Before The Chorus

Half Moon Run are a band based in Montreal, Canada. They released their debut album, Dark Eyes, in 2013, and quickly gained fans both locally & internationally. Throughout the pandemic, they found themselves digging through cassettes from that time period, revisiting these ideas with fresh perspective. The result is is their fourth album Salt: a musical conversation between past and present, exploring all that has changed and all that remains.

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The Big Moon are a 4-piece indie rock group from London England. On their latest album Here Is Everything, frontwoman Juliette Jackson unpacks the highs and lows of first-time motherhood. She details expectations versus realities, the double isolation of infant rearing and Covid lockdowns, all the way to the euphoria of loving your child.

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Westerman is an artist from London, England currently based in Athens, Greece. On his latest record ‘An Inbuilt Fault’, he looks at the human condition in both its glory & its mess, doing so by fusing stories from his own life, those of known figures, & observations about our modern way of living.

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Will Joseph Cook is an artist from Kent, England. With his newer music, namely his last album ‘Every Single Thing’ and his recent single “MF BASSLINE”, Will aims to be more open. These songs are an excercise in acceptance: accepting the way one feels, no matter how scary, difficult or even awkward a feeling is. Whether he’s musing about an unabashed dive into infatuation, or finding peace with emotional lows, his music reminds us that vulnerability is the best way forward.

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Billie Marten is a songwriter based in London. On her last record, Flora Fauna, Billie began to examine herself through her writing (We actually spoke about Flora Fauna back on Episode 24 of the podcast). Nearly two years later, she is out with another self-examining record: Drop Cherries. It’s a tender, multifaceted observation of long-term love, vulnerability, and finding joy in the mundane.

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Benny Sings is a songwriter & producer based in Amsterdam. Over the years, he has become known for his vibrant & eclectic approach to pop. On Young Hearts, Benny continues his quest for pop gold, flexing his well-established songwriting skills & breathing new life into some of pop’s longstanding tropes.

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Jaws of Love is the solo project of Kelcey Ayer, one of the founding members of Local Natives. His new record, Second Life, explores big, existential questions by way of small, everyday moments. It’s about moving through life’s phases, even when change is scary & outcomes are uncertain.

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Mykki Blanco is an artist with a decade-long career. For ‘Stay Close to Music’, they pulled several pages from their own diary - the record delves into Mykki’s innermost worries and desires, asking questions about oneself & their relationships with others. Simultaneously, the record is celebratory: Mykki proudly flexes their position as a musical pioneer, & honors the icons who inspired them.

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Quinn Christopherson is an artist from Anchorage, Alaska. Much like his Ahtna Athabascan and Iñupiaq ancestors, he is a storyteller at heart. He writes with earnestness & compassion, handling both heavy & joyful moments with equal care. On his debut record ‘Write Your Name in Pink’, he tells us stories from his life up until now.

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The Amazons are a four-piece rock group from Reading, England. Their third album, How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? is incredibly personal - a lot of its songs focus on frontman Matt Thomson’s long-distance relationship with his partner. In a wider sense, the record explores the feeling of loving someone from a distance & of longing for the things we miss - after the past few years, these are feelings we can all relate to.

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