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New RnB Music Blog

David Mauer modernised 80s soul with his cinematically vulnerable debut, One More Day

Posted on 8 November 2023

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Mauer has commenced his solo career with the sweetly sombre debut single, One More Day; one of the most affecting attests to the intertwining proclivities of love and grief the airwaves have ever received. Written after the loss of someone close to him, One More Day captures the unrelenting bargaining and yearning that mourning leaves us at the mercy of.

The cinematically intimate track wouldn’t be out of place in a heart-breaking Blockbuster’s OST; David Mauer clearly has a talent for sonically visualising the most tender facets of the human experience. It is by no means farfetched to say One More Day is a soul-rendered ballad to end all others.

The magnetic and deeply relatable melancholy fused with a contemporary RnB edge which pushed the evolution of the genre leagues forward while affirming there’s a place for Mauer in the music industry; in the charts beside his icons of influence, John Mayer, and Dermot Kennedy.

One More Day was officially released on November 3rd. Stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rukudzo called time in her fiery pop hit, Big Things

Posted on 6 November 2023
https://soundcloud.com/officialrukudzo/big-things/s-JAxKBcm0i5R?si=93386f371a984dd49ab5fd05eeee9c87&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Hertfordshire, UK singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rukudzo exhibited what a perfect pop hit should sound like in 2023 with her latest hook-rife and soul-lavished single, Big Things, which allows indie guitars to weave an intricate melodic tapestry across the lush layers of reverb and the Afrobeat rhythms that give the genre-fluid track a solid backbeat.

The sonic ingenuity, which also leaves room for Rukudzo’s signature rock attitude, is only matched by the poignant lyrical message which unravels as a fiery vignette of a depiction of the necessity of knowing when to be forbearing in a relationship and when to draw the line and call time.

In every conceivable way, Rukudzo made an unforgettable impression with Big Things. You’ll be humming the melody for days and revelling in the introspection for even longer.

Big Things will drop on November 3rd, stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mythodical Joe penned an Open Letter with his old-school hip-hop & indie RnB mash-up, ft Mika

Posted on 5 November 2023

Old-school hip-hop meets contemporary indie RnB in the seminal single, Open Letter, born through a high-fire collaboration between the East Coast rapper, Mythodical Joe, and the RnB evocateur, Mika.

Open Letter spits out the old-school grit through the rhythmically sharp canter of the rap bars while the romanticism swells in the indie guitar melodies and the RnB harmonies which ignite a fervent flavour of dynamism in the release which touches on the fear that even the strongest emotions can evaporate into ephemeral dust.

It has been almost two years since the drop of Open Letter; Mythodical Joe better have something new in the pipeline, or he’ll have us to answer to. His ability to bring lyrical concepts to panoramic life over his intricate instrumentals which go beyond the usual hip-hop sequencing puts his sound strides above the rest. With enough hits in his arsenal, he will hold dominion over the East Coast – watch this space.

Watch the official music video for Open Letter via YouTube.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from Mythodical Joe via Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Misty Drinx reinvented 80s nostalgia with his soul and funk-wrapped RnB pop hit, You’re So Cool

Posted on 1 November 2023

After bearing witness to a Toto show in LA, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter and pop icon-in-the-making Misty Drinx Americanised his infectious perception of pop and lavished his sophomore single, You’re So Cool, with layers of soul and funk-wrapped RnB that radiate reinvented 80s nostalgia.

With lustfully intoxicated exoticism oozing from the pores of the sax lines and synth-driven melodies, Drinx brought swathes of colour to UK shores with You’re So Cool. Fans of George Michael and Boy George will undoubtedly want to savour every drop of the delicious aural cocktail which envelopes you in the hazy hues that transform the mind’s colour palette when you’re lucky enough to be ensnared by someone.

With the eclecticism Drinx has already exhibited in his sound, we’re stoked to hear what will follow.

You’re So Cool was officially released on October 20; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flex3r created a meditative dreamscape with his pop-hip-hop crossover, Let It Go

Posted on 21 October 2023

Flex3r (AKA Cedric Kasongo) versed the bars that punctuate his honeyed harmonies straight from the soul in his latest cocktail of hip-hop, RnB, Afrobeat and pop, Let It Go. Since making his debut, he’s established himself as an authentically compelling creator who pushes the limits of hip-hop; with Let It Go, he allowed his sound to sit on a plateau of pure mindful compassion.

While no one ever needs permission to let negativity go, we all need affirmations weaved into cathartically euphonic soundscapes from time to time. Harbouring hate will only serve to hold you back in life; let it go, and unshackle yourself with this stunning dreamscape of a release that borders on psychedelic etherealism.

The Congolese-American recording artist is clearly one to watch; from the distinction in his signature style to the revelations in his lyrics, the melody-maker who was born in DR Congo, raised in Zambia, and lives in Baton Rouge, is unparalleled through his determination to stay in his own lane.

Let It Go breathed freedom onto the airwaves on October 13; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Holly Riva is as stormy as a tsunami in her latest alt-soul single, Drowning.

Posted on 16 October 2023

The hypnotic harmonic effect on her ethereal vocal lines over the crashing waves in the intro was a mesmerising way for Holly Riva to kick off her latest lyrically dark, texturally luminous single, Drowning.

With moody electronica motifs sending shockwaves of reverberance through the stormy as a tsunami release, the horn stabs harbingering doom and the metaphors alluding to the relatable phenomena of losing your power under the weight of toxicity, the Australian singer-songwriter succeeded in visualising universal emotions, which typically leave us out of our depth when we have chased an idea instead of a person.

Artistically and technically, it is a phenomenal release from the evocative enchantress who has already racked up 250,000 streams on Spotify alone since she made her debut with the EP, A Memory. Now that she’s shown a more vulnerable side to her creativity, we can’t wait to hear more of it rush to the surface.

Drowning was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dom the Composer is Sleepwalking with Streetlights in his honeyed and hymnal soul single

Posted on 13 October 2023

Since releasing his debut single in 2019, Dom the Composer has summoned his signature sound through rhythmic reverence, a never-ending proclivity towards blues and the determination to lavish even his most pensive singles with soul.

His latest single, Sleepwalking with Streetlights, created in collaboration with Novian Wright proves his time with the All Saints Choir of Men and Boys in Ashmont didn’t go to waste. His hymnal and honeyed vocal register instantly arrests the soul as the bluesy melodies work their magic on your rhythmic pulses before Novian Wright brings a sense of dynamism with his rap bars that effortlessly complement the MA-hailing Haitian-American singer-songwriter’s intoxicating timbre.

Sleepwalking with Streetlights is perfect for those late nights when your demons drive you to the point of distraction, retrospective regret wracks you with the compulsion for action and there is no appeasing your restlessly listless mind. It is a sublime testament to an artist who is clear in his determination to let trends pass him by and stay on his own euphonically enlightened path of delivering uninhibited vulnerability and originality.

Sleepwalking with Streetlights was officially released on September 28; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Remmorii is visionary in his fear and faith-mused alt-hip-hop release, Before I Drown

Posted on 12 October 2023

Toronto’s most captivatingly introspective artist, Remmorii, used faith and fear as a muse in his latest organically electrifying release, Before I Drown, which lets candour cascade around the multicultural synthesis of style.

The experimentalism which breathed visceral life into the single to juxtapose the ennui in the lyrical delivery ensured that no one has a stronger stake in the claim of being one of the most authentically dynamic artists on any scene.

Before I Drown is beyond genre boundaries; it transcends them through the depth of the exploration of personal struggles. To balance the dark with the light, Remmorii infused incandescent optimism around the soulful hip-hop and RnB layers by sonically paving a path towards providence and hope for better days when you’re not treading water for survival, you’re making major strides towards personal growth.

Before I Drown was officially released on September 29: stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

All that glitters isn’t gold, but Yoko Gold is luminary in his latest release, Mirage

Posted on 8 October 2023

After reading reality as one big script with social cues, the virally successful melody maker Yoko Gold injected his epiphany into his latest single, Mirage.

The Toronto-hailing artist has already achieved mainstream appeal with his debut single, Hurts Me, created in collaboration with Tory Lanez and Trippie Redd and racked up over 60 million streams. Simultaneously having nothing and everything left to prove with his third release saw him re-enter the music industry all alt-RnB grooves blazing.

Attaching genre labels to the scintillatingly sensory release feels wholly derivative to the artistry exhibited in the luxe production, which rides on new-wave reverb-swathed lines to create a sense of ambience beneath his luminous and evocatively sharp vocal lines that will ensnare you from the first poetic verse.

Mirage dropped on September 29 add it to your Spotify vibe-out playlists and get to grips with the wavy introspection.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Arrive at the brink of bliss with ACTHEKIDFROMSPACE’s euphoria-fuelled summer cocktail, POR Ti, ft Martina

Posted on 24 September 2023

Proving that summer is as much of a vibe as it is a season is the latest in a long string of seminal singles from Montreal’s brightest RnB luminary, ACTHEKIDFROMSPACE.

POR Ti, which features sun-kissed harmonies from the Argentina-born singer and composer Martina, who has been elevating the RnB, trap, and soul genres with her mesmerising vocal register, is an intoxicating tropic melting pot of genre-fluid culture.

With a few salacious lines worked into the production that boasts the same sweet, sugared, and polished sound of Owl City, POR Ti ticks all the Afro-pop RnB boxes while transcending the contemporary curve and driving you to the brink of bliss and allowing you to drift through it on cruise control.

With over 17k monthly listeners locking into his expertly rendered rhythms, the self-made Canadian artist and sound engineer has easily reached his goal of visualising his memories and feelings and allowing his staunch fanbase to vicariously live in the rapture of them.

Stream POR Ti on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast