header image: an echowave visual
words: echowave hq
you know what time it is!
saying that may was an excellent month for music might seem like a cop out, however, calling it anything less than that would be an unforgivable understatement.
this month’s soundwave spotlight features five wonderful tracks and, of course, not a single skip among them. maya engen’s powerful belting? check. internet cafe’s dazzling sonical realms? naturally. victoria dell’s glamorous love confessions? yes, please. ashlie skye’s heartfelt lyricism? absolutely. conboy’s groovy melodies? you know it.
we caught up with the featured artists to ask them some rapid-fire questions about their new releases – and the insight made us love every single one of these tracks even more. so, what are you waiting for? scroll down to read more.
maya engen — mercury
if you’re in search of powerful vocals and soaring, instrument-led melodies, then maya engen might just become your next favourite artist. similarly to her previous releases, engen’s new single ‘mercury’ leans into the vigour of live instrumentation to set the stage for the musician’s mighty belts. this time around, the track glides over a brassy arrangement, allowing her otherwise go-to drum kicks and guitar strums to take a bit of a backseat. the result? a jazzy addition to engen’s forthcoming debut ep, just my luck, which is slated for release on the 10th of july.
what inspired the track?
The song is about a relationship where both people want the same thing, but one person is only willing to achieve it by forcing their agenda past the other’s boundaries, leaving no room for compromise or communication.
The title symbolises a meeting point—- a middle ground where two people fighting for the same goal find a way to move forward together despite their different approaches.
Astrologically, the planet Mercury is associated with the mind’s intellect, communication, and self-expression, which was fitting as those were the exact things that were missing from this relationship. At its core, the song is about the unfortunate reality that wanting the same thing isn’t always enough, even when there’s real potential.
do you have a favourite lyric?
“When I call you out, you’ll just deny it, bearing your brightest smile to soften your bite.”
if you could choose any artist to feature on the remix, who would you reach out to?
olivia dean, 100%.
what can your listeners expect next?
lots and lots of passion!! Big, romantic choruses, strings and solos and sultry lyrics, belting, vulnerability, and love <3
and my headline shows this summer where you can dance to all of it live!!
internet cafe — old habits
‘old habits’ is an invigorating, electronica-infused potion that imi and luke, aka internet cafe, served up earlier this month. featuring subtle hints of dnb and dance-pop, the glistening track is an exciting follow up to the south london duo’s previous offerings – a one-of-a-kind debut ‘sign of the times’ and its infectious successor ‘the hills’; that is not to say that the latest offering is too heavily dependent on its predecessors, though, especially since ‘old habits’ exists in a genreblending lane of its own, where imi and luke’s creative energies work in tandem to produce something equal parts innovative and nostalgic.
do you have a favourite lyric?
imi: Ah it’s got to be “You remind me of the past, tinted like the roses.” It just sort of reminds me of how the past can shape your current situation, and sometimes things can be blurry when you’ve been blinded by a romance.
if you could choose any artist to feature on the remix, who would you reach out to?
Luke: I feel like Vegyn or James k from a remix standpoint – would love to get Hayley Williams on a feature though.
what can your listeners expect next?
imi & luke: Oooh that’s a good question. In the short term, we’ve got some summer dance pop anthems about heartbreak and relationships. Into next year though, we’ve got a second EP that’s almost finished and definitely pushes our sound into a more alternative electronic space. Excited to see how that’s received because it’s a collection of some of our favourite tracks we’ve ever written.
victoria dell — morning
talk about being a morning person! soulful, sensual, and undoubtedly spontaneous – victoria dell’s new track is a song for the lovers. “i wanna keep you here ’till morning, morning, morning,” she yearns in the chorus, which gets even more confessional and commanding the second time around. now that is one way to kickstart your day. speaking of the release in a recent social media post, the london-based musician revealed that ‘morning’ was produced during a record-breaking Storm Éowyn two years ago: “We had to take risks just to get to the studio, and honestly, I nearly blew away,” she explained. “We really wanted to get this song done, I guess… but gosh!!!!”
If you could perform it anywhere in the world, where would it be?
right now, it would probably be at the Montreux Jazz Festival in my hometown in Switzerland. I’ve actually never had the chance to do a proper show of my own there, as I’ve mainly been gigging in London over the past few years since starting my project. It would be a dream to perform in front of my friends and family at such an iconic festival. It’s definitely my dream festival to play on a big stage!
if you could choose any artist to feature on the remix, who would you reach out to?
I would definitely say Cathal Murphy. He actually produced ‘Morning’ and he’s an incredible soul-pop artist himself; I’m a big fan of his music, so getting to work together was such a blast for me. I think his vocals would fit really well on this track. Who knows, if I wanted to, I could text him right now and ask him haha. ;)
what can your listeners expect next?
my debut EP, Right Place Right Time, which only recently came out and is now available everywhere.
You can also expect more live performances. I’m already working on my next project as well, and I’m really excited to get back into writing music :) Stay tuned !!! Bisous xx
check out our interview with victoria dell:
ashlie skye — burn
arguably the most poignant number in this month’s round-up, ashlie skye’s ‘burn’ packs quite the emotional punch. the acoustic single draws inspiration from the turbulence of growing pains as well as an everchanging perspective on life, and the family relationships that evolve along with it. “i wrote ‘burn’ when i started to see my parents – my mum specifically – as people outside of being my parents,” she confessed to us via email. “it really felt like the end of my childhood to realise that someone you always thought had it all figured out was actually just figuring things out as they went along, just like me.”
If you could perform it anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Kirstenbosch Gardens in South Africa. I know that will be my I made it moment – to hear that my music has reached all the way back home, and to play somewhere so close to nature would be such a privilege.
Which film’s soundtrack could you imagine it on?
Beautiful Boy. I feel like that film really inspired the parent-child relationship conversation for me.
Did you face any challenges during the song’s creative process?
This was one of the only songs I have ever written that came out in about 20 minutes, almost entirely as a stream of consciousness. I had always wanted to write about my mum and held back for years. I think this idea was stewing away until it was fully formed.
What can your listeners expect next?
My EP comes out on the 12th of June! It’s a collection of songs under the name Strange Heart. This project was a way for me to accept the way my heart works: learning to live with intensity, finding humour in it, finding ways to keep things light, and practising forgiveness. Each track shows a different colour of love – how I love my friends, parents, lovers, and myself.
conboy — radio
supporting an artist before they skyrocket to stardom is an exhilarating rush that simply can’t be beat… and if it’s something you’re after, well, you’re in luck – let us introduce you to conboy. the independent singer-songwriter has a knack for penning grungy choruses that will, without a doubt, rivet your attention from beginning to end – his latest single, ‘radio’, testifies to that. one of the most endearing aspects of conboy’s penmanship is his ability to find beauty in the highly-specific and somewhat mundane details – something that this earworm of a song certainly doesn’t lack. “i miss that messy-headed / love all night, don’t need no breakfast / baby, my bones are shaking / kiss me hard, it’s pouring rainin’,” the nyc-based musician opens up in the hook-driven pre-chorus.
what inspired the song?
‘Radio’ is a breakup song, But not necessarily for anyone in particular. I wanted to write a love letter to the things we lose when we fall out of love that aren’t just a person.
For better or worse, certain songs, areas of the city, even sometimes the weather can bring us back to a place we once deeply cherished. I think there’s something so beautiful about that.
do you have a favourite lyric from it?
I’ve been ending my songs with like a post-chorus poetry verse thing that’s kinda like a summary of the song/my general feelings that I don’t write until after we’ve recorded everything else.
I did it on this song and my previous one, ‘crashout’, and it’s such a refreshing ode to my poet/writer background for me. So, in reference to everything I say in this song about missing someone I kinda just throw in the towel and accept what is in what I’m calling the post chorus:
I’m giving up
On giving in
This radio’s not signaling
The cords are cut
They’re worn and thin
Enough’s enough, you’ll love again
I listen to the radio
For songs that only we would know
But they don’t play, and that’s okay
‘Cause nothing gold ever stays
what can your listeners expect next?
wooooo!!! I plan to drop another single after ‘radio’ and both will be a part of a longer project coming out hopefully mid/end of summer. and live shows! I want to go to Europe and Australia (selfishly).
