Industry news & advice blog

THELIXX - ‘Hayley’

A scorching emo pop gem with an 80s bite that is bound to take over the airwaves, ‘Hayley’ by Pontypridd trio THELIXX is an infectious earworm of the highest order. Co-written with Grammy nominated producer Dan Evans (Reverend & The Makers, John Legend), the song was unveiled last week as their ode to Halloween, with an equally spooky video. The band tell us more about how the track came about;

“Dan’s from the same small Welsh village as us. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. Dan heard our previous singles and reached out to work with us. We really wanted to write a concept song, and the closest holiday to when we were writing the song was Halloween. So with an eye on that we developed ‘Hayley’. With the main play on lyrics being “caught you red handed.” A femme fatale with an appetite for more than just your soul.”

With radio play building up from Amazing Radio and BBC Radio Wales, the single is already going down a (trick or…) treat. Prior to that, THELIXX have released 3 tracks which were produced by Scouting For Girls frontman Roy Stride, all of which generated support from Adam Walton at BBC Introducing in Wales.

The band have steadily built a dedicated local following too, selling out headline shows in Cardiff, and shows they have lined-up are sure to be packed; check them out at The Bunkhouse in Swansea on 10th December and The Globe in Cardiff on 17th December 17th.

Beyond that, plans include heading back into the studio to work on more new material. THELIXX have two more songs in the bag, ‘Money’ and ‘Summer’, also co-written with Dan Evans, which they will release over the coming 12 months, so keep your ear to the ground for those guaranteed smashes.

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Coex - ‘Hold Me’

Firmly on the radar of Worldwide FM, NTS Radio, Future Bubblers, and even BBC 6Music’s pioneer of all things experimental, Mary Anne Hobbs, is leftfield electronic project Coex, the sonic brainchild of Cormac Crehan, with collaboration from his brother Feargal. ‘Hold Me’ is their latest release and it has all the hallmarks of an underground, minimalist hit. Think Four Tet, think Bonobo, think Caribou.

Stemming from an abstract granulated piano sound, the track gradually builds from a muted, hypnotic vibration to a resonating, glitchy dancefloor banger, adorned with distorted vocals. ‘Hold Me’ is one of Coex’s more upbeat offerings, and they seem to welcome switching musical direction and embracing new elements on every release, as Cormac elaborates;

“The distinct sound changes quite a lot, as I generally write completely based off my mood, and being quite a temperamental person, that can change the style of music quite a lot. But generally it's a mix of experimental electronic music, as well as acoustic and soulful songwriting. I grew up playing acoustic instruments as well as playing in various indie bands. In fact at the time I wasn't even old enough to play the gigs being a 15 year old, so there were times I had to break into our own show. I'm still influenced a lot by indie music, grunge, and punk, but since entering the world of electronic music I've taken a lot of influence from ambient music and various avantgarde styles. What I love most about electronic music is that it’s always such an evolving field, so there will always be something new to inspire me.”

After drawing positive support from debut EP ‘XO’, including the aforementioned praise from Mary Anne Hobbs, a feature on Bandcamp Weekly, Coex has also been welcomed into the Future Bubblers fold, the artist development programme created by Gilles Peterson.

Looking ahead, we’re assured that there’s a raft of new material in the pipeline, so prepare yourself for one track dropping a month. Plus Coex and his live band will be taking to the stage at 21 Soho on 15th December, so be sure to get that unmissable date in your diary

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Perfectparachutepicture - ‘Idea’

Packing a powerful punch, and heartily embracing the use of the letter ‘P’, are Sheffield’s Perfectparachutepicture who conjure a boisterous alt rock sound far greater than you’d expect from just 2 band members. Their track ‘IDEA’ is a hurtling juggernaut of noisy, vigorous guitars, driving drums and robust, yet melodic vocals. The band’s lyrics have a tendency towards personal discovery in the pair’s experiences in getting older and of the world around them, and they expand upon the stimulus behind our chosen Spotlight track, Idea;

“'Idea' came about as part of a collective of tracks that were written during covid. We didn't know at the time that it would be part of an EP called 'White Walls' until later on down the line, when we realised it was very much entwined in all of the themes of the other tracks. The song is about questioning your own position in life, asking if we're in love with something, or just the idea of it. A feeling which probably a lot of us felt during the pandemic.”



With ‘Idea’ being the duo’s biggest track to date, and the catalyst for further smash singles, the band have received unwavering radio support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X, Amazing Radio and more, plus editorial playlist features across Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Since playing Tramlines Festival for the first time in 2019 to a packed tent, an incredible highlight which is still etched onto the brains of Perfectparachutepicture, they’ve been eager for more, so look out for them touring up and down the country in 2023. A couple of big announcements have also been teased before the end of this year, so be sure to keep your eyes on their social media.

In the meantime, you can enjoy their brand new single ‘It’s Broken’ which is out on all platforms now. https://kycker.ffm.to/itsbroken

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GIYA - ‘4 Once’


Describing her sound as “like Dido meets Dre”, on brand new release ‘4 Once’, born and bred Londoner GIYA has slickly blended her laidback pop sensibility with chunky hip-hop beats, embellished with brass flourishes and topped with her nonchalant folk/soul vocals, to create a song which will have you riding a lo-fi wave for days to come.

The story of how the song germinated is almost as relaxed as the track itself, as GIYA describes; “I was wandering around as you do, and the melody of the chorus just came in my head. Was humming it for a few days and then had chorus lyrics, called my producer Ali Bla Bla, got in the studio and made it in a day. We left it on that day for like 3 years, before we added some trumpets, give it a bit of life, but yeah, a very natural process. It’s a dreamy love note to London in the summer. London is a peculiar place, and I feel the young people often want different things to the old, it’s that battle between change and conservatism. I can speak for my friends and people my age that we are pushing for a far more inclusive place in general, whereas it seems the powers that be always want the opposite. But in the summer, something happens to the city. I have always felt that the good wins, the music wins and the general vibes just win. It’s truly like nothing else.”

After a packed summer of festivals including Victorious, 2000 Trees and, of course, a stand-out performance at Glastonbury, GIYA has also revelled in support from BBC London’s Jess Iszatt and Melita Dennett, and has seized fantastic opportunities such as playing the Dubai Expo to represent our UK underground talent.

Next year will see her unleash her EP ‘Odd Fish’, and play some gigs around the country, but most of all she’s thrilled to be heading into the studio to dive into some exciting collaboration projects that she has in the pipeline.

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HYDE AWAY - ‘Emily

No strangers to accolades, having previously been crowned ‘The Best Under 18s Band in the East of England’ in 2019, and more recently, ‘The Best Unsigned Indie Band’ for the East of England at the NMG Awards 2022, it’s hardly surprising that HYDE AWAY’s appealing indie lilt is garnering support rapidly.

Packed with heartfelt harmonies, ‘Emily’, a track written from the first person perspective of someone who has found out that their new lover is more into their friends, is a departure from the band’s typical sound, but the four-piece are always conscious not to restrict themselves sonically, and keen to create something for everyone…as long as it’s catchy.

Having played alongside some fantastic bands including Larkins, The Hoosiers, The Pale White, Ellie Dixon, Red Rum Club, Gaffa Tape Sandy and more besides, HYDE AWAY have built up their live prowess. To date they have sold out their home venue 3 times without fail, and always guarantee an exhilarating atmosphere at every show. In addition to plenty of positive press and blog reviews, plus an array of radio airplay from BBC introducing Cambridgeshire, Amazing Radio UK & US and Cambridge 105FM, the band definitely have the foundations laid to make 2023 an unbridled success.

With plans in place for their next single release, a new website in the making, plus preparation of some live sessions recorded earlier this year which should be unveiled shortly, the band are now busy booking gigs, and have entered the Isle of Wight ‘New Blood’ competition. Without doubt, there’s much more to look forward to from the HYDE AWAY camp over the coming months.

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