Victoria is putting Bulgaria on the world pop map with this sensational release. A talent who initially shot to fame earlier in the year as the country’s representative for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest (which ended up being cancelled due to Corona), she is now back with a follow-up single that is one of the finest pieces of dark pop that I have listened to all month.
A deeply provoking release from South London artist Bert Brett, who’s song ‘Shame’ looks into the stigma that surrounds male mental health that still exists today.
Bert is running a crowdfunding campaign around the video to raise money in support of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) to raise awareness and money in aid of male mental health.
Sometimes there’s beauty in simplicity; and this release from British Singer-Songwriter and Pianist Renée Loren is just that.
Raw and vulnerable lyricism accompanies a melody that is carried through with just a piano. It’s a song that tells a story in a beautifully uncomplicated way.
“You are only as young as you feel… True beauty comes from within. Life is too short to be with someone who does not live in the present moment with you. Be with someone who makes you feel heard, feeds your soul and makes you feel alive! Life is too precious to be waiting around for someone to change or to recognise your worth.”
Stockholm based recording artist Ryk has an interesting approach to indie-pop that incorporates dramatic and intricate musical textures with captivating lyricism. It’s a sound that is like none other, and an experience from start to finish.
Taken from the debut EP ‘PARASITE FUTURE’ which will be out on the 5th February 2021.
LA-based talent Jordan Xidas has managed to encapsulate those emotions we all get when we feel the person we are interested in doesn’t like us as much as we do. The sound itself is a breezy and minimal approach to pop that feels warm and relatable.
“I wrote the chorus one night anxiously waiting for a text from a boy and finished it the next day with my friend Kyle. I’ve been in a few relationships where my partner’s attachment style opposes mine, so I’ve definitely had my fair share of nights sulking in feelings of non-reciprocation. This song is a playful snapshot of that moment.”
A smooth blend of soul, jazz and indie, wrapped in silky vocals and mesmerising lyricism.
Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Blossom’ out which is out on 4th December.
This Copenhagen-based pop group have been pretty established in their native homeland since 2018, when their debut single ‘Light Blue’ become on of the most played songs on Denmark’s biggest radio broadcaster, P3.
The hits kept rolling after that, as did the sold-out shows and festival appearances. Now in 2020, the band return with a glistening new track that blends indie with RnB and pop in a dreamy, almost cosmic vibe that is beautiful to experience.
Brixton-based artist BUSHROD has a polished style of hip hop that feels relaxed and smooth, all the while contrasting against sharp lyricism that tells of emotions and stories vividly.
‘Doing OK’ tells of how the pandemic led to BUSHROD losing his day job. While this would obviously affect anyone, he carried on and did the British thing of acting as though it was still fine.
“In a way I was trying to keep up appearances and putting on a ‘poker face’, because I was scared that people would judge me for not working or doing much with myself during lockdown. Me releasing this song is kind of a ‘f**k you’ to self-doubt and almost getting my own back on my old workplace for cutting me off, and showing people that I now actually am doing bigger and better things.”
Mexican singer, songwriter and DJ Pahua carries a style of music-making that blends organic sounds with electronica to create something that feels experimental and eclectic, yet sophisticated and captivating.
This is one of those mellow pop songs that immediately catches you and takes you on a journey. Julia Church has already released two EP’s (‘Take What You Want, Do As You Please’ and ‘To Have, Not Just To Hold’), and I frankly can’t get enough of this kid.
Track of the week. With a finessed and self-assured approach to RnB, London talent Liét has crafted a sound that feels refreshingly future-forward while still keeping some of those old-school vibes.
Utterly mesmerising alt-RnB from a new Australian talent who’s managed to craft together a song that feels hauntingly intense yet delicate and emotive. It’s a true experience that deserves to be heard from start to end.
“It’s about the kind of romance where you long so deeply for someone and regardless of how beautiful the actual connection between you and this person is, this said person is always pulling you and the relationship into a negative space and complicating things. It’s almost a metaphor for like, can we just stop for a second and enjoy this?”
A fabulous fusion of Norwegian indie, dream-pop and disco all come together to create just about the happiest song you’ll hear all day. It’s a sound that feels retro and kitsch yet endearingly charming.
“Why are you constantly wasting time?” – sounded like a cliché love drama to me and I wanted to turn it into a catchy dance party.”
A stunningly conceptual track from an Irish talent who encompasses a raw, dark and emotive sound; crafted into a style of music that is atmospheric and sparse, yet totally bewitching.
“One central idea to ‘Drown Me Slow’, is the unwillingness to let go of something, even after it has long left you. You become fixed on it and stare at it often as one can do with a distant star. The longing for it becomes more special than the reality of it itself, because perhaps it’s not even there anymore.”
The first thing that catches your attention when you press play on this track are those stunning vocals from Dutch singer and songwriter BÉE (pronounced Bae).
Add to that her finessed approach to RnB and engaging lyricism, and you’ve got yourselves a very promising new starlet.
“I didn’t write this song because I’m unhappy being single, but I do love the idea of possibly bumping into my ‘Mr Right’ and immediately recognising him. I certainly hope that he’ll recognise me too.”
Liverpool-based talent (by way of Iceland), KRISTRÚN crafts a hauntingly dark blend of trip hop and electronic pop into a sound that feels atmospheric, raw and deeply intense.
