Exploring the world of folk music, Nancy Hays has released her single entitled Friends For A Day And Age which has been released on all streaming platforms today. Full of beautiful violin and string arrangements and led by her crystal clear and controlled vocal, the song replicates a timeless classic that will live in peoples playlists long after today’s release day. 

Inspired by the melody of A Day and an Age by award winning Irish America fiddler, Liz Carroll, Nancy composed this song herself. Recorded with a mixture of talented musicians, the track features the performances of Country Music Hall of Fame multi-instrumentalist, Wanda Vick on acoustic guitar and fiddle and Brian Cunningham on the Irish tin whistle.

Produced by Randy Gardner in Nashville, the single ‘Friends for a Day and Age’ has been touched by a mixture of creatives who have all given their specific musical flavor to the song. The track has been described as creating a feeling of drifting on the water towards a destination surrounded by the eternal love of true friendship and dreams that will last far beyond this day and age. 

The new single entitled ‘Friends For A Day And Age’ by Nancy Hays is now available to listen to in full on all streaming platforms.

Marking the first collaboration between RAYE and American rapper 070 Shake, Raye releases new single Escapism as part of a small EP to announce upcoming debut album.

Written by Rachel Keen, Mike Sabath and Danielle Balbuena and Produced by Mike Sabath, this has to be the most powerful songs from the mini EP as it marks the third since becoming an independent artist after ending her contract with Polydor Records in 2021.

The song lyrically describes the copying mechanisms that Raye has leaned on when experiencing her ‘blues’. The release was gifted to fans with another song titled ‘the Thrill Is Gone’. When comparing the two songs, they are both of very different genres, showcasing Rayes’ capabilities as a songwriter and artist.

To listen and add Escapism to your playlists, follow the link below:

Words by Carmen Lees-Green

“Red Room is in part about a feeling of isolation, caused maybe by depression or some external factors. We left that open to interpretation, as it was written in Moscow right when the war started, and both me and Gau felt the influence of that uncertainty about the future” – Cee (Maere, Producer)

It may be rare, but every so often, a very unique and special artist hits the scene with a niche, but frenzied appeal to a puzzle-loving fanbase who treats every one of their releases like an enigma code to crack, as cryptic characters like Aphex Twin and Kendrick Lamar continue to appeal. Comprised of numerous different collaborators, Maere is a project that prides itself as something else entirely and it is led by producer Cee. An elusive front person who has revealed little info about their name, location, age, influences or production process is Cee, who thinks of Maere as less of a solo platform and more of an art collective which functions as an outlet to relate your feelings through. Remember that we are listening to no singular voice here, as we veer towards the more experimental and R&B-infused side of sparkling electro-pop which feels vague but deeply personal. Maere’s latest single is ‘Red Room’, another jigsaw puzzle of a piece musically that encourages you to confront your emotions concerning intimacy, curated by a curious personality, with no frills.

Starting life in 2021 when Cee met various other members of Maere hailing from Italy, Russia, Germany and The USA – with Gau being cited as the most notable new addition to Cee’s collective – in locations as obscure as a Karoake in Moscow in December 2021, Maere are a group that are geographically distanced yet brought together by socio-political issues as varied as feminism, anti-racism and anti-capitalism. An openly non-binary creative, Cee creates music that is deeply fascinated by the concept of inner versus superficial identity and how we are shaped by the details that we project into and retract from the world. To build upon this idea, ‘Red Room’ has been mostly constructed to encourage like-minded deep reflectors to come together to explore – and express – who they are.

‘Red Room’ is largely all about the empowering nature of frequent collaboration which underpins the ambitions of Maere as a spiritual project for finding unity through art, a fusion where the creativity flows. The separate parts of a whole, intertwined soul who operate individually but work towards an essential collective goal altogether.

Rather than being surface level stuff, Maere take the concept further by bringing new elements to the table including lyrics that detail the feelings of paralysis and confusion that comes along when we’re stuck in different situations where no obvious solution presents itself. A sense of restlessness is present in Cee’s songwriting as Cee reflects on confusion and romance, giving off the idea that Cee has a few ideas for how to overcome an obstacle, but he’s not sure which route is best to take specifically. Bright R&B-style verses with a light Neo-Psych tinge and minimal chord progressions characterize the sonic palette while the emotive ballad-style vocals create a more commanding presence for the vocals. The instrumentation is quite subtle and airy throughout, with no hyper-melodic sense of aggression but occasional qualities of Trip-Hop and Industrial Pop rearing their heads throughout. The synths are sparse, but pleasant, and the more minimalist electronic pop beats are laced together by contemporary Neo-Soul production. It feels a little overlong and it may be too subtle for some, so it could have been improved a touch by some more fresh additions to the soundscape being made here and there to make the sounds feel a tad more varied. What stands out, however, is the richness to the tune that makes it stand out well.

The synths are textured meticulously and the drawing Trap-Hop bassline feels vague yet intriguing, which creates a memorable single in ‘Red Room’ that feels subtle yet subdued, polished yet intimate. While it may suffer a bit from a plodding structure, it’s well worth keeping an eye out for ‘Red Room’ in physical formats so that you own the single and can keep coming back to it when you need to zone out, or most likely find yourself in a relatable situation to Cee’s.

Words by Jacob Braybrooke

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