Artist/Producer Lij Gilmour is best known for blending swirling ambient electronic elements with the traditional writing style of a singer-songwriter. After appearing on The Voice in his native Australia, Lij headlined two sold-out national tours across the country. In the past couple of years he’s amassed millions of streams on Spotify and built himself a global following. Lij Gilmour’s brand new single “burning down” pairs his soft melodic vocals with haunting textures and trap hats. Lij explains, “The song is about the experience of battling with your mind. Feeling guilty for what you think about doing over what you know you should do. A lot of the time, as humans, we are our worst enemy and this song is a depiction of that.”
Above the Arctic Circle during Norway’s season of darkness, a chance encounter between an American and a Norwegian spawned a transatlantic musical partnership called The Familiar. The duo of native New Yorker Ruth Mirsky and Tromsø-born producer Mads Martinsen is the northern lights meeting the skyscrapers of New York. Their sound, hailed as “seductive synthpop” by The Guardian, has evolved over the past few years with two independently released EPs, numerous music videos and syncs including a spot for HP Enterprise, MTV’s “Awkward” and a trailer for the Norwegian series “Unge Lovende”. The Familiar are back with a powerful new single “Everything”, the first release off their forthcoming debut full-length album. The song is a smoldering tribute to northern Norway—a magical place that beckons like a siren, where time seems to freeze in a darkness that never moves. Gloves and a warm hat are recommended before listening.