Browsing Tag

Debut Single

ARO’s fierce femme aesthetic picked up luscious vehemence in her moody synth-pop single, Let Me Go

Posted on 28 July 2023
ARO

The LA-hailing singer-songwriter ARO singlehandedly defined the future of pop with her debut evocative synth masterpiece, Let Me Go.

With far more soul than your average earworm and her sonic signature scribing distinction through every succinct progression, this emotionally heated hit is the ultimate moody moving-on anthem.

By painting with light and dark tones, the process of coming into your own away from what no longer serves you was euphonically visualised in Let Me Go. With just as much lyrical depth as Mitski and Louise Dacus paired with an electro-pop score that cushions the blows of the sharp lyricism with lush reverb, it is only a matter of time before ARO is considered LA pop royalty.

“So much of my art is about giving the darker parts of myself a platform. There are these aspects of myself that cannot be tamed, and so instead of beating my head against a wall trying to control them I’ve found that my art allows me to be in relationship with them. When I write I’m not butting in to tell them how they should be, I’m not trying to get them to behave, or do better, or have a positive outlook, I’m just letting that part of me speak freely. And I learn a lot about myself through this process.”

Check out Let Me Go on all major streaming platforms from July 28, or hit ARO’s official website for more info.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dream Baby Dream with Cati Landry’s indie pop installation of etherealism, Mind’s Eye

Posted on 22 July 2023

With vocal lines that hypnotise as they harmonise, Cati Landry’s indie dream pop single, Mind’s Eye, will instantly put you under its ethereal spell. As the lead guitars bend licks of Americana into the notes, the rhythm guitars keep the 90s indie dream alive in their steady spills of instrumental romanticism.

The Canadian singer-songwriter set to create the ultimate anthem for the diehard romantics who find themselves consistently contending with the juxtaposition between dreams and reality; given that she made romantic expectations all the more unrealistic with her butterfly-releasing release, it is safe to say she succeeded in her enchanting record, which deserves to be just as revered as Swift’s latest LP. I highly recommend investing in Cati Landry’s promising career before you have to take out a second mortgage for her gig tickets too.

Mind’s Eye was officially released on July 14; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IZZYE has made her official debut with the house-pop earworm of the summer, LATELY

Posted on 16 July 2023

Still trying to discover your ultimate high-energy anthem of the summer? Gaze right into the debut earworm from the one-woman house-pop powerhouse IZZYE, and find the addictive choruses you’ve been searching for.

‘LATELY’ is IZZYE’s first official debut single after her single Dance Forever landed a placement in the Love Island 2023 Winter Final episode. With her powered-by-soul strident vocal lines easily dominating the infectiously high-octane hooks, the hit has ‘playlist staple’ branded across the glossy radio-ready production.

Not content with creating run-of-the-mill floor-filler fodder, IZZYE worked with her co-songwriter, Darren Martyn, to orchestrate a liberatingly empowering hit which goes to show that even when you have been cast aside by someone who pretended to be all-in, being bitter and scorned is never the only option.

Stream the official music video for LATELY, which premiered on June 7th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Nina Hain became the cover girl of Riot Grrrl in 2023 with her debut single, I Have a Name

Posted on 6 July 2023

The Canadian-born, Zurich and London-based multi-instrumentalist, classically trained singer and songwriter Nina Hain revived the Riot Grrrl movement with the monolithically fierce beguile in her debut single, I Have a Name.

Produced by Rocky O’Reilly and Mastered by Robin Schmidt (Liam Gallagher, Nothing But Thieves), the polished single is as impeccable as you would expect. But, somewhat ironically, in the context of the single, Nina Hain isn’t an artist that is going to skate through her career by high-profile association.

The stellar songwriting, which allows you to roll with all the stridently liberating crescendos led by her resounding vocal timbre, proves that she’s got the lyricality to make as much of a bruising impact as Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and L7. But make no mistake; this is far from your average all-edge-and-no-substance 90s throwback hit. The musicality of the single allows Nina Hain to stand alongside icons such as Honeyblood, Wolf Alice, and Black Honey as she uses her resounding voice as a protest to female oppression.

Expect plenty more from Hain as she continues to work with the Zurich-based indie label, Nekonen Records, to deliver a string of singles in the lead-up to her debut EP, due for release in Spring 2024.

I Have a Name hit the airwaves on June 30th; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unca John has unveiled his obsession-worthy eccentric indie debut, How the Hell?

Posted on 4 July 2023

It isn’t every day we find tongue-in-cheek indie acts that leave our hearts in our throats with their affable aural antics, but notably, Unca John comes from a far more endearingly idiosyncratic kettle of fish than your average rock singer.

With vocal lines that will awaken your soul as sweetly as Nada Surf and The Weakerthans paired with razor-sharp songwriting chops and lyrics that you can start relating to from the first verse, Unca John’s debut single, How the Hell? is unforgettably phenomenal. I know exactly where I will turn the next time I need a heady dose of sonic serotonin.

In his own words (that will just make you fall in love with him even more)

I’m a middle-aged economics professor living in the Baltimore suburbs, with all the fashion sense and charisma you would expect from an economics professor. I’m an average singer at best. I can’t even play guitar or piano. So what am I doing here?

The answer is in the songs. I write in the classic style—get ready for catchy riffs, hooks, harmonies and acid-tongued wordplay. You’ll hear all that and more in my debut single, “How the Hell?”, and later this summer in my upcoming single “Your Opinion” and my debut album “Midlife Crisis Vanity Project.”

My influences include the Beatles, Who, Stones, Velvets, Steely Dan, Costello, Buzzcocks, XTC, REM, Nirvana and Pavement. These are the bands that formed my musical sensibility, so naturally my sound tends towards retro. Nevertheless, I am inspired by the recent resurgence of great rock songwriting by Car Seat Headrest, Alvvays, Brittany Howard, Mitski, Big Thief, Snail Mail. Soccer Mommy and many others.

Stream How the Hell? by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Misty Drinx went back to the golden era of pop via his debut space odyssey, Oh I Love That Song!

Posted on 3 July 2023

Knowing that there is no better feeling than falling head over ears for an infectiously funk-laden pop hit, the up-and-coming artist Misty Drinx brought about a brand-new era of electro-soul with the release of his debut single, Oh I Love That Song!

Going back to the golden era of pop via a space odyssey, the single sweeps you up in a nostalgic 80s atmosphere, constructed by the oscillating synth lines, polyphonic keys and swathes of reverb that aid the transcendent euphoria of Oh I Love That Song!

Lyrically, the single may pay an ode to the feeling of hearing a song and wishing you wrote it, but the sentiment will undoubtedly be the same from the moment you greet the melodious earworm. We’re already stoked to hear the sophomore hit from Drinx now he’s found his euphonic calling.

Check out the debut single from Misty Drinx on Spotify.

Keep up to date with future releases via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago hip-hop duo, It’s a Cool Day, extrapolated ‘The Butterfly Effect’ in their debut

Posted on 27 June 2023

The Chicago duo, It’s a Cool Day put the trip in trip-hop by unveiling their elevated debut single, The Butterfly Effect, which fuses lush RnB melodies and harmonies with smooth rap verses and a pseudo-trap beat that becomes the centre of sonic gravity in the wavy, gravitas-packed single.

Craig Lowe and Derion Scroggins ripped up the urban rulebook and scattered the confetti through the vibe-steady hit, which spills a smorgasbord of soul as it mellowly progresses around the poetically ardent wordplay. Cathartic and convictive in its sense of passion, The Butterfly Effect is all the evidence you need that romance isn’t dead and that It’s a Cool Day has exactly what it takes to reign supreme in the Chicago scene and beyond.

The Butterfly Effect is now available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ride ‘The Lightning’ in Navigate by Neon’s power chord-charged debut single.

Posted on 25 June 2023

The Lightning is the debut power chord-charged sonic monolith from Navigate by Neon, a one-man project from the professional musician and producer Craig Whale.

After spending 30 years cutting his virtuoso teeth, his technical hair metal guitar licks are razor sharp, but that doesn’t get in the way of them malleably bending into hooks around the vintage analog synths and the vocal lines which soar as high as the guitars, enabling The Lightning to place you on a riff carved plateau.

Fans of Boston and Thin Lizzy will easily lose themselves in the tapestry weaved by the multi-layered guitars and the elevated harmonies, which allow Navigate By Neon to stay on a familiar roadmap while making his own mark on the metal landscape.

Described as nostalgic with a modern punchy twist by Hard Rock Hell Radio, Craig Whale is making all the right waves in the industry. The Lightning is discernibly a triumph, even more so when you factor in the chronic neurological condition which has limited the artist’s ability to play and perform in the past four years. Hit play for an affirmation of what dedication and determination sound like.

Stream The Lightning, which was officially released on June 9th via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

House of Asha broke through silence and stigma with her debut dream-pop single, Talk About It

Posted on 16 May 2023
https://youtu.be/Z27jssfBhsU

With her diaphanous debut single, Talk About It, the alternative singer-songwriter, House of Asha, broke the silence and stigma which often stifles the conversation around mental health in South Asian communities.

It is one thing to be candid when there will be no negative consequence or connotation, it is quite another to defy culture to break the cycle of generational trauma. The mellifluous dream-pop synthetics are a sublime pairing for the harmonically poised bleeding vocals, which effortlessly coalesce with the shoegazey dream-pop layers that will leave your rhythmic pulses on a plateau while the lyricality leaves you grounded.

Talk About It is the first single to release from House of Asha’s debut LP; it set the bar for what is to come, although, our faith is well-placed in the elevated grace of the songstress who scores her melancholically demure tracks around influences from the likes of Imogen Heap, Billie Eilish, Hozier and Young the Giant.

You can check out the debut single, Talk About It, from House of Asha via SoundCloud or stream the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Coming Up Milhouse’s debut single, Not Over You, is a riot of candied curveballs

Posted on 14 May 2023

Even though the track title leaves little room for guesswork in regards to the sentiments that flow through the swoonsomely crooned pop hit, the debut single, Not Over You, from Coming Up Milhouse, is a riot of candied curveballs.

With vocal lines that could tender the heartstrings of Elliott Smith, synths that create an odyssey of retro mutant pop in the same vein of Trudy and the Romance, and indie jangle pop melodies which add to the trending trajectory which spawned from revivalists such as the Midnight, Not Over You is a debut which plateaus above indie landfill releases.

The self-described soft boy indie rockers from Birmingham know just where to find the sweet spot when balancing lyrical melancholia and earwormy indie hooks.

Not Over You was officially released on May 5; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast