Roxanne de Bastion - Red and White Blood Cells
Roxanne de Bastion releases her single ‘Red and White Blood Cells’ on Nomad Songs, October 12th as a free download.
This two-minute track is the first taster of her debut album, which was recorded and produced by Gordon Raphael (The Strokes / Regina Spektor) in Berlin and is due for release next year.
‘Red and White Blood Cells’ is raw, bold and in a league of its own. Roxanne’s voice and quirky lyrics soar over pulsating, electric guitar, culminating in an explosion of distortion.
Recording this track was as Gordon Raphael put it 'buckets of fun' and you can hear it. Is this story about a hypochondriac, a white blood cell deficiency or the ins and outs of a relationship? One thing is certain: This young singer-songwriter does things differently.
Roxanne’s journey started when she set out on her own, leaving her hometown Berlin for London, equipped only with her guitar and a one-way ticket.
She grew up in a bilingual, musical home and played her first gigs at the age of 10 (performing her favourite Beatles songs in small cafés and clubs) and began writing her own songs at the age of 15.
Not knowing anyone in London, Roxanne started playing at as many open mic nights, bars and music venues as she could, travelling throughout the country via bus and train in order to play her songs to as many people as possible.
Determination and hard work is paying off and Roxanne now tours regularly, being asked back to venues throughout the UK, Germany and the United States. Her music is striking a chord with listeners across the globe from Berlin, to London and New York, all the way to Vietnam and Ethiopia.
Roxanne’s compositions and live shows are incredibly varied in dynamism and style, ranging from intimate, lilting anti-folk to raw 60’s blues-rock.
What ties them together are her charm, her instantly recognisable voice and the sincere, witty and downright ballsy lyrics. Her recordings are live, honest and immediate. Her songwriting is influenced just as much by her travels as it is by her musical heroes John Lennon, Ray Davies, Bob Dylan, and Judee Sill.
A young person making modern and original music but recorded old school, makes for a fresh sound in an otherwise overproduced universe of ‘same old’.