As a debut single from a brand new artist, ‘Uneasy‘ instantly sets off on the front foot; the opening bars lands us promptly into a rhythmic base of silky smooth production consisting of filtered percussion and warm, luscious synths. Continuing in this vein, the minimalistic synth-pop inspired verses progress into a euphoric chorus, accompanied by a wry piece of lyrical introspection that hones in on the uncomfortable nature of self-doubt. As anxiety appears in day to day living far more often than most would like, it’s difficult not to relate to Ashton Orion‘s words of self-reflection, however, uneasy is certainly the last thing you’ll feel whilst listening to this tune. The prominent production and relatable lyrical themes that feature throughout only act as the foundation for this 3:45 easy-listening anthem; and indeed it’s Ashton’s effortlessly delivered vocal performance that assists in making this debut such a breeze to listen to.
Listen here:
Primarily writing and recording demos in her home studio, there is certainly a lot more lined up for the Australian artist, and she plans to release many more tunes over the course of the year. If what she has lined up as strong as her debut you’ll doubtlessly be hearing from her again soon.
Dutch electronic, nu-soul loving, pop inclined quartet Dragonfruit share the brilliant new single ‘Honeymoon Phase’, the title track from their upcoming EP due April 17th. Built around a rich, pulsing electronic soundscape of crunching, swinging beats, swelling analogue synths and warming vinyl crackle, ‘Honeymoon Phase’ captures an fluorescent vibrancy and a intoxicating depth to it’s …
A couple of weeks ago, we told you about a very rare Syd Barrett painting that was coming up for auction (https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/latest/very-rare-syd-barrett-painting-up-for-auction.html). The painting, titled Orange Dahlias In A Vase, 1961 and signed R. Barrett (Roger being Syd’s real first name), which was in the possession of childhood friend Phil Harden, had no problems finding a buyer on May 27th. The Cambridge based Cheffins auction house (https://www.cheffins.co.uk/fine-art/lot-view,-roger-syd-barrett-british-19462006_71901.htm), who sold the contents of Syd Barrett’s home in St Margaret’s Square, Cambridge, where he had lived since 1981, after his death in 2006, were running the auction for this incredible piece. The artwork was created by Barrett when he was just 15 years of age, and was a mix of watercolours and pastels. The auction house explained the provenance: “In 1957, Barrett began his secondary education at Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, which aimed to emulate the public-school model. As a student, Barrett was emphatically average and, to most of his teachers, remarkable only in his inability to follow the rules. To Gerald Arthur Clement Harden, the school’s art teacher between 1938 and 1971, however, Barrett was a conspicuous and prodigious talent and one of the very few pupils permitted to use Harden’s oil paints. “Painted when Barrett was just 15 years old, the present lot was gifted to Harden by the artist shortly before he left the school and began studying art at Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology. Although generally perceived as an unmotivated student by most of his tutors, Hardenâs support encouraged Barrett to pursue further study in painting and ignited in him a passion for art that would continue to burn until his death in 2006.” There were nine later Barrett artworks sold in the previous Cheffins auction, raising £121,000 to fund local art training. The estimated selling price for this newly revealed artwork was between £3,000 – £5,000 plus buyer’s fees. As we suspected this was a VERY conservative figure. The final hammer price was a lot higher: £22,000, plus a “buyers premium” payable to the auction house of 29.4%, giving a total paid by (we understand) an Italian of what we work out to be around £28,468, plus the cost of getting it back to Italy.
Hailing from the Midlands, UK-based Matthew Barton is a genre-defying singer-songwriter fusing elements of folk, pop and alternative pop to develop a cinematic pop experience. Receiving coverage from the BBC, Turtle Tempo (that’s us!), The Other Side Reviews, Diana Listens and Becky and the Bands, Matthew is carving a name for himself on a national …
