Industry news & advice blog

Dreaming of Citra - ‘Bitter’
Blending pop and indie influences, don’t be fooled by the title of Dreaming of Citra’s latest single ‘Bitter’, which is in fact an uplifting and melodic affair with catchy riffs and dreamy, saccharine vocals.

The Manchester five piece who sum up their sound as “... think Lana Del Rey meets The Smiths…” , tell us about the meaning behind the song; “Bitter’ explores the ups and downs of a complicated relationship and playfully expresses feelings of dissatisfaction and the desire for something more. With a mix of witty lines and heartfelt emotions, the song touches on themes of personal growth, the search for identity, and the bittersweet moments in love. The lively melody contrasts with the introspective lyrics, making ‘Bitter’ both relatable and easy to sing along to, perfect for anyone who's ever felt stuck but is ready to move on. This particular song started with the riff you hear for the chorus which we thought was mega and developed it out from there.”

The band already have a number of significant achievements already under their belt, such as performing at the Joie stadium in front of 4,500 people, playing a live session for Will Wolstenholme at BBC Introducing, being named Andy Burnham’s Manchester Artist of the Month, plus airplay from the BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, and playlisting in nationwide stores including Next, Costa, TK Maxx and more.

So what next for Dreaming of Citra? 2025 is off to a flying start as the band will play an acoustic set on 1st February at Salford’s Eagle Inn, plus they have new material on the way too. And make sure you get the band’s headline gig at The Castle Hotel on 25th April in your diary!

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Francesca Louise - ‘The Sea’
Displaying her bewitching and flawless voice exquisitely, ‘The Sea’ is a stunning song by singer songwriter Francesca Louise who crafts serene indie-folk music with a tender nod to the likes of Laura Marling, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and The Staves.

She describes how the song came to life; “The track began to surface when I was mucking about with chords and finger picking melodies. Once I got the initial rhythmic movement that comes in at the beginning of the track I just started to sing and waffle some words out, honestly! Once I got my first lyric down, 'sit a while with me, I know you're tired', I knew that the song was going to be a detailed reminiscing of something in my life. Turns out that something was to be my time spent living in Rome. And so 'The Sea' came about. The Sea represents an omniscience, an all-knowing element that I can find comfort in now that my time living in Italy has come to an end. I can always return to the sea.”

So far Francesca’s music has pricked up the ears of Jo Whiley, who selected Francesca’s song ‘Odyssey’ from a shortlist of BBC Intro Lancashire artists to be played on her Radio 2 show, as well as Atwood Magazine who’ve bestowed her with a number of wonderful reviews.

Another highlight on Francesca’s journey to date was playing the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2024, which she’s dreamed of performing at since she started making music.

But not forgetting the ongoing struggle of forging ahead against the tide, Francesca notes; “Honestly, my biggest achievement is giving myself the courage and motivation to continue to move forward in such a difficult industry, where opportunities are becoming less and live music is really struggling. Hats off to all of the independent artists making shit happen!”

So with plans for some acoustic shows coming together in the New Year, plus new material which is already underway with demos recorded, it looks like there’s plenty to look forward to from Francesca in 2025. We can’t wait to hear more.

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Escape Goats - ‘Andrew Lincoln’
Alternative Glasgow trio Escape Goats are at their punchy, angular pinnacle on single ‘Andrew Lincoln’, the fifth release to be unleashed by the band who only started putting out material together in February 2024.

Written by vocalist and guitarist John, he tells us the impetus behind the track, “The song explores the internal struggle of wanting to meet impossible standards, only to find yourself spiralling into self-doubt and excess. Despite the serious undertones, the song is peppered with humour and is a super-energetic punk rock bop! The name came about when our drummer was working as an extra on a production with Andrew Lincoln in the cast, it just kinda stuck!”

Recorded at Venice of the North Studio, and mastered at Esko Mastering in Finland by Robin Sutherland, the single has been picking up traction, with airplay by Pheobe Inglis-Holmes and Stephanie Cheape on BBC Introducing, as well as being selected as a Fresh Fave on Fresh On The Net.

Escape Goats have already kicked off 2025 in style with a slot at First Footing Festival, which was held at the Hug & Pint last weekend, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of them in 2025 as they plan to get gigging around the country. We can also look forward to a full length album which is on the agenda for later in the year, so keep it locked.

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Ciinderella Balthazar - ‘Take Me’
Fusing alternative pop with cinematic soul, singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Ciinderella Balthazar brings not only her classical training, but her broad expansive influences to the table - ranging from Janis Joplin and Mercedes Sosa to Ben Howard, Moby and London Grammar.

Her striking single ‘Take Me’ flawlessly showcases her distinctive voice and sound, and she describes how the song came about;

“‘Take Me’ was born out of a desire to explore the themes of longing, vulnerability and mortality. It was inspired by personal experiences and a desire to connect with listeners on an emotional level. The line "oh take me, oh take me along with you" symbolises the desire to remain close to loved ones, even in the face of loss. I started writing the song when faced with doubts about my own journey, when realising I may not have as much time as I would love to. Life can be over in an instant, so I wanted to write a song encapsulating both the fragility of existence and the resilience it takes to truly live.”

Gathering praise, airplay and positive reviews along the way for her releases to date, Cinderella has also played some intimate gigs in memorable settings at the likes of The Troubadour and Home House. Last November she won a recording session at Abbey Road Studios with Jordan Rakei. And to top it all, her strong social media presence has also paved the way for exciting partnerships and collaborations including an Armani beauty campaign filmed in a recording studio where her music was celebrated alongside their product.

But the thrills don’t stop there, as Ciinderella is relishing an exciting few months ahead, culminating in the release of her debut EP ‘Unsafe’ which will be unveiled on 21st March with a launch party at Home House... “Alongside the EP, I’ll be sharing a series of videos featuring testimonial stories from people of diverse backgrounds about their experiences of feeling unsafe, all with an uplifting and hopeful message.”

If you can’t wait until March, then fear not as Ciinderella will be taking to the stage for a headline show at The Troubadour on 31st January.

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new house farm - ‘Wish You’d Known’
Embracing their love of pop melodies and combining with lilting, modern indie, Bolton five piece new house farm are a relatively new outfit, although their members have been playing together for a few years now in various configurations.

With a debut EP release on the horizon, ‘Wish You’d Known’ is the second single to be shared from ‘The Art of Figuring It Out’, and showcases their spirited, fresh and captivating sound. Vocalist Ryan Wood chats about how the song was conjured, “The track was one of the earliest ones we wrote as a band, and probably the one in which we really started to find our sound. Lyrically, ‘wishing you’d known better’ is directed at the people that you expect to help you when you’re struggling and drinking too much but they aren’t as supportive as you expect them to be. But the song is really about the people that you can rely on to be there for you even if you don't deserve it and the feelings of guilt associated with that.”

Since the idea of forming a band was germinated between school friends Ryan Wood and Alex Ashton during a particularly dull GCSE Chemistry lesson, and taking their name from the hometown football pitch the pair grew up playing on, new house farm have overcome hurdles and worked hard to craft new material. Following a couple of knock out shows last month in London and Manchester, and with the imminent release of their EP on 31st January, they are more than ready to take on 2025.

Recorded in Liverpool’s Whitewood Studios with Robert Whiteley (Courting, The Night Café), the lads enthusiastically sum up ‘The Art of Figuring It Out’;

 “...the best seventeen minutes of music that has emerged from our boxy practice room. These songs soundtrack our last two years as a band. Meeting, becoming friends, writing songs together and playing them in tiny rooms. We couldn’t be prouder of it”.

So, be sure to keep new house farm firmly on your radar this year. With plans for gigs across the country and some festival slots over the summer, they should be appearing at a venue near you soon!

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