Fresh Indies Vol. 4: Manila Killa, Until Home, Hænrik, Art of Shades, Jacob Steele & Vanita Joines

by W. Andrew Powell
Fresh Indies Vol 4 Feb 2018

This week, in Fresh Indies Volume 4, I’m featuring music from six massively talented artists: the addictive Manila Killa with “Everyday Everyday”, Until Home’s catchy “Run to You”, Hænrik’s rock ballad “If This Ain’t Love”, Art of Shades loungey “Undone”, Jacob Steele’s dance-floor ready “Move Like Me”, and Vanita Joines’ brooding “Second Skin”.

Listen to the whole Fresh Indies playlist for February on Spotify.

Manila Killa – “Everyday Everyday” (feat. Nevve)

Topping Fresh Indies this week is Manila Killa‘s addictively catchy “Everyday Everyday”, featuring singer Nevve. The beat starts off slow and steady, with Nevve’s beautiful, soft vocals, and then builds to the chorus and bridge, where the track takes off. The beat sounds like a heart racing at its peak, and surrounds Nevve’s vocals before she soars away.

Chris of Hotel Garuda is the man behind Manilla Killa, and he’s the co-founder of Moving Castle, the imprint that releases his singles. In addition to heavy touring in 2017 and an official festival launched in January, with the Moving Castle collective, Chris had three major hits last year, including “I’m OK,” “I Want You” (w/ Robotaki), and “Tonight”.

Follow Manilla Killa on Twitter & Facebook.

Until Home – “Run to You”

Speaking of addictive, Until Home are Michael Trapp, Clayton Mullins, and Matthew Reisinger, and “Run to You” is their poptastic new single that had me tapping my toes and singing along. The trio from Ipswich, England keep things light and easy with a single that sounds instantly ready for the radio.

Until Home have been writing music and entertaining since their debut single in January 2016, and their second single, “Every Summer” earned commercial play across the UK, in addition to MTV’s weekly playlist.

Hænrik – “If This Ain’t Love”

Denmark’s Hænrik slow things down a little with their rock ballad “If This Ain’t Love”, a single that is seductively electric. The song is pure passion, with lead singer Henrik Steen’s pleading, yearning, and lamenting vocals rising above it all. The track is frankly one of the best ballads I’ve heard in ages, and it’s catchy as hell.

Steen is a long time musician with numerous writing credits, and Hænrik is his passion project, with songs that are heartfelt and necessary. “If This Ain’t Love” was also featured in the season finale of Shameless, season 8.

Art of Shades – “Undone” (feat. Sylo Nozra)

Art of Shades is a classically trained piano player, and started his DJ career in Paris, blending hip hop and electronic with melodic styles that earned him 10 million streams. Now with “Undone” which was co-wrriten by Toronto’s Sylo Nozra, Art of Shades is headed in a new direction.

“Undone” is a loungey jam that’s simply arranged, bright, and the perfect track for your Valentine’s Day playlist with that special someone. The single is vibrant and clearly inspired, and focused on the vocals that are oh so smooth.

Watch “Undone” featuring Sylo Nozra, plus follow Art of Shades on Twitter @ArtOfShades and Instagram @artofshades.

Jacob Steele – “Move Like Me”

Jacob Steele‘s “Move Like Me” brings the groove to this week’s Fresh Indies, and it’s a single that shows off the singer and songwriter’s easy charm with a fun and fresh rhythm. It’s a dance-floor ready single that is incredibly chill.

Steele makes music out of Nashville these days, but hails from LA, and he also produces a range of musical styles. Following him on Facebook @jacobsteelemusic.

Vanita Joines – “Second Skin”

Another Nashville feature this week is indie songstress Vanita Joines, who recently released her debut album, Fiction, featuring the powerful single, “Second Skin”.

Joines’ folk stylings are reminiscent of artists like Damien Rice, as she channels distinctly dark, chilling themes in “Second Skin” with a haunting melody that she says is about loving yourself.

Fiction is being released in three parts. Act II is available now on Spotify and iTunes.

February ’18 Fresh Indies on Spotify

Stay tuned next week for our latest volume of Fresh Indies. Send us your music on SubmitHub.

Join our list

Subscribe to our mailing list and get weekly updates on our latest contests, interviews, and reviews.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

You may also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Read More