USI ES is the musical moniker of Belgian singer-songwriter Ester Weemaes.
Her music balances between darkness and dreaminess. Her debut album SideQuest lands next Friday.
Wolf Vanwymeersch is a seasoned musician who released the first LP, A Mass In the Water by his new band Wholes last November.
Press info: “One Way the Sea” isn’t a sugary ballad, but rather the story of a couple
of fortune seekers who take their chances at sea. Musically, the duet navigates the same waters as the collaborative work of PJ Harvey and Mark Lanegan, but is powered by raw electronics.”
TUTV: Two things popped up in my head instantly. Firstly, David Lynch‘s 2001 enigmatic movie Mulholland Drive and secondly, Nick Cave and his 1996 album Murder Ballads, featuring his Where The Wild Roses Grow duet with Kylie Minogue.
Those that make sense? Does it have too? As I said, these were my first thoughts
after hearing this collaboration for the first time. So I guess it makes sense to me.
Usi Es and Wolf‘s duet is a slow-mo, hush-hush wandering, a subtly orchestrated dream
in motion, an alluring song of a utopian future, a tempting adventure. Their voices fit romantically well. Both intriguing and heartening, creating an illusory ambiance.
TUTV: A nasty bass riff motorizes this rollicking psych jam that seems to go on
like forever, and when the powerhouse chorus kicks in, your ears are instantly
overwhelmed.
Life Is Joy is one of those roasting riff-insane haymakers that stick after just
one spin. The repeat button was invented for mind-bending juggernauts like
this. Sun Mahshene is blistering joy. Wowzah!
Artist: FIG TREES Who: The artistic project of Belgian songsmith JJ Vroman, a former music journalist.
He’s inspired by bands such as Captain Oats, And They Spoke In Anthems and ADM.
They appear as mythical figures in his musical odyssey.
Piece from his upcoming debut
album, titled ‘Room 22‘.
TUTV: This feels good, really good. From the kick-off, you’re drawn into an electrifying guitar-juiced groove that will play on your stereo in your head all day long. No need to
look for hooks, you get a ton of them right here.
When Vroman turns up the speed for the dazzling chorus (is that a banjo I hear in the
back?) your adrenaline production will speed up too. Then again, that rotating riff bliss is the song’s magnetizing motor, and his captivating, carefree vocality completes this solid gold gem of a tune. Bingo.
Artists: PARTY DOZEN Who: Australian duo featuring saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and
percussionist Jonathan Boulet. They have released 4 albums
so far. You can discover them via Spotify.
Band: DOWN THE LEES Who: The post-rock noise project of seasoned Canadian
singer/songwriter/guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. DTL released
3 notable albums, so far.
The first taster from the film. A song that
deals with the isolation and depression of
the pandemic.
TUTV: A characteristic Down The Lees thunderstorm cranked up by blustery bass lines, monstrous guitar riffs, Herculean drumming, Schultz‘s sky-scraping vocals and a volcanic finale. My oh my. One of the best noiz rock bands around. Fact!
“It’s about noticing how quickly we get entrapped online into spending money, and spending
the latest form of currency, our attention, and questioning how to break away from it. It’s about how horrifying excess is.
The fictitious shop, Tamoo, which looks like it should come with a gamblers aware warning sign, stocks everything you’ve never wanted, and it’s not just your money it will cost you being there.”
Single artwork
TUTV: The Baby Seals strike with high-powered Black Sabbath-esque thwacks on this
hellish haymaker, bucked up with eldritch guitar flashes and a slam-bang chorus. If
you’re addicted to spending money, give it all to these ear-poppping punkettes so they
can spend all that money on recording new exciting music like this. Yep, a win-win.
First single from their forthcoming 4th full-length, their
first in 4 years, slated for release in September 2026.
Press info: A song which tells the tragic story of the loss of frontman Scott Marsden‘s
uncle Tony, who sadly drowned as a child in Cyprus. It was a story Scott was told from
a very young age, staying with him his whole life, creating a fear of the water.
How living on a small Island surrounded by the sea created an anxiety he never really understood growing up. How for decades the tragedy affected the whole family with trauma and struggles with addiction which tore the family apart.
TUTV: Holy Coves are back and they don’t waste time. It’s full steam ahead from
the get-go. Eager guitars and sinewy drumming inject this sweltering steamroller with
a flaming briskness that causes a kinetic reverberation, while Marsden emotive vocals accentuate the song’s sad sentiments. His everlasting heart-and-soul distress leads
to this astonishing piece of sonic catharsis. What an impressive return.
TUTV: A raging blast of an uppercut, pro-welcoming refugees and anti-super rich
who despise the common people. Raw and rough like powerhouse proto-punks The Stooges.
Band: KNEECAP Who: Belfast‘s sharp-mouthed, notorious rap team KNEECAP – Mo Chara,
Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí – hip and hop around with a knife between
their teeth since 2017. So far, they have 2 LPs on their résumé.
For the past months, the spotlight wasn’t really on their music
but more on their problems with some governments for their
support for Palestine on and off stage.
Member Mo Chara got charged for allegedly displaying a flag
in support of Hezbollah one year ago. After a long trial, he was
acquitted of all claims against him.
In the aftermath, they dropped this new chant, called NO COMMENT featuring renowned British DJ Sub Focus.
Kneecap: ‘No Comment’ is all about getting harassed by the British state.
Simple as. Us Irish are well used to it, been happening for centuries. Was
a pleasure to work with Sub Focus on this, the man is a legend.”
A song about being caught
between two life chapters.
TUTV: The Middle has that rotating rock vibe of Run Run Run by proto-punk
legends The Velvet Underground, but with even more garage buzz, straight
from a smelly basement somewhere in Stockholm. The rattling beat goes
on and on and on.
On top come anxious vocals that add a barbed edge
to this jagged jam. A bang-on debut. Don’t miss it.
TUTV: Dramatically disturbing sentiments are bottled here in this titanic juggernaut
of a song, where 80s/90s Gothwave guitar lines connect with modern-day psych-rock kingpins such as Interpol and The Strokes. We should never ever stop screaming about murderous conflicts. That’s exactly what Customs do here in sonic capitals. STOP THE KILLING.
The fierce frustration embedded in this outburst is a universal, final warning.
It’s also one of the, unfortunately, too many scary songs we posted lately in
our daily wake-up call series.
The accompanying video is a series of photos and footage that shows the
devastating horror caused by today’s inhuman war-greedy world leaders.
Band: REFLECT Who: Young indie rockers from Belfast, Ireland.
The name ‘Ocnus‘ comes from an allegorical deity in Greek
mythology personifying hesitation, delay and the wasting
of time, harking back to their debut.
TUTV: Be ready to get on Reflect‘s new soul-stirring rollercoaster, going back and forth.
Its unbridled rock and pop brio has a whopping sonic boom imprint, and the splendacious vocal performance stands out right in the middle. Think Florence + The Machine turning up the heat. Gee-whizz feat.
‘’Empathology’ is half about wanting to feel the pain of everyone around you
so they don’t have to, and half wanting to share it with them, grow closer and
connect on a deeper level. I’ve created my own subject, Empathology: the study
of empathy’.
TUTV: Empathology is a chilling, torch-burning grunge jam propelled
with jarring guitars, brawny percussion and Chelsea Andrews‘s transfixing
vocals. Empathy can lead to a connecting nirvana experience.
Artist: USI ES Who: The musical moniker of Belgian singer-songwriter Ester Weemaes. In her attic studio, she interweaves synths and samples with her distinctive, dark voice. Her music balances between darkness and dreaminess, feeling like a blanket wrapped around you: soft yet heavy, with frayed edges. She released her debut EP Mutiny.
2nd single from her upcoming debut album, expected to
be released early 2026, on which she worked again with
her coach, mentor, and mixer Dijf Sanders.
“I see it as one of the signature Usi ES songs, in a coming-of-age jacket.”
TUTV: Imagine Kate Bush and Goth queen Chelsea Wolfe doing a slo-mo duet in
a twilight universe where surreality and reality meet. Spellbinding, mysterious,
and entrancing. Dim the lights, sit down, relax, and let your thoughts run free.
Verstegen: “The inspiration for this track came when I was looking at a box of matches
and suddenly realized that every romantic “match” is actually a bit like a real matchstick.
You only get one chance to make it ignite. Some go out quickly, others need a bit of oxygen
and sometimes you can spark a fire that will keep you warm for the rest of your life.
“Matches” is the first release from my upcoming debut album, and for it, we drew some inspiration from artists such as Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Phoebe Bridgers, Marble Sounds,
and others.”
TUTV: Matches feels like a sonic match right away. It’s a heart-and-soul touching
reflection with a feverish drive. Near-whispering vocals and enthralling harmonies
star up front, causing goosebumps. Think Bon Iver, Ed Harcourt, and other transfixing voices.
Verstegen sounds like being around for a long time. His enwrapping story-telling
and evocative singing is top-tier and a real revelation. Don’t miss this notable debut.
Artists: MOON MOTHER Who: MM is the voice echoing through a starless night, music born from darkness, yet always carrying a glimmer of light. From the rural landscapes of western Sweden, the duo has built an architecture of earthy, alternative slow rock and melancholic, atmospheric folk with a Nordic touch. A sound they call månrock.
It captures the feeling of standing outside the world through a heavy
acoustic lament, where fragility slowly breaks through the darkness.
Single artwork
TUTV: Intimate piano soulfulness, emotive vocals, and at times grand orchestral
arrangements combine for a mystical-like ambiance. Both transmundane and melodramatic. Moon Mother‘s musical world triggers surreal sentiments in our
grim reality on this mesmerizing trip.
Artist: MAVIS STAPLES Who: Legendary soul/blues/rock voice who, along with family, had a long and
greatly accomplished career under the name ofThe Staple Singers (1948-1994).
She’s 86 now, singing and swinging like a 36-year-old.
Artist: USI ES Who: The musical moniker of Belgian singer-songwriter Ester Weemaes. In her attic studio, she interweaves synths and samples with her distinctive, dark voice. Her music balances between darkness and dreaminess, feeling like a blanket wrapped around you: soft yet heavy, with frayed edges. She released her debut EP Mutiny.
Track: NIGHTTIME BIKE RIDES
2nd single from her upcoming debut album, expected to
be released early 2026, on which she worked again with
her coach, mentor and mixer Dijf Sanders.
“I see it as one of the signature Usi ES songs, in a coming-of-age jacket.”
TUTV: Imagine Kate Bush and Goth queen Chelsea Wolfe doing a slo-mo duet in
a twilight universe where surreality and reality meet. Spellbinding, mysterious,
and entrancing. Dim the lights, sit down, relax, and let your thoughts run free.
In order to not miss a beat TURN UP THE VOLUME scans the musical
horizon daily, for 10 years now, to pick ace tracks and add 5 new ones
twice per week, to the one and only JUKEBOX playlist that matters.
ALL TOGETHER
The 5 fresh ones TRACK BY TRACK
Artist: MARTA Who: Amazing voice Marta Złakowska, who worked
with trip-hop legendTricky on his latest albums.
Track: OUT OF THE WAY
The title piece, produced by Tricky, from her upcoming
debut LP. It’ll land on October 3th. More info here.
TUTV: As enigmatic as her mentor himself who is second voice
on this one. Reiterative percussion supercharges this whirling
around jam all the way, while Marta‘s femme fatale vox mystifies.
Band: WILD OCEANS Who: Fresh, but longtime experienced British indie quartet who
have earned their stripes with decades of combined experience
touring the UK, Europe and the USA.
“Lyrically, it’s a tale a lot of us can identify with – the story of a deceitful lover you keep giving a second chance even though deep down you know they’ll never change – the lyrics and the vocal performance combine perfectly, harnessing the emotion and tension of the song.”
TUTV: A tsunami of greedy guitars opens this riff-jagged juggernaut, then shades in a full of get-up-and-go groove annex punchy vocals, until the powerhouse chorus erupts. And then? The breakneck hits you all over again. Bingo.
Artists: BRIAN ENO and BEATIE WOLFE Who: The ambient wizard and his vocal
Anglo-American collaborator.
Track: PART OF US
Piece from their upcoming 3rd album of the year, actually the 3th
in only 5 months. Talking about being productive. It’s named Liminal
and comes our way on October 10th.
TUTV: Another twilight wandering, combining ambient
textures and Wolfe‘s transfixing voice seamlessly well.
Artist: USI ES Who: The musical moniker of Belgian singer-songwriter Ester Weemaes. In her attic studio, she interweaves synths and samples with her distinctive, dark voice. Her music balances between darkness and dreaminess, feeling like a blanket wrapped around you: soft yet heavy, with frayed edges. She released her debut EP Mutiny.
Track: KONAMI CODE
2nd single from her upcoming debut album, expected to
be released early 2026, on which she worked again with
her coach, mentor en mixer Dijf Sanders.
TUTV: Konami Code is a sensual slo-mo musing that grows on your ears and mind all along its reflective way, led by Es‘ sultry midnight hours voice floating somewhere up there on an imaginary cloud. Think of Sade‘s near-whispering, romantic reveries.
Relaxing reveries for the laziest day of the week…
9 June 2019
Belgian singer-songwriter Esther Weemaes aka Usi ES: Facebook just released her new 4-track EP called MUTINY. A notable piece of work with four mystifying songs (including a PJ Harvey cover). Overall the combination of its atmospheric and dreamlike musicality that feels both haunting and fairy-tale like at the same time and Usi ES tempting and appealing voice turns this EP into a compelling experience that will make you slip into a sedative state of mind.
1. BILLY WEAVER
A tranquilizing fable with an enchanting and idyllic tonality.
Inspired by one of the stories by the late worldwide famous
Welsh writer Roald Dahl
2. THE BUBBLE
This beauty ripples like fresh water in a small river in the woods
with vocal duet sequences adding a whimsical sentiment.
3. CHRISTIAN
A personal and intimate musing.
Sensuous and affecting.
4. IS THIS DESIRE?
An alluring rendition of PJ Harvey‘s
spine-chilling ‘Is This Desire? reverie.
