Industry news & advice blog



AUNCE - ‘Silver Sun’

Crafting atmospheric and otherworldly sounds that swirl into experimental and ambient electronic pop, singer songwriter AUNCE’s single ‘Silver Sun’ is a captivating and majestic song, both uplifting and melancholic all at once.

She tells us what inspired the track; “It was one of those rare songs that floated out in little over an hour. It arrived quite fully formed after experiencing the powerful atmosphere of a place called Ruapuke – a beach close to the coastal town of Raglan on the West Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa, NZ (I'd been living in NZ for 15 years). The light there was really special - I remember it as a silver, bright white light, against black sand and lush coastal flora. The song is a love song written to anything we truly love – oneself, a place, another - and a reflection on how generating love transforms us, our bonds with those people, things and places around us, and changes our perception of our world.”



Gathering praise for previous singles ‘Beep Beep’ and ‘Evergreen’ from the likes of Plastic Mag, Mesmerised, Lock Magazine, The Indie Grid and more, AUNCE credits her collaborative nature for the response and appreciation her music is receiving.

“I just feel really grateful for the people I've collaborated with and been mentored by. Music is possibly one of the most precious things humans make and experience, and I feel grateful everyday that it's always been a north star for as long as I can remember.”

So what’s in store over the coming year for AUNCE? And can we expect more new music? Currently busy finishing songs/pieces that were created during an artist in residence at the Townshend Studio in West London, which houses Pete Townshend's vintage synth collection, it sounds like AUNCE has some exciting sonic treats up her sleeve; “I gathered so many inspiring sounds and ideas there, and fell very in love with the ARP2500.”

The collaborations continue as she works on projects with artists from around the world. And we can hopefully enjoy a taste of AUNCE live too as she plans to bring her music to life on stage soon.

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Dead Stilettos - ‘Marina’

Recently selling out YES’ basement for the launch of their self-titled debut EP, Manchester band Dead Stilettos are stirring up industry and fans alike with their infectious garage rock sounds, and frienzied on-stage energy.

Their single ‘Marina’ is turbulent, raucous and intense, but simultaneously laced with mischievous charm, and the band share how it materialised; “This song was written about a friend and a shining light in the Devon creative community after she tragically died. Jack (lead singer) was penning the foundations of the lyrics on the way back from her funeral and wanted to honour her by keeping the spirit of the song the same as her; upbeat, energetic and happy.”

So far the likes of BBC Introducing, Louder Than War, KEXP, Creem and Backseat Mafia are all on board, and the band have smashed a headline slot at Waves festival in Sunderland and released physical CD/cassette through Sour Grapes Records. Their newest single ‘American Boy II’ has also been unveiled on Crackedankles Records with limited edition vinyls on their way to selling out.

And strap in over the next few months as the Dead Stilettos rollercoaster continues with slots lined up at Rebellion festival in Blackpool, Meltchester in Manchester, Attitude Festival in Bristol, plus the band plan to hit Camden, Teesside, Stoke, Leeds, Sheffield and beyond on the gig front.

Their debut album is currently being recorded too and is set to drop sometime in Autumn this year, so keep it locked for your next fix of Dead Stilettos.

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Cloud Studies - ‘Cloud Cartography’

The second single from London band Cloud Studies is a deliciously dark shoegaze affair, which the four-piece describe as “shoegaze meets goth without the black eyeliner and wild haircuts.” Vocalist Adam lets us in on how ‘Cloud Cartography’ came to life;

“It was inspired by visits to the Derryveagh Mountains of Donegal in Ireland and watching sheets of rain beating down upon the mountainous landscape. The sheer weight of the elements got me thinking about the impossibility of mapping the clouds, and a few months later, staring out at more heavy cloud over South London from the window of my home studio, the idea for the song, and also our band name, drifted in and stuck with me.”



With Cloud Studies’ debut single ‘Ghosts’ landing last October, the band were staggered to discover it racked up a million views across TikTok and Instagram reels in the first couple of weeks. Other achievements include playing two sold-out shows, multiple plays on US radio station DKFM Shoegaze, and praise being lavished from the likes of Amazing Radio, Last Day Deaf, Phonograph Me and We All Want Someone to Shout For.

The band’s next triumph is likely to come in the form of their upcoming debut headline show on 25th July at The Victoria. Beyond that Cloud Studies have a couple more singles lined-up before unveiling their debut EP in the coming months, so watch this space.

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Basht - ‘Stockholm’

With their debut EP ‘Bitter & Twisted’ set to drop tomorrow on Lab Records, Irish post punk protagonists Basht are in the throes of promotion and introducing their explosive alternative rock to the world. Recently playing Liverpool Sound City and Southampton’s Wanderlust Festival, the band have a series of gigs and festival slots on the horizon, and there’s no doubt they’ll be turning heads and pricking up ears.

Our chosen Spotlight track ‘Stockholm’ is the intense second single to come from the EP and, with storytelling a vital part of their musical expression, Basht tell us more about driving force behind the song; “‘Stockholm’ explores the kind of relationship that’s hard to walk away from even when you know it’s not good for you. I was thinking a lot about the idea of emotional dependency and how people sometimes stay in situations because they feel familiar, not necessarily safe. Writing it helped me make sense of some of that. It’s not about pointing fingers, it’s about trying to understand how those dynamics take hold.”

Produced by Embrace’s Richard McNamara, the band are predictably thrilled to unveil the 6 track EP; “...having people connect with it has meant a lot and hearing people respond to something that came from such a personal place is always powerful.”

On the live front, Basht are building quite the hype around their shows, with support slots for the likes of bdmm, Wunderhourse and Been Stellar under their belts. They’re also proving to be a hit with blogs and radio; Hot Press, Dork, Notion, Nialler9, Ones To Watch, Amazing Radio, GoldenPlec and RTE have all dished out praise and airplay in abundance.

New music is in the works, so there’s plenty to look ahead to post-Bitter & Twisted. But for now, enjoy the EP and catch Basht on the road if you can over the coming month. They’ll be playing headline shows in most major UK cities, as well as performing at Dot to Dot and Supersonic Block Party in Paris.

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Brook Fox - ‘Wonderful’

Heralded as “the Welsh Sam Fender”, singer songwriter Brook Fox’s fresh, upbeat indie sound brings an uplifting air to his latest single ‘Wonderful’ which has a darker edge lyrically to his typical output.

Brook tells us more about the meaning behind the song; “‘Wonderful’ is about addiction/substance abuse and the knock on effect it has on friends/family and loved ones. The lyrics for this track were inspired by the Danny Boyle classic Trainspotting. Throughout that film you see how addiction plagues not only the victim, but the friends and family surrounding them. It’s a lot heavier than my other songs, inspired by the likes of Sam Fender, The War On Drugs and Wunderhorse.”

Gathering momentum from release to release, Brook’s previous single ‘When You Fall’ made a beeline directly to the BBC Radio Wales A-List, and the positive blog reviews and accolades are starting to drop in. Gracing the stage at Music on the Bay in Swansea last weekend alongside the likes of McFly was also a big deal for Brook, and we’re sure he’s got plenty more ‘pinch me’ moments ahead.

He’s set to graduate this year, which is obviously soaking up some of his energy, but Brook is still finding time to write and record his first EP. So keep your ear to the ground for more new music and live shows as 2025 progresses.

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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 to champion on Spotlight. As well as being featured on our new music blog, your track will also be played on our monthly Reform Radio show, plus the 5 tracks are also forwarded onto a select bunch of music industry professionals...including folks from Big Life Management, Rough Trade Records, Club Fandango, Greyline, Transgressive Records, Full Time Hobby and This Feeling.

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