Browsing Tag

Indie RnB

Juan Tavano chased the ghosts of ephemeral connection in his alt-RnB single, Passing By

Posted on 19 June 2023

If you’re like a moth to the flames of quick-burning romances which scarcely give you time to become more than ideas in each other’s mind, you will find and lose yourself in the latest single, Passing By, from Juan Tavano.

While the lyrics lament our affinity for the ephemeral affection we chase and yearn for in an act of sadistic romanticism, the indie RnB instrumentals shimmer through the swathes of saturated delay around the pseudo-trap backbeat while Tavano vocally brings in nuances of afro-pop with his honeyed to the nines harmonies.

From start to finish, Passing By stands as a testament to Tavano’s ability to stir souls with his evolving melodies, create immersively conceptual atmospheres and break the monocultural mould with his ingenuity. If that doesn’t constitute a triple threat, I’m not entirely sure what does.

Passing By will hit the airwaves on June 19; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Ella Rossi negated adorated anxiety in her ethereal indie soul pop sophomore single, Linen

Posted on 16 June 2023
Ella Rossi

After finding her voice as a jazz singer, the LA-born, Montreal-based artist Ella Rossi has flourished as one of the most seminal RnB Pop singers of her generation. With a vocal timbre as rich as the staccato guitar chords, few ethereal indie RnB Pop soundscapes spill as much tonal sanctity as her sophomore single, Linen, which explores the sensual highs and the tormenting lows of a relationship you can’t leave in the rearview mirror, despite never knowing where you stand in it, or how the severe the wounds will be when time finally closes on it.

With a vocal range so luxe and rich it would make Elon Musk feel inferior, Ella Rossi is a diamond in the rough; it is only a matter of time before major record labels want to mine her. Her capacity to captivate with her honeyed harmonies and so-radiant-they-glow soundscapes is second to none. Rossi is the ultimate proof that if you stay in your own creative lane, there will be no one out of your expressive league.

Ella Rossi said:

“Linen is about a passionate but complicated relationship and being unable to resist the attraction, despite the potential consequences. The lyric, “wrapped in this linen”, represents a sense of comfort and intimacy while alluding to a feeling of entrapment in a dynamic where there is no longer a clear view of how the other person feels.”

Linen will release ahead of Ella Rossi’s debut EP; stream it via Spotify and SoundCloud from June 16th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sanniyah Antoinette – Because I Can: Transcendently Transformative RnB

Posted on 10 June 2023

Proving that there is nothing as liberating as thriving on internal validation and never having to justify the path you’re on as you towards your own idea of sanctity and success, Sanniyah Antoinette’s latest single, Because I Can, is a quiescent lesson in empowerment.

Forget the ‘haters gonna hate narrative’ and reach your destination with good karma in your soul by following in the footsteps of Sanniyah. With confident mantric proclamations against candourous confessions of crying just to break the silence, the singer-songwriter shared a captivating performance which left the airwaves infinitely richer in introspection.

With touches of Bjork in the ethereally spellbinding production and Sanniyah Antoinette’s diaphanously resounding vocal lines, Because I Can is a transcendently transformative hit. You owe it to yourself to place it on your playlists; it serves as a scintillating reminder that perseverance isn’t supposed to be easy, but by staying true to your autonomy and values, you can never lose.

Because I Can was officially released on June 2 – hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zae Aio has taken control of the sands of time with her ethereal indie RnB debut, Don’t Waste My Time

Posted on 9 June 2023
Zae Aio

For her debut release, Don’t Waste My Time, the up-and-coming soulstress, Zae Aio, created a dreamy RnB odyssey, which starts with a slow and mellow indie pop pre-chorus to emanate accommodating 90s nostalgia before amplifying the atmosphere with Prince-esque soaring guitars.

The sublimely textural release is a testament to the originality of Zae, who has always struggled to find her place and feel assured in her identity due to her multicultural roots stemming from Côte d’Ivoire and Norway and growing up in Oslo. Though, clearly, she’s right at home on the airways with her arcanely honeyed vocal lines and the ease with which she lays it all down on the expressive line.

Don’t Waste My Time is a devilishly delicious debut, which is all too efficacious in proving Zae has exactly what it takes to have dominion over the RnB genre.

Don’t Waste My Time will hit the airwaves on June 9th. Check it out on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

bhxlu serenades novocaine in his melodically memorable hit, Wild

Posted on 7 April 2023

Indie RnB crooner bhxlu laid the laidback soul on thick in his latest single, Wild, which hit the airwaves on April 7th. The East London-hailing artist carries a fair amount of the dead innovative weight dropped by the rest of the contemporary RnB artists in the game with his fluidly smooth hit that pulls alt-pop, drill and trap tendencies into the colourfully sultry grooves.

With his tendency to mix dark themes with light instruments, you will always tune into a raw and real sonic rendezvous when immersing yourself in bhxlu’s innovation. Taking inspiration from Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown and The Weeknd could have resulted in an assimilated sound, but few artists hit the autonomous mark as distinctively as bhxlu, who never shies away from narrating toxic dynamics that are disturbingly rife in contemporary culture.

Stream Wild on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The RnB duo onemind ‘meditate’ on romanticism in their slick indie hit.

Posted on 13 February 2023

After finding success as a touring musician, Dario Mihic set out to swathe the airwaves with his devilishly slick soul as one-half of the brother duo onemind. With the indie RnB single meditation, he and his brother Martin discernibly succeeded.

As the celestial vocal timbre wraps itself around the romanticism in the lyrics, the gentle mellifluous guitar notes that ethereally reminisce on the instrumental hooks in Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River amplify the accordance even further. The downtempo hit spills alchemic chemistry as it works through the poised progressions, setting ample anticipation over what fresh soulful innovation will pour from onemind in the future. Save a place on your radar.

Meditation was officially released on January 31st. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DMK takes us ‘Higher’ with his alt-RnB single

Posted on 17 January 2023

With a similar tonal palette to the one used in Nirvana’s iconic track, Something in the Way, in addition to the faint reminiscences to Hozier, the up-and-coming independent RnB artist DMK, well and truly came into his own through his artfully experimental single, Higher.

We fully attest to the single’s ability to take you higher through the transcendental feel of the soundscape, which breaks through from the grungy indie guitars in the prelude. The calm and collected nature of the vocals makes it all too easy to meditate on the laidback lyrics that illuminate a more mindful way of living. For your own sake, make it a playlist staple. The hypnotic textures of the track have what it takes to strip ennui from the soul by sonically alluding to the emotional quiescence we should all be striving for. The Houston-hailing artist and producer is definitively one to watch.

Watch the official music video for Higher on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

School is in session for Monicasuperiorroze’s lesson on sensuality in her seminal single, Close

Posted on 11 January 2023

The spotlight is moving ever closer to the sensuous soulstress, Monicasuperiorroze. The Palmdale-residing RnB artist brought as much heat as the Cali sun she finds her inspiration under in her seminal single, Close.

The kicked-based grooves and sultry harmonies set an elevated laid-back tone, while the lyrics show how visceral affection should always be. With nuances of trip-hoppy jazz written into the extended mix and ample room for vocal progression and tensile amplification, Close is a whirlwind for all the senses.

There is a discernible boldness and confidence in her indie RnB stylings; she could never be accused of being assimilative. If she’s following any rulebook, it is the one she constructed from the confetti after ripping up the rules laid down by everyone before her.

Stream Close on YouTube. Follow Monicasuperiorroze on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ozzie Aguilera channelled their natural sultry beguile into the dream pop fantasy of a resilience-advocating single, You Can’t Give Up

Posted on 18 December 2022

The autonomy advocator Ozzie Aguilera is a sonic vision in their latest jazzy RnB dream-pop single, You Can’t Give Up. The single testifies to the strength that everyone who goes against the heteronormative mould has to muster to stand a chance in a world that claims to celebrate individuality before beating down anyone that shines a little brighter than the rest.

The powerfully demure single extends the ‘haters gonna hate’ conversation to serve as a reminder that there will always be times when you feel like giving in, but relenting to that entropy will never be your only option.

The Mexican American singer-songwriter, makeup artist and entrepreneur may claim to strive for emotional expression over perfection; in my view, they’re a faultless pioneer who always leaves us arrested by their ethereal grace and natural sultry beguile.

You Can’t Give Up was officially released on December 9th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sweet Limb – Straight Up: Upbeat & Soul-Bleached Texas RnB

Posted on 17 December 2022

With speaker-blasting bass reverberating under the jazzy keys and colourful dream-pop melodies, Sweet Limb’s alternative RnB single, Straight Up, is a straight-up masterpiece.

His direct spoken-word hip hop-style vocals over the intricately layered instrumentals pull you right into the centre of the playful, upbeat, and soul-bleached record that will spill dopamine every time you hook into the high-vibe release. “I don’t trust anyone but us” may be a simple lyric, but the romanticism within it is powerfully profound in the context of the dreamy single that pays homage to the salvation in connection.

Straight Up is just one of the singles found on Sweet Limb’s sugar rush of a 2022 EP, Vibes, which is everything it says on the tin. The Texas-based DIY independent artist Chris Robinson always draws from real-life experience to give the guarantee that every release you dip into that has seeped from his stunningly creative mind will resound on a resonant level.

Straight Up is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast