Browsing Tag

Electro Pop

Johnathan Murray has released his evocatively charged dark pop debut single This is War.

Posted on 22 July 2021

Up and coming pop artist Jonathan Murray has made his debut with the alt-pop single This is War, which captures the fragility of our human existence and emphasises the importance of love within it.

The way that the North Carolina-based artist creates parables between contemporary anxiety and romantic insecurity is nothing short of genius. The ingenuity is extended by his tonal palette that pulls influence from the likes of Twenty-One Pilots and Dragons. The synth-led soundscape is a sure sign that Johnathan Murray’s solo debut was well overdue; despite the raw, evocative nature, there’s a maturity found within his songwriting style and deliverance of pure, unbridled passion.

This is War is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Relive your ‘Glory Days’ with Marty Gray’s latest synthpop single

Posted on 8 July 2021

Marty Gray’s latest synthpop album is enough to send you swooning back to the 80s while hanging onto the contemporary components of the mellifluous release that serves nostalgia and futurism side by side.

The single, Glory Days, may run at a slow tempo but the succinctly paced single never gives your mind permission to veer away from the devilishly clever progressions and the constantly evolving vocal timbre. The spatial effect in the synth lines allows you to sink deeper into the dreamy, fiercely passionate single that you’ll want to give plenty of repeat attention.

Glory Days is now available to stream with the rest of Marty Gray’s album via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Swedish pop pioneers Laptop Singers have launched their latest single, ‘The Lonely One’.

Posted on 4 July 2021

Swedish pop pioneers Laptop Singers have launched their latest interstellar electropop hit, The Lonely One. Fans of Kraftwerk, Eno and Numan are going to want to delve into the synth-carved playful single that explores isolation in a compassionately sweet way. Hitting play is a sure-fire way to top up your serotonin.

With a sticky-sweet mix of synthesised pop, rock and electronica, the familial duo, Per Andersson and Lars Andersson, constructed a delectable smorgasbord for the tonal palette. Yet, discernibly, they came into their own through their meaningful lyrics that instil event more infectious appeal into The Lonely One instead of abstracting the euphorically-laced catharsis.

The Lonely One is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jakliu – Frustration, stagnation, isolation, and loneliness with “CATSPIT”

Posted on 25 June 2021
Jakliu

Hot on the heels of his recent remix of Irish electropop artist Ae Mak’s ‘Jamie’ comes this, Jakliu’s debut single ‘CATSPIT’. Gentle, pulled-back vocals mixed with repeating drone notes and electronic drum loops, ‘CATSPIT’ is a mix of ambient, electropop, and electronica, taking in later Radiohead and Thom Yorke’s solo work, bits of the Aphex Twin, Dave Monolith, Caribou, Beatwife, Luke Vibert, and the whole gamut of Warp and Rephlex records stablemates.

It’s chilled and mellow yet challenging and forthright, inspired by themes of stagnation and isolation and Jakliu’s frustration at the mediocrity of everyday life and at the slow decline of creativity and arts in a world fixated on cheap, easy fame and fleeting Social Media celebrity.

You can check out Jakliu on SoundCloud and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Sukesha Ray has unleashed her emboldening future pop anthem, ‘We Are the Way We Are’

Posted on 9 June 2021

Prepare your summer pop playlists for the latest euphoria-laced future pop anthem, ‘We Are the Way We Are’ from American singer-songwriter and dancer Sukesha Ray.

Once again, the emotion brings just as much energy to the track as the intense build-ups and colossal future bass drops in the anthem that starts with an all too resonant melancholic tone before the progressive track builds momentum and garners mental resilience along the way.

After racking up over 140,000 streams on Spotify alone with her sophomore single, A Place We Never Knew, it is easy to see how the autonomy-embracing single, We Are the Way We Are, will follow.

You can check out We Are the Way We Are by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Aspen Sawyer has released her apocalyptic love song, ‘When the World is Ending’

Posted on 3 June 2021
Aspen Sawyer

Tucson, AZ-hailing pop artist Aspen Sawyer has been pulling the light out of her dark experiences since she made her debut in 2019 with her single, Self-Love. After experiencing serial abuse and homelessness as a teenager and young adult, Sawyer seeks to inspire her listeners by proving past trauma doesn’t need to hold you back or define you.

Her latest single, When the World is Ending, is an intoxicating feat of darkwave electropop that asks the very relatable question, will you still love me when the world is ending? With apocalyptic thought never far from our synapses these days, When the World is Ending is a powerful release that reflects the paradigm shift that love has taken during the pandemic.

When the World is Ending is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

V!V passes the vibe check with her electronic funk-pop earworm, ‘MY NRG’.

Posted on 2 June 2021

Funky moody pop may sound like a paradox, but that’s exactly what will greet you when you hit play on the latest single released by alt-pop singer-songwriter V!V.

MY NRG is the sophomore single from the Detroit-born Chicago-raised artist that delved into Chicago’s music scene by collaborating with up and coming rappers and vocalists. After taking plenty of inspiration from Tyler, the Creator, V!V started to create her grooving loops to flow with her vocals that can only be described as radiant.

MY NRG comes with a smorgasbord of attitude, but it is all in the name of demonstrating the importance of protecting your energy and knowing your worth. It is an infectiously empowering track that you will need on your summer pop playlists as soon as you hear it.

MY NRG is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dan Zimmerman kicks off Pride Month with his entrancing queer pop anthem, ‘Soldiers’

Posted on 28 May 2021
https://soundcloud.com/danzimmermanmusic/soldiers-001/s-lzWtLLTwKgs

Up and coming pop artist Dan Zimmerman has given the airwaves a taste of what he brings to NYC stages with his latest single, ‘Soldiers’. Penned as an LGBTQ+ Pride Summer pop anthem, Soldiers encapsulates the beauty and energy of blossoming romance away from heteronormative stereotypes.

Zimmerman’s explorations of lust, loneliness and loss fall into urban soundscapes that capture the buzz and the alienation felt by inhabitants of NYC and metropolises across the globe. With the same spacey, moody air as Big Black Delta and vocal reminiscences to Sam Smith, Soldiers drips with commercial potential. Zimmerman is definitely one to watch.

Soldiers is due for release on May 28th; you can hear it by heading over to Dan Zimmerman’s official website or SoundCloud page.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bryten explores retrospective regret with her progressive electro-pop single, Where Would I Be.

Posted on 26 May 2021

Since releasing her debut single, Without Me, in 2019, up and coming pop singer-songwriter, Bryten has given pop fans plenty to get excited about with her compassionate and candid releases. After the release of her latest single, Where Would I Be, there has never been a better time to jump on Bryten’s high-vibe sound that is grounded in empowerment and sincere emotion.

Where Would I Be unravels through questioning introspection, regretful for time wasted on people that made that time living hell, but emboldening through the recognition that suffering leads to strength. It’s a powerful track that starts as a postcard to 90s pop before transgressing into a bass-riding visceral feat of future pop. If you can relate to the lyrics, you’ll find resilient euphoria in every crescendo in Where Would I Be.

Where Would I Be is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ben Alexander x Ida Stein – Motions: Glacially Entrancing Future Pop

Posted on 25 May 2021

For his latest release, Norway-residing artist and producer Ben Alexander collaborated with the enigmatically unique artist and vocalist Ida Stein to create a chilling feat of future pop.

With effect-laden vocals that will feel familiar to any fans of Mindinabox and breakdowns that resonate with your senses on a practically primal level, becoming immersed in the bass-swathed mix is non-optional. Despite the chill of their geography lowering the temperature in Motions, there’s an inexplicable, soulfully infused sense of warmth to the release that resonates through Alexander’s African percussion style.

You can check out the official music video to Motions via YouTube, or you can add the mesmerising mix to your playlists by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast