Glamour Hammer is the nom de plum of Swedish-based producer, songwriter and vocalist Adam Jonsson. In the comfort of his home studio, Glamour Hammer swings back and forth between creating dance-oriented disco house and jazz-infused dream pop with a sense of escapism and tongue-in-cheek attitude while always aspiring for a sense of timelessness and analogue feel. Drawing inspiration from a multitude of genres the most influential are 1970s-80s Funk, Disco, boggie, Classic rock, Latin rhythms and Afropop. Recent singles has got support from the likes of Dancing Astronaut, thissongissick.com and many more, and has really started the lounge packed nu-disco world to take notice of his arrival to the party. 

The recording features fellow ICEA-artist Anthony Mills other moniker; his rap alias Toni Sauna. Born and raised in the ”rubber city” Akron Ohio. From here the culture vessels pumped both national and international vibes reputation. This combined with 17 years repping NYC renders Toni’s grit /goon level vibration. The time thru the 90’s forged his ”golden era ” insensitivity. Sauna currently unrests in Stockholm, Sweden as a brand new Swede.  Mr. Sauna earned his signature name from inside public sauna Hermanni in Helsinki, Finland . The combination of street cred, lyricism, and personality is undeniable. Off rip. Likened to an apex predator Toni Sauna bars devour tracks with delicate precision completely harnessing his non-threatening anti- testosterone voice. 

This release comes with two remixes. 

French electronic disco mastermind YUKSEK has created a remix that takes the original in irresistible, bouncy Modern-Disco territory. Earlier this year the original version and the Yuksek remix of 'Is It True' was part of the compilation Too Slow To Disco presents: Modern Daytime Disco released by City Slang (non-exclusive license) alongside ie. Kraak & Smaak, Poolside, Prep, Yuksek, Luxxury.

The latest addition is the brand new remix from MVRE who blurs the line between EDM and pop music, bringing together fresh beats, catchy melodies and crisp, bass heavy production in a tight mix. Since debuting in 2018, the Swedish producer have been releasing music that has consistently landed on international New Music Friday lists, has streams in the millions and counting and have been compared to the likes of Zedd and The Chainsmokers. 

Glamour Hammer - Is It True feat. Toni Sauna is released May 14 via Icons Creating Evil Art

G L A M O U R _ H A M M E R
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlamourHammerOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glamourhammer_official/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7s4dnXFDZnMa8UfOKX5I4S
Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/glamourhammer-music

Glamour Hammer - Is It True EP (feat. Toni Sauna) (incl. remixes from Yuksek and MVRE)

N E W   R E L E A S E S

Buy/Stream

Is It True (feat Toni Sauna) (MVRE Remix)

Is It True (Yuksek Remix)

Is It True (feat Toni Sauna)

Art-Pop artist Bonander is back with a powerful and intimate EP, unpicking traumas connected to body and self-image
 
Enigmatic and alluring, Bonander released her visionary debut album, 'Things We Don’t Talk About' through Icons Creating Evil Art on 20th August 2021. The full-length was praised by media giants such as Rolling Stone, It's All indie, High Snobiety and GAFFA.  Now she is back with a new EP called "the thread", unpicking traumas revolving body and self-image. Leaning heavily on its acoustic element, the exquisite arrestments gives the EP's theme an even more naked and exposed edge.

Bonander is the shorthand for Ellinor Sterner Bonander. Sporting the role of musician, arranger and producer, the native Swede is a woman unchained. Boldly charging head first into her own fears in regards to the projects subsect, Bonander got to examine her own body image in a detailed and unforgiving way. It all began at a music residency where the artist spent a lot of time by herself a couple of years ago. She says: "'the thread' has been something of a therapeutic journey for me. I tried to challenge myself by writing on the topic of the body, precisely because it was initially experienced as something difficult and scary. I understood quite quickly that there were things to face and sort out there. I got the desire to, via music, lyric and image, put the spotlight on the self contempt for our bodies I and many others have, with the hope that it might lead to something else entirely."

Known for her cinematic soundscapes filled of dense bass lines, playful synth melodies and orchestral elements, Bonander sought to scale down the bombastic arrangements and let the music be more bare and intimate then her earlier work. “musically I wanted to go in a different direction. The challenge was to be as stripped down in the production as I dared, in the same way as the vulnerability in the lyrics I wrote.” she tell us.  
To further capture the essence and emotion of the music, she decided to record the EP live and contacted the pianist, organizer and colleague Sara Hermansson. Together they recorded and arranged five out of the EPs six tracksapart form it'sfirst single 'the loop', which Bonander wrote and arranged by herself. “The recordings are live takes where we play together without a metronome. I am incredibly grateful for Sara's artistry that’s contributed greatly to this work. She even lent me a piano piece she’s written as the outro of this Ep. As the icing on the cake, I also got to record the fantastic violinist Elias Sjöwall. Together, I hope we convey something fragile, naked and a little beautifully broken to the listener.”

“the thread” encourages the listener to join in discourse of uncomfortable topics and challenge the harmful social strukturs that is still very much in place. “We live in such an incredibly exposed society when it comes to appearance.” says Bonander. “As children, we are told that it is the inside that counts, but in every room you are in, it is disproved time and time again. In the workplace, at home, in love life, in the media. Appearance is capital and it's not until we acknowledge it that we can work towards it”.

‘the loop’ is the first single of upcoming EP 'the thread', released everywhere on September 29th, 2023 via Icons Creating Evil Art.

the thread

the loop

Bonander - the loop

REACH is back from their Europe tour with another crushing rock-anthem in new single Mama Mama
 
Recently recovered from an extensive and wildly successful tour around Europe supporting H.E.A.T., as well as the highly anticipated album release ‘The Promise of a Life’, REACH is back with a new thrilling tale in a punching Rock N’ Roll attire. ‘Mama Mama’ is the first offering from the band's brand new album and jump-starts the campaign with a healthy portion of energy, drama and attitude.

Apart from its high intensity and satisfactory rock casing, the song has some intriguing and horrifying storytelling wrapped in the grinding guitars and powerful vocal performance. Front singer and songwriter Ludvig Turner tells us about the dark lyrical theme of the single; “Mama Mama is one of the darkest songs from the new album. It’s written from the perspective of a kid seeing his parents fight, believing it's his fault. Classic… Mom beats dad to death and the kid worries what's gonna happen next. It all ends with him beating mommy to death”

REACH is known to incorporate a dramatic flare into their music, both musically and through their lyrics, and the new song does not disappoint! In this new album, the band teamed up with music producer Christian Schneider, who made it his mission to unite the playful essence of REACH’s music with their raw talent as musicians. Turner goes on to explain about his songwriting process: “I´m not really fantasizing about doing or experiencing the things I write about, but I will see or hear something really strange and then wanna make music and a story about it. This song takes inspiration from an interview Dr Phil did with a Teen named Zachary Davis. It is some dark horrific stuff, nothing for the faint of heart. But that's what I saw and “Mama Mama” is what came out of it.”

The trio consisting of Ludvig Turner, Marcus Johansson and Soufian Ma’Aoui is characterized by their mutual passion for music, their drive for experimentation and finding a very genuine joy in the process. The bond that connects the three musicians is evident in their explosive and unforgettable live shows, where their innate musical ability is bolstered by their unchained nature and love for improvisation.

After the extensive tour around Europe alongside H.E.A.T, Turner tells us: "We´re overwhelmed by the support and reactions from the tour. It was our first time playing the songs of "The Promise of a Life" live and they sound even better live than on record, and they sound damn well on record. We´re thankful for our chance to go out as H.E.A.T´s support act and we´re confident that we should keep doing what we do."

While making a name for themselves around Europe, steadily growing in supporters and fans, Reach opens this new era in thier Rock-Saga with a track that will no doubt keep their audience jumping and dancing. ‘Mama Mama’ is out September 15th via Swedish Boutique Label Icons Creating Evil Art.

Prophecy

Mama Mama

REACH - Mama Mama

Darkplace släpper de sista bitarna av sin episka berättelse om världens undergång med det nya albumet "About The End Of The World"

Darkplace är ett anonymt konstprojekt som intog musikscenen med imponerande närvaro och unikt berättarskap tidigare detta år. Musiken är rotad i postpunk men inspireras av en mängd andra genrer i sin komposition, där bland annat Experimentell Rock, Alt-Pop och Shoegaze är framträdande. Debutalbumet 'About the End of the World' är en monumental release som inte bara talar genom ljudmediet, utan också genom vackra och dystra digitala målningar och animationer. Konceptet bakom albumet utspelar sig i en mörk framtid eller kanske en alternativ nutid, där världen skildras i bilder inspirerade av verkliga platser, ofta centrerat kring det karga betonglandskapet i Stockholms Västerort, i en skrämmande  fantasifull tolkning.

Debutsingeln 'Arken över Hesselby' (video) skildrar en kuslig version av Stockholmsförorten "Hässelby". Videon visar oss en välbekant stadsbild, hemsökt av en okänd ark som iakttar från ovan. Dess efterträdare 'Fearmonger' (video) eller 'Skräckmakaren' tog oss till en annan del av samma universum, där vi vittnar om en ensam soldats öde när han står öga mot öga med den skrämmande luftfarkosten. I den tredje singeln 'Cars' (video) fokuserar historien på en man som följer kryptiska meddelanden på motorvägsskyltar norrut, och i den senaste singeln 'This Is Loud' (video) är vi tillbaka i Västeort, där lokalbefolkningen  skakas av oförklarliga enorma stenkors.

"Jag kunde inte gå ut längre, jag kände mig inte säker. Allt hängde ihop, jag vet inte hur men vi visste alla att det var en del av något större. I hemliga forum diskuterade vi. Vi visste vad det innebar, världen höll på att gå under. Är det möjligt att överleva detta? Kommer vi alla att bli galna? Ingenstans är säkert."

Låtarna på 'About the End of the World' skrevs alla med en specifik dramaturgi i åtanke. De filmiska musikvideorna beter sig närmast som kortfilmer, med egna berättelser från olika delar av det dystopiska universum som Darkplace skapat. Konstnären själv ger oss en spännande inblick i den kreativa processen: "Den första idén till en animation var Arken Över Hesselby. Jag började skapa konsten innan jag hade musiken, så stycket är skrivet som ett soundtrack till animationen."

Skapandeprocessen har flera lager som innefattar fotografi, skulptering, oljemålning, digital redigering och animering. Darkplace förklarar: "För strukturer som ‘Arken över Hesselby’ används Nomad Sculpt för att sätta formen, sedan exporteras motiven i specifika vinklar för varje scen och importeras till Procreate för att målas där. jag använder mig av oljepenslar och målar över fotot och skapar på så sätt en lager på lager-process. Det blir lätt rörigt och exporten blir ännu stökigare eftersom jag vill ha djup i scenerna och exporterar dem i olika lagerdjup. Några scener i det här projektet har också animerats bild för bild. Projekt har tagit nästan 2 år hittills, så jag försöker hålla det  rent och enkelt när det går."

Men sitt ambitiösa världs-skapande och berättande kommer det knappast som en överraskning att Darkplace har ett större fokus än enbart sin musik. Projektet vill utforska och kritisera tillståndet i världen genom ljud och bild och kommer säkerligen att vända huvuden med sitt innovativa tillvägagångssätt att skapa konst och diskussion.

’About the End of the World' släppas via det Stockholmsbaserade indie-etiketten Icons Creating Evil Art, streambar på alla större plattformar den 27 oktober 2023.

The End

Darkplace - The End

Art-Pop artist Bonander is back with a powerful and intimate EP, unpicking traumas connected to body and self-image
 

Enigmatic and alluring, Bonander released her visionary debut album, 'Things We Don’t Talk About' through Icons Creating Evil Art on 20th August 2021. The full-length was praised by media giants such as Rolling Stone, It's All indie, High Snobiety and GAFFA.  Now she is back with a new EP called "the thread", unpicking traumas revolving body and self-image. Leaning heavily on its acoustic element, the exquisite arrestments gives the EP's theme an even more naked and exposed edge.
 

Bonander is the shorthand for Ellinor Sterner Bonander. Sporting the role of musician, arranger and producer, the native Swede is a woman unchained. Boldly charging head first into her own fears in regards to the projects subsect, Bonander got to examine her own body image in a detailed and unforgiving way. It all began at a music residency where the artist spent a lot of time by herself a couple of years ago. She says: "'the thread' has been something of a therapeutic journey for me. I tried to challenge myself by writing on the topic of the body, precisely because it was initially experienced as something difficult and scary. I understood quite quickly that there were things to face and sort out there. I got the desire to, via music, lyric and image, put the spotlight on the self contempt for our bodies I and many others have, with the hope that it might lead to something else entirely."
 

But the EP doesn't focus solemnly on the negative thoughts we tend to have about the body. New single 'the void' is one of the songs that approach the subject more kindly, although still very intimate. Bonander tells us: "One of the more naked and warm thoughts about the body I encountered during this trip is the song the void, which deals with the desire of the body. To be attracted to someone, to long, to listen to the will of the body, disconnected from the rational, from norm and from prejudice. I think this feeling is easily suffocated under a lot of silly notions, and body anxiety is one of them for me. The void is my way of breaking free and admitting what I long for. The title reflects the endless sea of ​​desire and longing my body and the bodies of others carry with it. It looks different for everyone - but it's there."
 

Known for her cinematic soundscapes filled of dense bass lines, playful synth melodies and orchestral elements, Bonander sought to scale down the bombastic arrangements and let the music be more bare and intimate then her earlier work. “musically I wanted to go in a different direction. The challenge was to be as stripped down in the production as I dared, in the same way as the vulnerability in the lyrics I wrote.” she tell us. To further capture the essence and emotion of the music, she decided to record the EP live and contacted the pianist, organizer and colleague Sara Hermansson. “The recordings are live takes where we play together without a metronome. I am incredibly grateful for Sara's artistry that’s contributed greatly to this work. She even lent me a piano piece she’s written as the outro of this Ep. As the icing on the cake, I also got to record the fantastic violinist Elias Sjöwall. Together, I hope we convey something fragile, naked and a little beautifully broken to the listener.”
 

“the thread” encourages the listener to join in discourse of uncomfortable topics and challenge the harmful social strukturs that is still very much in place. “We live in such an incredibly exposed society when it comes to appearance.” says Bonander. “As children, we are told that it is the inside that counts, but in every room you are in, it is disproved time and time again. In the workplace, at home, in love life, in the media. Appearance is capital and it's not until we acknowledge it that we can work towards it”.

the void

Bonander - The Void

REACH unveils their latest single "A Million Lives" from the upcoming album "Prophecy"

REACH is making waves in the international Rock scéne. The upcoming new album's electrifying first single, "Mama Mama," has been on a remarkable run, featuring for three consecutive months on Radio Bob, one of Germany's largest commercial radio stations. The track's popularity continues to surge, as it's now being played on Star FM (Berlin/Nürnberg) and has also garnered support from Radio 21. This notable achievement places "Mama Mama" on three of the four biggest rock stations in Germany. But the excitement doesn't end there. "Little Dreams," the album's captivating second single, is making its mark in Sweden, earning a spot in the rotation of Bandit Rock. 

---

The dynamic Stockholm-based rock trio REACH is set to captivate the music world once again with their latest single, "A Million Lives," available from January 19th. This release marks another milestone in the band's journey towards their highly anticipated album "Prophecy," scheduled for release on March 29, 2024, under the esteemed Swedish Boutique Label, Icons Creating Evil Art.

"A Million Lives" is a testament to REACH's ability to weave dramatic narratives into their music. Known for their thought-provoking and emotionally charged lyrics, the band takes inspiration from real-life events, infusing a dark, compelling twist. This track delves into the psyche of youth, exploring themes of helplessness, desperation, and the tragic consequences of actions borne out of rage. Written from the perspective of a young individual on the brink of committing a crime, the song is a poignant reflection on the chilling reality of school shootings.

Ludvig Turner, the band's lead vocalist, shares his insights: "School shootings are so freaking dark and terrible in every way, and their increasing occurrence is frightening. We're all victims in this. 'A Million Lives' is our attempt to capture the consciousness of a moment that should never happen, a desperate plea to prevent a tragedy."

Musically, "A Million Lives" starts with an enchanting, almost crooning style before escalating into a full-blown rock anthem, characterized by powerful and gut-wrenching lyrics. The song's dynamic progression mirrors the tumultuous emotions it explores, capturing listeners in its intense narrative.

REACH, comprising Ludvig Turner, Marcus Johansson, and Soufian Ma’Aoui, continues to push musical boundaries. Their collaboration with acclaimed music producer Christian Schneider in crafting the upcoming album "Prophecy" has further honed their distinctive sound, blending playful elements with raw musical talent. This synergy is palpable in their explosive live performances, where their passion for music and improvisation creates an unforgettable experience.

Following their successful tour supporting H.E.A.T. across Europe, REACH has seen their popularity soar, with their previous singles gaining extensive airplay on major radio stations in Germany and Sweden.

"A Million Lives" is more than a song; it's a reflection of our times, a call to awareness, and a showcase of REACH's remarkable artistry. Be ready to experience the intensity and emotion of this powerful track. 

D I S C O V E R
Facebook: http:// https://www.facebook.com/reachofficialsweden
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reachband
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/REACHsweden
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PAH2hYK4vEvxLEwCg9zQ2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reachsweden

A Million Lives

REACH - A Million Lives

ICEA is a boutique music label and publisher with the intention of evoking feelings and reactions, we want to provoke, inspire, create, destroy, and disrupt old structures while having fun doing so. We sign and develop new talent from the ever evolving field of pop music. Fighting conservatism since 2015