“Homesick Night” by Pete Beat
The gravelly-yet-warm crooning voice of Pete Beat is delivered in a friendly Geordie tone that mixes the personal character of Pete with his music – a welcome touch that brings some wonderful personality. It’s often great to hear a regional accent in music, particularly as some mainstream genres frown upon that – instead, we thoroughly embrace the history, culture and individuality that comes with the amazing array of accents found throughout the British Isles.

“Sweet Sister” by Benedict
Bright piano introduces the new song by Dutch artist Benedict. Soft vocals float above the sea of instruments as as melodies and rhythms playfully interact with each other throughout. Undoubtedly our favourite song from Benedict – the energy has us hooked as it propels the whole piece along. Sweet in name and sweet in nature: the timing is succinct at just a fraction-over three minutes long; the artwork is sublime; and the song itself is warm, soothing and wholesome.

“A Ticket To Nowhere” by DIAZ OFF
A superb dose of melodic rock with a nostalgic ’60s/’70s (and early ’80s) vibe courtesy of French band DIAZ OFF. The guitar and organ combination is reminiscent of The Animals and The Stranglers, whilst the straight-forward percussion bears resemblance to the traditional rock’n’roll approach of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Kinks – providing a healthy reminder that songs don’t necessarily require excessive drum fills filling up all the sonic space, a lesson that some modern artists may need to take note of. Acquaint yourself with their music through this song, which introduces their new, freshly-released, album.

“What Makes You Think” by Jay Moussa-Mann
Delightfully honest and heartfelt lyricism from Jay Moussa-Man. The song itself is filled to the brim with beautiful melodies and rich layers of harmonies; a minimalist introduction soon blossoms into a bigger sound, courtesy of the powerful chorus. The contrast between the full-on chorus and more spacious verses brings out the best in both, adding further, complementary, emphasis resulting in a memorable impression being made on the listener.

“Nice Try” by Jessica Luise
A winning combination of acoustic guitar and shimmering synth in this superb single by Jessica Luise. The fabulous vocals provided by Jessica are a real focal point and, at times, have hints of Nina Nesbitt and Alvvays. There’s a classic-retro vibe to Jessica’s sound, though given a sonic update courtesy of modern production techniques.
A strong start to the year, we’re excited to see how the year pans out for Jessica.