Vona Vella - "Bear Trap"

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Photo by Roger Sargent

Nottingham's Vona Vella have a new single out that you're going to want to check out. "Bear Trap" is a bright and shiny song that straddles the line between indie rock and indie pop. Back in the 90's we would have considered it more of an indie rock song, but these days a song like "Bear Trap" is considered more pop. It's filled with jangly guitars and glorious harmonies, and if you tend to like those sorts of things, this one will be irresistible. It's also the type of song that you're going to love more and more as it goes on, and somehow packs so much joy and energy into three and a half minutes. The subject matter might not be quite as joyous as the song, but Vona Vella have crafted an absolute dream of a song with "Bear Trap."

Co-lead vocalist Dan Cunningham says of the band's latest single:

“I was working a job, and it was a pretty nasty work environment, a café, and due to finances, I had to stay. One of the lyrics is, ‘I’ve been coming down with a fever, but it’s my fever dream’, because I couldn’t wait to be poorly, basically, so I didn’t have to go in! I think that’s quite understandable to the majority of people.” 

You can watch the video for "Bear Trap" below. The single is out now on Strap Originals. For more on Vona Vella, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.

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The New Limits - "Normal Day"

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Photo via Facebook According to their Bandcamp profile, The New Limits are a "Boston ska band with a taste for rocksteady, reggae, soul, and rock n roll." They just released a single that shows off their sound perfectly. "Normal Day" is a laid back ska song dripping with soul. You know that joke that goes around every few months saying that ska is the sound that plays in a twelve year old's head when they get an extra mozzarella stick? The New Limits are the grown up version of that sound. This is ska/rocksteady for adults. It's ultra chilled out music with some of the best horns in the city. Even if you haven't listened to ska since your youth, you need to check out "Normal Day." This might help re-open the entire genre to you. The New Limits say of their latest single: " What is normal, anyway? Some of us just want a nine-to-five. Others cry at the thought. 'Normal Day' has nothing to do with quarantine and lots to do with figuri...
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Brennen Leigh - "Dumpster Diving"

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Photo by Lyza Renee Brennen Leigh has quickly become a favorite of ours, with her take on a classic country sound with a slight sense of humor. Her latest single, "Dumpster Diving," which she describes as a "trashy little tune," is everything we love about the musician. It's a vintage style country song that comes in at a punk like one minute, forty-eight seconds. With a chorus of "Dumpster diving, this ain't gonna last / Dumpster diving, 'cause baby you like trash..." how can you possibly resist. Leigh's latest gives us a decades old sound with modern sensibilities and her fantastic voice that's tailor made for this genre of music. It's almost like a collaboration between Loretta Lynn and Shel Silverstein, and who doesn't want to hear that? You can hear "Dumpster Diving" below. Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  is due out October 3 on Signature Sounds, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Brennen Leigh,...
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The Beths - "Mother, Pray for Me"

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Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
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