Californian triple-threat singer, songwriter and producer pj frantz might well be your favourite new chill-pop artist.
‘leave this party’ showcases a sound that layers feelings of melancholy over a subtly playful production, resulting in a song that somehow feels both emotive and charming in equal measures.
“I wrote & produced this one a few months back in my bedroom. The song comes from a very real and deep place, and it’s so exciting (and a bit scary) to share that with y’all.”
While still a relative newcomer, pj frantz has impressively accumulated more than 500k streams on Spotify from the release of just two songs.
As a rising artist and producer from Norway, NINV (aka Nina Ugland) is responsible for crafting some of the most interesting blends of electronica and pop to emerge from Scandinavia.
Inspired by the notion of just ‘letting go’, experimental new single ‘Only We Know‘ serves as NINV’s first single of the year, and as a taster for more releases scheduled over the coming months.
With support from the likes of Under The Radar and Norwegian national radio NRK P3, NINV will be one Nordic name to watch for in 2023.
As a triple-threat talent, Sean Dawson is not only a musician and producer, but also an actor.
A Floridian now based in Los Angeles, Dawson creates melodic sounds that incorporate elements of indie with bedroom-pop.
‘HATE BEING HATED’ serves as a follow-up to Dawson’s well-recieved debut release, ‘Last Night’,and looks at the thoughts that run through our mind when we are unsure of the decisions that we make.
“This is my second song ever. It’s about trying to move on when you’re not sure if you made the right decision and learning to live with that.”
Track of the week. Emerging from New York is rap talent 4KPHIL., who has just unveiled one of our favourite releases of the year.
‘Truancy’ is lyrically inspired by the artist’s transition into becoming a father, and seamlessly fuses nostalgic soul with a modern hip hop sound.
“A song I wrote a week after finding out my girlfriend miscarried our future child. The lyrics came to me immediately and I had made this beat a year ago for someone else. I went through my computer trying to find it and once I did I knew its purpose.”
Having already seen his work featured on the wildly popular NBA2K22 in-game soundtrack, it looks like 2023 might well be 4KPHIL.’s biggest year yet. Keep an eye out on this kid!
WIINSTON might well be our most featured Danish outfit from recent years, and with good reason.
This genre-bending Copenhagen duo have consistently delivered sounds that are future-forward and experimental, while also maintaining some pop sensibilities.
‘care4’ continues to showcase WIINSTON’s desire to push sonic boundaries, and fuses genres as diverse as indie, folk and R&B into a song that is not only unique and intriguing in style, but also emotive and authentic in character.
“‘care4’ is the perfect picture on how we currently define ourselves. It’s rooted in multiple genres like indie, folk, RnB and hip hop with inspiration from the soundscapes of cinema. When making music, to us, every aspect is equally important ‘cause when we limit ourselves to only one genre it doesn’t feel like we created anything, really – then we just remade something that already is. We aspire to make this our mutual philosophy in the studio.”
Rising US starlet CeCe wastes no time in her quest for global pop domination, with her first single of the year already released.
A warrior’s anthem of sorts, ‘Problems’ was inspired by all the people who have wronged you in life.
“To my dear friend who we wrote this for… thank you for being brave and letting us tell your story. Let this be a warning… if you *** with my people, I’ll put it in a song so you never forget.”
Sonically rousing as it is lyrically relatable, the song continues to showcase CeCe’s impressive ability to craft epic pop songs that that are both entertaining and captivating in equal measures.
Norwegian starlet Sval teams up with frequent collaborator Jimi Somewhere on new single ‘ANGELA’.
In what is likely to be our favourite release from Norway so far this year, the track treats listeners to a sound that is both tender and vulnerable, but also euphoric in tone.
“‘ANGELA’ is a what if story. You fall in love, but you don’t have enough time to make it work. It’s about meeting someone and falling in love in a place where you know it’s temporary. To me the song feels nostalgic, about someone you don’t see anymore, but you still think dearly of.” – Sval
Elaborating further on the song’s creation, and her process with working alongside Jimi Somewhere, Sval explains:
“Writing this song was super easy, I just sang the first thing that came to mind. I only had a guitar loop and some drums and wrote my part on a late night in my living room, before bringing it to the studio with Jimi and Milo. Jimi’s verse really elevated everything, and I love having him as a feature. His voice really suits the song, and I love the story in his verse. It’s one of my favourites from my upcoming project and I hope people can resonate with it.” – Sval
As one of Norway’s newest alt-pop exports, Sval has received tastemaker recognition from the likes of Earmilk, Clout and Going Solo, while her most recent single, ‘GRENADE‘, has been streamed more than 200k times on Spotify alone.
New Jersey native Kuomo is one of the most interesting artists that we have come across this week.
Picking up inspiration form the likes of Dijon, Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver and King Krule, Kuomo constructs a refreshingly alternative style of sound that feels intrinsically unique and beautifully captivating.
Impressively, ‘I’ll Tell You’ is Kuomo’s first ever release, and treats listeners to a melodic yet stripped-back piece of music that was written with a broken heart.
“The song had been in the forge for quite some time. I’d been fresh out of a breakup, moving out, and winter was settling in. ‘Twas a weird time, to say the least. I recorded the first demo in between virtual classes, and then began to build upon it slowly for the next ten months. It’s my baby and I love it. I wanted to keep it as my little secret, but I’m glad to watch the world love it and take care of it.”
Rising UK-based indie-pop outfit Sleeping Together return with their third single today, entitled ‘Time To Reflect’.
Through its thoughtful lyricism, the track explores the moments when we first fall in love – and start to lose our sense of independence.
“‘Time To Reflect’ is about losing yourself in a relationship and how hindsight is a wonderful thing, mostly. It’s easy to get lost in love, but it’s not always as bad as it’s made out to be, provided you keep hold of the key elements of yourself.”
With recognition from the likes of Clout Magazine, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, as well as landing placements on playlists as prominent as Spotify’s ‘UK&IE Fresh Finds’, 2023 looks set to be a stellar year for Sleeping Together.
The group play EBGBs in Liverpool on the 10th February – tickets can be found here.
It wouldn’t a normal weekend at Alfitude without featuring some premium Swedish music, and today it’s the turn of Sofia Monroy.
Serving as the last single from her forthcoming ‘Telenovela’ EP (out in the spring), new single ‘Control’ presents listeners with a perfected fusion of future-forward pop, alternative R&B and soul.
The resulting sound is one that feels sleek, finessed and refreshingly experimental in tone.
“‘Control’ is about the fear of losing control in connection with the longing to be someone else’s everything. All of a sudden you find yourself there, tied behind and perplexed, perhaps in love or maybe just stuck.”
To date, this rising Stockholm-based starlet has accumulated more than 300k career streams on Spotify alone.
Your daily dose of fresh electronic pop comes courtesy of LA-based starlet Sabz, who has just unleashed her empowering new single, ‘Like That’.
Fusing nostalgic Y2K pop with alternative R&B tones, the track addresses ex-partners – and reminds listeners that no matter how toxic a relationship ends, that you can always move forward.
A graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Sabz is not only a songstress and songwriter, but has also trained as a vocalist since her early teens.
Aside from her own solo work, Sabz’s collaboration on ‘Breathe’ with Avae has so far accumulated more than 110k streams on Spotify alone.
British outfit Low Lying Sun are back today with a self-titled single that started it all for these much-hyped indie rockers.
On ‘Low Lying Sun’, captivating vocals drift across an atmospheric soundscape that feels haunting, melancholic and beautifully emotive.
“‘Low Lying Sun’ was the first song we wrote together as a band. We were messing around writing and the song came together really quickly and laid down the foundations of what we wanted the band to sound like. Once we’d written a few more songs we were trying to think of a name for the project and it felt right that we should be named after the seminal track.”
The track is lifted from the band’s forthcoming ‘Did You Mean It?’ EP (out 17th Feb), which follows on from last year’s critically praised debut record ‘Hymn To Say Goodbye’.
Low Lying Sun are Michael Hemmings, Ross Connell, Matt Chan and Noah Booth.
Danish-Senegalese producer Big Spoon (aka Kinck) joins forces with emerging UK talent EMI.KKO on sultry new single ‘Hush Money Scandal’.
Fusing experimental pop with alternative R&B, the song showcases a sound that is future-forward, vibrant and confidently bold.
Two rising musicians in their own right, both Big Spoon and EMI.KKO have already garnered significant achievements.
As a songwriter, Big Spoon has worked with labels as iconic as Ultra Music and Sony Music, while EMI.KKO was first signed by Elton John’s Rocket Music.
Emerging from Montreal is newcomer Oliver Ghoul, who introduces himself to the world today through debut single, ‘Glue’.
With a refreshingly eccentric approach to music-making, Ghoul constructs a style of psychedelic jazz-funk that is not only intriguing, but also immensely enjoyable to experience.
‘Glue’ is self-described by the artist as a ‘Scooby-Doo take on a love song’, and finds Ghoul depicting himself as a stalker in his own home.
Complimenting the track is a music video which was also released today, and is directed by Benjamin Bensoussan.
“People are complex. Relationships are complex. Life is complex. Feelings are complex. It’s important to embrace the contradictions, the absurdity of life and who we are as human beings. I’d rather not ignore that part of being alive!”
One of the UK’s most interesting soul and jazz prospects of late has been singer-songwriter Toby Corton, who has just unveiled his latest single.
‘Kill Your Darlings’ looks at our human desire to evolve, and how we must shed the things that make us feel safe so that we can allow ourselves to grow.
“At its core, the song is about this idea that sometimes in order to grow, we need to cast off the things we hold dear. For me it’s about getting out of your comfort zone and assessing relationships that in the moment can provide comfort, but ultimately hold you back from getting to the place you want to be. During lockdown, I was holed up and spending a lot of time in the absence of entertainment or opportunity to get out and perform, so I was very much in an introspective headspace, doing a lot thinking. I was really taking stock of where I was at and where I wanted to go or be, thinking about the things holding me back and trying to get myself in alignment.”
‘Kill Your Darlings’ is taken from Corton’s upcoming ‘Don’t Blame Me’ EP, which is scheduled for release later this spring.
To date, Corton has received praise from the likes of Wonderland, NOTION, Clash and Dazed magazines, and also performed in spaces as iconic as Servant Jazz Quarters and the Roundhouse.
Acclaimed Danish artist Late Runner (aka Asger Tarpgaard) returns today with an interesting new project that is sure to excite fans of Scandinavian indie-pop.
Originally written back in 2017, the new Organ Trio version of ‘Catch Your Eye’ reworks the song into a perfected slice of nu-disco.
The track is lifted from a wider collection of works (out now) that have all received the Organ Trio treatment, of which Tarpgaard explains:
“The four songs are special organ trio-versions of Late Runner tracks. It’s more electronic than ‘the usual’ Late Runner sound. It’s somehow a detour before I’ll return to the more acoustically driven Late Runner sound later this year.”
Hailing from the musical mecca that is Manchester comes promising alt-rock newcomer emails2saturn.
Atmospheric debut single ‘Parachute’ introduces the world to a talent who’s style of music incorporates elements of shoegaze, rock and dreamy indie-pop, resulting in captivating soundscapes that are rich in sonic texture.
Written as a love song for the modern times, the track’s lyricism is inspired by the feelings and thoughts that we experience when we first begin to fall for someone.
“I find sonics can be so expressive. Creating textures at your feet is such a powerful thing, I feel it can really move people in a different way.”
emails2saturn is fronted by musician Jack Boles, who is already known within the UK as an accomplished guitarist, writer and session player.
Everyone’s favourite group from ‘down under’ Cub Sport return with a stunning new single that deserves your attention.
Presenting listeners with a subtle yet emotive fusion of dreamy pop and ambient electronica, ‘Keep Me Safe’ is sonically reminiscent to music by the likes of Fred Again, Troye Sivan and The Blaze.
“I wrote ‘Keep Me Safe’ about a euphoric but complicated time. Shedding some light on it now feels like I’m validating my younger self and celebrating the magic in something I was so ashamed of at the time.” – Tim Nelson, Cub Sport
Alongside the release of the song, Cub Sport have also just announced details of an upcoming spring UK tour, with shows in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and London. Tickets can be found here.
Representing the finest in current British talent, Sam Tompkins unveils his latest single, entitled ‘Die For Someone’.
Serving as a taster to Tompkins’ forthcoming debut album, the anthemic song showcases a sound that is refreshingly energising and emotionally raw in tone.
“You know that feeling where you’re just like: I kinda wanna fall in love but I’m also scared to do it because of what happened last time? ‘Die For Someone’ is the soundtrack to that feeling.”
As one of the UK’s newest pop stars, Tompkins has received support from the likes of Hypebeast, BBC Radio 1, Notion, Wonderland, Clash, 1883 and Vogue magazines, while also commanding more than three million listeners on Spotify alone.
Hailing from Los Angeles is 24-year old newcomer Jesse Munsat. As a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and engineer, Munsat creates songs that are not only sonically well-constructed, but also lyrically personable.
New single ‘Over & Over’ was inspired by the rollercoaster of emotions that come with being in an difficult relationship.
“It dances between the love and pain of an on-again, off-again relationship before resolving to a defeated acceptance, saying simply ‘it’s just something we do over and over again.'”
The track is lifted from Munsat’s forthcoming self-written and produced ‘for me, for her’ album, which is out soon.
