If you’re in the mood for something uplifting this morning then we’ve got the perfect song for you.
‘Dance Again’ by Scottish newcomer sadHAPPY (aka Aaron Smith) is a masterclass in electro-pop, and treats listeners to a sound that is not only melodically memorable, but also infectiously joyful.
sadHAPPY is already garnering significant traction, and has been supported by tastemakers as iconic as Clash, NME and Wonderland magazines. With more than 600k streams from just four releases to date, this is one talent to watch!
Acclaimed American-Taiwanese singer and songwriter jocelvn has just released one of this summer’s most finessed songs.
‘delusional’ presents listeners with a luxuriously silky blend of electronic pop and alternative R&B. The production feels dreamy and airy in tone, but still maintains a strong sense of emotion that is compelling to experience.
“Writing this song felt especially cathartic, because I was writing about someone I felt like I couldn’t reach through conversation. Some of the things they said to me were so bizarre and manipulative that I genuinely felt that the only explanation was that they had to be delusional if they thought they were being true.”
jocelvn’s music has been gaining prominence in recent years, with support from outlets as respected as Wonderland, Clout and Vents magazines.
The artist will perform at The Goldfish in Los Angeles on the 26th July – tickets can be found here.
The resurgence of Y2K sounds seems to be ushering in a new generation of boybands, and we’re excited for it.
Hailing from Brooklyn, Cry Baby are a group of musicians who create songs in their bedroom studio, drawing inspiration from the classic pop and rock anthems of the late 90’s and early 00’s.
‘Hollister’ is the band’s latest single, and delivers a sound that somehow feels both nostalgic and modern at the same time. Could Cry Baby become America’s next supergroup? Very possibly..!
“Taking influence from Dawson’s Creek and Y2K mall culture, this song makes you feel like you’re living your best summer life.”
Track of the week. ‘Lightbeams’ by Feux is probably one of our favourite songs of the year so far.
This is a piece of music that is powerfully emotive, but also intriguing and captivating to experience. The atmospheric production was created as a way to reflect the lyricism, which addresses ‘the beauty and challenge of introspection and self-reflection’.
“In essence, ‘Lightbeams’ is not just a song; it is a personal testament of growth and transformation, marking the beginning of a new chapter.”
In our view, Feux represents the very finest in British alternative hip hop, and is undeniably one of the country’s biggest musical prospects.
To date, this emerging talent has amassed more than twelve million cumulative streams on Spotify alone.
It’s a big day for rising London artist ESS_WEST, who has just released his first new music of the year.
In trueESS_WEST style, ‘Damn’ effortlessly blends alternative R&B with melodic hip hop, showcasing a sound that is not only sleek but also future-forward in character. The lyrics were inspired by the artist’s thoughts on love, as well as the pain that sometimes comes with it.
‘Damn’ is taken from the artist’s upcoming ‘I love you, still’ project. We anticipate that ESS_WEST will become one of the UK’s next big rap talents, so be sure to keep him on your radars.
A master of many talents, Owen Hamlin is an experienced singer, songwriter, producer, mixer and engineer.
His vast skillset allows him to create music in the exact way that he intends for it to be heard, so that any listener can feel an instant connection to his work. He unveils his latest single today, called ‘And It Was Gone’.
The track applies Hamlin’s introspective lyricism over a melodic fusion of pop and hazy rock, resulting in a sound that feels sincere and melancholic in tone.
‘And It Was Gone’ serves as a follow-up to Hamlin’s previous release, ‘Swimming In Your Sea’ (listen here). An upcoming album is due for release soon.
UK hip hop artist Minimalist returns with a captivating new single called ‘Broken Glass’.
As we’ve come to expect from this hugely promising talent, the song not only delivers sonically, but also lyrically.
A finessed and well-constructed lo-fi style of production compliments Minimalist’s intelligent wordplay, and draws listeners into the artist’s mindset and observations.
“A song about putting yourself together when you’ve been broken.”
The song was created in collaboration with acclaimed singer-songwriter Martin Oet, who has also worked alongside names as prominent as Pitbull and Harry Styles.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve featured Alexander Grandjean on these pages, and for good reason.
The acclaimed Danish singer, songwriter and producer has built a name for himself across the world thanks to his sharp attention to detail and natural flair for creating ‘forest pop’ sounds that are refreshingly unique – but also relatable.
New single ‘Sailor’ is lifted from the musician’s upcoming ‘Holy Hills’ album (due for release in September), and is inspired by the longing feelings that we experience when distance pulls us apart from the people who we love.
“I’ve been away for too long, I see the change in your face. How many days have we lost? I need to start saying your name”
To date, Grandjean’s solo work has garnered more than 100k streams on Spotify alone. You can experience more of the artist’s work here.
Emma Noren is one of our most exciting discoveries this week, and when you play her new single ‘Garden’ you’ll understand why.
This self-produced track serves a masterclass on how to write the perfect summer song.
Stylistically, the production treats listeners to a shimmering fusion of indie, folk-pop and rock, resulting in a sound that feels playful and utterly uplifting to experience. Explaining the inspiration behind ‘Garden’, Noren says:
“‘Garden’ is this metaphor for all of my biggest, most embarrassing dreams – everything I want to do and be – and me shaking myself by the shoulders to wake up and realize that what I have and who I am now is actually pretty cool. As a kid, I fantasized about having a big garden of my own when I grew up, but I ended up living in a bunch of places that didn’t have room for one. Instead I got a bunch of other amazing things: a dog named Flapjack, a girlfriend, some really killer friends. So the message of Garden is maybe what I got was better than what I thought I wanted. It represents this intimate, torturous obsession that I have with the future and the unattainable, and attempts to bring me back to reality. It’s intended to be a bit of a soft slap on the cheek, a push to focus on what’s right in front of me and how beautiful it is, and a gentle reminder that we have time to grow and get there on our own time.”
If this is the first time that you’ve come across Noren’s work then we strongly suggest that you check out her debut ‘Good Dream’ project here. An upcoming EP is on the way!
Fritz Hager shot to fame as a contestant on season 20 of American Idol, consequently topping the iTunes Charts with his debut EP last year.
The self-described ‘indie guy’ is back today with one of the most beautiful ballads that we’ve come across in some time.
‘Bad Friend’ is an introspective piece that looks at young love, and the difficulties in navigating between friendships and relationships. Through its haunting soundscape, the song portrays feelings of sadness and contemplation, which are further amplified thanks to Hager’s soulful vocal delivery.
“‘Bad Friend’ is about how young love can ruin friendships. When we wrote this song, we wanted to explore how confusing love can be at a young age when you don’t have the tools to communicate it. ‘Bad Friend’ is a melancholic look into the past and a kind of apology to the people we hurt.”
With such a distinctive style of pop, we think it’s only a matter of time before Hager hits the global mainstream and becomes a known name across the world.
German-American artist Ninja Kidsoul has firmly marked his name as one of Europe’s leading neo-soul artists, and today’s release of ‘Face 2 Face’ only goes to further prove this.
Lyrically inspired by the concept of ‘existential anxiety’, the song looks at the complexities of trying to survive in the modern age.
“Some people wanna see you fail / so they stare, but we stare back”
Alongside it’s thoughtful wordplay, the track also showcases an intricate and refreshingly future-forward production that is filled with interesting sonic textures.
Ninja Kidsoul has performed on stages as prominent as the Montreux Jazz Festival, and also garnered praise from the likes of COLORS and ARTE Tracks.
Rising UK artist Chloe Amelia is back today with an impressive new single called ‘u already know’.
As we’ve come to expect from this talent, the song serves listeners with a polished pop sound that is not only well-constructed sonically, but also features some captivating and vivid lyricism. Elaborating further on the track, Chloe explains:
“This song was written about meeting somebody at a time when you have been protecting your feelings for so long that you couldn’t imagine falling in love again. You are so adamant that nothing will change that and ultimately end up blindly walking into a situation, or rather a person, that gets you completely hooked. The lyrics attempt to encapsulate the denial of having feelings for someone slowly melting away and the frustration that comes with this.”
The song was co-created alongside writer and producer Lagoon (aka Nicholas Bowen), and is the follow-up to Chloe’s debut release ‘sorry (kinda)’, which you can experience here.
Kaiya is an emerging singer, songwriter and dancer who was born in Melbourne and is currently residing in London. This hugely promising starlet is already building a name for herself, thanks to her distinct fusions of melodic soul and UK hip hop.
New single ‘Could Be’ features the talents of acclaimed East London rap artist Outlaw The Artist, and showcases Kaiya’s sound in a beautifully emotive way. The song was produced by J.Ar.J, and solidifies this artist as one to watch.
To date, Kaiya’s music has been praised by the likes of BBC Introducing and PBS, as well as tastemakers Wonderland, Beat and Vent magazines.
Acclaimed indie rockers Litvar return today with an anthemic new release called ‘Oh My God’.
The song delivers a production that is epic, cinematic and really quite bold in tone, while also maintaining an element of playfulness and unpredictability. Bandmate Rex Thurstan elaborates further on the track’s concept:
“A song about confronting ego, trying to improve your cognitive thinking and mental health. It was originally written in the summer of 2020, before our first album had even come out. And we’ve actually played it at every live show we’ve ever played! To us it kind of feels like the most ‘Litvar’ song, does all of the things we like to do, melodic verses, huge choruses, choppy electronic effects.”
Litvar’s next album, ‘Eloquently Aimless’ will be released on the 1st September 2023. Before then, the trio will visit the UK for some shows in August, and then head back to the States in the autumn to perform in their hometown. Dates and venues are below.
It’s been quite the wait, but California-based pop artist Séamus is finally back with some new music!
‘Lost My Baby’ is the musician’s first project of the year, and follows on from the release of his widely-praised 2022 EP ‘The Whole World’s Burning’ (listen here).
As a refreshingly original alternative to the traditional ‘summer anthem’, the song balances feelings of melancholy with joy through its perfected blend of indie and power-pop.
The track serves as a taster to Séamus’s upcoming ‘The Town Where I Sleep’ EP, which is scheduled for release later in the autumn via Burly Records.
Stephano Prunebelli is a singer, songwriter and music producer who is currently based in Cyprus.
Today he releases his sultry new single, called ‘Forever Lovers’. The song showcases a heady mix of dance and electronic pop, and could be a great addition to your summer playlists for the season ahead.
To date, Stephano has amassed more than 100k career streams on Spotify alone. If you enjoyed listening to this artist’s music, then be sure to check out his 2020 ‘Trouble’ EP here.
One of the catchiest bops to be released this the weekend comes courtesy of San Diego’s Tamar Berk, with her new single ‘If U Know, U Know’.
Alongside it’s tremendously memorable melody, the song’s production treats listeners to a nostalgia-tinged mix of 90’s style indie-rock and pop.
This is the kind of sound that is near impossible not to enjoy, and for that we anticipate a bright future for this rising talent.
Berk plays San Diego’s Casbah on the 5th August – tickets can be found here. In the meantime, be sure to pre-save the artist’s forthcoming ‘Tiny Injuries’ album here.
If you’re in the mood for something a little different, then we’ve got a great song to share with you.
Brooklyn-based outfit FORAGER have been carving a name for themselves in recent years as one of the State’s most interesting acts, and their new single highlights their style perfectly.
‘Hello to the Kiddies’ is a refreshingly eccentric and unpredictable piece of music that fuses alternative pop with psychedelic rock in a very special and charming way.
Fans can look forward to the band’s forthcoming ‘Pipedream Firewood’ album, which is out on the 18th August 2023. Having already found praise on outlets as respected as Earmilk, Backseat Mafia and NPR Music, it seems inevitable that FORAGER will hit the mainstream very soon.
Hailing from Vancouver Island is promising four-piece outfit Neighbourly, who have just released their latest single, called ‘Does It Matter’.
Written by the group’s guitarist & vocalist Ollie Sandberg, the track showcases a distinctive style of production that incorporates elements of indie and funk with pop and psychedelica. The sound feels dreamy and mellow in character, but also uplifting and playful in tone.
Alongside the audio release, Neighbourly have also unveiled a mesmerising live version of the song, which was recorded at the Haus Of Owl in Victoria BC.
The track serves as a taster to the band’s upcoming self-titled album, which is scheduled for release in October 2023.
Neighbourly was formed in 2016 under the previous name of SPEAK EASY, and comprises of musicians Oliver Sandberg, Scott Sparrow, Lauren Giorgio and Latham Reader.
Showcasing some of the finest sounds to come out of Northern England is Wigan’s Maxwell Varey, who is rapidly marking his name as one of the UK’s newest pop prospects.
Thanks to his perfected style of work (which fuses power-pop with elements of indie and rock), Varey has already picked up support from heavyweight outlets as noted as BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music, as well as NME and Clash magazines.
Varey’s anthemic new single ‘Sorry’ looks set to propel the musician’s name even further into the spotlight. Explaining the song’s meaning, he says:
“’Sorry’ is a song that on the surface level is written to seem like it’s about relatable and common romantic relationship issues. But, playfully, this is just a facade. I wanted to highlight how all relationships whether it’s family, friends or in a romantic context have very similar patterns. The song is about meaningless apologies but also how repeatedly forgiving someone to avoid conflict can be just as bad.”
The track serves as a follow-up to the artist’s debut release ‘Falling Down’, and was produced and written by Varey himself.
