Summer is heeeeere – and Swedish American uber-duo FEWS dropped another hot one. The Zoo is all about those hot summer nights when the sun went down but the heat remains and it’s pressing right in your face. Grab a cold Cider but not the sweet one and hit play.
This one is massive. Champions League surfaced on Team Poule’s radar some time last year and the Parisian duo has been a constant source of rising heart rates since. They were nice enough to share their excellent song Ebiza for the 12th compilation of this website, still up for grabs here. So now, time has come, the duo released their debut EP also titled Ebiza last week via 25 Years and Running. And oh my, four songs that just make you want to dance slash give you this feeling that only walking down Pigalle with a drink in your hand manages to achieve.
Flaco, This Could Be Real, Ebiza and My Hero are easily among the best songs that crossed Team Poule’s headquarters this year. Attached below is Flaco, the tropical opener. Get the EP on vinyl, limited edition.
Now this one has been a constant in Team Poule’s personal playlist for a long time. Berlin’s three-piece JYLDA released a fantastic EP earlier this year, a beautiful mix of sort of 80s electro and modern dream pop topped with strong vocals. Attached is Brainchild, the melodic opener of their self-titled debut EP, one of their quieter songs. Hard picking one out of the five, as they really work well with each other. The EP is out on bandcamp.
Happiness in three minutes and forty seconds is this synth-loaded banger by Copenhagen’s Night Sports. The Danish pop machine is trying to be marketed as the “demonic Rick Astley” but Team Poule feels like this is a bit more sizzling that good ol’ Rick. Also Night Sports aka Caspar used to play in an ensemble that supported The Drums on gigs across the old continent, so maybe this is more like a demonic Jonathan Pierce kind of thing. Attached is Substance, the first of a few singles to follow. Proper.
This guy, My Heart The Brave just released one of the best debuts that crossed our little desks here at Poule d’Or headquarters this year slash ever. And we had been warned. My Heart The Brave, the solo project of Copenhagen-native Caspar, had already shared a brilliant electro pop banger titled Keep Me From It for the 12th Poule d’Or compilation back in January, but this great self-titled six-track-EP is from beyond, from a different place. A 30-minute beauty, produced to perfection. Because on top of being great electronic pop with [tweetable alt=”@myheartthebrave: piano-leads that are miles deep and drum lines that put a smile on your face, via @pouledor”]piano-leads that are miles deep and drum lines that put a smile on your face[/tweetable], it sounds absolutely fantastic.
This is no coincidence of course, Caspar spent most of his time in the studio with other bands, producing, mixing, mastering with The Eclectic Moniker, Hymns from Nineveh and Jetsi Kain just to drop a few names. The hours obviously led to a very fine set of ears and a clear sense of beat. His debut really sounds unlike anything else.
Exhibit A, the track Meditation Two off his debut is attached below. Glad that Caspar had a few moments to sit down, digitally, with Team Poule and tell us a little bit more about My Heart The Brave, long nights in the studio and his gig at Roskilde Rising, tomorrow July 1st.
Where are you right now?
At home, staying up waay too late as usual!
Having mostly produced and mixed for other bands in the past, what made you want to change sides, sort of?
I’ve made music since I was a child, but there were a number of years where I was focused on my education as a classical pianist, and didn’t really take an interest to writing music myself. Both things, I find, really need your full attention. When I wanted to get back into doing my own stuff, I sort of stumbled into producing and mixing for others by chance, and since then, people kept asking. I’ve had a lot of great experiences working with bands and continue to enjoy it. But it sort of feels like a return to something that I’ve always done for as long as I can remember.
Danish über-Festival Roskilde is about to start this weekend. Some people say Roskilde is so big, it’s the only festival you can see from space. And others were heard saying Roskilde is so big, it has different time zones. Now, while the head liners include some minor bookings like The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder, like ever so often it’s the smaller stages where the lovely shit happens. So, Roskilde Rising is where you want to look for the shweet little joys of life. One of them is Blaue Blume for sure. The Copenhagen quartet has been hypeddd for some time, and they should be among the one to watch in Roskilde. Blaue Blume play on Monday June 30, 17h00.
Likewise, hip hop fused Danish delight Kill J will showcase her energetic live set. Attached below is Phoenix, her smash hit single. And you know that she is one of those artists who will absolutely murder things on stage. Should be a great gig. Kill J plays on Wednesday July 2, 18h30.
The most spectacular show for Team Poule though: My Heart The Brave. The super producer from Copenhagen just released one of the best tapes that crossed our little headquarters’ desks this year. Organic electro pop with a drum line that will stay stuck in your head for days. My Heart The Brave will play Tuesday July 1, 18h30.
