Browsing Tag

Alt RnB

Alexandra created a vocal symphony in her cinematic RnB rock release, Grieve You 

Posted on 7 October 2022
https://soundcloud.com/officialalexandramusic/grieve-you-alexandra/s-WZAHIp5uFI2?si=7afb692291174b53809a2b129d080ec3&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Pulling elements of rock and RnB together with cinematic grace is a trait the Sydney soulstress Alexandra is quickly becoming infamous for. Her latest single, Grieve You, is her finest introspective score to date. Alexandra’s artful command over her vocal range is a symphony in itself.
Late one night, the compulsion to greet and say goodbye to her inner child reflectively came to fruition. Resulting in a sombre ode to the lack of closure that we all mourn from the tribulations we endured when we were too young and naïve to advocate for ourselves. Whatever your history, the shimmering reverb in Grieve You around the angular pirouetting guitars is sure to bring some catharsis.
Grieve You will officially release on October 7th. Catch it on SoundCloud. 
Review by Amelia Vandergast

The claws are out in Harmonical’s latest single, Cat on Heat, featuring Élan Noelle

Posted on 5 September 2022

It has been a phenomenal run for the effortlessly distinctive RnB artist Harmonical (AKA songwriter & producer James Stretten) with his cinematically contemporary songs appearing on the credits of Hollyoaks and constantly spun on BBC Introducing.

His latest single, Cat on Heat, featuring the enrapturing robust vocals of Washington RnB soul singer, Élan Noelle, is yet another reason to fall head over heels for his funk-riding euphonic sonic signature.

With a narrative as compelling as the Copacabana, the lyrics in Cat on Heat are almost enough to bring out the popcorn. The dynamic that the lyric “she’s my best friend, but she is like a cat on heat” sets up a scenario that most will be able to relate to.

The music video to Cat on Heat premiered on August 11th. Check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

RnB and Trap Intertwine in Ta’Sj Pure’s Seminal Single, Lies

Posted on 3 September 2022

Taken from his debut album, So Sincere, the up-and-coming RnB artist Ta’Sj Pure’s single, Lies, is one of the best introductions to his melodically soulful sonic signature.

After a wavey intro, the New Jersey native goes in heavy with the lyrical evocative weight in his effect-laden Trap-style harmonised vocal timbre while the single progresses into experimentalism scarcely seen in the RnB scene. His tendency to play with melody and swathes of off-kilter bass transforms Lies into a completely unique RnB aesthetic that any innovation seekers will easily be sated by.

Check out Ta’Sj Pure’s debut album, So Sincere, on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bedroom producer, J4RED transcended genre in his artfully reflective introspection slice, ‘hurt u’

Posted on 25 June 2022

Sometimes it is the emotion that grips you; sometimes, it is the musicality and originality; in his third single, hurt u, the bedroom producer, J4RED, proved that he is a triple threat. Perhaps even more impressively, hurt u transcends genre while carrying vast universal appeal.

The dark mellow pool of experimentalism created the perfect atmosphere for the fiery yet quiescent vocals to ooze into, allowing you to feel every ounce of the exhaustive frustration that breeds from dynamics where the mental scars tally our time together.

After launching his music career with his EP, UNCONSCIOUS, which debuted when he was 17 years old, he joined bands in the UK and Germany, and produced for other bands, such as the up-and-coming metalcore band, Half Me. If he keeps on at this level of momentum, it is only a matter of time before he breaks into the mainstream.

hurt u is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get secondary highs from Cedric B’s latest contemporary kick of RnB. Love=DRUG

Posted on 14 June 2022
https://soundcloud.com/dreambiggggggg/love-drug/s-RWg2g8CbJ9U?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The evolution of RnB may have been fairly stunted since the 90s, but one artist taking the genre into the sonic future with his distinctive hard-kicking spin on contemporary RnB is the Dallas-based crooner Cedric B.

His latest single, Love=DRUG, taken from his sixth independent album by the same name, is a stridently evocative work with melodies that seduce as much as the high-range vocals around the hip hop elements. Even if you’re not getting your own love fix, you will easily get high on the vibes in Love=DRUG.

Love=DRUG will officially release on June 14th. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chalant hooks us up ‘For a Night’ with his injection of dark RnB

Posted on 21 May 2022

After garnering a serious amount of traction around his debut single, the Sydney-based alternative artist, Chalant, has dropped his dark, grungy slice of RnB, For a Night. If you can imagine what it would sound like if Frank Ocean and Trent Reznor met in the sonic middle, you will get an idea of how emotionally intense this production is as it balances on wailing synths, oscillating bass and dark monochromatic textures.

Never afraid to gaze into the most malignant facets of the human condition, Chalant is quickly making a name for himself in the field of high fire social dissections. With a perspective that is just as refreshing as his sound, it is only a matter of time before Chalant sees the top of the charts.

For a Night is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Orlando Rocco Music & Justis Chanell delved beyond superficiality in their indie RnB single, Way You See Me

Posted on 13 May 2022
https://soundcloud.com/user-532179988/way-you-see-me-ft-justis-chanell

Orlando Rocco Music & Justis Chanell became the ultimate RnB collaborative power couple with the release of the East Coast hip hop-influenced single, Way You See Me, which captures that intoxicatingly euphoric feeling of knowing that someone sees you, with their field of vision extending far beyond surface level.

Justis Chanell’s smoothly sultry yet understatedly charismatic vocals resonate against the slick indie RnB grooves that are swathed in layers of shimmering reverb. Way You See Me stands as a contemporary testament to both of their talent. We can only hope that there’s more collab content in the pipeline. Way You See Me was nothing short of alchemically cathartic for the way the sophisticated style runs on a par with the level of soul.

Way You See Me will be officially released on May 13th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

CRVS Serrano – all of a sudden you know whats best: darkly era-defining RnB

Posted on 10 May 2022

‘all of a sudden you know whats best’ is the darkly era-defining latest single from the Philadelphia-born, Florida-based songwriter, artist and songwriter, CRVS Serrano. The 90s and 00s influences are easily legible around Serrano’s dark signature, which is signed through the trippy yet melodic flow and the beats that melt against the lush modernist RnB production.

Lyrically and vocally, Serrano doesn’t fail to bring you into the plaintive frustration the single transpired from. But there’s enough urban alchemy in the mix to guarantee you’ll have more oxytocin than you did before you hit play.

After signing to the label, Bounce House in 2020, he’s taken his career to new heights alongside artists such as Karol G, G Herbo, and IV4. With an EP in the pipeline, he’s undoubtedly one to watch.

CRVS Serrano’s latest single is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Spotlight Feature: FEAT delivered all of the curatively cathartic soul in his indie RnB single, This Time

Posted on 6 April 2022

‘This Time’ is the latest single released from the Philadelphian alt-RnB artist, FEAT, who has been on a home run with his soul-baring hits since making his debut in 2020.

Some of the tracks that featured on his debut album, For the Lovers Mixtape, have made it onto the OST for the indie film, The Unhinged, and his smooth sonic signature works just as well on the airwaves. Lyrically, this Time explores the very human tendency to stay in toxic dynamics for longer than is healthier while channelling compassion for others in the same situation. Aurally, This Time is a rock and indie guitar-licked distinctive triumph that stands as the ultimate testament to FEAT’s originality. It was a bold move to be so artfully authentic, but it more than paid off in This Time.

Here’s what FEAT had to say on his latest release

“This Time was a song written during a breakup. After numerous attempts to make the relationship work, I was left with disappointment and dissatisfaction and hurt. This song became a way to relieve the undesirable emotions; it was time for me to realize my potential, what I am capable of, and to disconnect from a love that was so very tragic.”

This Time is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TUNJI ALADE breaks the monocultural mould with his alt-RnB track, Closer

Posted on 5 April 2022
TUNJI ALADE

New York’s most experimental RnB artist, TUNJI ALADE, is fresh from the innovative release of his latest single, Closer, which moves old school soul into a trippy new wave trap pop territory.

While breaking the monocultural mould with his exotic Asian melodies, ALADE runs with his own distinctive vocal style that bridges the gap between trap, pop, RnB and Afrobeat. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but anyone that commends visceral high vibes and true originality in their RnB will easily be able to make a playlist staple of Closer.

Listen to TUNJI ALADE’s latest release here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast