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

I’m feeling rather smug this morning with this great batch of Fresh Faves, from an initially strong inbox last week. I couldn’t have asked for a better batch for my first go in the review seat of 2024. Let’s investigate!

AROUND ABOUT DUSK – The Worm

Bristol-based Around About Dusk are an adventurous musical conception featuring Rachel Lawrence on lead vocal and accordion, Gus Dolding on clarinet, Bill Frampton on double bass, Joss Murray on trumpet and Damien Keane on drums. Their influences merge from folk traditions within Europe with added jazz and country. They formed from a journey to New Orleans, playing on the porches of Louisiana and heading through busking festivals of Europe to campfires in England.

I really liked The Worm on first listen, I’m getting a little element of swing to it which I love. There’s an idiosyncratic feel to their sound that’s refreshing and the delivery sounds effortless. It’s playful and fun and I enjoyed watching the YouTube video with my breakfast, whilst mesmerised by Rachel’s accordion action. A rather quirky way to start my day.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

AUSTEL – Salt

Austel — aka Annie Rew Shaw — is a Devon-born, London-based artist and producer crafting introspective, brooding music led by ethereal vocals and intimate lyricism.


Salt is a lovely slice of melancholic electronica which begins very gently and alongside Annie’s mellifluous vocal, it brings extra layers as it glides along, fluently.

Annie is influenced by a wide range of artists, from Thom Yorke, Cocteau Twins, Jon Hopkins and Nick Cave.


Austel has gained support from the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, to name just a few, and if like me you’d like to hear more, there is a much anticipated debut album due for release next month, so you won’t have to wait too long!

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

BADJA – Every Day A Weekend

BADJA are a group made up of three creative souls bonded by their love of dancefloor jams, indie, electronica, and feel-good pop, who aim to make every day a weekend. I can’t find much about these three creative souls online, but the track is great.

It’s got a real funky feel that’s reminiscent of the Moloko and Goldfrapp vibe. An infectious, synthy floor filler that should have us all tapping our feet.

BADJA have a really promising sound and I’ll be keeping my ears open for more in the future!

Instagram | YouTube

ELLIS EVASON – Laundry Day

We strut on now with Ellis Evason’s Laundry Day, and the CV of a sexy beast. I love this track, it exudes confidence and swagger and reminds us that it’s okay to own your own style and be a nonconformist.


Ellis Evason’s music is Hip-Hop at its most intimate. He’s inspired by old school soul music, a love for jazz and icons of lyricism: MF DOOM, Kendrick Lamar, Little Simz and Rizzle Kicks.


Ellis is currently working on collaborative projects and a second studio album with support from Help Musicians and the MOBO awards. He was recently showcased at BFI Southbank, long listed as a Glastonbury Emerging Talent and has been habitually featured on BBC Introducing across the UK.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

GEORGE BOOMSMA – Cashmere Grey

Hailing from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, singer – songwriter, George Boomsma has been honing his songwriting craft and live performances over the past decade. His songs reflect on themes from navigating relationships, family, self-acceptance, grief and finding a path forward despite life’s uncertainties.

Cashmere Grey is a lovely, soft, atmospheric and reflective piece. The guitar work is refined and the vocals understated.


George’s music has been featured on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 and he has received notable support from Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6 Music, amongst many others.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

IZZY AND THE BLACK TREES – F-16

We are taking a trip to Western Poland now for a chunk of punchy punk. Founded by lead vocalist Izabella Rekowska, who spent time in London perfecting her songwriting skills prior to forming the band, Izzy and The Black Trees deliver raw punk energy. They bring us some tasty psych guitar riffs, strong beats and feisty melodies.

When researching the track F-16, I found out that the track isn’t influenced by aircraft skills, but was written during the pandemic and born from Izzy’s film binges, which included Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove and the constant hum of jet planes flying over her apartment. Izzy and The Black Trees live shows are full of feminine, punk and rock’n’roll energy.

They have gained support from the likes of Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music and Radio X UK.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

ONIKA VENUS – Who’s Sleeping In My Bed

Onika Venus is a singer-songwriter from South Manchester in Jamaica, now based in the Forest of Dean. Onika was introduced to live music at a young age in her home village of Resource. She quickly learnt that music reaches people in a way that nothing else does. Ever since her first performance, her soulful voice and reggae style have been capturing the hearts of audiences across continents.

Who’s Sleeping In My Bed is another track that caught my attention straight away, it’s always rousing to have some reggae land in the inbox, especially when it’s of such a high standard as this. There’s a brilliant sass to Onika’s voice that demands attention. Definitely my jam of the week!

Onika has gained support from BBC Upload with regular radio plays.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

STEVIE TODDLER – Wake Me Like

Stevie Toddler is a Bristol-based singer-songwriter, principally a bassist and double bass player who writes and performs her own music, as well as playing for various other groups, including Nuala Honan and Rum Buffalo.


Wake Me Like That is a wonderful serving of misty, jazzy pop. Stevie’s style is eloquent and captivating and she makes it all sound so easy. It comes as little surprise to me that she has gained support from both Jamie Callum on BBC Radio 2 and Guy Garvey on BBC 6 Music. A very promising artist, indeed!

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

TOM WEBBER – This Time

Tom Webber first picked up a guitar at the age of 12, by the time he was 16 he was busking the streets of Oxford. Tom has developed into a recognisable young singer-songwriter with very much a ‘new retro’ sound.


This Time gets straight to business with its catchy hook. It’s a really energetic track and Tom’s vocal range is great. He has received support from the likes of BBC Introducing Oxford and BBC Radio London.

Tom is performing a live gig, as part of Independent Venue Week, on Feb 3rd in The Rising Sun Arts Centre in Reading. Catch him if you can!

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube

WYNONA – Feeling For Edges

We finish with a nice portion of dreamy, indie-pop. Wynona — Southampton duo, Natalie Woodward and Rich Willats — started their musical journey in Osaka, Japan. After returning to the UK because of the pandemic, they began crafting their own genre of self-described mum-jean rock.

Feeling For Edges delves into the complexities of navigating relationships while struggling to find stability among the chaos and offers a sense of hope. They’ve been compared to the likes of The Cranberries and Natalie Imbruglia. I can hear a little dash of The Sundays too.

There will be more tracks coming our way from Wynona in 2024 as they are set to release a string of singles via their record label HoboKawaii. There are also some cute pink cassettes available to buy on their Bandcamp page, for those of you that like the retro!

Linktree | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/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.

Around About Dusk photo by Elisa Catozzi