NYC

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Grace May is the New York based and Toronto born R&B, neo-soul singer and artist. Her stunning new single is a must listen. The song “Quiet” is a treat featuring captivating vocals set against a minimalistic backdrop of what appears to be as a few instruments as possible. The production bare as well.

“I wanted the instrumentation to be as raw as the lyrics”.

– Singer Grace May

The lyrical content is all at once honest, raw, and immediately engaging to the listener. Grace May’s dazzling falsetto is what is most notable on this track, only enhancing to what is already a beautiful and highly emotional song.

Stream Grace May // “Quiet” here:

Follow Grace May on Social Media here:

Official: https://www.gracemaymusic.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gracemaygw

Don’t forget to subscribe to my emails and like always for the latest and best in music, entertainment and pop culture be sure to stay tuned with The Reclusive Blogger!

Until then,
Brittney x
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Meet MOTTEO, an emerging independent electro alt-pop artist that is based in New York City. He is releasing the next single from his upcoming debut EP, ‘I’m desparate for you‘. The song “Touch Me” says the artist is about how we as humans sometimes want to change ourselves to be more desirable to potential lovers. The song features an underlying slinky beat with glitchy synths on top as MOTTEO‘s vocals glide along in a lower register until towards the end of the track where MOTTEO breaks out into a lovely falsetto. His debut EP is set to be released this summer with each song on the EP speaking on different aspects of relationships and intimacy. MOTTEO garners most of his inspiration from his own life but the themes of modern love, loss and dating are universal, especially when told through a good beat and catchy hook or melody. “Touch Me” is out now and you can listen to it below.

Stream “Touch Me”: https://ffm.to/touchmelive

Until then,
Brittney x

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I want to introduce you to New York based gender-fluid musician and artist Areté. The concept-pop singer-songwriter and producer has released a scorching and futuristic Electro-pop number, ‘Trip’. With chilling yet fierce vocals atop a cool stuttering beat. ‘Trip’ tells the tale a dark tale of making bad decisions of which could only end in disaster. Yet it being one of the best feelings in the world. Areté says of the track “It’s a sci-fi road trip fantasy – like the beginning of a futuristic lesbian Thelma and Louise or Bonnie and Clyde – you know it will end with the deaths of its thrilling rebel protagonists, but you want to go on the ride anyway. It’s about the danger of being an adrenaline junkie and jumping in when you don’t know where you’re going.”

Areté by Alicia Fischmeister

Check out more from Areté and hear the daring song ‘Trip’ below.

Stream ‘Trip’ on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/aretespace/trip-1

Areté Socials:

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/arete.space/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aretedotspace

Instagram: https://instagram.com/arete.space

Until then,
Brittney x

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In the basement bar of Music Hall of Williamsburg a couple days ago, I got the chance to sit down and chat with the indie band Wilderado. We chatted about all things ranging from the start of the band to their first ever album. The band later performed an unbelievable show as an opener for the psychedelic, eccentric band Sure, Sure. Read below to hear more about what Wilderado band told us about their past, present and future.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Can you guys start off by telling me how Wilderado came together as a band?
Yeah! Three of us went to college together [total of 4 members]. Two of us are from Texas and two of us are from Oklahoma. We all started out in LA. We all ended up out there and started playing music [together] and next thing you know we were recording songs up at a house in Malibu. Now three of us are married, two of us are back in LA while two of us are back in Tulsa and we’re just writing and touring pretty constantly.

Where did you guys go to college in Texas?
Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Three of us attended that school.

You guys have been touring with Sure Sure for a little bit now, is there a connection between the two of you guys that made you two want to tour together?
Our agencies just linked us up. It’s pretty unromantic. But there’s a lot of connection going on between us now. We really love those dudes. Very, very beautiful people. Quite honestly, it has been one of the more fun trips just because of them. I think we’ve had a lot of fun just getting to know them. They’re sweet guys and easy to work with. So yeah, we’ve really enjoyed it.

Do you see a collaboration?
Oh man, I would. If they ever wanted to collaborate on something I would say yes pretty fast.

And you’re just touring the US on this leg of tour?
Just the states but we are going all over the place. We started in San Diego and going as far as Boston and then end in LA. We will be hitting 23/24 towns. It’s cool to see new places. In 30 days.

You guys are embarking on a tour across the United States, do you have favorite locations? Is there a specific reason as to why?
Ah, New York for sure. We have a pretty good draw here. We have a sort of romantic connection with it. It was kind of one of the first things we did, we came to new york. There is also kind of this buzz around coming to this city with a purpose so it feels cool to be coming to this city to be playing a show. You know, like this world class, world famous city, putting on a show is pretty fun to do here. It feels like a bit of an honor. To be coming all the way up here [from Oklahoma and California] to be playing a show is special.

What have you guys enjoyed most so far on this leg of tour?
This leg, like where we are right now, I mean this is the part of the tour where the set start to really feel good, you start feeling confident, reactionary rather than trying to remember your parts. I’ll say it over and over again but, honestly, the best part of this tour so far has just been hanging out with this band [Sure Sure]. It’s just been fun to watch them, they’ve been cool and it’s fun to watch them, learn from them, hear them. Their music is just really sophisticated.

You guys don’t have an album out yet, correct me if I am wrong here.
No, we just have EP’s.

Can we expect an album sometime soon from you guys?
Yeah, I mean it’s something we are working on but we don’t just want to put out a record to just put out a record for its own sake. I think right now we are really just collecting songs, and writing, and touring but for sure that’s the idea. We are all very romantic about it, we want Wilderado LP 1 very badly, it’s a huge goal.

Who are your musical influences?
I think for the band it’s a lot of Third Eye Blind, Kings of Leon, and real early Coldplay. Crosby Stills and Nash. It’s a lot of thing honestly.

If you collaborate with any artist dead or alive to write a song who would it be and why?
Max:
Miley Cyrus! I wanna sing with Miley, I wanna know what it’s like. I’m dead serious. I think she’s awesome.
Tyler:
I may be saying this because we just saw Paul McCartney, but I think George Harrison. I’ve always liked his solo stuff and the way he told stories about himself. I think he had a lot of influences on the guitar melodies and guitar lines we’ve wrote.
Colton:
Since you brought up The Beatles, I think Paul.
Justin [Drums]:
I’m just gonna agree there with The Beatles!

– Sabrina A.

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Last week I got to spend my Saturday night surrounded by some great people and even better music. Sure Sure with supporters Plastic Picnic and Wilderado wrapped around to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to play venue Music Hall of Williamsburg for Halloween weekend. The bands delivered some incredible music to the crowd that left me quite astonished. The show they put on was just so well produced and was so good for just an indie band barely making it in this scene.
Indie band Sure Sure got alternative underground band Plastic Picnic to open for them for this specific date. Although this band [Plastic Picnic] hadn’t been touring all the dates with Sure Sure and Wilderado, they are definitely to be noted when discussing this show. Plastic Picnic, for being a band with little to no releases, proved themselves to be such an interesting band. The band have a unique guitar sound that is intricate and interesting compared to other alternative-music sounds, the band matches this with a deeper vocal composition which is uncommon to hear against the chorus pedal on a guitar. The band has a remarkably unique sound to them but it’s not the only thing that caught my attention. The band had such a good stage presence. With their involvement in the crowd, you could tell the band is filled with people who care for the music and for those who support their dream to become something. Check out their photos and their links below:

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The next band to find their way onto the stage with rough low-lighting was Wilderado. I got the chance to speak with the band in a personal interview before the show, I can’t wait for you guys to see what the band had to say when talking about the future of the band. The idea of an album release from these guys is so exciting to be discussing, especially after seeing what this band had to offer for us last Saturday. Wilderado are the perfect mixture of indie and rock with an almost country/blues touch to the vocal structure of the lead singer Maxim. It’s something I have hardly seen a mixture of in the indie scene but I personally love the band’s sound and I think they are going to be blowing up on their first album which is in the making. Wilderado were another band that took me by surprise this night as I didn’t know what to expect but I was blown away by what the band had shown us that night with their musicianship. Stay tuned for the interview here at ‘The Reclusive Blogger’ and check out the photos I got of their set below.

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The last band of the night to come out for the show was Sure Sure. If i wasn’t already blown away by the other two acts, then Sure Sure had definitely done it for me. The band has a fascinating and distinctive sound to them. Sure Sure has a total indie rock vibe to them following suit to the aesthetic of the whole show but the way they also connect these enthralling psychedelic synth and keyboard sounds to mix with the delicate guitar that is so prodigious was something that caught my attention instantly. The guitar is something that has to be noted as the guitarist was someone who pulled the band together with the complex yet captivating sounds he produced. The riffs of the guitar were out there when it comes to something that is delicately crafted and given thought to. The way the band connected the guitar, at times, to the synth was interesting but the idea alone of the skill level of the guitarist is something that must be noted. This guy seriously knows what he is doing, the guitar is absolutely one of the best concepts of this band. To tie it together, the band had a great image and too small of a following for who they are. Sure Sure is another band, with their first album release, who are going to be blowing up the scene. The band is just simply so talented and already mesmerizing attracting large crowds. I can see such a bright future for this band and can’t wait to hear and see more. You can view their photos below …

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– Sabrina A.

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The Dawning Of MAY …

Meet MAY (now The Dawn Of MAY) , she’s the Melbourne born and New York City based singer-songwriter who voice and lyrics are beautiful and haunting. She is signed to Bastille’s Best Laid Plans where she will release her debut EP, Phantom and video “Last September” come November 2nd.

This week I not only had the privilege of seeing her play live in the most intimate setting in Los Angeles but I also got to interview her. You can view MAY’s answers below ….

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I always start out with an with ice breaker question. So Early Bird or Night Owl?

MAY: I am a night owl, that is for certain… It’s the most enigmatic and curious time… When the best ideas come… Also, something mysterious and thought provoking about wondering who else is awake and who/what they are thinking about too.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can you tell us how you got started as a Singer-Songwriter? What was the catalyst for you?

MAY: I have always written since I was a child and gravitated towards the piano. I would play how I felt from as young as I can remember. Writing and music have always been very sentimental for me.

TRB: Can you tell me more about your typical creative, recording and writing process and what goes on behind that?

MAY: For me, it purely begins with a feeling. I have to write about something almost immediately after it happens. I sit down at the piano and my hands find chords, depending on that feeling, and the story and words come from within those chords.

“MAY’s voice is instantly iconic and hauntingly beautiful.” – Dan Smith/Bastille

TRB: You just released a new song this past Friday called “Northern Lights”. Can you tell me more about that track it’s really is quite haunting in it’s sorrow.

MAY: Northern Lights is written in memory of my late father. I wrote it just outside of Hudson, New York, in the midst of the woods. I went up there for a few days and it, more so, wrote itself. To this day I cannot sing the whole song without a tear falling from my eye. There’s something about memories living on forever though music that has a profound effect on me.

TRB: Speaking of lyrics, Are themes of love and loss and human relationships where you feel most comfortable in your storytelling?

MAY: Definitely. I write when I cannot comprehend something or someone or a situation… It’s a natural exploration of my questions and findings in life; a way of moving on and making sense of the world.

TRB: Is there a lyric that you’ve written that has the most meaning to you or is your favorite?

MAY: I think as a whole, the lyrics in ‘Baby Save Me Tonight’ are my most favorite. It came almost word for word from an actual conversation I had, one whiskey filled night, with a friend in Montreal while I was working on the EP. I feel many people can relate to the meanings in this song.

TRB: Are there any current artists that have been “On Repeat” for you as a band lately? What music have you been digging?

MAY: I tend to listen to the same songs over and over again… My playlist is rarely updated… Mazzy Star, Leonard Cohen, Cigarettes After Sex. I am loving Erik Satie right now and Chopin – Prelude in E minor. One of my favorite songs to listen to whilst walking around New York is Tchaikovsky – Waltz of the Flowers.

TRB: Throwing in a fun one here… What was your favorite Children’s book growing up?

MAY: What I loved most was actually a series that my father used to make up and they were called ‘Mary Stories’ – About a little girl with green eyes and red hair and her brother Tom and all the mischief they would get up to. It was such a treat when he would be home early to put us to bed and tell us a ‘Mary Story’. Imaginary and made up stories were always my favorite.

“Insane voice “ – Jessie Ware

TRB: How have your adoptive city (NYC) and hometown (Melbourne) inspired and influenced your songwriting?

MAY: New York has definitely influenced my writing. I feel, I have grown up a lot in New York and many significant life events have happened to me since moving. The imagery is all through my music and the very interesting characters I meet in the city play major roles in my stories and in my life.

TRB: And what’s next for MAY?

MAY: My EP, ‘Phantom’, will be out on November 2, along with a video for the next single ‘Last September’. I am also currently working on my next record, which I am very excited about…

WATCH MAY:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM585Mu1T5T7Iv9GJYEf68A

STREAM MAY // SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BOL6IPAKcXHbgXpiyoHUv?si=wEvKu2m6TkC-k2K89_lS3w

FOLLOW MAY // SOCIALS:

INSTAGRAM: www.instgram.com/thedawnofmay

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/thedawnofmay

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/thedawnofmay

Until then,
Brittney W.