A distinctively unique and intriguing approach to electronic pop from the artist formerly known as Knapsack.
New Music: gabby start
Category: New Music
New Music: Reyanna Maria
Hailing from Australia, 19-year-old Melbourne-based Filipino pop-R&B singer and songwriter Reyanna Maria is destined for global stardom.
Lamenting over a lame relationship, her finessed new single ‘Loser’ sees elements of piano trickling over a sparse beat as her flow turns its tempo on a dime.
Signed by Steven Victor himself and already garnering praise from the likes of HIGHSNOBIETY, Forbes, Raydar and HotNewHipHop, this could well be Reyanna’s biggest year yet.
New Music: Eph See
New Music: The Let Go
An anthemic blend of pop, indie and rock from Liverpool-based American outfit The Let Go.
This is a sound that is immediately relatable to listeners from almost any generation, thanks to a rich blend of influences that fuse together seamlessly. Expect to see this group go far!
New Music: Jonah Roy
Hailing from St. Louis is emerging artist Jonah Roy, who’s latest release ‘F*ck That!’ has just surpassed 100k plays alone.
Blending pop with an essence of playfulness, this is a sound that feels fresh, unique and charmingly youthful.
New Music: Cate Tomlinson
Representing some of the most exciting new talent from the USA is 20-year-old singer, songwriter and performing artist Cate Tomlinson.
Still a student at Northeastern University, this Boston-based creative forms emotive sounds inspired by pop, soul, and rock & roll. The end result is music that feels fresh and current, while still maintaining a deeper and more soulful essence.
“Whether it’s composing a brutal text or making a grocery list, the Notes app has become Gen-Z’s (and my own) digital diary. I wrote this song about stress-writing text apologies in my Notes app; ‘notes app apology’ wallows in the paralysing period of time where you know a relationship is all wrong and you need to get out – but you haven’t left yet. I found myself in a toxic situation and still had the instinct to protect the relationship and hold onto this person. I wrote about realising they thought they could say anything to me thinking I’d always be there, and coming to terms with the fact that the time I spent drafting texts in my Notes app to put us back together was time wasted.”
New Music: Calabasas
Already reaching close to 100k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, it’s safe to say LA-based duo Calabasas are picking up considerable momentum. Blending alt-pop with elements of R&B, electronica and hip hop, these are songs that sound distinctly unique while still feeling relatable.
With its perfected production and smooth melodic flow, ‘The Mend’ shows that not only are Calabasas rising stars in their own right, but they are also currently one of the most sought after production duo’s in the industry.
“We wanted to take a deeper dive into our personal lives on this song. I wrote this at a tough time in my relationship for the woman I love. It’s a chance to get vulnerable with our fans and let them know that we are all humans and we make mistakes.”
New Music: TAELA
A hugely catchy sound from American artist TAELA. Already garnering a committed fanbase across social media, this starlet-in-the-making seamlessly constructs pop-rock anthems that are sure to win your hearts.
“I wrote this song about my personal struggle with social media. I’ve found it really easy to lose myself constantly trying to look good online and live up to society’s standards… And I’ve realised a lot of people struggle with the same thing. Everybody is so quick to judge based solely off of their personal perspective. Social media gives anybody and everybody access to an opinion of you and that can be mentally exhausting.”
New Music: Ludic
Vancouver outfit Ludic have come up with one of the most charming releases of the week, thanks to a genius production that serves us sleek alt-pop with a quirky and offbeat twist.
‘Judge Me’ was written about feeling lonely in a relationship and feeling like you can’t do anything right; when your constant efforts to try and change are not working and instead are met with more criticism by your partner.
“The song tackles what it’s like to recognise harmful patterns in a romantic relationship, and the determination to mend all that is wrong because you are committed to your love for that person.” – Max Cunningham, Ludic
New Music: Freddy Madson
Of all the tracks I receive from Scandinavia, this has to be one of the strongest releases that I have come across so far this year. Freddy Madson is an independent pop artist based in Copenhagen who is creating some of the most sublime sounds you could hope for.
‘Hanging in the Air’ is a beautifully dreamy yet highly-charged song that fuses hints of indie and jazz, telling the honest story of how to regain faith and trust in yourself when everything seems lost.
“I think everyone knows what it’s like to feel imperfect or inadequate. Other people’s great expectations can suddenly become a massive burden in your life – and it literally dragged me down, creating an endless flow of irrational thoughts and unnecessary contemplation. It was the feeling of hanging in the air while racing for a new tomorrow but it was with the help from my closest ones, that I got back on track.”
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New Music: Zac and The New Men
A raw, punchy and invigorating take on British rock from a group that consists entirely of 17-year old musicians. This is a sound that is unashamedly bold and fully encapsulates the energy of youth.
The group’s empowering new release ‘Deeper’ was written as a commentary on today’s society and being judged by outward appearances; all the while expressing anger at feeling held back by other’s perceptions of who you are.
New Music: Haunter
An anthemic mix of hard rock and emo-pop from emerging Texas outfit Haunter. The longer you listen to new single ‘Paralyze’ the more grand and epic this track gets.
With lyricism that is refreshingly honest, the song explores themes of sex, non-monogamy, unhealthy obsessions, and power.
“The idea of music leaving this lasting impression always fascinated me. You can always remember why your favourite song hits close to home or why that song brings you to tears. The name HAUNTER fits us perfectly, because I wanted to write music that lasted and haunted you in a way.” – Enoma Asowata, Haunter
New Music: Lonely Gimmick
UK-based Lonely Gimmick is the alter ego of anonymous multi-instrumentalist Max Pow. With a refreshingly original approach to music-making, this talent seamlessly incorporates a multitude of genres to form sounds that feel timelessly classic yet eccentric in tone.
New single ‘Grumpy Days’ serves as an honest art piece about love and the early days of starting a life together with your significant other.
“‘Grumpy Days’ makes the grounded point that love is hard and building a life with someone takes work, tolerance and patience.”
New Music: VALDIS
Emerging from Iceland is singer-songwriter VALDIS. While only crafting sounds since 2020, this talent has already landed on the official radio charts in Iceland and featured on numerous Official Spotify Editorial playlists with her work.
‘Onto You’ is a relatable and empowering blend of RnB and dark pop that captures the excitement and danger that come with a new relationship.
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New Music: Em Beihold
Born and raised in Los Angeles of half-Persian descent, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and All-American fencing champion Em Beihold crafts a pensive and powerful style of pop.
A short teaser on TikTok for new single ‘Numb Little Bug’ quickly generated a staggering 1.5 million views and 317k likes, solidifying this emerging talent as one to watch.
“I want my music to help people feel more included. A lot of my life, I felt excluded in school and from a lot of other things, so I’m trying to create a community and give everyone permission to be happier in your own skin.”
New Music: Agnes Rangel
Danish newcomer Agnes Rangel crafts an intensely unique and captivating blend of pop, jazz and trip hop. This 21-year old songwriter and musician releases her debut single ‘Blindsided’ today.
Her sound encapsulates complex human traits like infatuation and angry jealousy, all within an intimate space where honesty and feelings arise between herself and the listener.
“The song is about a beautiful friendship and how a one-sided love-euphoria can mess up everything. About how, what was meant to be a declaration of love between best friends, became a final, brutal quarrel and a recurring nightmare of total confusion and excruciating pain. I wrote ‘Blindsided’ in the middle of the night with all these emotions circulating around inside my body. I recorded it the morning after.”
Watch out for the upcoming EP, ‘Sexual Dependency’, which is expected to be released later this year.
New Music: Parkshores
Emerging from Los Angeles are Italian outfit Parkshores. Through the fusing of influences like indie, K-Pop, trap and electronica into their pop sound, this trio create a sound that feels experimental and distinct in character.
Nostalgic release ‘Limousine’ is taken from the band’s upcoming debut EP, and perfectly encapsulates their unique approach to music-making.
“‘Limousine’ is a song that speaks about the multiple streams of thoughts you have when you are just done with college. The need of finding an occupation eventually as soon as possible, the indirect need of finding validation in your career with status objects like a car, a house, online presence, your outfit and more, but most importantly how people around you will influence your decisions that will put the foundation for your future career and what person you decide to be.”
New Music: Bad With Phones
Emerging from South London, Bad With Phones delivers an original sound that is arrestingly minimal at its core.
Experimental and refreshingly unconventional in character, his new release ‘Living & Surfing’ was written as a love letter to his favourite place, Berlin.
“‘Living & Surfing’ is a song about ‘couch life’ – my journey being out in my favourite city Berlin. Living off the bare minimum… Meeting friends that I’ll know for the rest of my life, having my heart broken, breaking hearts (Of course), eating falafel wraps every day, sleeping on park benches, being harassed by the police and last but most importantly sexy bass lines.”
New Music: BOKN
BOKN are an emerging outfit hailing from Hoboken in New Jersey. Already gaining momentum, the duo’s single ‘WON’T BE LONG’ was recently featured on NBA 2K21.
Now they’re back with the equally catchy release of ‘DRESSED IN LOVE’. Citing their major influences as Michael Jackson and blink-182, these chaps seamlessly fuse elements of pop with hip hop to create sounds that will stay in your head all day!
New Music: Ni/Co
Ni/Co might not be a group that you’d have heard of before, but this R&B-pop outfit already command over 100k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, rapidly gaining a loyal and significant fanbase.
Today sees the release of their vibrant new single, which also happens to be a re-write of the classic Christina Aguilera Y2K hit ‘What A Girl Wants’. With a new storyline, the track serves nostalgic tones with a fresh and current twist.