Browsing Tag

Alt-Pop

Marc Ambrosia aurally embodied queer pride with his alt-pop anthem, You Can Tell Me

Posted on 12 July 2024

Pride month may be over, but the perpetual appeal in Marc Ambrosia’s queer pop anthem, You Can Tell Me, is infinite.

The luminously iridescent outpouring of euphoric emotion, inspired by a coming-out story which tore down a barrier in a friendship, explodes as a riotous affirmation that there are few things sweeter than tearing off a façade and tuning into the liberating freedom of living openly and proudly.

The tinged-country pop-rock hit is enveloped by the exhilarating joy that comes as a consequence of acceptance and self-expression while LGBTQ+ allies are celebrated for their profound ability to change worlds simply through understanding and accepting.

Whether the single acts as an inspiration to take that candid leap or you adopt Ambrosia as a confidant while you prepare to write your own coming-out story, there’s no denying that Ambrosia is well on his way to being crowned as a queer pop icon who will be impossible to usurp if the ecstasy in You Can Tell Me is a sign of what is to come.

With his fourth studio LP, Gay & Proud, due for release on August 30th, he’s a visionary you want on your sonic radar.

You Can Tell Me was officially released on July 5th; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Georgina White became Trip-Hop’s most arresting chanteuse in ‘LOVE’

Posted on 8 July 2024

Georgina White’s recently re-released single, LOVE, is an aching reflection on the darker shades of affection. As the PJ Harvey-esque trip-hop aesthetics mirror the turbulence of a mind gaslit into accepting abuse by nefarious actions running under the guise of passion, the indie alt-pop framework ensures that White is doing far more than simply following in the footsteps of trip-hop pioneers, she’s synthesising a sound that is irreplicably her own.

The sepia-tinged production by the hand of Dan Myers brings an aura of old-school spectral soul to the soundscape which harnesses the haunting vocal delivery. Delicate yet commanding, White’s voice embodies the complexities of maleficent love, delivering each verse with a chanteuse’s grace and an insurgence of empowerment. Angel Olsen herself couldn’t have performed LOVE better.

Penned after drawing inspiration from the Cruel Intentions soundtrack, LOVE lends from the melancholic depths of the OST; despair pulsates throughout the progressions in the luxuriantly arcane production that melds gritty guitars with syncopated beats that mimic the frenetic rhythms of a heart beating out of sync.

Whatever the Brit-Austrian artist and actress turns her talents to next, it is going to be the epitome of iconic.

Stream LOVE on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kaciny – Happy Thoughts: A Soulfully Sardonic Anthem for the Melancholic Soul

Posted on 29 June 2024

Kaciny’s debut single, Happy Thoughts, immediately strikes the senses with its pop-punk-esque staccato guitar chops before erupting into an anthem impaled by indie jangle pop hooks. The euphoric production is affectingly juxtaposed with bittersweet lyricism, offering a protest against the trite rhetoric often directed towards those with a natural proclivity for melancholy.

Kaciny’s soulfully sardonic grace in addressing this phenomenon sets her apart from her contemporaries. Her ability to capture the essence of ennui while simultaneously critiquing societal pressures to remain perpetually upbeat delivers a potent shot of vindication for listeners who struggle with their own black dog. The earworm is a visceral ride through the rage-fuelled frustrations of wanting acceptance as you are, pensive tendencies and all.

Brooklyn-born and Mississippi-based, Kaciny grew up surrounded by a musically accomplished family, which heavily influenced her artistic journey. Her background, combined with influences from bands like Bloc Party and Paramore, and artists such as Santigold and Dionne Farris, shapes her unique sound. By the age of 20, Kaciny had already made her mark as a songwriter for notable artists like Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.

Happy Thoughts is a testament to Kaciny’s stripes as a storyteller and musician. This flawlessly fierce alt-indie pop-rock release is so much more than the sum of its sonic parts. It’s an opportunity for listeners to reclaim their true identity and celebrate the beauty in feeling deeply as an involuntary rejection of superficiality.

Happy Thoughts will be officially released on June 28; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spyndycyt entered the industry as a zany indie pop enigma with ‘MysteryBoy’.

Posted on 20 June 2024

Spyndycyt’s seminal single, ‘MysteryBoy‘, kicks off with a short sermonic acapella narration of abstract lyrical poetry before the beat and scintillatingly strobing synths consume the track in true electro-pop style.

Yet, ‘MysteryBoy’ is far from your average pop fare. It fuses Jack White-esque aesthetics with Suicide-reminiscent indietronica and an eccentricity scarcely heard in the contemporary music industry. If Lou Reed lost all sense of restraint and approached his sound with unadulterated expression, you’d undoubtedly be treated to an exhilarant zany hit in the same vein as ‘MysteryBoy’.

Even after this soul-baring release, Spyndycyt remains somewhat of an enigma behind his avant-garde production that’s rampant with infectious zeal. His approach to music is intriguingly unconventional, but don’t get it twisted, though he may blaze through his productions driven by fantasies that far exceed his abilities, the result is a mould-breaking riot of rhythmically-charged euphoria.

His raw, almost naive touch, brings a unique authenticity to his work that seekers of fresh and boundary-pushing hits will want to devour. Break away from the mundane and predictable and hit play.

MysteryBoy was officially released on June 12th; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

USUALLY MODEST became the biggest free-from-vanity rockstar in pop with ‘Toothpick’

Posted on 7 June 2024

USUALLY MODEST came in red-hot with his latest rock-licked hypersonic pop hit, Toothpick, which blurs genre boundaries through an explosion of high-energy hooks and a sense of unfettered exuberance that becomes infectious from the first progression.

Unravelling like an accelerated sonic lovechild of the Weeknd and the 1975, Toothpick speeds past contemporary trends, arriving safely in the confines of the future of pop, inviting listeners in by laying out a doormat woven by innovation

Just as his moniker would lead you to believe the up-and-coming Switzerland-born-and-raised artist with Ukrainian roots, his free-from-vanity sensibility shines through in Toothpick. The sticky-sweet emotional underpinnings are the cherry on the hyper-augmented sonic cake, which will undoubtedly allow the self-taught singer, songwriter and producer to rack up even more streams.

Since his humble beginnings on SoundCloud in 2017, USUALLY MODEST is well on his way to becoming a viral sensation. In the last three years, he’s racked up over 350,000 streams on Spotify along with 50,000 total views on YouTube. His standout single, Soul Searching, has also been in regular rotation on one of the biggest Swiss urban radio stations, yet, we’re sure that there are far bigger accolades waiting to fall on the revolutionary.

Stream the official music video for Toothpick when it premieres on June 7th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Candy Rush debuted with her quirky pop revelation, Don’t Even Wanna Know

Posted on 5 June 2024

Don’t Even Wanna Know is the satirically sweet quirky pop debut from the Romanian London-based artist, songwriter and producer, Candy Rush (Elena Ilie). Play it loud and amplify the voice of this generation that is becoming increasingly tired of plastic pop protagonists who shirk autonomy while rattling a begging bowl for commercial success.

The debut is stylistically saccharine enough to implant a voracious sweet tooth in anyone who swims in its honeyed tides of the single which allows idiosyncrasy and autonomy to ebb and flow throughout the avant-garde mix of alt-pop, neo-jazz, funk and soul.

“It feels like an infection to deal with your perfection” is just one of the introspectively enlightening lyrics which embody the lyricist’s ability to move far past the tired tropes and deliver lines that catch you off-guard with the resonant obscurity. Her playful approach to vocal arrangement and unorthodox grooves resulted in a ground-breaking debut which embodied her desire to exhibit the quirks and contradictions of modern life.

With the accessibility of the proverbial girl next door and a talent that could rival HONEYMOAN, Candy Rush will prove to be a force to be reckoned with as she rises up from the alt-pop underground.

Don’t Even Wanna Know was officially released on May 24; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ella Eliza’s Life Without Me Is A Journey Through Heartbreak and Self-Discovery

Posted on 2 June 2024

London’s queen of queer pop Ella Eliza, exhibited the difference between a singer and a soulstress in her latest single, Life Without Me, which firmly puts her in the latter camp.

With spiritual motifs littered through the lush-with-transcendent-textures single that allows the brooding basslines to create a moody atmosphere for the indie jangle pop guitars and glassy synths to explore, Live Without Me breaks new evocative ground as Eliza exhibits her full vocal range from low sonorous reverberations that bring home the gravity of the vulnerable lyricism to the harmonic highs.

Life Without Me reaches the epitome of vulnerability as Eliza navigates the complex landscape of relationships in the context of self-discovery. By sonically visualising the precipice of potential romantic loss, the urgency in the lyrics which were penned in the aftermath of a breakup cuts deep.

Life Without Me will be available to stream on all major platforms from May 31; for the full experience, stream the official music video on YouTube, which was created in collaboration with the multi-award-winning LGBTQ+ filmmaker, Frankie Joe Gommon.

“After speaking with Frankie about making this video, I decided that I was ready to open up about my sexuality for the first time, and let my audience in on some of the most vulnerable parts of myself. I think there’s still a part of me that’s that 13-year-old girl, who’s scared of showing so much of themselves. I am a lot more comfortable with who I am now, but I think the video reflects my past – which is the current reality for a lot of queer people. My biggest hope is that this song and the video resonates with people who are still trapped in that place, and can inspire them to be their most authentic selves.”

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Claire Marante unveiled the depths of trauma in her trip-hop-tinted art-pop installation, ‘You Want Me’

Posted on 30 May 2024

Maltese singer-songwriter, Claire Marante reached the crowning point of her career with the release of her trip-hop-tinted pensive titan of an art-pop installation, You Want Me, which gives a voice to the female protagonist in the lust-fuelled story portrayed in Elvis Costello’s single, I Want You.

The imagination that went into the concept of the single in itself is a triumph, but that scarcely scratches the surface of the depth within this heart-wrenching downtempo release that anyone who has suffered sexual abuse will find consolation within. If you’re nefarious enough to be a perpetrator, prepare to witness the ugly truth of your lascivious actions.

The three chapters within the deeply conceptual single, You Want Me, Hold Me Down, and I Can’t Breathe, create a heart-rending narrative as Claire Marante tentatively moves through the harrowing three-part chronicle, reflecting how hard it can be to voice the agony of sexual abuse, which ripples through our identity with a force strong enough to tear at the seams of our soul.

You Want Me is the precursor to Claire Marante’s upcoming EP which is being primed for a September 2024 release. Expect more intersections of pained introspection to be explored by the artist who never shies away from sonically confronting visceral emotion.

Stream Claire Marante’s single, You Want Me on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kennedy Bane confronted heart-wrenching grief with grace in her debut, Pushing Up Daisies

Posted on 27 May 2024

Kennedy Bane, a 15-year-old pop singer-songwriter from Nashville, TN, rendered hearts raw with her debut single, “Pushing Up Daisies.” The debut instantaneously proved her mettle as a heart-wrenching lyricist as it showcased her evocatively immense vocal finesse. The single belies her 15 trips around the sun, as she tackles the tender subject of grief with a maturity that artists with decades in the industry would struggle to match.

The indomitable sincerity within her standing ovation-worthy performance, paired with the achingly ornate indie-pop instrumentals, won’t leave a dry eye in the proverbial house. The solemn gravity within “Pushing Up Daisies” is superlatively affecting. Kennedy’s ability to convey profound emotion through her music is nothing short of extraordinary.

As “Pushing Up Daisies” unfolds, it’s clear that whatever subject Kennedy turns her talent to next will make for an equally impactful journey. Her collaboration with Platinum Grammy Producer Bryan Todd for her first EP of six original songs is naturally highly anticipated after the release of what will become revered as one of the strongest debuts of the year.

Pushing Up Daisies was officially released on May 10th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Starleen alchemised the key to self-liberty in their electronic alt-pop salve for the soul, Let Me Go

Posted on 23 May 2024
Starleen

Starleen’s latest single, Let Me Go, marks a must-read chapter in the San Antonio duo’s career, showcasing a transcendent synthesis of alt-electronica, trip-hop, soul, and pop, which elevates the listener into a state of auditory bliss and liberty.

From the outset, the track envelopes you in a cocoon of lush dream pop, slowly intertwining with elements of serene yet visceral avant-garde trip-hop to deliver a fusionist sound that is as revolutionary as it is ethereally beguiling. Once the single reaches its full rhythmic momentum, the backbone of Let Me Go becomes its robust and fiery backbeat, which propels the track forward, complemented by layers of sonorous synths that build a crescendo of sound, mimicking the uplifting process of self-liberation.

The masterful production sets the stage for the vocal mettle of Starleen Holmes, whose voice shifts effortlessly between crystalline harmonies and powerful outpours of emotion, matching the sonic complexity crafted by Zachary Holmes, whose production skills shine luminously throughout the track. Each note and beat in Let Me Go is skilfully placed, leaving the listener wide open to the message of the sanctity of freedom; especially when that freedom is by your own hand.

The official music video accompanying the sanctifying ritual of a release mirrors the song’s themes of freedom and self-discovery and is likely to add another accolade to Starleen’s collection of music video awards.

Stream Let Me Go on all major platforms, including Spotify, from May 23rd.

Review by Amelia Vandergast