Alice Merton is ready to return to the stage with her new single “Vertigo.”
Produced by Koz, the track was inspired by a dizzying experience Merton had while waiting in line for a club. She channels this unease into a dense drum beat and cathartic guitar riff reminiscent of Muse as she tries to grapple with the unpleasant sensation.
“‘Vertigo’ was the first song I had written, where I thought ‘OK, now I’m actually writing for the next album,'” Merton tells Rolling Stone. “For the first time in a while, I felt excited to have written a song that I couldn’t wait to perform live. It basically came about after Koz and I had talked about what it’s like living in Berlin, the very different club scene, and my anxiety when it came to going out and being in big crowds and small spaces. I casually described a club night, where I felt out of place, and the feeling of vertigo took over. We both felt it would be fun to play around with this idea and create a dark atmosphere, supported by a driving rhythm and an almost hypnotic guitar riff.”
“Vertigo” marks Merton’s first new music since 2019’s Mint. In 2018, she was featured as a Rolling Stone Artist You Need to Know, where she discussed her debut single “No Roots.” Merton describes her new album as darker and more melodic than its predecessor.
“It was important to me that whatever comes next isn’t just a logical sequence to Mint, but a more adventurous journey, challenging myself but also staying true to what feels right in the moment,” she says. “I was lucky to work with various producers who were just as excited as I was to venture out of our comfort zone and try new things.”
MUSIC PREMIERES
It’s been nearly a decade since Smokey Robinson’s last album, but new music from the King of Motown is on the horizon.
Robinson will release the nine-track album “Gasms” on April 28, the music legend behind hits like “My Girl” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do” announced Friday.
“Gasms” features new songs produced and written by Robinson himself. The former vice president of Motown Records released his last collaborative album nine years ago, “Smokey & Friends,” which featured musicians like Elton John, John Legend, Steven Tyler and Mary J. Blige.
The upcoming album’s first single, “If We Don’t Have Each Other,” is now available on streaming services.
Robinson is a legendary music producer, songwriter, record label executive and solo musician who’s penned over 4,000 songs and been inducted into the the Rock ‘n’ Roll and Songwriters’ halls of fame.
The musician has worked with other historic Motown artists like the Temptations, Mary Wells, Brenda Holloway and Marvin Gaye.
Robinson will soon be honored alongside fellow Motown musician Berry Gordy as the 2023 “Persons Of The Year” at the Recording Academy’s annual MusiCares event on Feb. 3 in Los Angeles.
