Browsing Tag

Bedroom Pop

Mars Playground carried an arsenal of earworm potential in his alt-pop hit, ‘S.O.S.’

Posted on 9 September 2024

Mars Playground, helmed by Chris Dixon, embarked on a bitter-sweet alt-pop exploration of angst and existential rumination with his latest track, “S.O.S.” The South Florida native melded the nostalgic beats of mid-2000s hip-hop with the crisp innovation of modern bedroom pop, set to the pace of hyper-pop while touching the raw nerve of pop-punk to craft a boldly original sonic profile worthy of drawing comparisons to the likes of Dominic Fike and Post Malone.

The icon of genre fusion synthesised trap’s rhythmic dynamism and indie’s subtle introspection to create a masterpiece of modern sound which oozes commercial potential. After initiating with percussive breaks that nod to the likes of Alexisonfire, the song subverts expectations with its euphonic pop aesthetics which envelop an emotional upheaval wrapped in a veneer of sticky-sweet melodies that cling relentlessly to memory.

As Mars Playground continues to chart a course towards critical acclaim, S.O.S. is yet another testament to the resonance of his boldly candid sound. The universal plea for solace amidst chaos sends a lifeline, woven with the threads of his vibrant, varied influences and the unvarnished truths of his journey.

S.O.S. hit the airwaves on August 28th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rhine Valley prescribed nostalgia-tinged serenity in their indie summer serenade, Instincts in the Red

Posted on 24 July 2024

If you want respite from the artists driven by delusion and to tune into an artist who grooves to the sound of his own nostalgia-licked mellow melodies, hit play on the latest single, Instincts in the Red, by Rhine Valley and discover one of the most underrated artists on the airwaves.

The 21st-century answer to the Zombies’ 1965 hit, Summertime, filters through a sepia-tinged lens which captures the heat of the sun-soaked season within the rhythms which ebb and flow beneath the artist’s idyllic vocal register; the harmonies easily reach euphony while injecting soul into the soundscape that is as laidback as Elliott Smith on Xanax.

Rhine Valley, easily one of the most self-effacingly grounded artists in the music industry, used his bedroom-recorded lo-fi number to candidly reflect on life and the embarrassment of his streaming numbers. By using the tribulations of operating as an independent artist sans a trust fund or nepo connections, he spearheaded the indie music movement with unflinching authenticity.

The song’s mellow indie vibe is perfect for fans looking for something genuine and grounded, it is a true reflection of an artist who can capture the beauty in the mundane and the plight of grassroots music with swathes of tongue-in-cheek panache to spare.

Instincts in the Red will be available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud, from July 24.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lose yourself in a labyrinth of arresting unconventionality with Christine Tarquinio’s indie pop single, New Year’s Day

Posted on 30 June 2024

The 21st of June may seem a strange time to release a single titled New Year’s Day, but the internet phenomenon singer-songwriter Christine Tarquinio knew exactly what she was doing with this quintessentially eccentric indie-pop release which brings to mind the futility of allowing the calendar to dictate the date of your transformations and resolutions.

The twee in all the right places installation of indie bedroom pop carries a touch of art pop expressionism in its quirky authenticity which allows the recording artist to emerge as an unrestrained icon of creative freedom and heartfelt individuality.

With dustings of 90s pop aesthetics in the release which wears Kate Bush influences on the vocal harmonies, there’s just enough nostalgia and familiarity within New Year’s Day for listeners to find their footing in the labyrinth of arresting unconventionality.

New Year’s Day is now available to stream on Spotify.

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

Aveah Green delivered polyphonic pop euphoria in ‘Sunny Days’

Posted on 4 June 2024

For the ultimate sun-soaked serotonin fix, look no further than the standout single, Sunny Days, from the irreplicable one and only indie pop artist, Aveah Green.

While some artists are preoccupied with commercial potential in their productions, others use their creativity as a conduit for their uninhibited expression. The playful polyphonic synth-pop tones, the rejection of traditional song structures, and the quirky reverie in the authentically liberated vocal performance in Sunny Days testify to Aveah Green’s fearlessly originated sonic signature that you’ll want to scribe through your mind every time you want to be reminded of the freedom in embracing your own autonomy.

The Seoul, South Korea bedroom pop singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist made her debut in 2018 and has remained prolific with her releases; with her album, Barrymore Drive, in the pipeline, she is definitely one to watch.

Sunny Days is available to purchase on Apple Music, or you can add the single to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast​

Camila Knight Evoked (Day)Dream Pop Perfection in ‘Lavender Fields’

Posted on 17 May 2024
Camila Knight

Otherworldly enough to open a portal to a different dimension, the last self-produced single to be released from Camila Knight’s EP, Spacetime, evokes soulfully arcane alchemy that seduces the senses straight from the chorally lush progression. Even if Lavender Fields solely showcased her spellbindingly ornate and cuttingly crystalline vocal lines the dreamy bedroom pop ballad would be a standing ovation-worthy score.

By filtering the power of her flawlessly tender vocals through a reverb-rich and spacey with timeless soul production, the singer-songwriter, known for her affecting vocals and empowering lyrics, ensured that Lavender Fields is a sonic landscape far too much of a haven to want to leave.

Her words consume as they spill into the paradox of a filmic soundscape that arrests with ethereal textures while reaching the epitome of evocative intensity. The aching exposition of coming to terms with the kind of unattainable love that leaves us inclined to resign ourselves to daydreams because reality is too painful to bear, speaks to a phenomenon we can all relate to on some level. It speaks of the sanctuary of imagination while conjuring an aesthetic of delusional reverie, feeling far too personal to be a diary entry.

By pulling inspiration from an expansive selection of artists including Lorde, Ella Fitzgerald, AURORA and Joni Mitchell, Camila Knight hasn’t just forged a distinctive sonic signature, she’s written an entire chapter with her sound which resounds, most profoundly, in the ears of the outliers and disenfranchised.

Lavender Fields will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify, with the rest of Knight’s EP, Spacetime, from May 17th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ari Khan warned of ‘The Art of Seduction’ in her experimentally meta electro-pop hit

Posted on 13 April 2024
Ari Khan

Inspired by the Robert Greene book, The Art of Seduction, the experimental pop artist and bedroom producer, Ari Khan, mused her latest single, which shares the same title and gives the mind’s perspective under the influence of passionate persuasion. The artfully disorientating drunk on love production efficaciously exposits how control is relinquished and our grip on material reality slips when we surrender to the lust-licked designs of another.

“I wrote this song when I was home (in Alaska) over the holidays because I had recently read the Robert Greene book and realized a certain ex of mine had followed it like an instruction manual. This same ex texted me on Christmas Eve trying to pull me back in. I wrote the first verse right after receiving his text, the lyrics are ‘Regrets, you have none. that’s just a card you play, to see if I am done.’ It was all so obvious to me from a distance. But I remembered how blinded I was when we first met. I was broke and trying to make it in LA, I was in a very vulnerable position. He promised me the world and built up all these fantasies.”

As the soundscape evolves and allows you to fall down the rabbit hole of Ari Khan’s hypnotic artistry, her lush vocals keep the dynamic pace, demurely arcane in one breath, dominantly ensnaring in the next. The vocal progressions are as mind-bending as the breakbeats, especially when the cybernetic distortions confluence the vocal melodies with the genre-fluid instrumental alchemy.

The Alaska-born artist with Iranian and Irish roots can attribute much of her distinctive sonic signature to her unconventional artistic journey, which took her from studying musical theatre in NYC to studying EDM production in LA. Yet, it is her determination to allow energy to take the lead and her complete disregard for genre constraints which sees her music resound with exhilaratingly infectious flair.

The Art of Seduction will be available to stream on all major platforms from April 12th via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lizzie Hill put all her emotions on the line in ‘Dirty Laundry’

Posted on 4 March 2024

If you never got over t.A.T.u.’s hit single, All the Things She Said, Lizzie Hill’s latest single, Dirty Laundry, which uses oscillating synth lines and delicately evocative vocals in the same vein, has all the makings of your new favourite perennial pop earworm.

Blending the etherealism of dream pop with the hooks of a synthpop anthem, Dirty Laundry lays it all out on the line in the intimately electrifying production, which proves that the Cornwall-residing singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s talents belie her years.

As the lyrics relay a relatable vignette of how friendships can turn sour in a sequence of imbittering progressions, Lizzie Hill projects swathes of morose emotion in her perfectly pitched vocal lines while ensuring Dirty Laundry remains a soulfully euphonic anthem of liberation from the toxic ties that bind you to people determined to diminish your self-worth.

It’s a stunningly creative and affectingly cathartic release through and through and a clear sign that the singer-songwriter has exactly what it takes to dominate the pop domain in 2024.

Dirty Laundry will be officially released on March 1st; stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dani Enli became the soul-pop supreme with her empowering RnB hit, used to it

Posted on 11 February 2024

Dani Enli’s debut RnB pop release, ‘used to it’, is a revelation in the world of bedroom pop. The Malaysian-Chinese Aussie artist, now an emerging icon in the pop scene, demonstrated swathes of talent that have been eagerly waiting to be unveiled. ‘used to it’ is a bold statement of Enli’s potential to not only hold dominion over the industry but to redefine the pop landscape with her contemporary sonic signature.

The track is a melodious, tonally tender anthem, resonating deeply with anyone who has felt burned by passivity and is ready to reclaim their power or find it for the first time. Enli’s skill as a singer-songwriter shines as she floods her own emotions into the production, ensuring the song unravels as a succinct, sweet, and rhythmically cathartic experience.

Enli’s background as a singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer, coupled with her journey from graduating as a doctor to pursuing her childhood dream in music, adds layers of authenticity and passion to her work. Her songs are not just melodies but vessels of healing and understanding, reflecting the power of music that has always resonated with her.

This track is just the beginning for Dani Enli. As she steps into 2024, poised to be the next pop trailblazer, there’s a palpable sense of anticipation for what she will bring to the table next. If ‘used to it’ is any indication, the future is bright for this talented artist.

used to it was officially released on February 2nd; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jasno sharpened his hooks for his ethereal alt-pop earworm Runaway

Posted on 31 October 2023

Sink your senses into the latest synthesis of trap, dream pop, synthwave and indie rock from the Michigan-hailing genre-bending evocateur, Jasno, whose experimentalism knows fewer bounds than his talents in creating texturally sublime modernist masterpieces.

With a song structure which keeps the level of scintillation visceral through a never-ending barrage of aural curveballs to emanate the same progressively exhilarant air as the most infectious tracks from Mumford and Sons, the artist who keeps his sound fresh with each new release has exactly what it takes to go far in the industry which increasingly favours genre-fluid and stylistically uninhibited orchestrations.

If the instrumentals which are all self-recorded and produced by the artist’s fair hand aren’t enough to reel you in hook, line, and sinker, the clever confessionalism and candour will drag you into the candied gravity of Runaway.

Runaway dropped on September 15; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast