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Louis Pax - Bad Things

The "Post-Covid" era that is beginning is absolutely fabulous. Because we all need light songs, to let off steam and finally savor our freedom. And Louis Pax, who had already blown us away this summer with "Motion", are back with a new single that is a perfect mix of disco and indie-pop elements, "Bad Things".

If you want to let go, you've found the perfect anthem! "Bad Things" is the kind of song, which just by closing your eyes, brings you back to the memory of a party where you had a sudden obsession with someone. And when you get this immediate feeling that you absolutely have to do something with this crush and not let it go without trying something. And maybe it will end up in bad things. Who knows?

Louis Pax is four guys from Malmö, Sweden, and two of them are brothers: the lead singer Oscar, and his brother Gustav playing the guitar. The other two members of the band are childhood friends. So it makes sense that this natural chemistry shines through their music. Sometimes at IMC, we would like to be a little mouse to hide in the room where this kind of band meets to create a new banger. Just to see this obvious complicity, and this magic operates to give birth to a masterpiece.

Yes, I wrote "masterpiece". Yet another to their credit, after "Motion", which still runs in our minds and which is one of the most-read reviews on IMC in 2021, "Bad Things" is definitely the perfect continuity. The logical continuation of the adventures of this unique band, with its frenzied indie-pop sound, and which could well conquer the world.

If you want more, browse their Spotify, it is full of nuggets more incredible than the last. This new single is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Laura Lucas - Lost and Found

At the end of November 2020, we literally fell in love with this delicate voice from Winnipeg, Canada, thanks to the single "Fault Line" which continues to run in the back of our heads.

Laura Lucas returns with a new single, "Lost and Found", from her EP "Light the Candle, Hold the Mirror" which will be released in early 2022.

The song is "about finding yourself in a city that truly feels like home for the first time. For me, that city was Melbourne", says Laura. I felt the same when I bought my house, lost among swamps, migrating birds, and forests, not far from the ocean. I'm right where I was supposed to be. Have you already experienced this unique feeling?

In a feeling of absolute sweetness, Laura's voice alone is enough to create a heartwarming and chilling atmosphere. "Fault Line" already had a very catchy chorus, and if you love that kind of melody that won't leave your mind for hours or days, you'll love "Lost and Found".

The track contains all the elements that give Laura this exceptional emotional power, such as the discreet piano chords, the acoustic guitar, and a few small details that make all the difference. And of course, we can even say that this new single is everything one expects from a good indie-folk song that sticks to your mind and which can become indispensable for your playlists.

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And that's it for today! Please show some love and support to Louis Pax and Laura Lucas, they deserve it! See you tomorrow for Friday Releases!

Written by Niko.

Both songs have been added to our "Fresh Indie" playlist on Spotify.

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Lewis McLaughlin - Whole

Lewis McLaughlin's latest single earned him two features on IMC. One with Niko in Uplifting Vibes on August 3, and the other with Luna in episode 25 (https://indiemusiccenter.com/podcasts/why-doesn-t-everyone-know-these-songs-215/ episode-25-34) from his podcast “Why Doesn't Everyone Know These Songs?”. The track still plays daily on our radio and our listeners love it. So you might like this new single released today. Much more folky and atmospheric than its predecessor, "Whole" is an indie-folk gem that will directly reach the center of your heart. Especially when our favorite Scottish gives us these magnificent falsettos on the chorus. An impressive vocal range, where the words slide over the melody like a wave on the beach. Lewis describes the song as an "A reminder that on every path there will be a view to reassess from, nothing is forever both paths up and down will at one point become the other". It might make you think of "High Low High Low" by Luna Keller. Anyway, if you need a song to cheer you up and make you think that whatever your decisions you're on the right path, you've found it. Barely over 20 years old, and Lewis McLaughlin already has enormous maturity in his writing and his way of thinking. A promising talent.

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mou - medicate

It is true that it is Autumn for us, in North America and in Europe, but we tend to forget that the Southern hemisphere is entering Spring. So let's go to Australia to start our world tour of releases. Mou comes from Brisbane's northern suburbs and offers us "medicate", from his debut EP which will have the same name.

We loved its musical color: warm, reassuring, and relaxing, "medicate" is an incredible mix of various musical influences. In an almost summer atmosphere, which makes you want to watch a sunset or drive near a cliff with a breathtaking view of the ocean, the artist dazzled us with his detailed writing, and his incredible voice, comfortable in all tones.

The high notes are of rare beauty, and the whole is very coherent. If you lack self-confidence you are going to love this song, which will add light to your darker times. Let’s hope this fall (or spring for our friends in Australia) will be bright and full of sunshine.

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Thomas LaVine - Saltwater Lover

Now let's go to North Carolina to find IMC Family member Thomas LaVine. When Thomas sent me his new single, and I saw the title, I thought "No, it's not possible! It's about water again". I admit that at that precise moment, I burst out laughing. During our interview in April, I pointed out to him that most of his songs were about water: "To the Sea", "Rivers", "Bridges", "By the Coast" ... Thomas didn't even realize it and it made him laugh at the time too. But he continued, with "Open Sea", and now "Saltwater Lover". If you don't know what to get him for Christmas, treat him to a cruise with an ocean liner or a canoe, that will do the trick. He laughs at it, but has promised that it will be the "last one of the ocean-related ones for a while". Of course, that was just anecdotal. Thomas has become a friend over time, and I know he won't blame me for the joke. Besides, his level of quality keeps increasing with each release, so he can continue to write about water, if that pleases him, or write about anything else.

You know, Thomas LaVine is that kind of artist who could adapt the assembly instructions for an Ikea piece of furniture into a song, and it would work wonderfully, he would succeed in putting all the emotions necessary to trigger you goosebumps. He is able to sing everything, and do everything. Because he's not just a singer-songwriter. He's built his own home studio and handles everything himself, from writing to recording, production to mixing, and of course, his favorite part: the promotion (another joke, because he didn't not really like this part).

"Saltwater Lover" begins as an acoustic indie-folk ballad, with an incredible voice. This is the first time that I appreciate his vocal performance so much. The low notes in his voice are already enough to amaze you. And the higher notes of the chorus make you realize that you are listening to an exceptional singer.

The intensity gradually rises, the instruments are added, the voice is more and more assured, and we take more pleasure every second. Some instruments are only there for a note or two, in the background, and I won't tell you which ones. It's up to you to spot them (yeah, sometimes at IMC, we like to play games on cereal boxes).

Thank you, Thomas, for this incredible moment of relaxation, and congratulations on this new release, which, as we already know, will allow you to further expand your audience.

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That's all for today folks, we'll have the pleasure to meet again tomorrow for even more stunning releases!

Colorful. This is how we could qualify today's selection. More and more artists are choosing to release their songs on a Thursday, some because they don't want to be drowned in the crowd on Friday and want to pique the curiosity of Spotify's algorithm.

So we thought it would be a great idea to create this new column, called Thursday Releases, to give those artists a chance to stand out!

Whatever the reason, I think that choice should be up to the artists and they are right in not wanting to blend in with conformity. This is also the subject of our first feature of the day, by the incredible Dom Malin.

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Dom Malin - Wake Up

Here is one of the most promising and professional artists that we have met in recent years. Dom Malin always surprises. He had moved us to tears with his previous single "Yesterday's Love", which had a wonderful music video, and here he is back today with a completely different, but just as effective, new single, "Wake Up".

The writing theme has nothing to do with it anymore, we are now in much more pop and danceable atmosphere, and the message is much more direct. The pandemic has been an accelerator for many people. It allowed us to connect with people we didn't know and get out of our shackles. But social networks, for example, are still the same. Our screen time has increased, but the sacredness of popularity is still going strong. People are now desperate to be seen. But would they be happy about all that? The world has changed, and if you still haven't noticed it, it's time to open your eyes, as Dom invites you to do in this new banger:

"This song came to exist from the realization that we can lose ourselves to the pressures of society, and shape which we are based on conformity. Wake Up is about that feeling of being trapped in the repetition of life but subconsciously knowing that if we could break this loop we could reach our potential and achieve our dreams."

And Dom's message is delivered effectively: "Wake up there sugar you're in the real world, it's time to realize it ain’t all, diamonds and pearls" is definitely my favorite line. With his careful writing always on top, and an indisputable sense of rhythm, Dom Malin still treats us, and each new single is a gift. Hey, Christmas is coming earlier this year!

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Luna Keller - Shadows On My Wall

Chance of the calendar, a friend of Dom Malin also chose a Thursday for her comeback. 

The last time you saw Luna Keller as a featured artist on IMC was April 1, her birthday, for the release of "High Low High Low". Suffice to say that the wait is generally quite long between two solo releases because the artist works generously with other singer-songwriters for excellent collabs (with Dominic Romano, for example). Also, because she writes from time to time for us in the "Artist Pick" and "You Should Really Know These Songs" columns. Also because she runs a wonderful podcast called "Why Doesn't Everyone Know Theses Songs" that we're happy to host both on the radio and the podcasts section. And also because she streams on Twitch regularly for more than 5 hours. Not to mention that she saved our radio station by organizing an incredible raid train on Twitch with awesome artists.

In short, you will understand that Luna Keller is an artist who manages to work 40 hours a day and I am still waiting for her to tell me her secret. And yet, she still manages to blow our minds, with a new single being released today "Shadows On My Wall". Perhaps her most introspective and intimate song yet.

And the good news with Luna is that she never does things by halves. She does them fully, or she doesn't. And "Shadows On My Wall" is a deep and intimate introspective journey that amazed us from the first to the last second. And it's just called... authenticity.

If you have doubts, don't always know what to do, and get lost in your thoughts for hours on end, you are bound to recognize yourself in this song. Luna was bullied at school, just like I was, and sometimes those shadows pop up on the walls in difficult times. My favorite line is probably "They are ghosts I create", because it is true that most of the obstacles that we encounter are often those that we create for ourselves.

Luna finally reveals what also makes the life of an artist, with the objective of always appearing smiling even when things are not going well. Always with flawless poetry and elegance, our young 20-year-old artist, freshly installed in Germany, has set the bar very high for this new solo single, which is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful song of her whole career. Luna is growing up, and I'm proud of what she's slowly becoming. Just hoping she's proud of herself too, cause she can.

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That's all for today folks, we'll have the pleasure to meet again tomorrow for even more stunning releases. And I can even tell you that Thursday Releases will be back next Thursday!

Written by Niko.