The Underground Forest - Vol 18
You have entered - the underground forest. A cosmic, slightly psychedelic realm, where lucid dreams shimmer at the edge of your consciousness.
Featuring: honey, Emei, Miranda Joan, pen pin, NewDad, Florry, Liliana Hudgens, Simo Cell and GGGOLDDD
Image made using Canva and Bing
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This month's edition features a song that sounds like a glittering cocoon; one that will make you feel like you are safe at home, looking out over the city lights; a song that sounds like you came across it in a gel pink LA hotel room in the 1990s; a song that sounds like a dreamy soul funk classic; a thoroughly fun country song with a fun DIY quality, the lyrical content reminding you to live life to its fullest; and more!
Fringe - pen pin
Pen pin is a DIY musical project that consists of songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeni Magana and Emily Moore. The opening piano of Fringe has 1950s parlor piano quality to it, mixed with a slight Lily Allen feel (obsessed). The body of the song possesses a warmth like it takes place at sunset, however, there is a vague unease threaded throughout. This has a really cool DIY feel, with the artists self producing the album, and playing almost all of the instruments on the album.
Connect with pen pin
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter
Don’t Know About The World - Emei
This newest release from artist Emei features a cosmic bed of kaleidoscopic pads; a magical cloud that swoops over your ears and envelops you in its cocoon. Glittering, vapor-like vocals flutter throughout; this makes you feel like you are safe at home; and also, so very alive.
On the song Emei says “ it is "a song about feeling safe and finding solace in that one person (or space or thing). I don’t often write about love, so finding a way to create a sappy authentic love song that still could live on this project was more difficult than you’d think. I wanted this single to be a bit of a left turn from my previous singles. I wanted the song to be a window into my emotional world"
Connect with Emei
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter
Brown Eyes - honey
honey, is, without a doubt, one of my favorite artists. This newest release has a glamorous lounge quality to it; it feels like something you would stumble across in a LA hotel room in the 1990s.
There is also a DIY, gel pink 2000s quality to this artist’s releases that makes them all the more fun to listen to; the results being something that will completely and thoroughly hypnotize you.
Connect with honey
Spotify / Instagram
Bada Bing! - Miranda Joan
This is one of my favorite Miranda Jones releases so far; seeing her team up with producer CARRTOONS. Bada Bing! sounds like a silky smooth soul funk classic; it is lush, it is dreamy; Miranda’s vocals are nothing short of velvety perfection. This is giving serious Anderson Paak vibes.
Connect with Miranda Joan
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Website
Angel - NewDad
This is dark, it is foreboding, and it is delicious. This sounds like a CD Rom you came across in 1997, one that allowed you to embrace the darkness that lies within. The double tracked vocals are entrancing, the results being haunting (this has a slight 1970s Halloween horror quality to it) The opening line of “you’re sweet but I’m sick” and later on "you're kind but I’m not” - is cathartic songwriting at its best, this may be one of my favorite releases of this year.
Connect with New Dad
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Drunk and High - Florry
Taken from the Philadelphia based bands album The Holey Bible, I LOVE the DIY country feel of this, the short story-like lyrics drawing you in immediately. This is fun, it is a vibe, it is about living your life at its fullest and messiest, and just being free. This is good for your soul.
Connect with Florry
Spotify / Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp
Freebird - Liliana Hudgens
This is taken from the Southern Appalachian artist's new album Last Line. Freebird has a gentle quality, with a touch of melancholy, done in that special way only the very best country and folk can. The vocals soar, being nothing short of achingly beautiful.
This is something you listen to alone as you reflect, feeling the raw emotion and heart of the artist. The writing, composition and production of this song allow it to breathe; giving rise to something that is fully alive.
Connect with Liliana Hudgens
Spotify / Instagram / Bandcamp
Behind The Waterfall - Simo Cell
This is a sonic psychedelic trip; one that will make everything in your periphery shimmer slightly; as it dawns on you how vibrant and alive everything around you is. Taken from the album Cuspide Des Sirénes (I also highly recommend the intro to this album prelude to a quest, which is filled with shimmering vocals, and ominous bass) this is a lush treat for your senses.
Connect with Simo Cell
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / Facebook
He Is Not (PTSD Version) - GGGOLDDD
What drew me to this was the gothic, horror adjacent imagery. The song itself is incredible, a mix of foreboding electronic, rock, post metal, with something ominous and entirely new threaded throughout. This is truly hypnotic; taking place under an endless night sky on a dystopian landscape, this grabs you and never lets you go. The song writing and melody in this are entrancing; after listening to this you will feel invincible.
Connect with GGGOLDDD
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp
Spotify Playlist
Want to be featured in next month’s volume of The Underground Forest? Send your press release and links to <eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com>
About Eimear O Sullivan
Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)
Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com
In this blog section we host new music releases, artist features and handpicked playlists by the Musicngear staff.
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