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

A word from Del: Hey everyone, welcome to another week of faves, thankyou very much to everyone who voted over the weekend, as well as artists who sent us tracks! You may notice that I’ve made a slight tweak to the layout of the faves, now you can find the artists listed below on streaming services if they are there. Please show them your support on those services as well.

As always, if you want to be considered for my Islington Radio show send me an audio file and a bio to my email.

Onto the faves! It is SO HOT right now… I have a tall glass of iced water… Let’s get going!

ANNA PANCALDI – Joe

Anna Pancaldi is back with us with what she does best – writing fantastic songs that take you on a bit of a ride.

What do I mean? Her vocals come in low and resonant in the beginning, then she surprises you with a harmony that’s layered in the chorus…

It’s spinetingling.

She has such soulful touch that fits really well with her folk sensibility, and this it matches the emotional context of this song – missing a loved one. I know the story behind this song, as I’ve interviewed Anna about this for my show in the past, and this song is about him. I still remember being speechless when we recorded the interview, because not only did she speak about her brother so lovingly it turned out he was one of those guys you just wish you’d known.

Having lost my best friend Grace recently the pain of that still feels raw and this song went a little way to show me that I’m not alone in my grief. I wanted to highlight some of the lyrics here:

“We miss you so,
It’s been 15 years since you’ve been home,
Don’t need an eloquent way to say
I love you I love you
It’s you I love you
I miss you miss you
I love you I love you you I love you
Unendingly.”

Wrapped up in an acoustic led song, it keeps Anna’s vocals central and allows her to bring her message home.

Anna Pancaldi is a singer songwriter and composer that I’ve kept my eye on for a while, London based, she’s got a LOT of credits to her name including having tracks placed on Greys Anatomy!

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

ARCHIL & LEON – I See

This is a track with some great elements in there, the bassline has a really great elasticafed rhythm to it, and I can tell this could have gone down the slap and pop route but it doesn’t.

There’s a flute within the track as well, along with synth elements and the piano holding things down among the heavily percussive drums.

The lyrics are positive – given the state of the world today this is what we need:

“I see the world,
Changes are in the air,
I see we’re going somewhere
It’s going to be good I see it now.”

For me this song brings optimism in the lyrics, and it’s certainly brought a smile to my face!

This is an instant classic in my mind.

Archil & Leon have quite a fascinating backstory, this is of course an understatement but they build their own instruments! This is what caught my attention in my research about them they’re also composers and specialise in sound design, they are a French duo – Leon is a veteran session drummer who has his own side project called Ongaeshi and the dance collective moovance. Archil is an accomplished solo electronic musician and the force behind Archil Lab handmade musical devices.

I have so many questions.

Official | Instagram | Facebook| YouTube | Bandcamp

BIG OTHER – Thurston’s Nightmare

Time for a bit of indie rock now, Big Other are back with a track that hits the ground running, and what made me smile was that I know a Thurston! Neil wondered if the titular Thurston was in reference to Thurston Moore, the guitarist from Sonic Youth as this bears elements of their style of music.

This has loud guitars, which push the track forward, the rhythm is fast but not frantic, and brings an energy that is needed post Glastonbury, if you’re on your way home from Glasto and you want to recapture that energy before going back to normal life this one is definitely for you. This is a rock track for the festivals for sure!

This is the second time this year that Big Other have made the faves having done so back in February, they are an alternative indie rock band from Manchester, and this is. the opening track to their EP Designs which came out on 20th June.

Instagram | Bandcamp

CARO – WIGGLE ROOM

Ahh this one grooves! It’s a mish mash, it reminds me of Beck, especially with the percussive feel – if you have never seen his performance of “Clap Hands” with everyone sitting around having dinner and they’re playing the dinner service with cutlery – it’s brilliant. I love the melding of squelchy synth bass with acoustic guitar, this song gives me the visual of a room cluttered with old and new curiosities because whenever you listen something comes through to surprise you – imagine the choir sound coming in just to signify the harmonies, the words of gibberish, the random drum fills…

This is an instant classic!

I feel instant joy listening to it, just from the bouncing, the rhythm being off kilter, it’s really one of those songs that is going to get stuck in your head and I guess that’s Caro’s gift to you.

Caro are a band from Leeds, they’ve had love from Steve Lamacq and Hugh Stevens and Gigwise nail it by saying this is one of the most exciting bands around.

I don’t disagree.

In fact they’re my one to watch.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

CECILIA EBBA – SKIN

Slowing things down this is an ethereal song that from the outset just lies you down and makes you want to rest your weary bones. The lyrics weave a magical element through the song as if it needs it:

The sky lays on the water,
Follows the shape of my body drenched in the heat of the summer,
Against the fabric weaved by patient hands…

I love that lyric!

The chord progression is gorgeous, and helps to weave a beautiful melody through, add to that percussion – sounds like eggs – as well as a kick drum and snare being played with brushes and you have a perfectly crafted folk song!

Cecila Ebba is a Sweden-born, London-based singer songwriter and producer, from what I can find information wise she’s been releasing music since 2018. She’s found a new fan in me.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

DISCO MARY – Proof

Time for some indie pop, heavy on the indie. Again, this is a montage of sounds, with little bits catching your ear, what I like especially is the guitar solo from 0:%9.

Lyrically my interpretation of this song is that Disco Mary are having a bit of a dig at the internet at large, there’s always something where people are looking for proof of things, specifically proof of God, whether the earth is flat, proof of analogue and so much more. We live in the age of conspiracy theories after all. There’s so much that is likeable about this song, the production, the performance everything just comes together to make a fabulous indie pop record.

Disco Mary are from Glasgow, Steve Lamacq an indie supergroup, so they’re definitely on his radar, I don’t like the word supergroup so I’ll call them interstellar collective.

I need to keep an eye on this group.

I need more.

Instagram | Facebook

KUZBEATS – Copper Mulee

It’s rare that we have a track that’s a drum solo, and it’s even rarer that it will make the faves!
This is right up my street! For those who know me well, if there’s a tasty drum beat involved I’m in. Throw in some synth leads and what you have is a solid banger. KUZBEATS? Heavy on the beats. This shuffles along deploying percussion, and I suspect anything to hand there are vocal elements in there too, it punctuates the track, you may not make sense of what you’re hearing but you’re probably not supposed to. It’s a track that’s designed take you on an audible journey.

Kuzbeats is Michael Kuzmanovsk, a drummer, composer and a proud papa (From his instagram), he was raised outside of Detroit, and it seems has a bit of a backstory. Tea and biscuits soon methinks.

Linktree | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

SOUL SUGAR MEETS DUB SHEPHERDS – Give Me Your Love Feat. Jolly Joseph

Time for some laidback reggae grooves – this is so sophisticated, complete with dub elements – tape echo – old school! The hammond organ is giving it that real trademark vibe, add to that the horns which gives you the feeling it might have jazz elements in there too. The whole track is hypnotic, the drums provide the one drop groove, but the rim shot is playing some complex patterns over the top.

This is what we need this summer!

This is a super collaboration, Dub Shepherds Soul Sugar and Joseph are from France, this collective have been making music for at least fifteen years, they have a studio that’s 100 percent analogue!

Oh now you have my attention…

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

TASMIN ARCHER – Vibration Of Life

It’s not often I do a double take looking through the inbox (In a good way of course) but seeing Tasmin Archer’s name pop up as a submission was a lovely surprise. Sleeping Satellite is a classic 90s track and I remember playing it to death on CD at the time.

Here we are with a new track which shows off Tasmin’s prowesss as a singer and a songwriter, she really lets rip on this, bringing elements of soul, gospel and R&B. It starts off with a harmony laden intro with clapping on 2 and 4 it’s the chorus part of the song. and what a chorus!

We share the good and the bad,
We share the happy and sad,
We share the day and the light,
We share vibration of life,
We share the song and the dance,
We share share the thrill of romance
We share the black and the white,
We share vibration of life.

Essentially this song is to celebrate our differences, and I can get behind that solidly!

What can I say about Tasmin Archer?

Well, like I mentioned before, she had a hit record with Sleeping Satellite, which was a no. 1 record in 1992, if that wasn’t enough she won a Brit for best breakthrough act, as well as being nominated for best female solo act, and for best video. This is from her forthcoming album A Cauldron Of Random Notes.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube

TIM MCINNES – Frog-I-more Rag

Being a piano player myself, this track made me laugh on first hearing it, and I think that was Tim McInnes’ intention. This has a bit of a Charlie Chaplin silent movie kind of feel to it, with the off kilter timing, it speeds up and then gets clunky, slows down telling a story of its own without the images.

Now why did it make me laugh?

Well, Tim’s got a dry sense of humour, and this comes to life here, you this just struts and trips over its feet and I like this about this track.

This is why Tim is my one to watch.

Tim Mcinnes is part of a community of musicians over on submithub, and has submitted tracks previously that have made the listening post and I’m proud to say that he’s finally made the faves, he’s a musician from London, Ontario and wrote his first song after he retired!

A very interesting man.

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PS from Del 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 – 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.