This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks is all about the alternative exploration with artists like Tic Tic, Matt Basile, and James Perciv

This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks is all about the alternative exploration with artists like Tic Tic, Matt Basile, and James Percival

Matt Basile - Hang on St. Christopher 

Matt Basile is a singer-songwriter and blues artist with irrepressible charisma. In his latest release, ‘Hang on St.Christopher’ is a conversation with St. Christopher, seeking for protection. With deep tonal grooves, classical guitar melodies, and baritonal blues, the track flows into a pleasing country rock. He keeps the atmosphere mellow and molten, slowly trotting on. It is a retro, old-timer kind of music that puts you into a nice bluesy state of mind. And with this he branches into a weary melancholy that is both refreshing and reflective. 

James Percival - Curtains Closed 

When you think of slice of life songs, James Percival should be the first artist you should think of. His latest release is the ‘Curtains Closed’ EP, a six track collection that explores the aching feeling of having someone you love in the hospital. The title track especially gets into this. A soft, acoustical composition that blends fine lines of piano and guitar melodies to craft a network of thoughts, memories, and feelings. The protagonist beseeches the person in the hospital to get well soon, the things that they can do once that happens, the things that they used to do before it happened. It’s quite beautiful to journey through it all. 

Tic Tic - While the Shadows Grow 

TiktTic is a singer-songwriter and modern folk duo. They have a way of dilating themes in a way that is so artful and pleasing. Their latest release is ‘While Shadows Grow’, the duo project a theatre of style and sonics, building ethereal acoustics into expressive shoegaze frames, electronic elements and deep vocal manipulations. This song, keeping in theme with the title is made to distort the reality of the listener, incept an atmosphere, an emotion that you can viscerally feel and experience. It is alternative folk rock at its best and most imaginative. Listen Now! 

Follow the playlist for all new artist updates!

If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here

This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks create dreamy folk spheres with artists like Paul Claxton, Oaken Lee, Matt Saxton & others

Paul Claxton - Lost & Found 

Singer-songwriter Paul Claxton is known for his soulful flows. Dressed in rich acoustics and led by an immersive vocal line, his soundscapes are affecting, arresting and enchanting. His latest release is ‘Lost & Found’, a lamentous track that explores heartbreak in the aftermath of a memorable relationship. The artist blends raw folk with dreamy planes, both vocally and instrumentally to evoke a trance almost. The song still holds a lot of the romance, the magic, and the fondness that was felt during the love. 

Oaken Lee - A Mountain (an Echo) 

Hailing from North London, Oaken Lee crafts landscapes with his music. In his latest track, ‘A Mountain (an Echo)’, he lets his sound be influenced by naturalistic metaphors. Flowing through moments of joy, perspective, and celebration, he paves the way away from the past, expanding life to become all that it can be. Stylistically, the soft acoustic moments are colored with reggae, and other island sonic gestures. There’s that carefree feeling in his vocals, acceptance of the unpredictability of life as he floats through the song. It is such a light, happy, and buoyant track. Listen Now! 

Matt Saxton - Feel It Again 

Have you ever wondered what the journey of that forever kind of love looks like? In his latest track, ‘Feel It Again’, Matt Saxton traces a lifetime of love. From the exciting, youthful moments, progressing through a life with children, savings, building a home and family. And finally as empty nesters, he falls back in love. This time an evolved love, a sweet companionship that has its own magic and loveliness. His contemplative baritones hold on to that dream, that wise love, and the spirit of romance in a way that makes it meaningful. 

Olav Larsen & The Alabama Rodeo Stars - When The Past Presents the Future 

Olav Larsen flows into an alt country spectrum. With pleasing acoustics phasing into neoclassicals, stream of consciousness lyrics, and slice of life frames of human experiences, he makes compelling musical arcs. In his single, ‘When The Past Presents the Future’, the artist delves into pain in the past, tracking all the ways it manifests in your present and future. His deep, evocative and layered vocal plan presents a beautiful conceptualisation of the title. His baritones are layered with choral harmonies, acapella accents, all of this alongside a soft orchestral instrumental arrangement. With this exploration, he urges us all to become free from the instances of the past and find the light and peace. 

Clara Day - This Wretched Thing 

Clara Day’s vocal expression is like something out of a journal, an intimate flow that blends pieces of thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences. It is so honest and heartwarming to take in and get lost in. In her latest release, ‘This Wretched Thing’, a melancholic exploration that is both vivid and blurry. This makes it feel surreal, like you’re in some kind of a dream, a whole different world. The combination of her earnest tones, projected sweetness and the slow progressions into darker spheres of consciousness is so enchanting. Feels new, refreshing, like something you’ve never heard before. Listen Now! 

Follow the playlist for all new artist updates!

If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here

LITM Rock Picks Great Tunes Featuring The Venz, Debbie Christ, proFESSional and more!

LITM Rock picks some super cool tunes brought to you by The Venz, Debbie Christ, proFESSional, Matare and Nathaniel Paul.

1. The Venz - Slow Motel
   The Venz's "Slow Motel" is an ethereal indie rock treasure that is like a slow drive down a deserted highway on a starry night. With shimmery guitar chords and a hypnotic beat, the song is filled with an old-school and serene contemplative atmosphere.

   The lyrics recall nostalgia and inertia. The laid-back but heartfelt delivery of the Venz perfectly captures the song's dreamy, introspective mood. The chorus—melancholic and hypnotic—catches you, as do the memories it brings.

   The instrumental bridge, constructed around a bouncy solo guitar, is a highlight peak, taking a cinematic detour as the song gradually unwinds. Cigarettes After Sex or Beach House enthusiasts will automatically include "Slow Motel" in their playbacks.

   The Venz captures the feeling of being stuck in a moment—yearning for something just out of reach—with finesse. “Slow Motel” is not just a song; it’s an experience, offering listeners a chance to lose themselves in its serene, melancholic beauty.

2. Debbie Christ - I’m Afraid of Love
Debbie Christ’s “I’m Afraid of Love” is a heartfelt pop ballad that dives deep into the complexities of vulnerability and emotional scars. With her raw, emotive vocals, Debbie lays bare the fears and doubts that come with opening up to love.

The song starts with gentle piano chords, setting a close and reflective atmosphere. She sings in a perfect rendering of the push-and-pull of emotional resistance. The chorus explodes in sweeping strings and percussion, jarringly contrasting with the delicate verses.

Debbie's voice rises to the bridge, where she grapples with her inner turmoil, producing a spine-tingling moment of catharsis. The production is elegant but never stifling, maintaining her vulnerability in the spotlight.

Fans of Adele or Sara Bareilles will appreciate “I’m Afraid of Love” for its blend of emotional depth and melodic beauty. Debbie Christ has crafted a ballad that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable—a must-listen for anyone who’s ever feared love but couldn’t help yearning for it anyway.

3. proFESSional - In The City
"In The City" by proFESSional is a hard-hitting, unapologetic and energetic track that encapsulates the urban grind and survival on the street level. It has a forceful beat and biting lyrics that make it an anthem for the person who toils to pay the bills in the city.

The lines are laden with vivid imagery. proFESSional's flow is constant, switching between hyperactive explosions of verse and introspective pauses in which the listener can get lost in the narrative.

The song leans on heavy guitar and subtle synths, with a dark mood reflecting city life's tensions. The hook is catchy and foreboding, reflecting the dual nature of ambition and danger.

If you’re into rock music, YOU WILL LOVE "In The City" due to its lyrical sophistication and narrative ability. proFESSional proves himself to be a virtuoso at crafting songs that are as clever as they are cruel.

4. Matare - The Siren
Matare's "The Siren" is an enchanting blend of electronic atmospheres and experimental pop that feels like a dreamlike journey. Whispy synths usher in the song with far-off reverb-soaked vocals that transport you to another plane of being immediately.

The phrases are an allegory for danger and temptation based on mythological sirens. Matare's voice is ethereal in that it glides from a gentle breath to robust, sweeping notes, encapsulating the dual extremes of danger and temptation perfectly.

Production is intricate, layered with every performance releasing something new. There are thumping rhythms and skewed synths that all add to a feeling of unease, and the track is unsettling and lovely.

FKA Twigs and Björk fans will appreciate "The Siren" as an unsettling and innovative piece of work. Matare risks both the sound and the narrative, and it pays off in an earworm of a song that finds its way back into your mind even after it's gone by.

5. Nathaniel Paul - The Girl With No Tattoo
Nathaniel Paul's "The Girl With No Tattoo" is a lovely folk ballad with understated story of secret love and hinted complexity. Its minimalist acoustic accompaniment and verse-oriented lyrics are enough to present the song as a timeless classic.

Paul's soothing, soulful tone draws you in immediately as he sings. The lyrics are personal and rich, painting an image of close intimacy that is veiled below.

The guitar strum is calm and relaxing, so well suited for the sad atmosphere of the tune. The lean production ensures each word and every note resonates loudly, leaving the listener immersed in the story.

The music fans of the likes of Iron & Wine or Damien Rice will be entranced by "The Girl With No Tattoo" because of its raw simplicity and emotional sincerity. Nathaniel Paul proves that sometimes less is more with a track that is like sharing a conversation with a close friend.

Follow the playlist for all new artist updates!

If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here.