I ever so rarely feature acoustic songs on the site, but I was so moved by this one from Norwegian talent Aleks Grey that it just has to be shared with the rest of you.
It’s a beautifully sweet little number about a relationship where nothing works anymore, and no matter what you say or do, you just can’t make it better.
A hazy fusion of psychedelic indie vibes and pop tones come together perfectly on Kid Bloom’s latest single, ‘Control’.
With over 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone, the LA-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist is well on his way to achieving pop stardom at this rate!
A beautifully emotive yet understated alt-pop sound that incorporates soft hints of electronica. Emerging from Brighton in the UK, Isabel is a singer and songwriter who writes songs from the heart about love and female identity.
“A track written as an open letter to an unfaithful ex. As a girl, when you’re told you’re not good enough, time can just seem to pause. But pain moves you through, you realise your worth and you continue.”
A haunting and deeply intense piece of dark pop from a talent who is still just 16-years old.
Based in Appleton (Wisconsin), Wednesday has created a song with a very unique lyrical concept that adds all the more emotion to ‘James Dean’.
“I made this song a little over two months ago. It’s very dear to my heart – I started it the song while I was falling for someone and finished the song when I was falling out of love with that person.”
Hailing from Charlottesville in Virginia, Stray Fossa create a distinctive yet heartwarming blend of dream pop and indie rock.
All the music they produce is crafted in their attic, which adds a sense of charming intimacy to their sound. On ‘Diving Line’ the band explain:
“It was the peak of the first lockdown; we were tracking our album at home. Diving Line is the only track to explicitly reference the time period. We wanted to write about finding optimism in another person. The percussive coda was crafted collaboratively and gave the song its title.”
Taken from the debut LP ‘With You For Ever’ which is out on 9th April 2021.
“Before we started on ‘tired of your love’ we were listening to a lot of Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and The Neptunes in the studio. We wanted to create something that melodically and structurally could’ve fit in with 90’s music but that sonically felt brand new and exciting to us. It lived as a demo for months because we didn’t want to mess with the raw palette it was built from but eventually decided to dial everything in and finish it.”
Taken from the new ‘tape 002’ project which is out now.
Danish talent RoseeLu has released one of the most stand-out releases from her homeland so far this year. ‘Playing Alone’ brings a luxuriously dark, sultry and intense approach to alt-pop. A hugely exciting prospect to watch out for!
Dublin-based producer, singer and songwriter Nonzus Magnus has formulated one of the dreamiest, most euphoric songs you’ll likely listen to all week.
‘Smile’ is a sublime fusion of alt-pop and hip hop; a sound that is so full of energy, colour and personality.
“We used a lot of live instruments which I have never used before in my own production which was a breath of fresh air. The track was recorded in late December, to be released in January. Due to an unfortunate passing of a relative, its release was delayed. Rather than going through the motions, I decided to input the energy and emotion into this track.”
To date there has not been a single release by 17-year old Birmingham-based talent Matt Ryder that hasn’t completely blown me away.
Even with that said, ‘A New Way Home’ is on a whole other level of beauty. It’s is a sparse yet dark, haunting and intense piece of music that proves once again how exceptionally talented this kid is.
“I think the track really resonated with me, although being released in 2017 I think over the past year the song bought me refuge and safety in a world that lacked that for me. Lockdown isolated me from friends and extended family, I really felt lost. This song made me feel like it was normal, that’s why I decided to cover it as it played such a huge part in my lockdown and the past year.”
Taken from the forthcoming EP ‘Orbit’ which is out this Spring.
Pop doesn’t come much more finessed than this sultry slice of bliss from Audrey Mika. It’s so easy to fall in love with this song…
“‘Chivalry’ is about being a strong, independent woman who can do anything on her own. But at the end of the day wanting to be able to be soft and vulnerable with someone that you love.”
Audrey Mika
A gorgeously powerful release from London based singer-songwriter Kings Elliot. Sharing her most vulnerable moments with courageous lyricism and emotive vocals, ‘Bitter Tonic’ reflects on the times when her inner saboteur has taken control.
“‘Bitter Tonic’ is about self-sabotage, self-hatred, self-destruction… All the things I’ve always felt too uncomfortable to talk about. ‘The bitter tonic is mine’ is the idea of desperately clinging onto my pain, defiantly refusing any help, because at my lowest it’s all I possess, all I have control over.”
It might still be Monday, but there’s no good reason why I can’t share with you some of the most exciting tech-house that I have heard all day.
This new release from American talent HeartWerk features euphoric and effervescent beats, a delicious bass and rolling vocal samples that hark back to those iconic 90’s club sounds.
Another week and another sensational Swedish talent. This time it’s Stockholm-born songwriter and producer Noomi, with her debut release ‘Ride’.
The track seems to blend future-forward electronic pop with 90’s inspired RnB beats, forming a sound that feels refreshingly original yet also familiar. Matched with airy vocals gliding over a smooth melody, I’m quite certain you’ll fall in love with Noomi just as hard as I have when you press play.
Track of the week. British talent The Beach (George Morgan) returns with a fantastic slice of alt-pop in the form of new single ‘Still In Love’, which was produced by and co-written with Fyfe.
While the song initially comes across as stripped-back and minimal in it’s concept, delve further and you’ll experience layers that are full of texture and character. The sound feels playful and animated while still maintaining an essence of raw emotion.
“Essentially a confession/ play by play of how I acted/ felt about my ex-girlfriend after we broke up. I convinced myself that I was over it but was brutally reminded I wasn’t when I bumped into her at a mutual friend’s birthday. You never know how you’re gonna react when you see an old flame out somewhere and I guess this song is my experience of still feeling something when I didn’t think I would.”
A refreshingly honest release from London based talent King Kofi, who has fused elements of hip hop with minimalist electronic beats to create new single ‘White Boys’.
With compellingly sharp lyricism that feels heartfelt and raw, the track serves as a sophisticated yet youthful commentary on the world as seen by Kofi.
“The song’s lyrics are partly based on my own experience. I’ve met girls where they have implied they have a certain preference without saying it outright. But for the most part the song is a commentary on the world that I’ve observed around me.”
Alt-pop artist Grady’s new single ‘All In’ serves as a reminder for us to listen to our hearts over the crazy unwritten laws of dating.
“It’s a song about that moment you know in your heart that you want to take a relationship with someone to the next level. Love makes people do silly things, but if you really feel it, sometimes you just don’t care how silly you make yourself look.”
Also known as Pauli Lovejoy, this British talent has an eccentric approach to music making that is always a true delight to experience. On ‘I Got The Beat’ we are treated to a sound that is full of percussions and observant lyricism. Flawless work from start to finish…
A charming mix of indie and pop from LA-based artist bennytheghost. Listening to ‘Supersonic’ gives off a flirty and playful feeling at first, before building up into an almighty epic conclusion.
Purveyor of charming pop at it’s most premium calibre, salem ilese continues to craft some of the finest cuts of pop.
A talent hailing out of Sydney, MALFOY is an independent writer, singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Unafraid of experimenting, his sounds often fuse several genres together: from jazz, funk, grunge, alt-rock and indie-pop through to EDM and even folk.
His debut single ‘Notice’ is a blissful-sounding track that flirts between trip hop inspired pop and indie in an exceptionally charming way.
“Book-ended by a recording of a poem written by my close friend, ‘Notice’ tells the story of an unrequited queer love between a girl and her best friend.”
