Browsing Tag

funk

It’s all bells and no whistles in Roman Gastelum’s ingenuitive hip-hop track, Pavlov’s Dogs

Posted on 14 November 2023

After a bell ring in the intro to pay a conceptual nod to the iconic conditioning experiment, Roman Gastelum moves straight in with an amalgam of funk grooves, jazzy timbres, and hip-hop beats in his standout single, Pavlov’s Dogs taken from his debut LP, EQlibrium.

With the single and LP title, we probably don’t need to tell you that the LA-based bassist, vocalist, lyricist, and composer is an intellectual cut above the rest. In fact, if there were any more genius touches to this release, Roman Gastelum’s door would be blown off its hinges after an army of sapiophiles came knocking. But it is far from just pretentious art over substance.

The sublime sonic atmosphere conjured around the bruisingly clever bars by the artist who received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from the Musicians Institute in LA ensured that even on the 100th listen, you’ll take something new from Pavlov’s Dogs. As the cherry on the urban alchemist cake, the spacey sci-fi surrealism towards the outro is a lesson in experimental scintillation.

Pavlov’s Dogs is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of the EQlibrium LP which dropped on September 29.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Misty Drinx reinvented 80s nostalgia with his soul and funk-wrapped RnB pop hit, You’re So Cool

Posted on 1 November 2023

After bearing witness to a Toto show in LA, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter and pop icon-in-the-making Misty Drinx Americanised his infectious perception of pop and lavished his sophomore single, You’re So Cool, with layers of soul and funk-wrapped RnB that radiate reinvented 80s nostalgia.

With lustfully intoxicated exoticism oozing from the pores of the sax lines and synth-driven melodies, Drinx brought swathes of colour to UK shores with You’re So Cool. Fans of George Michael and Boy George will undoubtedly want to savour every drop of the delicious aural cocktail which envelopes you in the hazy hues that transform the mind’s colour palette when you’re lucky enough to be ensnared by someone.

With the eclecticism Drinx has already exhibited in his sound, we’re stoked to hear what will follow.

You’re So Cool was officially released on October 20; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The masters of funked indie rock melodicism Kinda Joke questioned ‘Where Is Home’ in the shimmering nostalgia of their latest single.

Posted on 18 September 2023

Kinda Joke brought a touch of playful panache and lashings of shimmering 80s nostalgia to their standout indie funk pop single, Where Is Home, taken from their debut LP, Cat Alarm.

If you can envisage the middle ground between Reverend and the Makers and the Midnight, you’ll get an idea of what awaits from the masters of indie rock melodicism and funky rhythms. With an atmosphere that enraptures from the first groove pocket-carving bassline and enough hooks to necessitate the hook, line and sinker metaphor, Kinda Joke’s ear candy couldn’t be more radio-ready.

Where Is Home is the sixth single to be released by the international trio; the German, Italian and Spanish flags all fly under the banner of the outfit which originally formed in Munich, where they discovered after jamming with each other that their sessions were somewhat reminiscent of an intoxicated Phil Collins-Coldplay-Dave Grohl amalgam.

Where Is Home is due for official release on September 15; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lyra unleashed Medusa in their latest funk-pop-RnB alchemic amalgam.

Posted on 1 September 2023

With powerfully alluring vocals slipping into an amalgam of funk, pop and 90s RnB, the latest single, Medusa, from the London-hailing prodigal children of soulful experimentalism, Lyra, is a boundary-breaking triumph.

With vocal lines that are as resonant and sonorous as the timbres you would expect from Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus and intellectually enlivening lyricism bolstering the track that is rich with lush reverb, disco grooves, and rhythmic alchemy, Medusa is a track that could easily help Lyra make an even bigger mark on the RnB map. I mean, have you ever heard a stronger opening lyrical line than “I slept with my demons, they never called me back”?

Since forming in 2016, the outfit has brought its live sound to many of the most prestigious venues, including The Bedford, The Camden Assembly, and 99 Feet East; they have also received the Track of the Week accolade from BBC Introducing. We’re sure that even greater things await after Medusa is unleashed.

Medusa will be available to stream from the 1st of September; hear it via this link. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whitelocust funked it up to the rafters in their debut rock-licked hit, Your Way

Posted on 6 August 2023

The London-hailing prodigal sons Whitelocust brought the funk rock rapture with them when they released their debut single and music video, Your Way, on the 21st of July.

With the frontman emanating the energy of Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s Anthony Kiedis and the sultry grooves of early Faith No More material giving the raucousness a sensuous touch of soul, Your Way is a nostalgic rock revelation that will leave you itching for it to pour from your speakers once more from the first hit of the addictively vintage 70s grooves.

After starting out in 2021, Whitelocust hasn’t failed to garner all the right traction to give their illustrious career momentum. It is only a matter of time before they are revered as London’s premier funk-rock outfit – especially after this juggernaut of a strong debut that will reel you in hook, bassline, and sinker.

Stream the official music video for Your Way on YouTube.

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

Likeable funky pop duo East Eden drops those tasty mellow vibes on Cielo

Posted on 9 July 2023

With a fun beat and kind energy which will get those feet tapping, East Eden shall calm all sad hearts with a lovely single which must surely be played over and over on Cielo.

East Eden is an East Hampton, USA indie duo who love to remedy our shattered hearts with a pop/funk blend like no other as they continue to broaden our minds.

Inspired by the late great Amy Winehouse, Sly and the Family Stone, Vulfpeck, Kanye West and more, East Eden is the kind of music group that does this for all the right reasons. This is pure stuff and is surely a must-listen for anyone who likes things rather chilled. Fresh all the way, we have found a hugely affable song to hold hands with all night.

Cielo from East Hampton-based funk/pop duo East Eden shall mellow the soul and give lonely hearts something to believe in. This is easy listening at its best. It’s flashy-free and lovable, just like a waterfall at the end of a hike on a summer’s day. Good for the soul and body-healing.

Turn this up and feel free again.

Hear more on SoundCloud.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

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

Rise and Shine: The Board of Directors drop the freshest debut to sip on rather sweetly in the sunshine, We

Posted on 13 June 2023

Inspiring us all to be ourselves and not let anything get in the way of true happiness despite all the small-minded opinions ruining our moods like an onion in the eye, The Board of Directors have made a marvellous first impression to alleviate all trepidations away on the tremendously soulful debut, We.

The Board of Directors is a New York City-based 6-piece powerhouse group that loves to fuse different genres such as pop, funk, RnB and soul to make their music rather delightfully incomparable.

Calming all anxious nerves away like a waterslide day out with family and friends on a summer’s day, The Board of Directors have made an important gem which is a meaningful track to turn up loud for all ages. Vocally sweet and lyrically on point, to open up minds and bring us back to a better place in time.

We from New York City-based 6-piece band The Board of Directors is a jam-this-all-night-no-matter-what song to help us all meditate the stress far away. Stunning our hair into a happier place and taking us into a much more content world, this is a pick-me-up experience to wash all scars away in a few minutes.

If you’re looking for a single with unity, this is the winner to turn up loud.

Hear this fine new single on Spotify.

Find out more on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

The Freaky Friday Jailhouse Gang filled groove pockets with raucous rock licks in ‘Benign Lion’

Posted on 23 May 2023

As you can probably gather from their moniker, The Freaky Friday Jailhouse Gang is far from your average RnB ensemble. Their seminal single, Benign Lion, is a riot of funk and foot-stompin flavour, driven by the fiery vocal lines of Lorena Valta.

Valta knows just how to instil raucous rock elements into the groove pockets that are deep enough to leave the Grand Canyon green with cavernous envy. Adding to the eccentricity of the Austrian outfit are the layers of blues, which pay homage to the roots before embedding them in an amalgam that could only have been alchemised by The Freaky Friday Jailhouse Gang.

The serious superlative talent is one thing, but the evident fact that the powerhouse, which has kept the cogs turning since the early 2010s, doesn’t take themselves too seriously is quite another. There’s an undeniable sense that the Gang benefit from their feel-good euphonics as much as their fans.

Benign Lion is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast