Browsing Tag

2020 Pop

Jack Buckley has made his soul-rippingly-raw debut with ‘Let Go’

Posted on 31 December 2020

Indie pop artist Jack Buckley has made his debut with the soul-rippingly-raw hit ‘Let Go’, which will hit you with the same evocative weight as tracks by the National and Frightened Rabbit. There’s even some Dessner-style sonic guitar blazing behind the trepidation-laden piano keys which take the score to a cinematic level.

Stylistic reminiscences are incredibly fleeting in Let Go, as the track runs through, you won’t have much cognitive function left to find similarities as you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amorous agony the single contains. In a time when most relationships are superficial and disposable, it almost feels like a blast from the past hearing Jack Buckley’s ardent vocals, but it’s a kiss with a contemporary fist.

With their sophomore single in production, you’ll definitely want Jack Buckley on your radar in 2021.

You can check out Jack Buckley’s single, Let Go, on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Yazzy drops the stunning new piano-led ‘All I Can Do Is Cry’

Posted on 28 November 2020

After being discovered by Glastonbury supremo Michael Eavis and supporting Paloma Faith in front of a 10,000-strong sell-out crowd at the Glastonbury Extravaganza in 2018 to having your most recent single ‘I’m Choosing Me’ played by Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 (describing it as so good he wanted to play it twice), things have, it could be said, been going pretty well for ‘half lioness, half songbird’ Yazzy.

Now she’s back with the bewitching ‘All I Can Do Is Cry’, a fragile, piano-and-strings-led power-ballad which showcases her smoky-yet-soaring voice and lead-crystal falsetto alongside her engaging lyrical storytelling and emotional, mature arrangement. A drop here, a key change there, all the time offsetting the raw, heartfelt narrative of a lost love and a broken heart. And we can feel that with her, Yazzy’s vocal delivery poignant enough that the pain and desolation of emptiness and longing carry through, the vulnerability and sensitivity plain to hear in a delivery which feels at once confessional and beseeching, an entreaty and a question over a delicate minor key verse, all held together by Yazzy’s alluring, refined vibrato.

Follow Yazzy on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Fire Jane – Blind: Unapologetically Empowered EDM Pop

Posted on 25 November 2020

“Blind” is the intensely euphoric latest EDM Pop single from up and coming Boston-based duo Fire Jane. It finds the perfect balance between emotion and energy by running through as an undeniable testament of the artist’s ability to not only create a radio-ready earworm but to create an infectious drop which will leave you psyched every time you hit play.

Blind feels like an almost serendipitously timely release, when the world is sitting in their respective anger or apathy, Fire Jane is reminding us what visceral emotion feels like. The unapologetically empowered edge to the harmonically succinct vocals is something that I’ll never forget.

You can check out Blind by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LIV brings in the next generation of Pop with ‘Just Wait’

Posted on 12 November 2020

Aptly, Just Wait definitely isn’t about the instant gratification. LIV’s smoothly funk-riding electropop single kicks off with a tantalisingly beguiling start which makes it impossible to find any complacency in the progressions. Instead, you’ll be hooked into the delectably bold ingenuity right from the intro.

Vocally, Just Wait pays ode to 90s RnB, with the genre-crumbling grooves and beats, any time spent pigeonholing those instead of appreciating their authenticity would be wasted.

The track may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the Virginia-born, Nashville-based Pop artist is on a mission to bring in the next generation of Pop instead of assimilating what has been. (She’s succeeding).

You can check out Just Wait for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bennett – Secrets (How You Want It) Feat. Dribbz

Posted on 5 November 2020

Raised in New York City, Bennett (formally E. Bennett)’s passion for music started at the age of two, before starting out in his music career in 2012 when he was signed to LookALikesUSA as a Justin Bieber impersonator. Moving on to writing and performing his own tracks, Bennett has gone on to work with artists like Bizarre from D12 and Conan, and producers like Eldar-Q and Legion Beats, and now onto his third solo album, “Secrets (How You Want It)” is his latest single, featuring UK rapper Dribbz on verse vocals.

Familiarly old-school pop-based hip hop, “Secrets (How You Want It)” takes in Bennett’s diverse influences – Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey through to Chris Brown, The Weeknd, and Drake – turning out a fresh, hooky beats-based tune that should grace radio through this autumn.

Hear “Secrets (How You Want It)” on Spotify, and follow Bennett on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Celebrate Romantic Freedom with Theofania’s sensationally raw Pop single “Heart Break Free”  

Posted on 23 October 2020

From the first vocal note in Pop artist Theofania’s latest single Heart Break Free, the sincerity becomes palpable, as does the sense that you’re about to embark on an emotional rollercoaster. When the chorus hits, you definitely won’t be disappointed.

Starting off with a melancholic offering of introspection, Heart Break Free offers immediate depth and compassionately shares resonance with heartbroken. Yet, for the choruses, Theofania opted for high-vibe bass-driven energy which affirms that even if you feel like you’re drowning in apathy, the clouds will break, just like the chorus.

It’s tracks like Heart Break Free which really put into context the emotions, which if left unchecked, can ruin our self-esteem. With that in mind, Theofania’s Pop hit is worth its weight in aural gold.

You can check out Theofania’s single via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Natasha Jane Julian – West Coast Girl: Sun-Baked Summer Sadness

Posted on 18 September 2020

Smoky, sultry, and initially piano-led, Natasha Jane Julian’s ‘West Coast Girl’ resolves into a beautifully, chilled alt-pop ballad telling the story of a California girl, dreaming and searching amidst sun-baked summer sadness.

Julian’s thoughtful, evocative lyrics and soulful, atmospheric vocal carry the song over keys and bass, a sophisticated and distinctive vocal performance that’s both commercial and individual. Julian is currently working on new material with UK composer/producer Ian Barter, but ‘West Coast Girl’ is the perfect late-summer antidote to darkening evenings and lockdown malaise.

Hear ‘West Coast Girl’ on Natasha’s website.

Review by Alex Holmes