Browsing Tag

dark pop

Spotlight Feature: Wally Hoak opens up in his dark pop hit, HARD FEELINGS

Posted on 12 November 2021

Dominican Republic-born, Brooklyn-based dark pop prodigy, Wally Hoak, has been garnering plenty of hype since making his debut in 2020. His most popular track to date, Complicated, has racked up over 33k streams since the release, and based on his latest single, HARD FEELINGS, it is unlikely that his career will stop gaining traction any time soon.

In HARD FEELINGS, raw emotion is projected into dark, thorny synth lines as reverb swirls around the 808s under Hoak’s emotionally sultry vocal timbre. Lyrically, it became the ultimate ‘don’t talk to me, I’m angry track’ as it alludes to the alienating emotions that sting at the surface in the wake of toxic relationship dynamics.

Hoak went so far beyond scratching around at surface level with HARD FEELINGS; he cut right to the marrow. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear the next confessional masterpiece.

HARD FEELINGS is now available to stream on Spotify.

Connect with Wally Hoak on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dance-pop goes dark in FHUR’s single, We Just Wanna Have Fun.

Posted on 12 November 2021

London-based artist FHUR’s dark electro-pop hit, We Just Wanna Have Fun, is melancholic enough to serve as the antithesis to the fairly cringe-inducing Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Anyone whose mentality manual setting isn’t banal joy will appreciate the way that the darkwave synth-pop hit makes satisfaction seem like a celestial force in our apathy-imparting world.

Since her debut, FHUR has become an unignorable name in London’s alt-electronica scene, and it is unlikely that her notoriety will end there. Her sultry vocals have haunted venues such as Hoxton Underbelly and Amersham Arms. For any fans of this single, there’s plenty more in the pipeline as FHUR’s debut EP is due for release in early 2022.

We Just Wanna Have Fun is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA alt-electronica artist and producer Romy has unleashed her pitch-black industrial pop track, Penance.

Posted on 26 October 2021
Romy

Romy’s latest single, Penance, is enough to make Peaches sound tame. Against the industrial Nine Inch Nails-inspired beats, her sultry, fierce vocals spill enough magnetism to rival Shirley Manson while she roars through the lyrics that lament the dankness of society while making the unignorable request for the world to be gentle amidst the chaos.

The Australian LA-based artist and producer has exactly what it takes to dominate the mainstream and the grimy underground of alt-electronica. Any fans of Skinny Puppy, Grendel and Faderhead will be won over by the caustic beats. When it comes to the hooky pop elements, no one will be immune to their draw.

Check out Romy on SoundCloud, Instagram and her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Natalie Lane has released the bitter-sweet dark-pop ballad of the year with ‘Lonely’.

Posted on 14 October 2021

Californian singer-songwriter, Natalie Lane, has released her most captivating single to date with ‘Lonely’. The experimentally stormy production of the atmospheric downtempo ballad amplifies the intensity of the confessionally raw single to a visceral degree.

With a sonic style that sits in between Angel Olsen, St. Vincent and Billie Eilish combined with hints of bluesy Americana, Natalie Lane’s alchemic single hits like no other. It’s heart-wrenching tracks like this that take the stigma away from the admission of loneliness. Given that loneliness is a fundamental part of our human existence, we’re sure the weight in this track will resonate with anyone that takes a chance on it.

The official video for Lonely premiered on October 2nd; you can check it out for yourselves via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sciarra has released her hauntingly profound cinematic single, Dancing in the Dark.

Posted on 5 October 2021

Dancing in the Dark is the latest cinematic pop single from Sciarra, an artist quickly becoming renowned for her velvet soft vocals, ethereal melodies and dramatic art-pop edge.

Her love for a cinematic sonic palette transpired from her time writing TV and Film music. Her experience truly shines through in Dancing in the Dark, which pulls you in by the sheer artistry and her ability to pull on your heartstrings until they’re as raw as the sentiments explored in her deeply conceptual tracks.

Dancing in the Dark was written post-lockdown, shortly after she lost her mum to cancer and she was diagnosed with skin cancer. After overcoming it, she was left to contend with her grief; music became an avenue of reprieve and Dancing in the Dark was born. The airwaves are infinitely richer for it. We can only hope that there are plenty more emotionally iron-wrought singles in the pipeline.

All proceeds from the single will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Dancing in the Dark is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Holly George – Alaska: A chill worth acclimatising to.

Posted on 1 October 2021

The seasons have finally turned, which means we can move away from the euphoria of summer and into eloquent conversations with tragedy, such as the one found in up and coming pop artist Holly George’s latest cinematically raw release, Alaska.

Any fans of Neighbourhood’s iconic track, Sweater Weather, or any soundscape from Warpaint or Tom Odell will definitely want to acclimatise to the climate in this chillingly ardent single. The comforting dark and cold tones are the perfect contrast to Holly George’s endlessly imploring vocals which have a poignant way of stripping hubris away when the lyrics grip you.

The official music video for Holly George’s seminal single premiered on September 8th. You can stream it for yourselves via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kevan put a dark cinematic twist on Latin pop with his debut EP, Doors.

Posted on 29 September 2021

‘Doors’ is the debut EP from Italian producer and artist Kevan, who has been making more than waves with his evocative alternative tracks. There’s been a tectonic shift of talent on the airwaves since he started contributing to the airwaves 13 years ago.

The title single is a cinematically dark take on contemporary pop which finds room for rock and ambient trap and RnB elements to add to the dynamism. The lyrics feed the brand of frustration that only comes to fruition when you’re contending with an ending, and you’re transfixed by the past, unwilling to look to the future for fear of not seeing something you convinced yourself that you needed.

The way he shares a common experience is something. The way he expresses what words alone can’t has ironically left us speechless. We’re fairly sure that is how he ended up racking up nearly 1 million streams on Spotify alone with his standout single, Call Me.

Doors is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

West Ingston brings the Jekyll and Hyde vibes in his alt-pop hit, Bone Apple Tea.

Posted on 29 September 2021

Houston-born, Chicago-based alt-pop artist West Ingston’s standout 2021 single, Bone Apple Tea, is just as ingenious as the inventive title implies. His melodic hooks are just as clever as the conceptuality of his music.

With spoken word increments that are rough enough to make Iggy Pop’s vocals sound polished around the artist’s RnB pop vocals, Bone Apple Tea tells a story of duality that you can’t help but be hooked in by. The Jekyll and Hyde vibe adds an incredible dynamic to the tender jazzy indie-pop track that serves as an incredible testament to West Ingston’s boundary-breaking avant-garde expressionism.

You can drink in Bone Apple Tea by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TIBIBI proves that romanticism still thrives in dystopic times through her celestial ballad, Aura

Posted on 28 September 2021
TIBIBI

‘Aura’ is the third confessionally passionate pop track from the alternative singer-songwriter, producer and engineer, TIBIBI. The dark and moody yet ethereally tender contemporary ballad spins a tale of loneliness and absolution through love. In a melodically powerful way, it reminds you that life is no fairy tale, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t wind up finding the salvation that you yearned for.

I can’t help admire how TIBIBI explored the fraught emotions as deeply as she delved into the euphoria of finally finding someone on your level. Aura is easily one of the sincerest songs that you will hear this year.

Aura is due for release on September 28th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Linn Willner reigns as pop supreme in her single, Throne.

Posted on 24 September 2021

Sweden-hailing singer-songwriter, Linn Willner, showed the world how empowering pop is done with her latest dark pop hit, Throne. With the empowering lyrics and the sharp hell-hath-no-fury vocals, Throne is just as visceral as HBO’s Game of Thrones, but it is so much more than an angsty provocative track.

Just as with the original Riot Grrrl bands in the 90s, you instantly get a sense that the inspiration came from a deep and intimate place rather than through some twee inclination to better the world, and it is all the more hard-hitting for it. If you have ever been in a place where you’ve cursed your naivety and bounced back with scathing vengeance, this song is for you regardless of usual sonic taste.

While most artists struggle to find their authentic voice in the blossoming stages of their career, Linn Willner found that expressive confidence and boldness right from the start. We can’t get enough of her emotion-driven dark pop. Once the world gets a glimpse of her untamed passion and polished sound, we’re pretty sure they won’t be able to look away either.

Check out Linn Willner on Spotify and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast