Emerging from New Orleans’ vibrant jazz scene, Blessing Tangban debuted an introspective, vulnerable and folky sound with 2014’s debut EP Nowhere Girl that opened us up to the world of a lost a 15-year-old Nigerian immigrant in America, starting college, falling in love, getting heartbroken and finding her faith.
Over the course of the last decade, Blessing‘s musical career continues to bloom. Her soulful musical spirit has led her to tours around the world, working with renowned African musicians (Johnny Drille, M.I. Abaga) and having her music synced in multiple films. She now resides in Canada where the country has welcomed her with multiple prestigious shows and Canadian artist collaborations. Blessing also won the Galaxy Music Award for best vocal performance for her song “Tebe Tebe.” She’s currently nominated for five African Nova Scotian Music Awards (ANSMA) at their 26th annual ceremony for Rising Star of the Year, Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Emerging Artist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for her song “Teach Me.”
Blessing‘s latest single, “Prayer,” is a transcendent and hopeful piece written as a prayer to God that she would get through a valley of uncertainty and false promise in her music career and life. The beautiful single is quite literally a written down prayer to God by Blessing which she also hopes restores faith in her listener to continue to be bold and trust in God during times of low light.
ARK IDENTITY’s Noah Mroueh of Toronto is sharing a new glimpse of his forthcoming debut EP, ANNDALE, out this fall on November 8th.
The deceptively laidback and bass-led new indie pop track, “Bleed Out In The Night,” finds Mroueh reflecting on holding onto your integrity when someone threatens to dictate your path for you, going against your core values.
“This song is all about standing firm in your beliefs, even when everything around you is pushing you in the opposite direction. It’s about those moments when you have to say, ‘I won’t go that way,’ even if it means going through pain or conflict,” Mroueh elaborates.
The sing-song verses of “Bleed Out In The Night” comfort the listener over a distinctive bass melody and summery guitar strums, juxtaposing the song’s subject matter as Mroueh delivers the chorus refrain: “You leave me there to bleed out in the night, you run so fast the impact is a fight.”
We Found a Lovebird excels at trance-like chiming rock. Since 2009, they’ve released three albums, one EP and eight singles with highlights including a Polaris Music Prize nomination and radio support from CBC and KEXP. Since 2020, they’ve released seven singles from their upcoming long player With Friends Like These.
Despite their western roots, We Found a Lovebird often have Halifax tastemaker David Boyle reaching for New York comparisons, evoking Television on 2019’s Deluxe Hotel and a more tuneful Richard Hell & the Voidoids here, or perhaps the likes of Lloyd Cole, post-Commotions when he, too, was a New York resident. What it all adds up to is the enduring magic of a rock & roll four-piece with elegant guitar interplay, topped off with evocative lyrics.
Latest track, “100%,” evokes a bouncy, positive vibe with nods to 80’s rock groups like The Smiths and Prefab Sprout. “100%” came about from a finger picked melody by guitarist Kerry MacPherson, which frontman Larry Lechner realized filled out an old unfinished song he had.
