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The Unsigned Guide Spotlight: December

Blog by Louise Dodgson under Artist Managers, Creative & Branding, Finance, Law & Music Business, Live, Media, Music Publishing, Music Training & Careers, Record Labels, Recording & Production, Selling & Distributing Your Music

Waving farewell to 2017 but not before we unleash another cracking selection of emerging Spotlight music upon your eardrums!





The Franklys – ‘Keeper’

The third single taken from their debut album ‘Are You Listening?’ released back in May, our Spotlight selection ‘Keeper’ acts as a good indicator of The Frankly’s sound; frenetic garage rock meets grunge with psychedelic overtones thrown in for good measure.

The four-piece, who combine Swedish and English members, have garnered much praise from the likes of BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, Louder Than War, Clash, NME and Vive Le Rock. Not to mention bagging endorsements from some amazing musical companies such as Hofner, Dean Markley, Hutchins Guitars, Promark, Evans and Zildjian.

Keen to get to work on a second album, the band will need to juggle writing and recording around gigs in the UK and Europe, plus filming for a new video for their next release. For now, check out the video for ‘Keeper’, but rest assured - you’ll be hearing a lot more from The Franklys in 2018!

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Beau Sejour – ‘Our Weapon’
Only writing music under the moniker Beau Sejour since the beginning of this year, it’s hard to pigeonhole the wacky and wonderful sound, so we’ll allow Andy Gibbard (aka Beau Sejour) help us out: “A gig promoter once described what I do as "Anxious Pop Nonsense" and that pretty much sums it up! I like to make sure all my songs come from a real place lyrically, regardless of genre.”

Intriguing and impossible to ignore, our chosen track ‘Our Weapon’ has clearly had a similar impact on others, recently being played on Tom Robinson’s BBC 6 Music radio show.

So just how did Andy concoct such a song? “I worked on the beat first, and then when that was done I just let loose a stream-of-consciousness diatribe against the rise of far-right politics. It was all pretty spontaneous and quick.”

Mostly a bedroom project so far, Beau Sejour will be playing some gigs in 2018, as well as adding the finishing touches to his debut 5 track EP ‘INSIDE’. We look forward to seeing what’s in store!

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Seegulls – ‘Eat Lazarus Eat’

Chester five-piece Seegulls have sucked up and inhaled a bevy of American and British musical influences; The Gaslight Anthem, early Strokes, The National, The Libertines and Japandroids, and spat it out in a frothy and frenzied concoction. The result is energetic, urgent and highly addictive.

Born of frustration about the media portrayal of eating disorders, ‘Eat Lazarus Eat’ tackles “the perils of mental disintegration when it comes to food and a general anger at the ignorance of the information age that we live in today.”

Over the 3 years they’ve been playing together, Seegulls have enjoyed airplay on BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music. They’ve supported The Sunshine Underground, The Magic Number, Clay and The Sherlocks, cementing their raucous live reputation. 

So what’s next for Seegulls? In 2018 expect as many gigs as the band can physically manage, plus a couple of new songs, scheduled to be recorded in January. We can’t wait! 

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Tercelvoice – ‘Bad To The Bone’

Creating intimate acoustic alt-folk, the personal nature of Tercelvoice’s sound prompted him to make the decision to record to tape for his self-named debut album. Now finished and just released on 1st December, 5 of the 9 tracks on the album have already been played by BBC Introducing, signally a positive reaction to his tender and stripped-back, not to mention a huge achievement for Tercelvoice himself (aka Andy Squires). 

Andy’s lyrical and vocal style compliments his simple instrumentation, and conjures elements of Elliott Smith, Sparklehorse and Daniel Johnston. He tells us more about the construction of the song: “It was the simplest with regards to arrangement but the most difficult in terms of lyrics and melody, I really had to put a lot of hard work into this track.  I spent weeks recording test vocals before settling for the one I have.  Then refining the lyrics down to the ones that I recorded.  I played a spooky synth in the track and added vocal harmonies at the end and the electric riff in the last chorus.  But overall I wanted it simple and brutally venerable.”

An exciting time for Tercelvoice, with album launch and a new release to share with the world, there is also a gig at The Islington in London on 20th January, plus a BBC Introducing session booked for February so watch this space.

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DA HAZE featuring Dominique – ‘Lost in Love’
Soulful dance music incorporating elements of R’n’B and pop, Chaz, who is the songwriting force behind DA HAZE, loves to make tracks that not only work on the dancefloor but everywhere else too! 

So how did bona fide banger ‘Lost In Love’ come about. Chaz explains: “I approached this the same way I make most of my songs which was to make the beat first. I wanted to vibe to a skippy UK funky type rhythm and then have a soulful song on top. I was listening a lot to old school tracks by Chaka Khan, Chic and Mary J Blige and I guess that influenced it. I wrote the lyrics and then sang the song but after listening to it I thought this needed to be told from a female perspective. I sat on it for a few months but then thought I'd try and find a singer. I wasn't having much joy but then I got a text from Dominique out of the blue. I was meant to work with her last year but I lost her number. So when she text me and said she still wanted to do something I was made up. We recorded the song and it just worked beautifully. I'm very proud of the result.”

DA HAZE has already had support from BBC Introducing for his previous song ‘Dub fi Dub' and he’s also a hot favourite on the playlist for Bedfordshire radio station In2Beats FM. His work has also extended to providing voice-overs and music for adverts. 

With new tracks afoot, Chaz will be laying down his vocals this month and hopes to unleash the finished tunes next year. An EP is also in the pipeline which should be ready in time for summer, perfect for warmer climates, relaxed vibes and feel-good fun in the sun!


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How do I get featured on the Spotlight blog?
Our Spotlight blog is compiled every month from fresh new music submitted to us by our members. We want to hear from you! We select 5 of the best tracks from our members, so if you want to be in the running you’ll need to sign up to The Unsigned Guide then follow the instructions in your Welcome email to submit a track for Spotlight consideration to us. 

As well as being featured in our new music blog, your track will also be played on our monthly Amazing Radio show and also forwarded onto music industry professionals including folks from Big Life Management, Club Fandango, Decca Records, Memphis Industries, Rocksound, Spotify, DIY Magazine, Transgressive Records and The Great Escape. Find out more about Spotlight here

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