80’s Pop
Meet the 21st-century’s smoothest operator in Alan Dreezer’s latest 80s electro-pop single, BUTTERFLY
Posted on 22 September 2022Picking up where George Michael left off, Alan Dreezer’s smooth 80s RnB pop hit, BUTTERFLY, is a sensuously aphrodisiacal proclamation of lust that takes no prisoners when pulling you into the intensity of the passion.
Between the layers of lush reverb, the funk-soaked basslines roll around the choppy guitars under Alan Dreezer’s vocal timbre that will teach you the meaning of affection as the soul effortlessly drips.
BUTTERFLY is the first single to hit the airwaves from the East Sussex electro-pop singer-songwriter’s third album, Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes. On the basis of the single alone, there will be no getting in the way of Alan Dreezer’s domination of the airwaves.
BUTTERFLY is due for official release on September 22nd. Check it out for yourselves on SoundCloud.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Lucy Chan is soulfully cinematic in her latest single, Love Motion Picture
Posted on 22 August 2022Lucy Chan shared a college fever dream in her latest soulfully cinematic pop track, Love Motion Picture, which runs with escapist references to 90s rom coms, hints of 80s synth pop and a modernist twist to the romanticism.
The 19-year-old singer-songwriter has been a hit with teen pop fans ever since her 2021 single, I Wonder, and her acclaim grows with every subsequent release. Taylor Swift would want to eat her heart out to the dreamy innocent melodicism of Love Motion Picture, We can’t wait to hear what the Australian artist resolvingly releases next.
Love Motion Picture is now available to stream via Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Soup and Cigarettes sweetened the sound of summer in their single, ‘Flower Dress’.
Posted on 19 August 2022Here to make sure that 80s indie pop retains modernity is the Bristol, UK four-piece, Soup and Cigarettes, with their new album, UK DUTY PAID. The standout single, Flower Dress, makes a melodic indie ode to summer with its jangly kaleidoscopically colourful guitars, dreamy vocals, and sticky-sweet synths.
1987 had Sally Cinnamon; in 2022, we have Flower Dress, which effervesces around the lust for amorous life that magnifies in the heat of the summer. Fans of the 1975, PEACE and Jaws will also want to consider Soup and Cigarettes as a playlist staple band.
Check out UK DUTY PAID, which was officially released on August 19th here.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Dante Beverley lets the good times roll in his latest funk pop earworm The Party Never Dies
Posted on 10 August 2022After garnering tens of thousands of streams with his feel-good grooves released since his 2019 debut, the euphorically provocative pop sensation, Dante Beverley has declared The Party Never Dies with his latest single.
The 80s-inspired rhythmic riot exhibits a brand-new sonic signature that you’re going to want scribbled across your playlists; it also sets the tone for his forthcoming EP, due for release in early 2023.
The 22-year-old Rotterdam-hailing singer-songwriter takes influence from the likes of Bruno Mars, The Weeknd and Michael Jackson; notably, his inclination to enliven through disco and funk textures led the way in The Party Never Dies. Oscar Wilde would be proud of his revival of 80s synthy hedonistic pop.
The Party Never Dies is now available to stream on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Shanaya gave us the 80s pop anthem to ‘Dance the Night Away’ to
Posted on 3 August 2022Fleetwood Mac meets ABBA in the up-and-coming pop artist, Shanaya’s debut single, Dance the Night Away, which borrows a few of the iconic 80s tones before turning them into textures which form the artist’s sonic signature.
The orchestral sweeps, popping beats and Shanaya’s yearning for something more vocals pull you right into the essence of the single, which pays ode to those who are worth painting the town red with. A somewhat archetypal concept, yet, there’s a sense of mysticism to Shanaya, which won’t be getting old any time soon.
This upbeat originated debut is a sure sign of even bigger things to come from the rising artist.
Dance the Night Away is now available to stream on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Spotlight Feature: Laura Loh delivered deeply entrenched empathy in her seminal self-produced single, Closer
Posted on 20 May 2022After releasing her 2020 debut EP, which instantly attracted attention from BBC Introducing, Laura Loh has continued to move into her profoundly empathetic pop own. The Hampshire, UK-based classically-trained vocalist and instrumentalist is fresh from the release of her self-recorded and produced latest single, Closer.
Closer contends with the very real issue of our innate human tendency to put ourselves through the wringer every time we have realised that we aren’t infallible. In a therapeutically intimate way, the alt-pop single lulls you into a state of self-compassion, guided by Loh’s glassy vocals, the ethereal organ layers and massive percussion that aurally shows you the beauty in resilience.
If only all sonic mental health advocacy had the same visceral pull of Closer, we’d be an infinitely more self-actualised society. The deeply entrenched empathy in the single is an evocative bruiser. We can’t wait to hear what follows from Loh’s freshly discovered production boldness.
In her own words, here is what Loh had to say about her latest single:
“Closer is a song about recovery and personal growth, inspired by my experience with mental health; it is a reminder that it is okay to fall and take your time picking yourself back up. We all tend to be too hard on ourselves; I hope this song can encourage people to celebrate the progress they make every day, no matter how small.”
Closer will officially drop on May 20th; hear it on SoundCloud & Spotify.
Follow Laura Loh on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Jake Inzerra has unleashed his seductive 80s glam indie-pop earworm, Elevator
Posted on 6 May 2022There was no forgetting Jake Inzerra after his punchy indie-pop hit, No Lips; the singer-songwriter and producer is back on glam form in his latest single, Elevator.
Believe it or not, Inzerra’s Elevator is just as seductive as Aerosmith’s Love in an Elevator, which may have a fair amount to do with the raucous bite in his vocal timbre that sinks its teeth just as deep as Adam Levine’s.
I’ve long held the theory that all of the best artists carry androgyny into their music; Inzerra affirmed it with his infectiously hook-filled hit that soaks into your soul as much as your synapses.
Jake Inzerra’s latest single, Elevator, is due for official release on May 6th. You can check it out for yourselves via YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
MACY looks at heartbreak through a sticky-sweet prism of optimism in her latest single, Pink Bandana
Posted on 28 April 2022Nu-disco meets funk-pop in the latest single from the UK pop luminary, MACY. ‘Pink Bandana’ pops the bubblegum pop bubble with the overdriven guitar riffs, funk-laced bass guitar and vocals that will leave any Marina and the Diamonds fan with the inclination to make the perennial pop earworm a playlist staple.
Pink Bandana, which was produced by Owain Felstead, runs you through the early stages of heartache, seen through a sticky-sweet prism of self-empowered optimism. The emboldening energy reads through the high vibe hook-filled instrumentals and MACY’s playfully fiery vocal charisma. Together, they’e a powerfully infectious combination.
Pink Bandana is now available to stream via Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Jennifer Jess has changed the perfect pop formula in her latest convictively electrifying earworm, Imagine You
Posted on 28 April 2022It’s getting impossible not to get caught up in the hype amassing around the Atlanta-raised pop singer-songwriter Jennifer Jess and her demurely modernist nu-disco sound. Equally as affable is her tendency to bring mental health advocacy into her electrifying 80s-inspired sound.
Her latest release, Imagine You, comes after garnering 700k streams on Spotify for viral hits such as her 2019 earworm, Blue. The Shiny Toy Guns fan in me couldn’t be more enamoured with the ensnaring percussion, jangly indie pop guitars and Jess’ emotionally vulnerable yet convectively powerful vocals.
Imagine You is now available to stream on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast