Fresh Spins Vol. 14: New Music from Independent artists on DISCO
From Icelandic dark pop to discordant indie punk, discover music from independent artists on DISCO
DISCO is home to thousands of independent artists from around the world, as well as the leading platform for music supervisors globally.
Through our Artist Opportunities tab, artists can submit for inclusion in our Fresh Spins playlist, a regularly updated sampler of highlights from sync-ready independent DISCO artists that’s showcased in all supervisor DISCO accounts. Following submission, tracks are reviewed by our internal supervisor and then selected to be a part of the playlist.
Here’s the latest Fresh Spins edition.
Bliss Foxx - “Queenie”
Bliss Foxx
Portland's Bliss Foxx bring unfiltered punk energy to their distortion-packed selection "Queenie,” which they tell DISCO is “about the internal/societal female struggle.”
Lead singer Bliss continues: “One of my band members once said it had a similar theme to the Charli XCX song ‘Girl, so confusing,’ which I don't even think I'd heard when I wrote ‘Queenie,’ but it is actually kind of true.”
Joyce Kwon - “In Memories and Poses”
Joyce Kwon
Los Angeles singer, composer, and genre-defying artist Joyce Kwon blends Coltrane-esque jazz piano with the traditional Korean gayageum on her elegantly intimate track “In Memories and Poses.”
She tells DISCO of the feelings behind her selection: “Being timeless souls moving along a timeline induces heartache. We love and we grow apart, whether in physical distance or emotional exchange, for a myriad of reasons. There’s a lyric I think back to in the English translation of ‘Anos Dourados’ by Tom Jobim and Chico Buarque that muses on loving someone forever in a specific photograph. Occasionally, I’ll look back at a photo from a lifetime ago and remember that I loved someone forever, at least for that moment in time. Does anything last forever, or does everything last forever in that forever is a moment?
MAIAA - "The Problem Is You"
MAIAA
Icelandic dark-pop singer MAIAA tells DISCO how her track “The Problem Is You” was co-written with Baldvin Hlynsson “for people to get some insight into a toxic relationship.”
She continues: “My song ‘The Problem Is You’ was made when my producer and I wanted to see who could come up with the best title for a new song. I started talking about how every time someone says ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ they always mean the opposite.
“I took a lot from my own experience in past relationships. This song should make you feel sad and empowered at the same time and would recommend listening to the song while taking a walk in nature!”
Simon Linsteadt - "Bleeding Wine"
Simon Linsteadt
Simon Linsteadt is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter based in Los Angeles who has written more than two dozen pieces for the podcast This American Life. Of his genteel solo entry “Bleeding Wine,” Simon tells DISCO how he first wrote it when he was still a teenager.
“‘Bleeding Wine’ is a song I wrote when I was 16 and recorded when I was 26 for an album called The Fool in 2019. It has more than a trace of whimsical and youthful longing, weaving in and out of images of recurring dreams, enjoying wine, and pining after some long-lost love. I recorded the song on a multitrack recorder, singing and playing each instrument one after the other.”
Twelve25 - "Aftercare"
Twelve25 // Photo credit: Claire Adams-Roberto
Atlanta six-piece Twelve25 like to play with genre. Their memorable Fresh Spins entry “Aftercare” weaves in funk, hard rock, alternative, and even a little hip-hop.
The band tells DISCO: “The verse in ‘Aftercare’ stems from a period of self doubt that at the time felt like it would never end. It felt as though those feelings were oozing out of me in all my interactions and I had to remind myself that just because I may feel this way now doesn’t mean I’m fated to feel this way forever, things can change for the better. The chorus is a reflection on the feeling of drowsy surreality that has become an everyday reality. The mantra ‘keep it together or sleep it away’ reflects a mental state of mine and many of my peers in the 2020s.”
Explore the Fresh Spins Catalog
Fresh Spins Vol. 14 highlights the range of voices shaping today’s independent music scene, from genre-bending composers to high-energy punk and dark pop artists. Each track in this edition reflects the creativity and diversity of DISCO’s global artist community, giving music supervisors and listeners alike a chance to discover sync-ready talent in one place.
Listen to all of DISCO’s Fresh Spins Catalog here. Interested in our Artist plan? Sign up for a free trial here.
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