Ender Bender, a newcomer in the indie-pop world, presents his new feel-good single ‘Honey Lavender Girl’, hot on the trail of his debut track ‘Star Killer’. These positive vibing tracks present an enticing taste of the forthcoming ‘EQ’ EP, to be released in late spring.
The new single centers around his life-changing move from LA to Rome, a journey from self-destructive hedonism to a spiritual and artistic renaissance. ‘Star Killer’, on the other hand, explores the ups and downs, the angels and the demons of life in Los Angeles. The accompanying video was designed and directed by Italian artist Tommaso Ragnisco.
Ender Bender is the solo project of Eddie Olguin, a multi-instrumentalist producer now based in Rome, guided by a unique mission of making perfect modern pop-rock. Creating music and spreading bliss in the face of the realization that nothing in life is perfect, the pursuit of this perfect sound is what fuels the Ender Bender fire.
“The idea for this song came about when I decided to walk away from everything I knew, pack my bags and follow my heart. The song encompasses basic feelings that can be associated with such a decision: anxiety, excitement, hope, love, but most importantly, choosing to allow yourself to be happy. The ride was exciting, tumultuous and often scary; but the destination is joy. “There’s a time and a place for everything, and our time is right now,” says Eddie Olguin.
About ‘Star Killer’, Olguin says, “L.A. raised me and made me who I was, both mother and lover, an open highway to my fantasies and, eventually, the butler of my demons. This song is but a humble, yet bittersweet, an ode to this city”.
An artist and a small business owner in Los Angeles, Olguin had the Ender Bender ‘vision”, one night in a hospital in Glendale, California while literally facing the prospects of his own death. He decided that he had to cut ties with the artistic quagmire that is Los Angeles and all of its demons. Soon after, the Universe, in all her giving glory, opened the doors for Eddie to relocate to Rome, Italy in the name of love, sanity and, in this case, music.
Not looking for a scene, but simply in need of certain energy and feeling, Rome ultimately proved to be the perfect place for Eddie to create this music, bringing the Ender Bender project to fruition.
Inspired by music from multiple genres, including light-hearted indie pop, Ender Bender combines new wave and synthpop elements of decades past with forward-thinking indie pop and electro. Here the past meets the future in an addictive sonic stimulant designed in an audio lab somewhere.
Featured image by Roberta Ovatta.
CREDITS
Written by Eddie Olguin
Vocals and all instruments performed by Eddie Olguin
Backing vocals by Roberta Ovatta
Recorded and mixed by Eddie Olguin
Mastered by Justin Weis
LINKS:
http://www.enderbender.com
https://www.facebook.com/enderbendersonicdrug
https://soundcloud.com/iamenderbender
https://twitter.com/iamEnderBender
https://www.instagram.com/iamenderbender
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Blakk Pearl – Cowboy
London born, France resident singer Blakk Pearl released her debut single ‘Cowboy’ at the end of last year. Sleek and commodious and driven by a subtle backbeat and a warm marimba sound, the track perfectly showcases Blakk Pearl’s haunting, mellifluent tones floating atop a lush and otherworldly dreamscape.
Blakk Pearl has now shared a video for her debut single, a video she has put together herself: “I love 1930’s era cut-out animation, and when I came across this clip of this beautiful trio of fairies trying to help a soldier, who had lost his way in the woods, I knew it was the perfect video for ‘Cowboy.’ It tells the story of ‘Cowboy’ so beautifully and delicately, and in such a feminine way”.
Blakk Pearl grew up in North London and moved to Devon when she was a young teenager, where she would watch her, by now absent, father on US TV shows and hear of his activities in LA as a manager of NWA.
She now lives in a convent just outside Toulouse in France. Having rebuilt it from a ruin, it serves as her creative hub and sanctuary. Blakk Pearl divides her time between Toulouse, London and Paris.
Blakk Pearl’s first EP is set for release via Kobalt in early 2018.
LINKS:
http://blakkpearlmusic.com
https://instagram.com/blakkpearlmusic -
Claudio Conti – Blazing Lair
Claudio Conti presents ‘Blazing Lair’ is the second single off his new album ‘Garnet Dusk’ album, out now via Seahorse Recordings. This follows up the earlier revealed single ‘Old Clouds Fell‘-. both tracks reel in a delightful ebb and flow, while the new single beautifully embodies California dreaming.
The new accompanying video was entirely filmed last September in Los Angeles, mainly in the West Hollywood and Venice areas in September 2017, this video was filmed and directed by Claudio Conti and Frederick Byron, who also edited it. The two previously cooperated on the video for ‘Old Clouds Fell‘, shot entirely in San Francisco and California’s Bodega Head Beach.
The new film portrays the shadows and lights of Los Angeles, a city that has always been blessed, cursed, crowded and infested by artists, and who shape this luminous place with their greatness, their weaknesses, their achievements and their failures. “L.A. is ambrosia, whispers, and caresses of inspiration but also the kiss of death,” says Claudio Conti. “To have artistic recognition there is the greatest challenge, the city of angels (or of lost angels) seems like the most dangerous and highest mountain to climb unharmed for any artist.”
Claudio Conti is an Italian songwriter whose style is rooted in the same romantic pensiveness that marks the music of Tim Buckley, Nick Drake, Gene Clark. and Tim Hardin. Largely drawn to psychedelic music, folk rock, and 80’s indie rock, he considers Gram Parsons, The Doors, The Smiths and early R.E.M. as his main influences.
His new 14-track album ‘Garnet Dusk’ is a very ambitious and personal album with moods alternating between the chaotic experiences of a man in his early to mid-thirties, the solidification of his beliefs and worldview, including its flaws and qualities. Addressing such issues as migration and maturity, this is a product of deep thinking about life’s inevitable and difficult situations. This album was equally inspired by the sound of the ocean as by a woman’s departure. This is Conti’s attempt to explain unusual encounters like ships passing slowly in the night.
“This album is about the mysticism of love and rediscovered affection. The truth in children’s eyes and parents’ lack of consideration. And the frustrations, the illusions of flippancy that take us far from certain situations and on a detour towards the firmness of our insight, the channel of real life, where we find the life source that we really need,” says Claudio Conti.
Conti’s ‘Garnet Dusk’ is like fire in the sky, lasting just a short while but holding your core intuitions – carpe diem. Then comes the night with its glorious shadows and blinding lights… a reel for the poets… a tryst for the unsatisfied.
LINKS:
http://www.facebook.com/Claudio-Conti-1479110699037058/
http://twitter.com/claudioconti70
http://soundcloud.com/claudio-conti-1981 -
Dar.Ra – Phenomenal
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Darragh J Brady – AKA Dar.Ra has been in the music industry for a while with hits in the UK and Australia, signed to EMI, Festival and various dance labels over the years, remixing Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Tears 4 Fears, Savage Garden, and writing for Rachel Brown (Faithless, Groove Armada) plus having music on various Hollywood films like ‘Snakes on Planes’ films starring Hilary Duff on ABC TV, Match Of Day (BBC TV) and US Documentary City Of Hope.
He grew up in Brighton and London and his first solo album Soul Hours was released in 2010 made album of the week of Spain’s Heart FM, as well as receiving support from BBC Radio, playing to over 1 million people on air within one live show.
Also an author, Dar.Ra has a book available called ‘Road Tales’ which has been getting brilliant reviews and is based on people Dar.Ra met while being the road from the late 1990’s to 2008.
On Phenomenal, Dar.Ra says –
“The track is about single mothers and the sacrifice they make to keep everything going, a roof over their heads and food on the table. It’s a tribute to them and my own Mum who brought me and my brother up on her own and worked herself to the point of exhaustion to do it. God bless them all”.
The forthcoming album (2019) titled ‘Planet X’ is a unique blend of rock energy and soulful melodies crossing boundaries from those genres plus visiting the world of reggae and country and world music soundscapes. The sound is heavyweight, tight and never lets you down for a second.
Themes on the album include; strong single mothers on the lead single track ‘Phenomenal’, losing people you love way too soon on a track called ‘Rewind’, world insecurities on ‘Heavier Than Rock n Roll’, and love being your drug of choice on ‘Heart Shaped Pill’.
Dar.Ra is a really unique songwriter, producer and author who makes an amazing blend of rock and soul Music
(21st Artists Hollywood)“Highly impressive”
(Planet Earth Radio USA)Dar.Ra is an incredible act to follow as he is always evolving on each song with incredible results
(Indie People USA)Dar.Ra infuses layers of vocals and instrumentation into each record he makes. The genius of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, came to mind while listening to “Phenomenal”, “Back To The Brink” and “Heart Shape Pill”
(Tune Loud Magazine USA)LINKS:
https://facebook.com/Dar.Ra7
https://youtube.com/kushadeep7
https://twitter.com/kushadeepmusic
https://instagram.com/dar.ra.brady