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

You may have noticed that this weekend just gone has seen results coming in from elections that would be stretching the boundaries of truth and credibility to describe as ‘close’! By contrast, the weekend has seen a battle royale taking place between the 25 candidates standing at the Fresh on the Net Listening Post. But our readers have cast their votes and once again it is my privilege to review the ten tracks they have chosen. Well done to all the artists.

ASHA MCCARTHY – Tapestry VI

It is always good to see cello-playing multi-instrumentalist Asha McCarthy back at Fresh on the Net. She is an artist I have also blogged about in Trust The Doc and a unique talent; a specialist in North Indian Classical Music as well as in Western traditions of Classical, Pop and Folk. With performances at Glastonbury, the Royal Festival Hall and other prestigious venues on her CV plus support from BBC Introducing and more than 2K monthly Spotify streams, it feels like she is on the cusp of the international recognition she deserves. She has collaborated with some impressive names and I am deeply honoured to be quoted in her Spotify Artist Profile.

Tapestry VI is a track that grabbed me instantly when it landed in the inbox at the start of the week. Picking guitar and what might be banjo or mandolin play off against lush cinematic strings. Asha’s crystal clear, expressive voice dominates and is further fortified by multi-layered harmonies that float dreamily above the instrumental mix. The song is short and beautiful, leaving me wanting to hear more. Her last album Epitaph was a triumph. The smart money says the next one might be even better.

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BLOKEACOLA – Beautiful Places

China-based Welsh Psychedelic artist Blokeacola is a regular at Fresh on the Net and on my Trust The Doc Radio show. He is also a prolific artist, instantly identifiable by his trademark orange crash helmet but more so by his highly distinct vocal and instrumental sound and style. Now hooked up with my friends at 122 Music Management, he is methodically building his worldwide reputation, amassing over 1000 monthly streams and always picking up a good variety of radio play.

Beautiful Places is a mid-tempo groover that begins with echoes of The Jam’s Start albeit with a more elaborate chord pattern but crisp chords and funky bass. The vocals soon bring an unmistakable Blokeacola vibe and then we get a contrasting arpeggio-based guitar figure and some imaginative chord switches accompanying harmonies and, with a whizzed organ glissando, fuzztone lead guitar kicks in before the hook returns but with more unexpected changes. This is a nuanced, cleverly configured and gradually intensifying track in which it’s the little moments that lift this up a notch.

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CAMENS – Sleep Patterns Repeating

Hailing from the English West Midlands City of Stoke-on-Trent, Camens are currently in the midst of their Work/Life Balance tour that takes them to venues in six of the biggest English Cities. Work/Life Balance is the title of their new album (just released on 3rd May). They have also been playing festivals, picking up reviews and generally building a buzz. And they have been shooting all around the UK in the process. This is a band who mean business and for whom 2024 looks like being an important year.

Sleep Patterns Repeating is an uptempo punchy piece of Punk-Pop inventiveness that mixes some translucent syncopated grooves with more full-on interplay. Busy bass pops up and down the octaves against driving drums and guitars that jangle and strum. The vocals have an appealing intensity that simultaneously remind me of Everything Everything (although not in genre terms), Shame and Mystery Jets although these are arguably misleading references! Most important is for you to know that this is a track that bristles with energy and melodic intent, delivered by a band whose chemistry is highly evident and infectious.

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EMILY MAGPIE – Two Feet

The Soundcloud link for this track may take you to a label page but have no fear. We have provided you with links to Emily Magpie. It is always a pleasure to receive another track from the Bristol-based artist and she is as busy as ever, being interviewed on the excellent Postcards from the Underground show with Mark on Cumbernauld FM, appearing on BBC Introducing in the South West and releasing her album with Def Pressé. When I previously reviewed Emily for the fresh faves, I mentioned she had received support from Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music and supported the likes of Let’s Eat Grandma and This is the Kit as well as playing some cool venues and festivals.

Two Feet finds Emily in a slow, trippy triplet-time groove. Synths float spacily across the mix, creating an ethereal atmosphere. The hook is catchy and the vocal harmonies are crystalline and pure in tone. With plenty of subtle sounds contributing to the sense of a continuously shifting state, the enveloping cinematic synthwave aura takes me to a very happy place with characteristic quality and imagination.

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HANNAH WHITE – Sans Désepoir

Another artist who is currently embarking on an impressive set of tour dates, in this case taking in Norway, UK and Germany, Hannah White is an award-winning singer-songwriter. The back end of 2023 saw her break into the Official Americana Charts, coinciding with another tour, this time in the UK. Her Instagram posts show how she is building a strong industry network and playing well-chosen events for the likes of Signature Brew. Meanwhile she is picking up rave reviews and seriously getting amongst it on the live circuit.

Sans Désepoir sees Hannah step away from a more Americana-infused sound. With soft-toned but distinctive lyrics in French plus spy movie guitar twang and a classic retro pop arrangement, this looks to the sixties for inspiration. It has the kind of suave pop sensibility that might be associated with Françoise Hardy or Brigitte Bardot (or Vanessa Paradis if you want a slightly more contemporary reference) although the production and sounds bring the song squarely into 2024. This is stylish and fresh; cleverly arranged and perfect for Hannah’s soothing but expressive vocal delivery.

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HAPPY AS YOU LIKE – (You’ve Got You) In A Mood

Regular readers of Fresh on the Net will know that The Happy Somethings need little introduction and many will also be aware that Happy has a parallel solo career as Happy As You Like. The band have become stalwarts of BBC Introducing in the East Midlands and Happy has demonstrated an ability to step outside their trademark style and carve out his own niche as a writer of thoughtful, often whimsical Alt Pop tracks.

(You’ve Got You) In A Mood kicks off with fast choppy guitar chords after which Happy’s voice comes in, singing in low register before additional vocal harmonies and an appealing falsetto figure enable the arrangement to pan out. This process is helped further by additional guitar tracks and a quiet keyboard playing longer tones. There is a particularly sumptuous key change that causes a cool contrast before a mid-section drop-down that sets us up for the intense final stretch. The mood is a little dark, reflecting the spiky lyrics and the sense that this song could be directed at any number of messed up glory hunters. The production, particularly on the vocals [which are quite dry] is lo-fi and this suits the generally minimal Alt Pop vibe. As always, Happy brings us a thought-provoking and refreshingly individual style.

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HIERONIMO – Bad Karma

Londoner Jerome Small aka Hieronimo may be the first artist I have reviewed in six and a half years as a Fresh on the Net moderator who literally does not exist on social media. No Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok etc. pages and the only places where I can find anything about his music are Bandcamp and Soundcloud. I hope he will address this issue as a matter of urgency because who knows how many people might follow him if he did? Otherwise I can only report that this single was released on 30th April. I have no other information to share. He has been a fresh fave previously though and was reviewed by Poppy in November 2023.

Bad Karma is an uptempo slice of jangling guitar-driven Psychedelic Alt Pop with low register male vocals. Based around a two-chord riff that stretches out in the chorus and harmonised vocals, this has echoes of Kevin Ayres and early Pink Floyd but then there is also a contemporary Psych Pop vibe here too. Buoyant, bright and cheerier than the title might suggest!

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KNEEZARD – Sun Up (Stargazer)

Wakefield, Yorkshire is home to Matt Knee aka Kneezard and he has been getting himself out and about particularly around West Yorkshire. His live set sees him experimenting with improvisation and loops, casting himself in Ambient Experimental territory. There are some lovely clips on his Instagram page accompanied by striking, enigmatic imagery.

Sun Up (Stargazer) fits this otherworldly approach to music and sound but the studio setting affords him the scope to stretch out stylistically. Dreamy vocals float on a rolling soft bed of reverberant guitars, shifting fluidly, often in harmony while synths swim around the mix. The aura seems like a hybrid of the early morning mist and gradually emerging sun that the title hints at but, like the stargazer reference, it is spacy too and there is a post-Canterbury prog aspect to its mystical melting pot of sounds and ideas. This is a track that I was sold on the moment I heard it in the inbox earlier in the week. Plenty to get your head around and give yourself reasons to listen again. A gem of a track. I am so pleased it has connected with our ever-discerning readers too.

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TERRY GROOVES – Isn’t Enough

Manchester’s Keryn Turner aka Terry Grooves is an artist who started out as a part-time DJ and then made the transition to making his own tracks and, two years later, has already amassed a growing catalogue while continuing to build his DJ career. Already enjoying promising monthly streaming numbers, he is definitely an artist who keeps his posts brief and lets the music do the talking.

On Isn’t Enough, the track talked to me instantly on first listen. It was a popular choice of the moderators and our readers have reflected a similar sense of engagement. It is essentially Deep and Soulful House, utilising a catchy hook sung by a female voice while piano chords and swirling synths intertwine over a crisp, crunching beat. It’s a track that could fill a dancefloor but would also not sound out of place in a movie soundtrack.

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THE ACCIDENT GROUP – Go Away (Come Back)

Staying with Manchester, next we find The Accident Group. ‘On a quest to write the perfect pop song, forever waylaid by Rock and Roll’ is how they describe their music. They have been undertaking a busy live schedule, producing and selling merch in the traditional style and building a strong following in the process.

Go Away (Come Back) has a classic Punk-Pop sensibility with tuneful whirring organ, punchy unison riffs and quirky, part-spoken word vocals. Imagine a poppier Yard Act in a jam with Pozi while The B52s bring chops. Hmmm, well something like that. Great banter between male and female voices, crowd effect backing vocals, big ‘Ah’s and some cool unexpected changes in tempo, timbre and texture. This is fun, fresh, frenetic at times and driven by a positive energy that it is impossible not to be carried away by.

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The Trusted – Self Destruct

The Trusted are a band who have been on my radar for several years and contributed some great video content to my online TV show Upstream. The boys from Southend-on-Sea in Essex on the English East Coast (in case you weren’t sure!), have been making a name for a while now and have had support from BBC Introducing in the Eastern Counties. They also recently played a live set at The Bedford in Balham for Fresh on the Net’s blogger extraordinaire and grassroots music stalwart Tony Hardy.

Self Destruct was a big favourite with the moderators this week and our readers have shown similar enthusiasm. It is not difficult to see (or hear) why. From the opening feedback and fuzztone guitar figure, you can sense the desire to capture a live feel in the studio. The short echo effect on the vocal is really effective and the playing is punchy and cleverly contrasting between the lighter touch in the verses and more full-on chordplay in the chorus. This is punky, edgy, catchy and cleverly arranged with unexpected changes, striking sounds and bags of energy. A perfect way to round off another weekend of stellar fresh faves.

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PS from Del: You’re more than welcome to submit a track for my show on Islington Radio, which goes out every Sunday. Please send an audio file and a bio here