I’ve got a fun instalment of What’s Going On in store for you all this week. Rock icons Styx are back with new music and an upcoming tour, so we’ll get into their hot new single. As well as the latest from Forester, Moodbay, Ci Majr, and Frazer. You know the drill, if you like what you hear, be sure to follow and stream the artists.
Styx – Legendary band Styx have announced the release of their forthcoming 17th album Crash of the Crown, due out on June 18 on their label Alpha Dog 2T. The first taste of what’s to come from the new album is the title track. Featuring three lead vocalists – James “JY” Young, Tommy Shaw, and Lawrence Gowan, “Crash of the Crown” is truly a fun listen and one could even say has a bit of Queen-esque bombast. Praising how unique “Crash of the Crown” sounds, Gowan says: “I’m always looking for the one different thing we can do and still have it be STYX. And that’s the song I’m most proud of. The beauty of it is that it’s the culmination of all our talents crammed together into one song, ABBEY ROAD-style.” If you’re in the US, be sure to check out Styx as they head out on the road this June with Collective Soul.
Listen to Styx’s new single “Crash of the Crown” below.
Frazer – Released at the end of 2020, Frazer’s single “Dear Diary” has only continued to pick up steam with listeners. The Surrey artist wrote the track as a way to process and reflect on his feelings during the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown. “Dear Diary” is introspective and poignant but the appealing trap melodies keep it from ever feeling too much like a downer and gives it immediate replay value. The self-proclaimed “Young Suburb” is known for his memorable melodies and applies them easily to harder-edged trap tracks, love songs, and more vulnerable moments. Frazer is one to watch.
Listen to Frazer’s single “Dear Diary” below.
Forester – Electronic duo Forester are out with their new single “Symphony” via Kygo and Myles Shear’s label Palm Tree Records. Their first release since last year’s album A Range of Light, “Symphony” is delightfully atmospheric and perfectly captures the feel of the great outdoors. Not an all-out four-to-the-floor dance banger, this is the definition of a chillout track. Explaining how the song was written during a camping trip, Forester says: “We spent an entire day walking a remote coastline in Big Sur looking for waves to surf. It felt like these beaches went on forever – around every corner was something new. There was this infinite feeling that we both wanted to encapsulate in music – that’s how we started writing ‘Symphony.’”
Listen to Forester’s new single “Symphony” below.
Ci Majr – Atlanta has long been a breeding ground for superstars and the next one up is Ci Majr. The talented pop singer-songwriter is out now with her debut EP, Side Effects. “After Midnight”, the lead-off single, is a tale about thinking you’re over a breakup until you’re drunk and suddenly miss them. Beautifully written, you can picture being in the heartbroken situations Ci Majr wistfully croons about. On what inspired her new EP, Ci Majr states: “We’ve all heard the phrase that ‘love is a drug’ and I personally feel that phrase is just so accurate because no matter how much it damages us, we’ll eventually try to make our way back to it. Not only is it addictive, but there are so many other side effects of romantic love: the good, the bad, the ugly. That’s what this EP is about. Navigating everything that comes along with giving your heart to someone.”
Listen to Ci Majr’s new single “After Midnight” below.
Moodbay – UK electropop duo Moodbay are out with “My Thing”, a track from their forthcoming EP, Somewhere Under The Moon. Uplifting and inspired but never trite, “My Thing” is a self-love anthem, all about not buying into what others think and loving yourself. With a return to the dancefloor coming up on the horizon in the UK, Moodbay’s infectious grooves and rhythms are primed for post-pandemic euphoria. Amazingly, the duo consisting of Anna Stephens and Alfie Cattell do it all, writing and producing their own music from their garage studio. Stay tuned for the Declan Creffield-shot “My Thing” music video that should be dropping soon.
Listen to Moodbay’s new single “My Thing” below.
