’t. It’s the kind of song that sneaks up on you, leaving a feeling you can’t shake – like the echo of a conversation you wish had gone differently.
It’s hypnotic, cinematic, and deeply intimate.
On the flip side, No tengo idea trades the misty nostalgia for movement, a song made for long drives with the windows down, where you’re not sure where you’re headed but you don’t care. The bass hums, the drums pulse, and the guitars float just above it all, pulling you into that perfect space between daydreaming and dancing.
Together, these singles mark a new chapter for Buenos Vampiros as they step onto European soil, carrying the echoes of Argentina’s underground scene into a broader, waiting world.
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The False Dawns - Uh!
Uh! by The False Dawns' album Our Tanks, Your Lawns feels like an exasperated sigh turned into a song: jangly and restless.
Huw Darling delivers his signature blend of acerbic wit and indie-pop charm, like someone rolling their eyes at the state of the world but dancing through it anyway.
The guitars shimmer with that classic DIY charm, and the melody sticks like a thought you can’t shake. It compels you to throw your hands up in frustration and then tap your foot along. Somewhere between defiance and resignation, Uh! captures that feeling of knowing everything’s a mess, but finding joy in calling it out.
Taken from Our Tanks, Your Lawns, the song sits comfortably among the album’s cult indie-pop standouts, striking a balance between Darling’s signature melancholy and a playful urgency. Uh! turns disillusionment into something strangely exhilarating, a jangly anthem for those who still have just enough energy left to be annoyed.
Connect with The False Dawns
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About Chris Roditis
Chris Roditis has been an active musician since 1995 in various bands and projects across a variety of genres ranging from acoustic, electronic to nu metal, british rock and trip hop. He has extensive experience as a mixing engineer and producer and has built recording studios for most of the projects he has been involved with. His passion for music steered his entrepreneurial skills into founding MusicNGear in 2012.
Contact Chris Roditis at chrisroditis@kinkl.com
