Scottish Multi-Instrumentalist and Producer, ONR, comes into his own with "Human Enough"

ONR (pronounced “honor”) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and self-taught producer. At a young age, ONR taught himself piano - the one he found in his family’s shed. He continued to sharpen his talents and soon found himself touring with Bastille and later immersing himself with fellow Scottish musicians Lewis Capaldi and Calvin Harris. After some time of exploration (walking away from record deals and many live shows later,) ONR is finally ready to break the third wall and release music to the world that he is proud of.  He’s ready now and his music proves it.

“Human Enough” was co-written with Dave Bassett (Bassett Briggs, Rachel Platten) and Sam Hollander (Panic! At The Disco, Katie Perry). ONR explains, “I liked the idea that 'being human' wasn’t a defining quality, but rather a sliding-scale… that you could consider yourself ’not human enough’ to be someone else’s equal. The video is dark, confused, frustrated; it exists within this fantastical alternative reality where the concept of being human is (literally) different from our own.”  ONR enables us to question our own interpretation of what it means to be human while inferring the dynamic and complex nature of our species.

With more music on the way, ONR’s forthcoming EP Must Stop features synth-pop and anthemic rock undertones almost completely self-produced in his home studio in Dumfries and Galloway that will be sure to make you want more. Look out for ONR as he performs at the Reading & Leeds Festival in August.

Watch the music video for ONR’s new single, “Human Enough” below:

Phoebe Bridgers' "Garden Song"

I’ve seen some friends shout out the handle @_fake_nudes_ on instagram, but I never paid much attention to it. I thought it was a meme account or some idiosyncratic fetish. But alas, it was none other than Phoebe Bridgers. I listened to “Garden Song” last week before doing any research on the angelic and chilling voice behind it. At first listen, I was locked in. Somewhere between the melody, gentle guitar, and lyricism, I found myself reminiscing on summers as a young child with family and friends. But, also my future, my desires and the narrative I’ve been telling myself while the film roles.

The song was inspired by her hometown as well as from a recurring nightmare she had on tour. It begs the question as stated by Jack Busch: “When we look at our own personal and spiritual growth, do we care how it was cultivated? That the present is built on destruction? Like the childhood home that went down in flames except for the notches in the doorway, perhaps it’s only the growth that matters. Perhaps we don’t have to examine too closely how we got there.” It is this vast dichotomy of growth and suffering in her lyricism which somehow inevitably intertwine that Bridgers’ eloquently calls our attention to.

Or maybe this interpretation is invalid and it has nothing to do with the evolution of the human spirit and overcoming perils, but is rather a jumble of words — scattered memories and nightmares of Bridgers. Or maybe the point is that the individual must create their own meaning from the muddle, and navigate the garden of uncertainty that is constantly in flux. The sensitive finger-picking played guitar which never reaches catharsis might just be for that reason, for the listener to reflect on their own story of self-realization and deceit inviting us to ask ourselves: is this the life you wanted?

Fun fact: The accompanying voice in the chorus is actually Bridgers’ tour manager. “He’s six foot seven. He’s a Dutch man named Jeroen. I realized he had the voice of an angel when he was singing Mitski with me in the van and he was two octaves below me,” she tells Zane Lowe in an interview. 

Watch the Music Video for Phoebe Bridgers’ “Garden Song,” Below:

Bryce Vine's "Baby Girl" is everything we need.

You’ve probably heard of him from his hit single, “Drew Barrymore” which has over one hundred and seventy million streams on Spotify or from his sold-out headline tour last year. Today, Bryce Vine is back with a new single: “Baby Girl.” The song was produced with Chad Hugo of The Neptunes and N.E.R.D. as well as Sir Nolan (Selena Gomez, DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber.) The melodic baseline, groovy beat and Vine’s velvet vocals will make you want to move. 

“Baby Girl” Cover Art

Teen Vogue stated that Vine’s “smooth, unpretentious performance really sold us on Bryce as a breakout star.” Vine’s catchy chorus, hip-hop, pop & punk vibes offer a refreshing sound as he blends genres and reinvents the wheel.

Watch the music video for Bryce Vine’s new single, “Baby Girl” below: