snax pack_may '21

Hello people that read this blog! Hope you're all ok! As I got back to my full time day job, I realised that it's impossible for me to keep writing and keep this blog up-to-date as much as I'd want to. After a lot of thought, I decided that the best thing to do for now is save all the music that spoke to me and make a list for you at the end of each month! This way I get to share with you music and artists I discover every month! I present to you the #SnaxPack, a list of my monthly highlights/recommendations!

(It's not a requirement for any of the songs to have been released on the following month. The only requirement is for me to enjoy listening to it enough to recommend it!)

1. capétte - Μετάλλαξη

Origin: Thessaloniki, Greece

Genre: fusion/weird wave/dark/queer/electronic/folk/classical

"Electra" is capétte's first electronic music album and was released in September 2020. In the album, capétte brings the concept of femininity and diversity under discussion. His lyrics are highly associated with LGBTQIA+ and other political and social matters. He composed this album IN ONE WEEK! Dark electronic influences mixed with some Greek folk elements and queer aesthetics = capétte!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capette_/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/34pVCSI

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3yCorci

Buy his music here: https://capette.bandcamp.com/

2. Jef Maarawi - How To Sustain Minor Losses

Origin: Brazil, Greece & Syria

Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Indie

“TERRA PAPAGALLI”(Land of Parrots) was one of the first names given to the land now known as Brazil. This is an album about trying to understand what “home” is, and a meditation on the choice / desire we have to carry it within us. I immediately fell in love with this album! So much that I bought the vinyl and I don't even have anything to play it on! "How To Sustain Minor Losses" is my favourite song of the album, although I equally loved "Consume Me", "Senna", "Protector" and "Tropicaliptico"!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jefmaarawi/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wNlV19

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3plH4gF

Buy his music here: https://jefmaarawi-inner-ear.bandcamp.com/

3. Amalia & The Architects - Save our Heads

Origin: Greece

Genre: Singer/Songwriter, indie pop, folk and rock

Amalia & The Architects is the latest project of singer-songwriter Amalia (they/them). They site influences as The National, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Morrissey and Bob Dylan. The project started out as a collaboration between Amalia and two students of architecture, hence the name. In 2019 they were the supporting act for Anna Calvi and Courtney Barnett and in 2020 they released their first single as a band called Murder and Create. The Architects left the project, but Amalia decided to keep the name, being an Art History student and architecture enthusiast. Some of the themes they explore are isolation, selfishness, gender identity and communication.

My favourite lyric is "All my sentences begin with “I” but “I” have all the will to try".

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amalia.and.the.architects/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3i3GfHA

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3vMLa3O

Buy their music here: https://amaliathearchitects.bandcamp.com/

4. Nuâge - Payday

Origin: Greece

Genre: synth pop

I have spoken to you about Nuâge on a previous blog post that you can find here.

She just released her debut album and "Payday" is already saved on my phone!

She is a bit of a mystery to me, as you can't find too much about her out there, but definitely worth checking her music out!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesuisnuage/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ySynhT

Youtube: https://bit.ly/34BqjUX

Buy her music here: https://jesuisnuage.bandcamp.com/

5. Akofa Akoussah - I Tcho Tchass

Origin: Togo

Genre: Soul

Togolese singer Julie Akofa Akoussah began singing at the age of three, inspired and led by her mother and older sister. In order to master her art she spent time studying and working closely with local groups, including Melo Togo, Rocka Mambo, Rio Romamcero, Ok Fiesta, Eryco Jazz, Afro Cubano, Los Muchacho, Elegance Jazz and Togo Star amongst others.

She was president of the National Union of Artists Musicians of Togo (UNAM) before sadly passing away in April 2007 after a long illness, at the age of 57.

Her relatively brief musical career saw the release of a handful of singles and (sadly) only one album. This was her eponymous 1976 offering, released by the French label Sonafric. From this comes today’s smouldering offering, I Tcho Tchass.

Her voice is captivating and although I don't understand a single word of Togolese, I love it!

Instagram: n/a

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Rar7gq

Youtube: n/a

Buy her music here: n/a

6. Audrey Mika - Blueberry Skies

Origin: U.S.A

Genre: Pop

Mika released her debut studio album, "Are We There Yet", in September 2018, through Spinnup. Following this release, she began posting covers of songs by artists such as Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande to YouTube using a toy microphone from her bedroom. Her second studio album, Level Up, was a bedroom pop effort made entirely using GarageBand, and released in February 2019. In June 2019, she released the single "Y U Gotta Be Like That", which went viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

This song reminds me a lot of Willow Smith's music! I love the simplicity of the production and the layering on the vocals! It is the living proof of the amazing music someone can make on Garageband!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreymikaa/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yVB8iI

Youtube: https://bit.ly/2S1fclx

Buy her music here: https://apple.co/3vIx2s2

7. Rami Winston - Morals

Origin: Greece, Syria

Genre: Blues, rock 'n' roll

Rami Winston's love and appreciation for music started early in his life and although Blues is the main genre his identifies with, he has experimented with other genres such as Lo-Fi, Trip Hop, Hip Hop and modern rock'n'roll. Apart from his solo projects, he is the lead singer and guitarist of the Athenian rock n roll trio, Supersoul.

"MORALS" is his new single and as always I am captivated by his voice! There is something quite sultry in his music that I really like!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramiwinston/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2TAM05l

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3wRH1eH

Buy his music here: https://apple.co/34DRsXw

8. NEFΛEΛI - Go Back To Them

Origin: Greece

Genre: electronica, anatolian, folk, world, pop

Ν Ε F Λ Ε Λ Ι is a Greek artist currently based in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Descendant of a family with music roots, she decided to leave her birthplace to pursue her own artistic signature. Her life has been a trip full of music and art and that has given her a glimpse of lots of different perspectives in life. Music, Singing, Songwriting, Production, Artwork all get mixed up with one single purpose in mind: Aesthetics.

I discovered her music back in 2020, when this song was released, and I followed her immediately without knowing anything about her! The greek letters on her name made me reach out to her, to find out why she had made that artistic choice, only to find out that she was actually Greek. Since then, I have been a superfan of her music and visuals and patiently waiting for more music to be released....

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nefleli/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2TuuAXX

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3fDMv76

Buy her music here: https://apple.co/3fCNowK

9. Temporal Comet - Shine

Origin: UK, France

Genre: pop

Forward-looking music with nostalgic sounds; organic and electronic elements - Temporal Comet hopes to offer an exciting alternative through live and recorded music; equally inclusive and challenging in its approach. In 2021 Temporal Comet is stripped down to guitar, vocals, drums and live-loops. The band is based in London and performs live using live-loops, MIDI and other technology, demonstrating a furious combination of strums, hits and button presses. Their sound has been compared to Bowie, Radiohead, New Order & Talking Heads.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temporalcomet/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3vIOaOm

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3uHhZNS

Buy their music here: https://temporalcomet.bandcamp.com/

10. Hermanos Gutiérrez - El Jardín

Origin: Ecuador, Switzerland

Genre: Instrumental, Western

Two brothers, two guitars. Stephan and Alejandro, are the Hermanos Gutierrez, an instrumental music band with a genre that is rooted in Western and Latin American sound. Born from an Ecuadorian mother and a Swiss father they grew up being forged by both cultures, bridging between two worlds, both of which are home.

Their mix of identities clearly emerges in their songs. A magical sound that touches the heart, that sparks passion and nostalgia.

My dear friend Nicole sent me this song and I instantly felt like I was in Cuba again.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hermanosgutierrezmusic/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2TBl1qj

Youtube: https://bit.ly/2TuXcjP

Buy their music here: https://hermanosgutierrez.bandcamp.com/