The Unsigned Guide Spotlight: May

Aadae - ‘Glorious’
Beautiful, sparse, impactful and disarming are just a handful of adjectives which spring to mind when you hear Aadae’s latest single ‘Glorious’. The singer-songwriter herself describes the song as “sonically fluid”, borrowing from 80s Afro Juju and Afrobeats, soulful Synth Pop and traditional Yoruba nursery rhymes.

Bringing together a wealth of rich inspirations and influences, Aadae is always mindful of marrying her Nigerian roots with her South East London heritage. And ‘Glorious’ has a strong message of identity too, “I co-produced this track with a friend of mine and was thinking about the idea of self actualization at the time I was writing it. Ultimately, I wanted the song to be a celebration of identity and self. I think there is a real strength and beauty in giving ourselves permission to recognise and celebrate who we are.”

Over the past few years her music has generated much praise and love from the likes of BBC 6Music, Amazing Radio, Complex, Wonderland and The Independent, as well as performing festivals such as Green Man and The Great Escape.

Creating an immersive performance is important to Aadae - her last headline show featured a curated audio-visual exhibition experience. Currently working away on new material for “a very special double-sided EP project”, she naturally will be inviting everyone along to follow her development as she promises to share her process on her website, social media platforms and playlists. We can’t wait to come along for the ride!

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Bandicoot - ‘FUZZY’

Steaming in and out at just 2 mins 12 seconds, ‘FUZZY’ is a flawless slice of rockabilly tinged pop, which follows hot on the heels of their debut single ‘Dark Too Long’.

The Welsh band describe the track as “a deranged attempt at seduction which draws on 70s ‘Top of the Pops’, glam rock and memories of misguided adolescence.” And the punchy stomper has certainly seduced the industry tastemakers - racking up airplay on BBC 6Music, Radio X and even across the pond on KEXP, as well as blog love from the likes of God Is In The TV, Circuit Sweet and Backseat Mafia. They even made the cut on legendary label Sub Pop Records’ ‘Suggests’ recent playlist.

The video, filmed in their back garden, displays their pent up zeal during weeks of lockdown, “it captures the energy that we’re bursting with, cooped up in our homes, awaiting the return to the stage. And a triumphant, ferocious return it will be.” They’re not wrong - with slots lined-up at FOCUS Wales, Future Echoes showcase festival in Sweden, plus a long-awaited return gig at the band’s beloved venue Le Pub on 31st July, we’re guaranteed to be in for a raucous treat.

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Lachlan - ‘Relay’

Although relatively new to the ‘solo singer songwriter’ game, we think Edinburgh based Lachlan has definitely hit the ground running. After years cutting teeth in indie bands including The Cliftons, Lost in Vancouver and Vandal Palace, he’s combined blues influences from John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan to unleash his jaunty and contagious single ‘Relay’ upon us.

Despite the song being “a modern-day tale of heartbreak and anguish”, it’s warm, melodic and buoyant; basically a recipe for a gratifying earworm you won’t be able to shake.

Creating appealing and infectious tunes seems to be true to Lachlan’s form - Spotify couldn’t get enough of his previous release ‘LAX’ which was featured on their ‘Hot New Bands’, ‘Fresh Finds’ and ‘Fresh Finds: Indie’ playlists. If this is what Lachlan can achieve from his bedroom, then we can’t wait to hear what he’ll throw down in a professional studio.

Obviously keen to get back to the festival circuit (Lachlan has very fond memories of Belladrum Festival, “I played 3 years in a row and it was just great every time.”), he has teased us with the hint of an EP in the pipeline. We certainly hope more new material is on the horizon, as well as the chance to see Lachlan do his thing live.

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Etienne R. - ‘Is This Love?’

Soaking up a vast range of influences as eclectic as Prince and The Eagles, one thing that’s clear is that Etienne R is a huge fan of melody. And his debut single ‘Is This Love?’ has it in bundles, not to mention more than a hint of Motown, albeit with a modern edge. It’s deliciously infectious and upbeat with its carefree clapping beat, and Etienne’s playful pop vocals sailing over the top.

He tells us more about the story behind the song, “It’s about how love can either make you or break you. When it does the latter, you swear that you will never let anyone into your world, be vulnerable again. Then comes along someone who turns everything upside down, and love becomes the thing you want more than ever. Love is light, it’s joy. But deep down you are afraid of being scarred once more.” And there’s no more vulnerable time to write such a song than following the death of a loved one; sadly Etienne R’s father passed away and songwriting has helped him through these incredibly difficult times.

With a pesky pandemic standing in the way of Etienne launching himself onto the live music scene, he is more than pumped to get out there sharing new music and playing gigs, “I’m looking forward to connecting with fans and showing them what I can actually do on a stage.” and we’re equally as hungry to see what he has to offer. Keep a close eye on his social media for upcoming news.

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Ocean Flaws - ‘Touching Down’

With national radio airplay coming from BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq and Radio X’s John Kennedy, plus playlist love from Spotify, it seems that Ocean Flaws are onto a winner. Oh, and did we mention that the Essex band are only 3 singles into their blossoming career.

‘Touching Down’ follows hot on the heels of ‘Deep Sea Dreaming’, named one of John Kennedy's Radio X ‘Hot Ones’ in 2020, and it’s also the first track on which the band have let guitarist Hamish take the helm on vocals. His voice lends itself perfectly to their neo-80s synth sound, and there’s definitely some zesty indie pop vibes akin to Blossoms and MGMT thrown into the mix too.

Obviously lockdown has proven frustrating for all musicians, but for a band so freshly out of the starting blocks and raring to go, it must have seemed like an incredible setback. But Hamish tells us it hasn’t dampened their spirits, “We’re keeping the momentum going and in a strong place creatively!”

They did manage to squeeze in a gig in 2020 supporting Oasis’ own Andy Bell, and with some more live shows on the horizon this year, plus a string of singles already recorded which will be drip-fed to us throughout 2021, we’re itching to hear and see much more of Ocean Flaws. In the meantime, we highly recommend you head over to their Spotify profile and give their last two releases a listen too!

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