Andy Howells checks out three new releases and the stories behind them in the latest Behind The tracks feature.
Macy – Rainbow Eyes
Rainbow Eyes is the new single from Wales’ rising pop sensation Macy.
Hailing from the South Wales Valleys, MACY has always had a love for music. Since the age of 11, she quietly honed and developed her Dream Pop/Contemporary R&B music.
The rising pop starlet remains tight lipped about the origins of Rainbow Eyes, “I’ve been asked a lot if this was written with Pride Month in mind, or about the huge number of rainbows we’ve seen during lockdown. I don’t want to spoil someone’s perception of the song and I love that people have interpreted the lyrics in their own way.”
Macy co-wrote the track with Grammy Award nominated producer LVR.
“This song was an incredible amount of fun to create! I think you’ll be able to hear that in the track. I’ve worked with LVR for a long time, and we’ve been collaborating over Zoom this past year. He’s absolutely amazing to work with, I can’t praise him enough”
The video was shot by Samuel Edwards in Abertillery Local Community Hall over 3 days.
“The inspiration was to bring some 80/90’s vibes back, like you’d see on old Nickelodeon shows and make it a fun, fast moving and colourful video. It was an absolute joy to make, especially as we had tonnes of balloons, cocktails and lollipops. It’s so vibrant and me and my band really enjoyed the shoot.”
Ents South Wales reviewer Andy Howells says of Rainbow Eyes, “I love the groove to this one. While its fresh, fun and summery it also packs a punch with its beat and Macy’s confident vocals – one to listen out for!”
Marbl – Never Get Out
Never Get Out is the latest release from Israeli Folk/Pop musician Marbl.
Marbl, who also works as a vocal coach in Tel-Aviv, has generated a great media response worldwide with several singles and her last EP The Flight of the Hawks.
The video for Never Get Out by Tomer Levi shows a dark cloud following Marbl everywhere as a metaphor of not being able of letting go but finally disappearing in the end.
Marbl says of Never Get Out, “When you break up with someone you love fully, you can’t really let them go. Apparently, it happens, but there’s always a room in your heart, one only you know, where your lover still lingers in. I remember the moment I realized that he might never get thin enough to leave through the door to his room in my heart, and how I wrote it down immediately.
“This song was written not long after the latter single It’s Always Our O’clock Somewhere, and it goes together with its message, that I think a lot about lately – love is the energy of life, the answer to our constant questioning, the merging point between the random and the sacred, so when it’s over, it can’t really be over, it has to go somewhere. “
Ents South Wales reviewer Andy Howells says of Never Get Out, “A beautiful, reflective track. With a clear, soothing vocal. Definitely deserved of listening to in quieter moments.”
Gang of Youths – The Angel of 8th Ave
Having relocated to London, Gang Of Youths have redefined their creative process and evolved their sound as they look to make their biggest statement to date. The first chapter of this new era starts with their new single The Angel of 8th Ave. The track represents their first new music since 2017’s Go Farther In Lightness album.
The song also represents a shift in Dave Le’aupepe’s lyrical approach. Now his focus falls on exposing the beauty and elegance of conversational, tell-as-it-is language in a song about the grandest of emotions. Simultaneously, it is still both poetic and intensely real.
He says, “It’s about falling in love, and finding a new life in a new city together.”
Entirely self-produced, the track was recorded in the bands Hackney studio and mixed by the Grammy-winning Craig Silvey. Directed by Joel Barney, the song’s accompanying video was filmed in the band’s hometown of Angel, North London.
Andy Howells says of The Angel of 8th Ave, “Its almost a fusion of Joy Division meets early Neil Diamond. Raw, rocky and a real ear worm to boot.”