These Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s Marina Florance this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

This week I have enjoyed reviewing such a brilliant bunch of tracks, it never fails to amaze me how expertly the Fresh On The Net moderators pick out tracks for the Listening Post, diligently listening to around two hundred tracks per week and then, how our readers lift their favourites into the Fresh Faves. There is so much good music out there and it is tough to get heard, but be assured that here at Fresh On The Net we moderators are doing our best 🙂

ADÈLE DOMINIQUE EMMAS – Forest Fire

Adèle Dominique Emmas is a London-based composer whose music has featured on Lady Chatterley’s Lover and The Killing to name but two. Adèle tells us she “creates haunting and atmospheric soundscapes with dreamy layered synths, rhythmic drums and emotive orchestral strings which lay the foundation for her ethereal yet empowering vocals”.
Released Nov 20th, Forest Fire is from the EP They Turned Out The Lights Again, which is being represented by Marmoset Music licensing and production company.

This track immediately caught my attention, gorgeously engaging right from the onset, and firing up so instantaneously that you might find yourself in a heightened state of alert, prepared to fight or flight. The vocals are splendid.

A captivating, vocally tender and beautiful live performance of her track Where Did All Our Flowers Go? can be heard via this YouTube video, without doubt worth a look.

As a footnote Adèle Dominique mentions she is also keyboard player and backing vocalist in The Lightning Seeds.

Instagram | Facebook | X

ALICE KIM – Old Mess

Alice Kim is a singer from Leeds releasing original soulful music. Old Mess is her debut single — if this is the debut then I’m totally chuffed to be reviewing this week, I love this! Apparently, the song began as an intimate piano and vocal track, born in the hushed hours of a front room at 2am, and in my opinion you can completely feel that 2am vibe.

So gorgeously mixed, produced and mastered, and the build and instrumentation! Oh my I’ve got it on repeat, but the reviews need to be done today, I just have to move on!

Old Mess will rest in your reflective playlists, and you will return to it again and again as it effortlessly conjures up your soulful youth and the pain of loving and losing.

Released November 24th 2023. Produced by Ed Allen, Mastered by Cicely Balston. Alice Kim – Vocals, Joel Stedman – Guitar, Owen Burns – Bass, Josh Ketch – Drums, Simeon Walker – Keys.

Linktree | Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp

ANNIE DRESSNER – 18 Years (ft. Polly Paulusma)

Born and bred in NYC, Annie Dressner tells us that her musical journey started at an unexpected crossroads, the night of her high school graduation she picked up the family guitar for the first time and discovered a hidden passion that would change her life.

Playing countless open mic nights in NYC served as her training ground, she found that it wasn’t just about singing, it was about baring her soul through her own creations. Though Annie now calls Cambridge home, her music still resonates with a unique NYC flair, showcasing her knack for rich storytelling, mesmerising melodies.

An avid collaborator, 18 Years ft. Polly Paulusma was released 24th November on Dharma Records. A superb, emotionally driven track that I can imagine will have audiences at live performances singing along and trying to do all the harmonies. Well anyway, that’s what I find myself trying to do at this moment.

A regular on the UK touring and festival circuit, her accolades most recently include a nomination for Female Artist of the Year at FATEA Magazine. Wow! There’s tough competition even to be nominated by FATEA, well done!

There are many live performances planned, check Annie’s website for details.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | Bandcamp

BAG HEAD – K

Singer-songwriter Damon Bell comes from Cornwall. After having the idea for BAG HEAD in 2017, Damon saw the project advance while at University in London in 2018.

There have been numerous line-ups whilst they gigged around the London area, seeing them play The Amersham Arms, The Rocksteady, The Underbelly and The Star in Guildford to name a few. They were shortlisted for Glastonbury 2020 Emerging Talent — a huge achievement — only to find 2020 Glasto cancelled due to Covid! Don’t give up Damon, based on this track there will, I’m absolutely sure, be many more opportunities.

K, released on December 1st is, in their words: “old school slacker rock energy infused with BAG HEAD’s own take on modern pop melodies. The vocals provide a contemporary commentary on a drug fuelled evening for Gen Z teen and twenty somethings in small town, nowheresville and the ultimate realisation of what a waste of time it all is.”

This is their first visit to Fresh Faves, with songwriting as good as this it will not be their last, the track is full of angst, sadness and longing…

I cannot find any live dates. I also looked for live performance videos but couldn’t find one, please post a link below Damon (in the comments) if you have any, thanks.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | X

BONNEVILLE – I Get It

Bonneville Milnes is both an actor and a singer based in Leeds, Yorkshire and is the fourth of the artists in this week’s Fresh Faves to have never been reviewed here before. What else do I know? Well, if you have listened to I Get It then you will already know that this is music from the heart; it’s affecting, memorable, and as I shuffle off into the kitchen for lunch, I’m singing: I get it, I get it, I get it… and you will be too, although maybe not the shuffling / kitchen part.

Released 24th November and in Bonnville’s words: “I Get It acknowledges the feeling of a relationship getting tired. It tells of the recognition of a love that once felt exciting, sexy and new becoming a worn-out reminder of better times.”

Bonneville has live performances coming up on 7th Dec – Leeds Wardrobe (better be quick, that date is close) and 14th Dec at Hull Trinity Live. If you cannot make either of those then take a look at this live performance on Facebook, it shows Bonneville’s abundant ability to put a song across with emotion and feeling, with an unconditional connectivity to the passion of the music.

Instagram | Facebook

MARSUPIAL SOUP – Inspector Clueless

Marsupial Soup are a three-piece based in Leeds. Playing they say “sunlit, tropical indie pop with leanings towards oddball post-punk and the occasional Latin rhythm.”

Their origins lie in rural South Wales, where “two brothers once met with a mysterious, enigmatic villager and all three have been making music on and off since.”

Although they have played live extensively, I cannot find any current live dates (post them in the comments if you have them, MS), although you will find plenty of videos of them live, which you should most certainly search out.

Inspector Clueless, released 15th November, is a marvellously quirky track, I am blessed this week with so many catchy tunes. Undeniably brilliant songwriters, we have no choice but to become embroiled in the life of Inspector Clueless. They say: “Inspector Clueless is a cyberpunk noir spy theme about the insecurities of late capitalist image culture… The track frames this disorientation with reference to a clueless inspector, beguiled by the complexity of the city and its myriad phantasmagorical mysteries” Blimey! Well, all that being said it’s a really first-rate track.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | Bandcamp

MIGHTY ONE – Wake The Dead

Wake The Dead was released: 17th November with Memphia Music PR & Management, Co-produced by Rob Eliis, Mixed by TJ Allen, Mastered by Guy Davie Electric Mastering.

With a very watchable video on YouTube.

I wish I could tell you more about Mighty One, but in the limited time there is to write these reviews I just cannot find much. If you read this then all those at Mighty One HQ please free to add some info below, i.e. names, places you are playing live, that sort of thing, thanks in advance if you do.

This is yet another Fresh On The Net debut band (at least I think it is) and once again, I must add, with this quality of music I’m certain there will be more successful submissions, keep doing what you are doing, tell us all about yourselves.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

NIA WYN – Loves Me Not

As Steve once said: “Welsh soul singer Nia Wyn is another artist who makes regular appearances here on Fresh On The Net, for quite obvious reasons once you press play”

Nia Wyn’s Instagram profile is full of great content, and you should go take a look.

Loves Me Not was produced and written with Duncan Pym, and together they have created a track that will be exceptionally popular on all streaming platforms. With its memorable chorus and rhymical resonance this truly is an earworm. Any minute now I think I will be shuffling off to the kitchen again, this time for my afternoon coffee, singing to myself she loves me, she loves me or she loves me not…

I am sure that Nia’s live performances will be brilliant, I cannot find any, but Nia if you read this and you do have any live dates please feel free to add them to the notes section below, thank you.

Linktree | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | Bandcamp

ROISIN QUINN – Old Habits

Roisin Quinn is a UK independent artist who’s been featured on BBC 6 Music and described by the main man himself as “Charming… delicate and understated” – Tom Robinson.

Roisin has also had support from BBC Introducing in Essex.

Roisin tells us: “An independent artist in the truest sense, at the forefront of all areas of her music, from writing, recording and producing to creating artwork, release and distribution through her own record label Banjaxed Records. ‘Banjaxed’ an Irish slang meaning ruined, incapacitated or broken, coupled with the labels tagline ‘building beauty from ruins’ sums up Roisin’s approach to songwriting as a cathartic process to make it through life, and to create something meaningful along the way.”

Old Habits is tender, filled with sadness and a touch of anxiety, maybe? Roisin allows us the space to sink back into an old comfy armchair and just let the voice and music wash over our woes. It is a superb track where you can hear every word as her slight Essex accent dips and soothingly soars.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | Bandcamp

THE DEEP BLUE – Somebody’s Daughter

The Deep Blue are an Indie folk band from Manchester and beyond: Georgia, Niamh, Katie and Sophie. Playing songs rich in vocal harmony and meaning, they do this superbly as their previous submissions, and success, at Fresh On The Net can testify to.

The Deep Blue’s words about Somebody’s Daughter:

“…our response to the ongoing border crisis. We feel alarmed by the current discourse around asylum seekers which is often dehumanising. With our song and music video, we have tried to combat the facelessness of the people attempting to seek refuge in the UK, when the government has not provided safe and legal routes for them. Rejecting the ‘us and them’ narrative and moving towards deeper empathy and compassion. The injustice of it is horrifying. This song is our personal response to try and navigate the polarising and inhuman media narrative around borders and asylum seekers… Watching someone’s childhood be ripped away and reduced to a statistic is hard to stomach.”

Released 16th November, Somebody’s Daughter is excellent and compels you to take notice (if you haven’t already, that is) as to how bad this crisis is. The Deep Blue deliver, as usual, with their harmonies, timbres and tones. I know this track was FOTN Del’s absolute favourite this week, we can all hear why.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | Bandcamp

PS from TR: If you’ve submitted a track that hasn’t been picked for the Listening Post, our team has definitely listened to it and there’s no need to send it again: feel free to send us an even stronger track another week. The same goes if you were picked for the Listening Post but didn’t feature in our Fresh Faves.

But if we’ve recently featured you in our Fresh Faves – or on my BBC Introducing Mixtape – please wait three months before sending us another track, so we have space to help other deserving artists… For more info see Robinson Has A Good Old Moan.