Browsing Tag

Disco Pop

Cecilia’s Debut, Don’t Wanna Cry, is a Disco Ball’s Glow over Retro-Futuristic Reflections

Posted on 15 December 2024

Cecilia’s debut single, ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’, sinks the listener into a rabbit hole of retro-futurism beneath the glow of a disco ball, pulling her listeners’ senses between awe for innovation and comfort from nostalgia-swathed pop hooks.

If you’re weary of modern retro pop revolving around Lana Del Rey’s carbon copies, Cecilia rhythmically shifts away from the fray. Her sound—recorded and produced independently in her Los Angeles home studio—invites her growing following into a seraphic reverie of dreamy alt-pop, all defined by some of the most sublime vocals from a breakthrough pop artist in 2024.

Influenced by the disco era’s warm grooves, modern electronic textures, and soulful classic vocal timbres, she crafts a retro-futuristic hybrid with indie sensibilities. ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’, released on 26th November, layers its introspective lyrics and ethereal melodies to form a kaleidoscope of colourful warmth, while the earworm mantra lingers long after the final note.

By making her debut with such an empoweringly vulnerable release, Cecilia sets a high bar, teasing more hits from an already iconic artist who dares to groove to her own tune.

Stream Don’t Wanna Cry on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jazz underpins electro-pop in NxC’s comeback track, Can’t Get You Out of My Head

Posted on 23 August 2024

From the province of Laguna, NxC, a dynamic pop duo, has re-emerged in the limelight with a comeback that dares to share a title with Kylie Minogue’s famed hit, Can’t Get You Out of My Head. It was a bold titular choice, but that’s nothing compared to the endlessly evolving innovation caged within the progressive anthem.

Nikki Culing and Cedric Patangan, who first harmonised in their high school choir and later in various local bands, entered uncharted territory with Can’t Get You Out of My Head which amalgamates the nostalgia of disco pop with the edge of synth sequences and the spontaneity of jazz, presenting a track as layered as their musical background.

After a brief hiatus after their initial single, Peach Fizz, NxC’s sound is more honed than ever. Their comeback initiates with a tease of classic house pop, swiftly morphing through a spectrum of sounds that defy simple categorisation. With Nikki’s euphorically infectious vocals and guitar alongside Cedric’s multifaceted mastery of keys and bass, the duo navigates through hyper-pop highs and rap-infused rhythms, making each transition a head-spinning hit of serotonin.

Every beat of Can’t Get You Out of My Head promises an adrenaline rush of sonic surprises – brace yourself before you hit play.

Can’t Get You Out of My Head hit the airwaves on August 10th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get into the groove with Ryan Alexander’s funk-chopped disco pop earworm, Stay the Night

Posted on 31 July 2024

Ryan Alexander’s latest single, Stay the Night, featuring pop vocalist Michael, is more disco than a disco ball with its funk chops which cut through the kinetic grooves to ignite dancefloors and send sparks of serotonin flooding through the psyche of anyone who encounters this synthesis of sonic nostalgia and salaciously amplified contemporary innovation.

The hit mainlines the guitar rhythms of Nile Rodgers with the beats of Daft Punk, while the infectiously euphoric pop vocals from Michael turn up the heat in this magnetic earworm, resulting in a track that showcases the immense potential of this independent producer’s talents.

Although Alexander is currently reverberating through the underground, it is only a matter of time before he breaks major ground and storms the mainstream with his flair for expansively fusionistic songwriting and producing.

Hailing from Glasgow, Ryan Alexander’s passion for music is evident in every beat of his rapidly growing discography, which is picking up major traction through his local performances in October Café and other revered venues around his hometown. There’s no doubt that a big break is around the corner.

Stay the Night was officially released on July 22; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emilie Thorsby electrified the airwaves with the disco pop grooves in ‘Fake Love’

Posted on 29 June 2024

After garnering over 40k streams on Spotify with her 2023 single “Ocean,” pop sensation Emilie Thorsby has continued to ascend the ranks of the music industry. Her accolades include several prestigious awards, international stage performances, interviews with NBC, and a feature in Elle Global Woman Magazine. Emilie’s career momentum shows no signs of slowing down.

Her latest release, “Fake Love,” is poised to further elevate her profile. This timeless anthem embodies all the characteristics of an enduring pop classic. The kinetically rhythmic euro disco grooves, combined with an instantly catchy hook and her vibrant, vivacious vocals, transform “Fake Love” into a guilt-free pop pleasure.

The Spanish guitar motifs bring a distinct dynamic to the radio and dancefloor-ready track which will undoubtedly become another playlist staple for anyone who seeks serotonin from sound.

Fake Love is a fiery attest to the capacity for reclamation of the heart, body and rhythmic pulses after falling in love with a lothario. Should your summer romances end on a bitter-sweet note, sugar the pill with this infectiously empowering tour de force.

Fake Love was officially released on June 28; stream the single on Spotify now.


Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nissu – Connection: A Strident Exhibition of the Resilience of the Human Spirit

Posted on 21 June 2024
Nissu

The latest single from the Brazil-born, Dublin-based pop sensation, Nissu, is an explosion of positivity; ‘Connection’ goes nuclear through the sonic combustion of passion and unflinching optimism. As soon as the beat kicks in, you’ll catch the fever of gratitude and be compelled to move.

The hit is a kaleidoscope of nu-disco cuts, modern pop panache, grooving basslines, and snappy snares that help to deliver a dynamic, driving beat and cradle the exuberance in the vocals that project an uplifting ode to love, compassion and human connection. Written during lockdown, Connection urges the listener to look for the strength in themselves and celebrate the beauty in connectivity.

We may be years beyond the dystopia of lockdown, but the lessons we learned from the grounding experience, which forced us to reflect on what truly matters and affirmed the importance of connection, still exist as a silver lining to the chapter of our lives that will always be bitter-sweet to look back on.

The official music video is just as much of a triumph, featuring cameos from Charity Case and Hey Baby of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK and the trans/neurodivergent advocate Cleo C. As a precursor to Nissu’s debut EP, Memories, Connection, created plenty of anticipation over what Nissu has lingering in the pop pipeline.

Connection will be available to stream on all major platforms from June 21st; the official music video will premiere on the same day on Nissu’s YouTube channel.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spirits of Saturn – Transfigured: A Synth-Pop Remedy for Souls Unbounded by Earth’s Orbit

Posted on 1 March 2024

Spirits of Saturn, a band that emerged like a comet in the musical cosmos, has graced our auditory senses with their latest single, Transfigured. The synth-pop odyssey that transcends the mundane unravels as a vibrant fusion of synth and strings, weaving a star-roving tapestry of influence from Kraftwerk, Todd Rundgren, and Daft Punk to submerge synth-pop fans in a constellation of future-perfect disco-pop sonics and vocals that can croon your soul out of kilter.

The beat-bolstered synth-pop ballad explores the mental labyrinth navigated during post-relationship dissolution; It’s a narrative of emotional metamorphosis, where even the most visceral feelings disintegrate through transmutation. The song’s structure, with its stabbing synth lines and euphoric beats, creates an atmosphere that will bring you down to earth and beyond its atmospheric remit. As Transfigured plays, you can’t help but feel unshackled from earthly constraints while simultaneously being in tune with the ache only humankind will know through our romantically masochistic tendencies.

If any outfit has what it takes to dominate the synth-pop scene in 2024, we’d put our money on Spirits of Saturn. They’ve already graced some of the most renowned venues in the UK with their decadently transcendent tones and proven their neon songwriting stripes.

Transfigured will land in Earth’s orbit on March 1st; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Georgina White gave us a shot of Europop euphoria with her empowering anthem, Not Your Baby

Posted on 24 October 2023

Reminding us that it has been 24 years since the launch of Don’t Call Me Baby by the Australian house duo Madison Avenue, Georgina White’s latest floor-filling Tour De Force, Not Your Baby, is a groove-embellished anthem that strikes hammer blows of nostalgia with every bass-drenched beat in the exhilarant Europop hit.

With a little bit of disco and tropic funk flavours to drip vibrance into the tonal palette, Not Your Baby simultaneously feeds empowerment and euphoria as Georgina White powerfully projects the liberating lyrics which are the ultimate cure to breakup scorn. It is the perfect testament to the fact that there’s nothing sweeter than emotional freedom after letting go of the hands that have held you down.

Not Your Baby, produced by John Carr, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kat Caroline’s funk-disco-pop amalgam, Sugar Lips, is the perfect sonic summer cocktail

Posted on 31 July 2023

If you haven’t had the honey from Kat Caroline’s sophomore single, Sugar Lips, oozing from your speakers yet, you can’t say you’ve heard the hottest pop hit of the summer.

With creatively modernised vintage disco grooves oscillating through the funk-bolstered hit and the sensuously sweet energy that emanates from the lyrics, vocals and sun-soaked melodies, Kat Caroline is the ultimate alt-pop siren in Sugar Lips, which is more than reflected by the attention the single has garnered since its official debut in May 2023.

The Nile Rodgers-esque guitar chops against the retro pop beats and Kat’s ethereally glassy vocal lines that easily command all of the conceivable senses fused together to create the perfect sonic summer cocktail.

Stream Sugar Lips on Spotify & YouTube and keep up to date with the latest earworms from the US-based one-woman pop powerhouse.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Karan Karma has unveiled his scorcher of a sophomore disco-funk RnB pop hit, Dangerous

Posted on 18 June 2023

The Essex, UK singer-songwriter, Karan Karma, turned up the heat enough to trigger another heatwave with his disco & funk-infused RnB pop sophomore single, Dangerous.

His infectiously salacious soprano vocal lines will make him an instant hit with any fans of the King of Pop, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars and Charlie Puth; he comes into his innovative own through the disco grooves, which are as slick and stylish as the ones found in Red Rum Club’s chart-topping hits.

Reminiscences aside, Karan Karma established himself as one to watch through the precision in the balance between commercial appeal and creative autonomy. Using his own voice instead of assimilating another’s, he’s easily one of the most authentic artists in the UK pop circuit. For more slices of soul, slap him on your radar.

Dangerous is now available to stream on Spotify and YouTube via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ipe defied the laws of gravity in his funk-grooved feat of disco-pop, Stratosphere

Posted on 7 June 2023

If you could imagine what the output would be if Nile Rodgers, Nic Hanson, and Daft Punk stepped into the studio together, you will get an idea of the electrifying funk-grooved euphoria which organically spills from the latest single from the Chicago-based singer-songwriter and producer, Ipe.

Stratosphere is the ultimate euphonic aphrodisiac for the way the cosmic lyricality lifts you higher than the upbeat instrumentals, which pay an ode to the heritage of disco while bringing in an electrifying new wave of pop.

The infectiously enlivened vocal lines from Ipe, who has been racking up tens of thousands of Spotify streams since making his debut in 2019, are the ultimate aural pick-me-up. His hedonistically honeyed vocal lines are all you need to get in the groove.

Stream Ipe’s latest single, Stratosphere, on all major platforms via this link

Review by Amelia Vandergast