Kings favorite Nate Merchant drops his 5th and last single this year I Hate It Here. Since his first release the Los Angeles indie artist has been stuck in the 80’s and doesn’t plan on moving from the neon era. Next year in 2022, when the pandemic over, everything will make sense and the 80’s will make a full blown resurgence. The track was produced by John Taylor from Duran Duran.

Merchant says: “I wrote I Hate It Here during the lockdown back in 2020. It’s really a song that was therapeutic for me and helped me handle being isolated. Initially the production was much darker but Isaiah Tejada got his hands on it and created a beautiful arrangement of sparkly synths which I thought was a great juxtaposition to the lyrics. This was also the first tune I got to work on with John Taylor of Duran Duran who helped bring it across the finish line.”

The Shadowboxers released Breaking Habit via DistroKid. You’ll love if you like the indie sounds of the 90’s. Think early Coldplay and The Shins.

Starting out as a backing band for the Indigo Girls then recently working and touring alongside mentor Justin Timberlake, the trio of Scott Tyler, Matt Lipkins and Adam Hoffman says this:

“Breaking Habits’ title speaks for itself. It’s a song as much as it is a mantra for anyone who’s struggled with growth. The smallest changes can feel like monumental challenges and this song is a reminder that you’re not alone in that fight.”

The trio has upcoming headline shows at Basement East 1/7/22 in Nashville and Terminal West on 1/15/22 in Atlanta.

Look out for Michael Rice and the track Do You Love Me At All. It’s a big piano ballad, a melody and lyric that could come out of the mouth of Lewis Capaldi or Duncan Laurence.

The 22 year old from the UK recorded the vocals in his bedroom and racked up over 500,000 views in the first 24hrs and has nearly 750,000 on TikTok.”

He first made waves with a track that went viral on social media, and was spotted and invited to audition for a new BBC singing show ‘All Together Now’. He won, landing him the opportunity to represent the UK at the 2019 Eurovision. His song ‘Bigger Than Us’ went on to hit the charts in Sweden, Denmark becoming a UK Top 10 single.
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Check out the fantastic track All We Can Do by Gard Read. Upon first listen, it ventures towards mega hit Eastside but the track takes you on a music journey far from the starting point.

Read says, “For years i have been trying to find out what my voice is and what would be my sound. I’ve always been my worst critic, and there is always something I can do better or improve.. then I made this song with @depresnomusic and @shivangjerde, And finally, it feels like me”.

Gard Read is English/Norwegian singer/song writer from Bergen, learned he started making his own music and now he is making the final touches on his upcoming EP. Stream it on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Look out for Bambi L and the new track 2 released via recordJET. You’ll love if you like indie pop but with more flare and a fresh sound.

The song was birthed during a songwriting camp in a small cottage in a forest that was part of a artist accelerator program organized by Music Finland.

“With this song I want to send a message to people, that it’s okay if you’re going through a hard time on Christmas. You are not alone.” says Bambi L.

The Finnish artist released her debut in the autumn 2019 and has since released several singles and collaborations. She also has co-writes with several artists and is signed to HMC Publishing (Warner Music Finland).

She’s garnered support from radio in Oslo, blogs and landed on New Music Friday.