Faith Richards has a kind of expressive vocal that glides beautifully over soulful and dark indie notes. This is a sound that is effortlessly charming, all the while moving and captivating.
“I wrote ‘Same Language’ after falling in love with a man who was still learning the English language. Love itself sparked something new in me. Simultaneously, I felt free and safe, and words didn’t matter as much anymore – ‘We speak the same language in everything we’re not saying.'”
New York-bred Humble Braggers are back today with the electrifying and euphoric ‘Only’. Although infused with familiar old-school vibes, the song still retains an inordinate amount of modern pop sensibilities!
Whimsical pop-rock duo Rightfield are back today with a shimmering slice of hazy bliss, in the form of new single ‘Baby’.
“‘Baby’ is all about the slower parts of when Summer rolls around. It’s about being outside in the still of the night and feeling content with where you’re at and who you’re with. Enjoying the ordinary present and feeling gratitude for being alive in that moment.”
Hailing from London, pop talent Scott the Pisces is a songwriter and producer with a flair for creating bops that are infectiously catchy and near impossible not to love.
A perfect addition to your summer playlists, ‘Crazy About You’ took two months of producing, writing and mixing, and features vocals from Raene.
“I wanted to write a song about the experience we all have when we first get a taste of love. That magical feeling we embrace while we’re young, the simplicity of it all. How we begin to experience the excitement and all the little elements that come with it. I tried to create a summarising narrative of how I experienced my first love, the innocence of wearing your heart on your sleeve.”
Debut EP ‘Ocean Blue’ is out now.
Hyperpop comes in two forms: it’s either fantastic, or fantastically bad. Fortunately, Luke Black seems to be a master of the genre, crafting some of the finest blends tracks you could expect.
Hailing from the Serbian city of Čačak, this talent has been named by the media as ‘The Serbian Pop Alchemist’ for his songwriting style as well as his live performances, channeling modern mysticism through a uniquely distinctive sound. On ‘Amsterdam’, Luke says:
“It’s a coping mechanism, an escape from the real world into the smoke and mirrors of the beautiful city.”
Influenced by the likes of Frank Ocean, Brockhampton, D’Angelo, Kelis and Justin Timberlake, Phoenix-based Irish singer and producer Pop Wallace has created one of my favourite alt-RnB tracks this week.
A stripped-down and mellow affair, ‘Out Sick’ is a finessed and sleek sound that deals with self-sabotage, excess, and self-worth.
The brainchild of Liverpool-based artist Kate Hazeldine, NIIX is a musical project that perfectly blends hyperpop with deconstructed club sounds. The result is a style of song that is distinctly unique and intriguing, yet easy to connect with.
“Dance music for introverts. A floaty garage number exploring unrequited love beneath strobe lights and on cold nights.”
Taken from the EP ‘I’ which is out now.
A perfect blend of summery RnB and rap, just in time for the season ahead. UK talent HRTLSS teams up with LAYNE and Pre Kai Ro on the release of new single ‘New Coupe’. The track itself is all about the feeling of freedom that we’e all been craving for since the beginning of lockdown.
“This song is about being with the ones close to us and just letting go of everything.” – HRTLSS
HRTLSS | pre kai ro | LAYNE
Born and raised in Brighton, British alt-rock artist Edward Sansom is a singer, songwriter and producer who’s approach to music-making promises sounds that are electrifyingly energising and packed with intensity.
“The song reflects my feelings of isolation in a digital world. It acts as a circuit breaker to all the noise.”
Kicking off the weekend with a hugely promising Irish talent, Black Pope has a uniquely distinctive style of alt-rock that is immediately arresting. ‘Demon Stomp’ is a nostalgia-tinged sound that feels raw, dark and sinister – all the while still carrying a playful twist.
“I guess the song is about not belonging anywhere, and the emotional chaos that can cause,. We all find a balance of how much we’re willing to go along with other people’s expectations, but without a strong sense of self, it can be easy to get lost.”
Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Music for Girls Vol. I’ which is out soon.
One of the most exciting discoveries that I have recently come across, Cathy Jain is a 17-year old talent who was born in Salford and raised in China and Australia before returning to the UK.
With instantly recognisable vocals that flow over a wonderfully airy production, Jain’s approach to pop is refreshingly simple and totally endearing.
A stripped-back yet hugely catchy mix of lo-fi pop and indie from a new Norwegian talent.
Some of the most promising indie-rock to emerge from the UK lately, Jamie Button’s approach to the genre is unashamedly bold and impactful.
With previous singles ‘Flashbang’ and ‘Told You Things’ peaking at No. 3 and No.2 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts, it’s only a matter of time before this talent becomes a big name.
“‘Strange Saints’ was written in lockdown and speaks of frustration, inner turmoil and a desire to break free.”
On this fantastically eccentric blend of pop and indie, Australian talent Sahara Beck creates a sound that feels emotive and intriguing in equal measures. Co-written by Tony Buchen, Sahara says:
“We created a lullaby of desperation. This song means different things to me. On one hand I’m singing it about everyone I’ve ever given my everything to… On the other hand I sing it to the music industry, my biggest desire. The only thing I’ve ever been sure of is that I love music. I love how it makes me feel and I love that what I create can make others feel something, whether it be sadness, hope or love.”
Still only 21-years old, you may already recognise Dutch newcomer RANI’s voice from her feature on Sam Feldt’s worldwide hit ‘Post Malone’.
‘Sugar Rush’ is a perfect slice of pop; this is a fun, sweet and wildly catchy sound that will likely stick with you all day.
One of Oklahoma City’s finest, Adam Ragsdale returns today with a stunning slice of indie pop in the form of ‘Mine!’. Wonderfully catchy, this is a summery sound that is perfect for the upcoming season ahead of us.
“Writing this song came at a time where I began asking myself, ‘are you who/ what you want to be?’ I felt as though I was pursuing something so attractive, yet didn’t realise how empty it was until I had pushed so many people away. It’s really the people in my life that make my life better, and I quickly realised that. So, all-in-all, this song was about trying to find the love for myself enough to reign my thoughts back in, and love the people around me better. It’s really just a slap in the face to myself, telling myself I need to be better to those around me, pursuing a purpose of being a servant-leader and loving harder and better. It’s honestly an incredibly emotional song, but it definitely has a fun groove that makes it a unique track on the record.”
Brooklyn-based SaintAhmad is not only a rapper, singer and songwriter but also a dancer. His sound blends classic RnB with nostalgic and soulful tones to create a something that is mesmerising, charming and totally loveable.
Hailing from Tennessee, Nox Holloway were undergrads turning lemons into lemonade during the pandemic, recording remotely from their home studios in Nashville and South Carolina, as well as London during their time studying abroad.
A perfect musical partnership, one half of the duo is a producer, while the other is a songwriter, lyricist, and vocalist who is as likely to find inspiration strumming his ukulele as he’s in the flow of hip hop by his idols. Together they realised that they had all the skills needed to write the kind of songs that previously only existed in their imaginations.
To celebrate the release of new single ‘Audrey’, I managed to send over some questions to this enigmatic outfit to get to learn more about their process…
For those who have yet to hear your music, how would you describe it?
We like to call our music ‘alt pop’ as a general description, but we talk all the time about making a statement with our musicality and delivery while maintaining catchy hooks and overall accessible songs. Ideally, our work can be easily enjoyed by anyone, but we also want to satisfy those who will take a deeper dive.
You worked remotely from your home studios during the pandemic. Do you think that this process made an impact on the way that your sound was formed?
Absolutely. Working remotely meant a lot of asynchronous work in our rooms alone. We think that this time honing our respective crafts individually only upped the product as we recorded and finished songs over FaceTime together. There’s much more experimentation and detail orientation when you’re alone in a room, so the remote work really let us explore as individuals what we like and how we want to sound as Nox Holloway.
What inspirations do you take when writing your music?
We draw a lot of inspiration from film. This was pretty on the nose with ‘Audrey’ but there are some more subtle nods to the big screen in what we have coming. Also, with some visual art and our favourite albums, we love how immersive artistic expression can be, so we try to create music and sonorities that one can get lost in. Beyond that, we keep a pretty close eye on charts and metrics to see if there’s any music blowing up that is especially inspiring to us.
Who are your current favourite new artists?
The newer artists we love are Jack Harlow, Dominic Fike, Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Kays, Petey, The Kid LAROI, and Billie Eilish. Is she still considered new?
Who would your dream collaboration be with, and why?
I think for the both of us our dream collab is with Jon Bellion. He was an artist we bonded over when we first met, and his process and passion as related to his music and artistry have provided us with endless amounts of inspiration and wisdom.
What does the rest of the year have in store for you?
We’re going to continue to release new music and videos. Later in the year I’d imagine we’ll start to discuss live shows, and we’re constantly writing and recording new songs. Hopefully there are some more great Q&A’s like this along the way too! Thanks for great questions!
New single ‘Audrey’ is out now, and the debut EP will be released imminently.
Performing a beautiful ode to a true LGBTQ+ trailblazer, Sammy Copley is a 20-year old Dublin-based singer and songwriter who’s style of folk-inflected ballads are stunningly emotive and soothing.
“‘Marsha,’ named after icon Marsha P. Johnson, is a song that explores the tumultuous mixture of anger and gratitude that comes from honouring the legacy of the trans women of colour that paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights without ever being afforded them themselves. It captures the feeling of bittersweet gratitude for the work and life of Marsha P.”
A new emerging Australian talent, Halfsesh is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Gold Coast.
Combining dark and broody pop tones with hints of hip hop, this is a sound that lures you in through it’s intrigue, and keeps you hooked and wanting so much more.
“This was one of those songs that I sat down to write and (not to be cheesy) it really did write itself. It’s rare that that happens for me but I had a lot of emotion during the writing period of this track which really helped it all come together I think.”
