Is there anything quite like the rush of discovering a new song or artist you can’t get enough of? We think not, and that’s exactly why we at TREMG love spotlighting rising and underappreciated talent to give creators at every level the recognition they deserve. So many artists spent June offering fans new treats, releasing some of the best work of their career, and opening up in their lyrics like never before. Throughout June, we got to talk to incredible artists like Izza and Malin Pettersen about their latest projects, but there’s a whole world of talent making their own waves. Here are some of our favorite new releases from this month!
Cole Rolland – “Echo”
In an ever-digital world, it can be overwhelming to navigate how we approach both our online lives on our devices and our “true” lives in physical form. Add the turbulent patterns of social media algorithms and constant notifications and you have a recipe for chaos, but you’re not alone in feeling more isolated than ever despite these connections. Cole Rolland reaches out a hand of understanding and empathy on “Echo,” an energetic exploration of how the internet’s fast pace affects us on a personal level. With every lyric, you’ll feel like Cole is someone who really gets it and knows exactly how you’re feeling, showcasing his lyrical talent and ability to connect with each and every listener who checks out his music. Stay in the loop by following Cole on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, and his website!
I strived for ‘Echo’ to lyrically connect with listeners who find their mind constantly racing, distracted, rarely at ease. It’s a topic I’m deeply passionate about with the deterioration of personal privacy and the rise of ‘urgency culture.’ Take a breath, put the devices down, and enjoy a change of environment. Be present with the people you choose to surround yourself with. There’s a lot of noise in day-to-day life and ‘Echo’ is about filtering out what’s truly important.
Cole Rolland
Warning: The music video below contains flashing images – viewer discretion is advised for people with photosensitivity.
Frankie Bird – “Twenty Nothing”
You may know her as FRANKIE – which superstars like Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa do – but even if you do, prepare for a stunning reintroduction. She’s stepping out as a mesmerizing butterfly with “Twenty Nothing,” her first release since 2021’s Cocoon EP. It’s a raw, thought-provoking look into her mindset during the transitional periods of the pandemic, reflecting on the ups and downs of her twenties as she finds herself and builds the life she wants to live. If you’re in your twenties, it’ll help you feel less alone in that turmoil, and if you’ve made it to the other side, you’ll be able to connect to every bit of it! With “Twenty Nothing” and her future work, which we already know we’ll love, Frankie will truly cement her place as one of this generation’s best lyricists. Get to know Frankie on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and her official site!
‘Twenty Nothing’ is all about the high highs and low lows of my twenties and how I figured out how to push forward and reinvent myself during the pandemic; not just as a musician, but as a person. How I turned nothing into something. During lockdown, I started writing songs on my guitar just for me, processing everything I had gone through to help me heal, never thinking they would ever be recorded or released. ‘Twenty Nothing’ was the song I was most nervous to share with people because it was everything I was too scared to say out loud, but ironically is the first I’m sharing.
Frankie Bird
Icona Pop – “Where Do We Go From Here”
It can be hard to see how you’ll get through a difficult time in the moment, but dancing your way out of it is always an option! Icona Pop know that maybe better than anyone, and they just delivered the perfect soundtrack for your summertime sadness with “Where Do We Go From Here,” inspired by the chaos and confusion we all faced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s a jam session in your room or you’re standing in the middle of a crowded party alone, “Where Do We Go From Here” will feel like a cathartic breath of fresh air, pulling you away from your current situation and towards a feeling of glimmering euphoria instead. So where do you go from here? Start off by following Icona Pop on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and their website!
‘Where Do We Go From Here’ was one of the first songs we wrote in the fall of 2020 after realizing we couldn’t move back to LA because of the pandemic. Back in Stockholm, we formed a small crew to start making music and thought, ‘What the fuck are we going to do now?’ Eclectic, fun, hard, pop, deep, mainstream, catchy, weird, late at night, early in the morning – always with a tear in the corner of the eye and a smile on our face. That’s how ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ feels and that’s how [our upcoming album] CLUB ROMANTECH feels too.
Icona Pop
Leigh-Anne – “Don’t Say Love”
Mixers everywhere, rejoice! Leigh-Anne is the first of the three Little Mix members to release music following the group’s hiatus, and “Don’t Say Love” is everything we could’ve wanted from her solo debut. The song is an empowering anthem for anyone who subdued their personality for others or who put their own needs aside to avoid making people uncomfortable, letting Leigh-Anne triumphantly step into her own light as both an artist and a strong woman shaping her own reality. We could definitely see “Don’t Say Love” being one of the songs of the summer, and we love that Leigh-Anne used her first solo release to amplify such an important message. Keep up with Leigh-Anne on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and her website!
Don’t Say Love” is about no longer seeking external validation and regaining my confidence and sense of self in a world where I often felt misunderstood and unheard. This video is a visual representation of me finding my voice. I’m excited to continue to do so with my first love, music.
Leigh-Anne
Warning: The music video below contains flashing images – viewer discretion is advised for people with photosensitivity.
Locations – “Better Days”
We love it when an artist uses their voice to raise awareness for an important cause, and that’s exactly what Locations have done with “Better Days.” The song is a cathartic look at the dismal energy that seems to encapsulate the world today, whether it’s due to the pandemic, the economy, or climate change. They wrote the song in the early days of COVID inspired by the lonely feelings we all faced at some point during lockdown, capturing the helplessness of those moments while harnessing it into a universal message that anyone can relate to, whether they’re cooped up in their apartment to stay safe or just feeling a little isolated. With the release, Locations encourage listeners to take action to help save our environment, teaming up with NYC’s Extinction Rebellion to raise awareness for this key issue. Locations are changing the world one song at a time and we’re so here for it! Learn more about the band on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and their official site.
The window for climate action is rapidly closing. To limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7 °F) and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, an immediate halt to new fossil fuel projects is imperative. The consequences are dire, with over 1 billion people at risk of displacement within the next 30 years. No action being taken threatens the collapse of our vital security pillars, including food and water resources, exacerbated conflicts, and destabilized economies. We must mobilize massive, disruptive, nonviolent actions NOW. Whether you have an hour, an afternoon, or even just a few minutes. We have ways that you can help, and we need everyone in this fight. Join us!
Locations
Radwulf – “Better” (with ZERO SUGAR)
Your summer playlist is about to get a whole lot better with the addition of Radwulf’s energetic “Better,” a buzzing collab with ZERO SUGAR that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Radwulf’s production is absolutely stunning, bringing such a great energy to the song while ZERO SUGAR’s vocals merch perfectly for the ultimate electropop-meets-house anthem. This is truly a match made in musical heaven, resulting in a stellar track that’s sure to get you dancing all through Labor Day. Then quite a bit beyond that. Get more Radwulf on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and his website!
This song was put together with a lot of heart. It fits a very laid-back pop vibe, perfect for driving, vibing at home, or chilling outside on the water.
Radwulf
Stray Kids – “S-Class”
With every release, Stray Kids manage to prove more and more that they’re destined to take over the world. Their latest smash, “S-Class,” is all about their star power and the confidence that has gotten them this far, all while showcasing their strong, moving sound that will command your attention. It’s Stray Kids at their boldest and shiniest, and if you haven’t had “byeoreui, byeoreui, byeoreui, byeoreui” stuck in your head on a loop for the past few weeks, you’re on the wrong side of TikTok. “S-Class” is the main single for their latest full-length album, 5-STAR, which has earned SKZ their third #1 album in the United States and made them the first K-Pop group to top the Billboard 200 with their first three charting albums. They’ve also already sold over a million physical copies of the album in the U.S., proving that Stray Kids are, in fact, everywhere, all around the world. Even then, this is just the beginning of the heights they’ll go – make sure you keep up on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter!
YUNGBLUD – “Lowlife”
Ever since his debut in 2018, YUNGBLUD has become a voice for the voiceless, a place for the misfits of the world to fit together. And now, he’s gearing up for a new era of honesty and angsty comfort with “Lowlife,” a realistic depiction of depression and the low levels of self-esteem that the internet has driven us all to at some point. It’s unapologetic about feelings that we’re made to feel like we need to feel sorry for, turning a mental health lull into something empowering to remind listeners that it’s natural to feel like a lowlife sometimes. Dom is the kind of artist who not only changes lives, but saves them while giving you the strength to face any challenge that comes your way, and “Lowlife” is the latest in a long list of songs that prove he’s singlehandedly starting a movement of radical acceptance and emotion. Join the Black Hearts Club by linking up with YUNGBLUD on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and his website!
I wrote ‘Lowlife’ because I just didn’t want to leave my house. I was sick of people, of games, of myself, my friends, anytime I did anything some idiot had an opinion about it. What I should do or be. The truth is I didn’t want to be anything at all sometimes, I wanted to be nothing. So I just didn’t leave bed. I was dissatisfied and craving some sort of boredom. The type of boredom where you sit in your house, in the same sheets and watch fucking mind-numbing TV, so I wrote a song about it.
YUNGBLUD
What were your favorite releases this month? Let us know in the comments below or link up with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
By Madison Murray
Featured Image: YUNGBLUD by Tom Pallant
Dear People at TREMG
I can’t thank you enough for the kind words you said about “Frankie Byrd” in your article above and I quote:
“With “Twenty Nothing” and her future work, which we already know we’ll love, Frankie will truly cement her place as one of this generation’s best lyricists.”
I am so very grateful for this incredible comment from you but this is something I have told Frankie for years “your lyrics are not appreciated by the audience you are playing to”. I have sat and counted hit songs where the hook was repeated no less than 20 times in the son and then if one tried to sing it afterward, they couldn’t find the right tune because it’s all about the beats.
I’ve told her, “you’re more than a songwriter, you’re a poet back to the days of Joni Mitchell and Carol King”, during my time. I believe as she releases herself more, greater things are to come.
I’m sure you will enjoy the release, as it pours out, of her new LP Twenty Something. Not just lyrically, but musically as well as she goes back to her roots of when she first learned the guitar, sitting on my knee at the age of nine, to those special singer/songwriters that influenced her from then on. I knew she was destined to do great things when she memorized and began singing songs from The Phantom of the Opera. This was a natural passion not forced upping her and her tastes far exceeded the typical child’s (save Barney the dinosaur’s songs at 9 mo.s old🥴).
Sorry to ramble, but your acknowledgment of Frankie’s lyrics reinforced and bonded us and her writing.
Thank you again. It will take people like you to get on board, and remain with Frankie Byrd to move her forward at this delicate time in her career.
Respectfully,
Sebastian Brown
PS. This correspondence is personal and confidential and is not to be redistributed or quoted or shared in any matter as this is privileged information.