Category: New Music

Moon Safari: Swedish Symphonic Rock

New Music

Moon Safari is a Swedish progressive rock band formed in 2003. Although their music incorporates many different styles their genre is predominantly symphonic rock. All six band members contribute to the vocal aspect of their music and many of their melodies are sung as full vocal harmonies, with a number of their songs featuring a capella sections. Among others, they list their influences as The Beatles, and notable progressive rock bands Genesis, Marillion, IQ, and Yes.

Himlabacken Vol. 2 is Moon Safari’s latest album and was released last month and comes a decade after its predecessor Himlabacken Vol. 1. The band explain:

“It took us ten years, for a million different reasons. We won’t bore you with all of them. Let’s just say that for a band that celebrates the wonders of youth like we do it would have been impossible for us to keep up the pace we had until 2014. We had four kids between us when Himlabacken Vol. 1 came out. Now that number is 16. Watching these kids laugh, play and marvel at the simple things in life is the point of it all, really, and that’s taken up much of our time. Rightly so.”

Moon Safari’s latest single, Emma, Come On, is about the slightly unhealthy kind of celebrity worshipping, and is new this week on RadiJohan.

A Reunion, Resilience, and Classic Blink Energy

New Music

Blink-182’s ninth studio album, “One More Time,” marks the return of guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, who had previously departed from the band in 2015. The catalyst for DeLonge’s reunion was bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis in 2021. The band managed to resolve past disagreements and reconcile their differences, ultimately leading to DeLonge’s return. Fortunately, Hoppus successfully overcame cancer and was declared cancer-free.

In September, Blink-182 shared two songs from their new album, namely “More Than You Know” and “One More Time…,” with the latter featuring on RadiJohan. Originating from California, Blink-182 is an American rock band that was formed in 1992. They achieved significant international success with their notable albums, “Enema of the State” (1999) and “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket” (2001). Hit singles like “All the Small Things” and “What’s My Age Again?” became fan favorites and received extensive airplay on MTV.

 In the video for their latest single “Dance With Me,” the three Blink members dress up like the legendary “Ramones” with black wigs, leather jackets, the whole deal. Both song and video are classic Blink!

Blink-182’s Dance With Me is new this week on RadiJohan.

Hugo’s Voyage: Blending Nostalgia With a Contemporary Edge

New Music

“Hugo’s Voyage” is a dynamic rock band that originated from New York and Boston. Initially formed in 2005 as a tribute band for the legendary group “Journey,” they have gained significant success and a devoted fan base. Recently, “Hugo’s Voyage” embarked on their own musical journey, releasing their debut album titled “Inception” last month.

“Inception” showcases a mix of rockers and ballads, with their first single, “Don’t Want To Live Without Your Love,” which recently featured on RadiJohan, evoking memories of Journey’s classic hit “Don’t Stop Believing.” However, it is important to note that “Inception” is not merely a replication of Journey’s sound. The band has infused their music with a fresh contemporary edge while maintaining a timeless quality, bridging generations and demonstrating that great rock music transcends time.

One of the album’s ballads, “A Friend Like You,” is a heartfelt track that adds to the diverse range of songs on “Inception” and further showcases the band’s musical prowess. It is new this week on RadiJohan.

Looking For An American Hero

New Music

Doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll great Dion DiMucci has released a brand new song called “An American Hero.” Dion’s biggest and best known hits include “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer,” both from 1961. He scored a number 1 on the RadiJohan Top 10 in 2020 with “song For Sam Cooke” which featured Paul simon. Dion repeated the feat in 2022 when he topped our chart with “Dancing Girl” which featured Mark Knopfler.

Dion’s latest release is a duet which features veteran country star Carlene Carter (daughter of June Carter-Cash). Dion said in a press release:

“Basically, it’s a song about the ordinary person being a hero and championing the cause of the people around them. You don’t have to look at cable news or online and don’t look to politicians to save you. Look into your own heart and be a hero to the ten people you affect in your life the most. Patriotism really isn’t about politics; we’re all Americans, so values and character are what matter most.”

“An American Hero,” by Dion with Carlene Carter, is new this week on RadiJohan.

New Strumbellas Album Coming Soon

New Music

The Strumbellas are back with a catchy new single. The Canadian rock band formed in 2008 and received many positive reviews for their self-titled EP released in 2009.

The band first came to our attention at RadiJohan in 2016 with “Spirits,” the first single from their third album Hope, which topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Since then they have been regulars on RadiJohan’s playlist.

Now a multi-platinum and an internationally renowned band The Strumbellas have announced their next album, Part Time Believer will be released in February 2024. The new album’s first single is out now.

“Hold Me” by The Strumbellas is new this week on RadiJohan.

Meet The Castellows

New Music

They sing, they make music and they’re making a name for themselves. “The Castellows” are a country band from Southwest Georgia that consists of sisters Ellie, Powell and Lily. They love great instrumentals, three part harmonies, and singing about their home and all things country. The three sisters grew up on a cattle farm in Georgetown and, because they were home-schooled, had plenty of time to learn to play different instruments. Before officially declaring themselves a band, the sisters got their start performing at events around their hometown and in church. With their new rise to fame on social media, their music is now reaching far beyond the confines of Georgetown. What sets them apart from other female groups is their close-knit sisterly bond. “As sisters, our relationship goes beyond just being best friends.”

If you ask “The Castellows” how they accumulated 1 million Instagram followers, they’ll say they have no idea. They didn’t even plan to be a band and move to Nashville until March this year. Now they call Nashville home.

“The Castellows” are new this week on RadiJohan with Hurricane.

Who Are The Dryes?

New Music

Katelyn and Derek Dryes are a husband-and-wife duo known as “The Dryes.” Music is what brought them together. Before they became a duo they each pursued solo careers. They gained many new fans and followers since launching their career in 2018, especially when they made their USA TV debut in season 22 of “The Voice” last year.

The Duo recently released their five-track EP, “Raisin’ Beers & Hallelujahs” which includes “Take Me Out.” Featuring a hard hitting electric guitar and a catchy pop country melody, the song has been described by “The Dryes” as “a call to get out in the sticks, away from the noise, to center yourself in the dirt.”

Take Me Out by “The Dryes” is new this week on RadiJohan.

Bite The Bullet

New Music

In my search for new music for RadiJohan I’m sometimes amazed at how hard it is to find good music in keeping with, what I would consider the golden age of music from, say, 1960 – 1990. Considering how much uhm ……ah ….err ….. well honestly, utter crap gets promoted and played on radio (and TV), there is a lot of decent music that “flies under the radar” because it does not get much, if any, promotion or airplay. The music is there but finding it isn’t easy. I like to think we feature a fair amount of examples. After all, the carefully selected new music on RadiJohan does generally not reflect what’s big on the charts.

“Bite The Bullet” released their new album “Rocky Road” back in April but, even though I’m continually searching for new music, I didn’t stumble across it until recently.

Bite The Bullet formed in 1986. They released a widely acclaimed (at the time) self-titled debut album in 1989, before going into hiatus for about thirty years after their record company folded, and a tour supporting “ELO” fell through.

A few years ago the band reformed after “Rock Candy Records” re-issued the debut album. Since then they released two new albums, “Black and White” in 2021 and “End of the Line” in 2022. Whereas some speculated that the title “End of the Line” suggested a second death, we now we have a third, “Rocky Road.” The band’s music has been described as melodic rock in the genre of Mr. Mister, Toto, Foreigner and Asia, with British rock guitar overtones. The single “Rock Road” has perhaps more of a Doobie Brothers feel.

It took a while to find it, but Bite The Bullet’s single “Rock Road” is new this week on RadiJohan.



Former Smiths Member Releases “Best of” and New Single

New Music

English singer, songwriter and guitarist Johnny Marr first achieved fame in the eighties as the guitarist and co-songwriter of “The Smiths.” Since then, he has been a session musician and a member of various bands, including “The Pretenders.”

Marr released his first solo album, “The Messenger,” in 2013. His second solo album, “Playland,” came in 2014, a third, “Call the Comet,” in 2018 and the fourth, “Fever Dreams Pts 1-4,” in 2022. All four albums made the top 10 in the UK.

A few weeks ago Marr released “Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr.” The collection includes a new single he wrote while touring with “The Killers” and “Blondie.”

“Somewhere” by Johnny Marr is new this week on RadiJohan.

The Sherlocks Won’t Stop

New Music

English band “The Sherlocks” have released “Won’t Stop.” The single is taken from their 2023 album “People Like Me & You” which peaked at number 4 in the UK album chart this year, making it the band’s third UK top 10 album.

“Won’t Stop” by The Sherlocks is new this week on RadiJohan.