Music by Bergman: Placebo

Over the course of more than 25 years, and over 13 million album sales, Placebo have shown themselves to be masters at cataloguing the human condition. The band’s unique way of examining both its flaws and beauty has for a long time made them a refuge for those who felt that the trappings of tradition, and the mainstream, were exactly that – a trap. Placebo continue to shine a light on the aspects of our society that are all too often viewed by some with scepticism at best, and hatred at worst.

Back with their first new song in five years, Placebo have shared new single ‘Beautiful James’ which brings with it a message of defiance that seeks to normalize and celebrate non-heteronormative relationships in song.

Music by Bergman: Keane

Keane became one of Britain’s biggest bands in the early 2000s and eventually skyrocketed to fame in the United States. But in 2013, the band split. A reunion looked impossible after lead singer Tom Chaplin and songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley both spiraled through personal crises — but now, much to their own surprise, Keane has made a comeback.

The release of ‘Cause and Effect’ followed on from a succession of previous No1 albums that have accumulated over 13 million sales worldwide, including the seminal debut smash, ‘Hopes and Fears’. Generating hit singles ’Somewhere Only We Know’, ‘Everybody’s Changing’, ’This Is The Last Time’, and ‘Bedshaped’, this recording became one of the biggest selling albums in UK chart history and secured Keane’s place as one of Britain’s best-loved bands. The band will release the ‘Dirt EP’ as part of Record Store Day on 17 July, featuring 4 previously unheard songs from the ‘Cause and Effect’ sessions.

Music by Bergman: Andrew Belle

Andrew Belle is a singer-songwriter from Chicago, IL. Combining hook-ridden melodies and powerful vocals, Belle has become a respected name amongst young performers in the Chicago music circuit.

Intimate and ethereal, Andrew Belle’s fourth album is an emotionally stirring and sonically soothing experience. Ambient and expansive, poignant and nuanced, Nightshade blurs the lines between electro-pop and indie folk as Belle immerses our senses in a beautifully lush world brimming with intoxicating sound and vulnerable, raw feeling.

Music by Bergman: Desperate Journalist

The fourth Desperate Journalist album was shaped by a desire to “create something a bit more kaleidoscopic and varied in tone and texture” than their earlier work. The post-punk London quartet have more or less achieved this with Maximum Sorrow!, which wears its pop culture influences on its sleeve to winning effect.

Music by Bergman: Leisure

Leisure is made up of the New Zealand music industry’s shining stars, and its quiet heroes. They’re writers, producers, video editors, solo artists, and members of huge Kiwi bands: Goodnight Nurse, Kids of 88, Kidz In Space. As individuals, they’ve worked with acts like Benee, Maala, Bailey Wiley, and Openside.

Leisure’s music is well suited to these global music hotspots. Its funk-inspired, 90s-influenced rhythms have slick vocals and electronic inserts perfect for an afternoon DJ set on a Berlin rooftop.

After two albums and last year Ep Leisure unveiled their brand new singles ‘Take Me Higher’ and  ‘Mesmerised’. The song channels the kind of smooth, lounge music vibe that the group has made their own over the past few years.

Music by Bergman: School of X

The solo project of Rasmus Littauer, School of X is a serious contender for becoming The Next Big Thing. His music is somewhere between Portugal the Man and MGMT, filled with shimmering pop sensibilities and glittering production. He’s not only got that cool international indie je ne sais quoi, but also the capacity to write a hook that’ll instantly get stuck in your head.

School of X borrows his moniker from Eksskole – Copenhagen’s anti-establishment art school from the 1960s. A Danish collective of experimental artists,

Music by Bergman: Lowertown

Atlanta newcomers Lowertown – aka teens Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg – are a charming prospect. Across their EP ‘Honeycomb, Bedbug’ they spinned properly lovely pop tunes that are a bit like if The Big Moon were more lo-fi. With a handful of singles and a debut album (2019’s ‘Friends’) already in the bag, they’re well on the way to carving themselves out a pretty special spot in the ‘stuff to get excited about’ list everyone obviously has pinned to their noticeboard. 

Now they have announced that their brand new EP ‘The Gaping Mouth’ will be arriving on 16th September via Dirty Hit!