With the weekend on the horizon, we’ve got some outstanding electronica to share with you from Tokyo.
‘Waiting’ is by Japanese music producer Toshiki Abe, and treats listeners to a melodic piece of music that is as euphoric as it is emotive.
“About some loneliness and hope wishing for someone you love.”
Initially debuting back in 2021 with ‘DAYS’, Abe has since released a handful of singles which have collectively amassed thousands of streams on Spotify alone. We can’t wait to see what this talent comes up with next!
If you’re in the mood for some dreamy R&B-pop then we’ve got the perfect song for you.
‘kiss me‘ is Australian newcomer Billie Skye’s latest single, and is lifted from the musician’s debut ‘Amorous Mirage’ EP (out today). Lyrically, the track draws its inspiration from feelings of emancipation. Billie explains:
“Music was always a tool for me to work through harsh truths and unwanted feelings, I wrote this song at a turning point, capturing the feeling of freedom after deep sadness.”
Despite being a relatively new name, we predict that Skye’s traction will pick up significantly over the next few months – so be sure to keep this starlet on your radars!
Track of the week. We’re absolutely obsessed with American starlet Jessy Lipton and her anthemic new single ‘LABEL’.
While still only 21-years of age, this talent has already proven herself as one of New Jersey’s most promising musical newcomers, and is likely to hit the mainstream very soon.
With her bold and refreshingly punchy approach to indie-pop, this singer-songwriter is likely to become one of your new favourites of the year. Keep this kid on your radars… she’s one to watch!
Hailing from the German city of Munich come promising indie rockers Talking Pets, who are already gaining steady traction within their home nation and also throughout the continent.
This group create a style of music that is utterly charming to experience. In equal measures, their sound is both nostalgic and future forward, while their melodies are immediately catchy. Elaborating on their new single ‘The World Has Turned Its Back On Me’, they say:
“‘The World Has Turned Its Back On Me’ is a three and a half minute melodrama that tells of the longing for a time when everyday life was not yet determined by obligations and one still lived for the day. This longing finds expression in the fictional character of a childhood friend who, unlike the narrator, seems to have her life under control – but only at first glance.”
Talking Pets have supported outfits as iconic as Editors and Frightened Rabbit. Fans in Germany can catch the band performing tomorrow (6th Jan) at Muffatwerk München – tickets can be found here.
This weekend’s bop is delivered to us by rising actor, singer and songwriter Gayaneh Lara.
New single ‘I Think He’s Trying To Kill Me’ showcases the British-Armenian’s natural flair for crafting interesting and intriguing sounds.
In a similar vein to Billie Eilish’s early work, the track thoughtfully fuses playful alt-pop with dark indie.
The resulting production feels almost sinister in tone, while still maintaining a sense of cheekiness.
The song follows on from Lara’s debut single ‘scary‘, and is released alongside a brand new video which presents the artist’s visual identity for the very first time.
Velvet Halo is a new collaborative project featuring singer-songwriter and vocalist Justina Shandler, and musician/producer David Thiele.
Collectively, this duo’s work has landed placements on prominent shows like Good Trouble, Call Me Kat and Temptation Island.
‘Warm Night’ is the outfit’s stunning new single, and features vocals from both artists. The track’s lyrics are sincere and heartfelt, while the production presents listeners with a soundscape that is emotive and melancholic in tone. Elaborating further on the song’s inspiration, they explain:
“This is a timely song about finding solace and comfort with the one you love amidst this world that seems to be chaotic and falling apart.”
James Garlimah is a promising singer, songwriter and producer emerging from Canada. Having already amassed more than half a million catalogue streams to date, this talent is already on his way to hitting the mainstream.
‘Place Like This’ presents listeners with a refreshingly uplifting fusion of Afrobeats, pop and R&B. The song is lifted from the artist’s freshly-released debut album, called ‘Forever Thing, Vol.1’ (listen here). Explaining the story behind the song’s lyrics, Garlimah says:
“‘Place Like This’ was inspired by my now girlfriend Ella. During the recording of my debut album, my manger T-mix suggested that we go to the Province next to ours which is Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to shoot a music video for the first single on the album. After the video shoot, we went to a night club not far away from our Airbnb. Our sever that night happened to be Ella. She was kind, professional and gorgeous. After I paid for our tab, I asked for her number before leaving. We started texting the following day. She has a law degree but prefers to work at the club in the summer because the environment is less hostel and the hours are not so demanding. To put away your law degree for a few months and work at the local pub sounded crazy to me, so my following question to her was, ‘Tell me the truth, what are they giving you in a place like that?’. We laughed it off, but little did she know, I was going to write a whole song about it.”
The track was created alongside Ghanian producer Cobby Dollar, mixed by Mario Abramson, and mastered by the highly acclaimed Chris Athens.
If you’re in a melancholic kinda mood today, then we’ve got the perfect song for you.
‘maybe its over’ is the gorgeous new single from rising newcomer Anderson Hao, and presents listeners with a production that is intensely gripping and rich in emotion.
The song is lifted from Hao’s ‘Mom I’m a Popstar!’ project, which is out now. Anderson’s music has been praised by outlets like Banger of the Day, LA On Lock and Pop Passion Blog, and in our opinion is a talent to watch for in 2024.
One of our favourite discoveries this week is India-born and Dallas-based artist Jordan Johnson. Johnson has been a tastemaker favourite since his teen years, picking up praise from outlets as prominent as Rolling Stone India and VH1 India.
‘Where Are You’ showcases a style of sound that is impeccably produced, drawing listeners into a soundscape that is haunting as it is mesmerising. Elaborating on the song’s inspiration, Jordan says:
“I wrote ‘Where Are You?’ right after I signed my divorce papers. It felt like I was mourning my wife, even though she was alive. Like the only way for me to move on was to see it like a death, and grieve the loss the same way. It felt like I was confronted by her ghost with every memory and with each memory her face, voice and the finer details getting further away with each passing day. I wanted the soundscape to sound like what I would imagine what the Buddhists refer to as ‘bardo’ or the in between life and rebirth. Far away, lonely and a just a little bit spooky.”
Without any doubt, this is one of the most powerful singles that we’ve come across in a long time. Johnson’s new EP is called ‘For Alice’, and is available to stream now.
talker is the musical moniker of rising American indie artist Celeste Tauchar. This talent has caught our attention thanks to her natural flair for songwriting, which features honest lyricism, beautiful melodies, and thoughtfully-constructed productions.
New single ‘Drag Your Feet’ is lifted from the musician’s upcoming debut album, and looks at the emotions and tensions associated with the downfall of a relationship. Elaborating further, she says:
“‘Drag Your Feet’ was written after the end of a 5-year relationship that had been slowly dying for a really long time. It’s the story of two people crashing into each other’s lives where their roads converge, but then realising it’s just one point on the map – those roads have to separate. To try to stay together would be like reaching across and ripping apart as those paths move further and further away.”
The track was written alongside fellow acclaimed writers Jon Graber, Jordan Blackmon, and Reade Wolcott. talker’s music has been praised by the likes of NPR Music, The A.V. Club and Billboard Magazine, while her songs have amassed more than 700k streams on Spotify so far.
Track of the week. Gamborg is a rising Norwegian artist who looks certain to hit the Nordic mainstream in 2024.
New single ‘Burdens’ is a beautifully intense piece of music that not only features refreshingly raw lyricism, but also showcases an epic pop-rock production.
“This world feels so overwhelming. Feeling anxious like all the time. Wait, is it self-indulgent for me to talk about my problems when people obviously suffer much worse problems than I do? You know what, I’ll just carry on and not tell anyone. That usually makes things a lot better”
Gamborg’s music has amassed close to 100k Spotify streams, from just 4 songs. Be sure to keep this kid on your radars!
We know very little about UK newcomer Jorge. – although if ‘Ruckus’ is anything to go by, we’ll be hearing a lot more from this hugely promising prospect.
The track is a bold, confident and arresting piece of music that blends elements of indie and rock with dark pop and alternative hip hop. The resulting sound is both intriguing and distinctly unique in tone.
If you’re interested to experience more of Jorge.’s music then he’s got two more singles out on Spotify – ‘SAME SH*T’ and the intriguingly named ‘Arlo Parks’. You can catch the artist performing live on the 8th December at London’s 93 Feet East – tickets here.
One of our favourite releases this week comes courtesy of Dutch outfit Future Husband.
‘Good Company’ is a fabulously energising slice of indie-pop that also features elements of psychedelica and rock. Lyrically, the song looks at the power of self, and deserves to be on everyone’s playlists for the weekend ahead.
“This song has been our little anthem for a while, and now it’s yours, we hope you love it.”
Future Husband have received praise from the likes of Atwood Magazine, Earmilk and Dansende Beren, while their songs have cumulatively garnered more than 350k streams on Spotify alone.
If you’re in the mood for some fresh pop today then we’ve got a banger for you! NY-based Maddie Regent is an emerging Canadian artist who is steadily gaining momentum – thanks to her infectiously memorable melodies and sharp productions.
Regent’s new single is called ‘Hiding place’, and is lifted from the musician’s debut ‘Girl of Your Dreams’ EP (out now). Elaborating on the track’s inspiration, she says:
“‘Hiding place’’ is about that toxic love that is so hard to escape because you know it too well. You know what the person is thinking and how they must be coping. You know where they play and where they hide. And when you’re still attached it’s hard not to be drawn to those places.”
The song was created alongside fellow artist (and boyfriend) Cade Hoppe. To date, Regent’s music has amassed more than a million streams on Spotify alone. We’re excited to see what this talent comes out with next!
Singer-songwriter bail bonds has to be one of the of the most interesting indie artists to have emerged from Brooklyn in recent times.
This talent crafts a very special style of lo-fi music that is refreshingly raw, intriguing, distinctive in character. New single ‘CALIFORNIA KING’ was written as a commentary to society’s relationship with capitalism, and also reminds us that money can never substitute the happiness that comes from love.
“The song is about surviving late-Capitalism in America by draping yourself in a coat of spiritual armour made of LOVE. Its dropping everywhere on November 27th aka Cyber Monday because in late-Capitalist America, we’re all selling something whether we like it or not. The song explores the question, ‘How many compromises can you make before you’re fundamentally compromised?’ In America, all the money is blood money. We’re forced to play a game we don’t want to win by rules we don’t agree with. The only thing that can make it all OK is the only thing that makes anything OK—we find LOVE and we cultivate it like our life depends on it (because it does). The song is ultimately a love letter to my girl—I’ll play the game, I’ll chase the money, I’ll dance with the darkness and run the rat race to create this life for us. I’ll do it all because the only thing I know for sure is that with you by my side, that darkness will never become us.”
The track is taken from the artist’s upcoming 3-track collection, which is called ‘Triptych 001: The Bluebird’.
Track of the week. Multi-talented Australian artist yergurl is back with another impressive piece of music that deserves your attention.
Serving as the fourth song from her upcoming mixtape, ‘ripe n sweet’ treats us with an ethereal blend of indie and dreamy pop. The track was written by yergurl while she was abroad in Thailand, and showcases the musician’s flirtier side.
“in this song I am essentially building a case around why someone should commit to me, what I can offer as a lover and how ripe, sweet & delicious I am lol. however the song warns not to take one’s time “or baby I’ll rot, turn sour and clot, dry up like a weed when it’s too hot”
yergurl’s work continues to grow in momentum, with the artist currently attracting close to 30k listeners on Spotify. Her songs have also accumulated more than a million streams to date, proving that this is a talent to watch.
While we know very little of Turkish & New York artist Natalie Kılıç, we feel as though she might be a name to watch for in the coming months.
New single ‘gimme now’ is an impressively bold and intense piece of electronic pop. Although minimal in it’s style of production, the sound is confident and punchy. Lyrically, the song was inspired by the feelings of uncertainty that arise when you begin to fall for someone.
“‘Gimme Now’ is an empowering anthem for anyone who’s experienced the unpredictability of an exciting connection.”
An upcoming EP is due for release soon. In the meantime, listeners can enjoy more of Natalie’s music by checking out her Spotify here.
Track of the week. Hailing from South London is 20-year old artist Proph. Already a favourite with tastemakers as noted as Clash and GRM Daily, this rising star looks set to hit the mainstream in the coming months.
Melodic new single ‘Trust Fall’ showcases Proph’s musical versatility by blending elements of UK hip hop with R&B in an understated yet finessed way. The track is not only sonically beautiful, but lyrically impactful.
Proph performs at Clash’s Next Up Showcase on the 30th November – you can find more details here. In the meantime, check out the artist’s debut ‘Lost In Translation’ EP here.
If you’re in the mood for some melancholic soul-pop then we’ve got the perfect song for you.
Rómchie (pronounced Rome-chee) is an emerging artist artist hailing from New York City, who has already amassed more than 150k career streams through only a handful of releases.
Melodic new single ‘Your Touch’ is yet another impressive track by the artist, and serves as an anthem for anyone suffering from a broken heart. Rómchie explains:
‘I open up about being abandoned by my lover in the moment of crisis.”
With a distinctive vocal tone and a natural flair for writing refreshingly honest and heartfelt songs, it’s no surprise that this talent is gaining so much momentum. One to watch!
