Browsing Tag

Indie RnB

Alt-Indie Pop artist Luvelle bares all in ‘Scrapbook Thoughts’

Posted on 24 April 2021

‘Scrapbook Thoughts’, featuring JERHELL, is the unapologetically honest lead track from up and coming Melbourne-hailing indie artist Luvelle’s debut EP, Scrapbook, which brings intimate emotion animated by RnB Pop to the airwaves.

With plenty of choral delay laid onto the guitars as they cut through the grooving progressions that bring hints of contemporary RnB into the mix, Scrapbook Thoughts unfolds as a tonally mellow, evocatively strident track that you’re unlikely to forget in a hurry.

At the age of 16-years-old, Luvelle is already proving he has what it takes to take the industry by storm. Scrapbooks may be a lo-fi release, but with his charisma, candid lyricism and accessible experimental sound, he’s a triple threat.

Luvelle’s debut EP, Scrapbooks, is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tea Sea – Vitals: A Subversive Indie RnB Trap Love Story

Posted on 21 April 2021

Spoken word poet and independent artist Tea Sea dropped his most evocative track to date with the release of his 2021 single, ‘Vitals’, which bridges the gap between how love manifests in real life and how it appears in lyrical form.

Vitals took inspiration from the mental mania that transpires after falling for someone as vulnerability and insecurity broil to the surface. The Odenton, MD-residing artist’s raw yet melodic single perfectly captures romantic anxiety, but the beats in the indie RnB trap single brings a soulful groove that your rhythmic pulses won’t want to resist.

Tea Sea’s vocals are connectable from the first note. You will immediately sense the intimacy and find the resonance through the humble clean vocals in the articulate release that will undoubtedly put Tea Sea in good stead with his career in 2021 and beyond.

His debut release, ‘Kaleidoscope Jellyfish’, hit the airwaves in 2018; since then, he’s proven that he’s got the determination to put his name on the map. With three singles released so far this year, lockdown has been beneficial to his creativity and artistic hunger – it is safe to say that his debut LP definitely won’t bite.

Vitals is now available to stream via Spotify or SoundCloud.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from Tea Sea by connecting via Instagram & Twitter.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Manchester’s smoothest synthpop outfit MODELS will send you swooning back to the 80s with their latest single ‘Thriller’

Posted on 3 March 2021

Manchester-based newcomers, MODELS’, latest single, ‘Thriller,’ will send you swooning right back to the 80s. With glassy synths, RnB-style romanticism and intimate indie vibes, the three-piece were successful in creating a sweetly elysian soundscape which would have dancefloors swaying – if they were accessible right now. But the extended sax solo and the smooth rock n roll crooning is just as enamouring when hitting you through a pair of headphones.

The level of passion contained in Thriller could convert cynics into hopeless romantics. It’s a stunning release which will undoubtedly stand MODELS in good stead when venues in Manchester are safe to house their honeyed retro sound once again.

Thriller was officially released on February 14th you can check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jiwhan Kim drops some ephemeral ambiance with ‘Suicidal Starlight’

Posted on 8 February 2021

Opening with some seriously emotive koto-like strings before the beautiful female vocal kicks in, backed by some ephemeral sounds and those haunting picked string notes, ‘Suicidal Starlight’ is the opening track from Indiana-based producer-singer-songwriter Jiwhan Kim’s new EP ‘World’.

Trancey, Ambient, and otherworldly, ‘Suicidal Starlight’ is a beautiful track, spacy and relaxing yet uplifting and hopeful all at once. Kim aims to become a world-class producer and composer, and on the basis of ‘Suicidal Starlight’, and the rest of ‘World’, he’s on exactly the right trajectory.

You can hear ‘Suicidal Starlight’, and the rest of the ‘World’ EP, on Spotify. Check out Jiwhan Kim on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Alt RnB Pop artist Srujanika has made her debut with ‘Rags to Riches’

Posted on 29 December 2020
Srujanika

Tokyo-based singer-songwriter Srujanika has made her 2020 debut with the Alt R n’ B Pop single ‘Rags to Riches’ which squirms free from the constraints of archetypal R n’ B and runs through in a truly authentic style.

The self-proclaimed Queen of Darkness poured plenty of moody alchemy into the track which was penned to revere anyone who has succeeded in the quest for success, despite adversity. In a society where the rich, powerful and famous are mindlessly applauded, Srujanika offers a nuanced view that success lies in the journey.

Her unapologetically bold style may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Rags to Riches poured straight out of the soul to suit acquired tastes and people who don’t mind raw and direct intimacy in their tracks.

Rags to Riches which was released on December 15th is now available to stream and download via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jaonere ‘Redefine’s Soul with his banging new single.

Posted on 25 December 2020

Smooth, Motown-tinged R&B, contemporary yet with some serious retro soul vibes, ‘Redefine’ is the new single from Jaonere’s latest EP ‘All We Have Is Now’, and it’s really very, very good. Chilled, laid-back groove, intimate and thought-provoking lyrics, perhaps a smattering of jazzy Ghanaian Highlife influences in the rhythms, and a soft, soulful vocal, Jaonere delivers a stunning late-night soft, mellow track as a leader to the EP.

Janoere’s voice is creamy, fluid, and sleek, the lyrical content sensitive and contemplative, confessional almost. It’s a perfect blend of intimate and personal with modern, passionate and tender soul; it deserves a listen. And then another.

Hear ‘Redefine’ on Spotify; check on Jaonere here.

Review by Alex Holmes

OCCORO tightened the bond between poetry and RnB with ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’

Posted on 22 December 2020

OCCORO’s single ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ will enamour fans of RnB and poetry alike. From the first offering of nuanced meta lyrical wisdom, attention piques as you prepare yourself to hear more linguistic prowess, OCCORO certainly delivers.

Nothing Gold Can Stay is the title track from the Dallas-born, LA-based singer-songwriter and producer’s debut EP, any fans of Robert Frost will recognise the title, while everyone will get a fresh distinctive sonic experience to indulge in when they hit play. Nothing Gold Can Stay does so much more than just cover the same RnB ground. With almost psychotropic Indie tones in the absolving soundscape, it is as rhythmically transfixing as it is lyrically powerful.

Their lexicon is just as awe-inspiring as their visceral ardent lyrical flow, and as for the production, you couldn’t ask for a more commanding and all-consuming feat of contemporary Indie RnB.

You can check out Nothing Gold Can Stay for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lea Keeley has released her mindfully meta RnB single ‘Who You Are’

Posted on 5 December 2020

Lea Keeley has released her self-produced soul-infused RnB Pop hit ‘Who You Are’, it’s an irrefutable invitation to find some perspective and get to know yourself while you get acquainted with an inspiringly meta singer-songwriter.

We’ve all had plenty more time for introspection lately, one major drawback is the increased amount of time to find doubts and fear. Lea Keeley’s succinctly mindful single is powerful enough to wrangle stray strings of sanity while it persuasively affirms that any trust you place within your own mind, desire and determination is well invested if you look for signs of synchronicity.

You can check out Who You Are for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ysabel Bain has released their soulfully commanding RnB single ‘Control’ (Feat. Afro Ori)

Posted on 25 November 2020
https://soundcloud.com/ysabelbain/control-1/s-6ZI12st25eG

‘Control’ commences with a beautifully delicate and twisting legato guitar line, at once both soulful and almost Country, and with a flourish that wouldn’t feel out of place in the ‘Young Guns’ soundtrack, before Ysabel Bain’s exquisite, tender-yet-smoky voice carries us into the soul of the first verse, rising with the cadence of the drums to a funky, soulful track. Characterised by the syncopated off-beat guitar and deep funk bass, ‘Control’ grooves and sashays its way out of the speakers, rising and falling between up-tempo R&B sexiness and that slower, perfectly flourished guitar-and-voice pairing.

And Bain really DOES have a voice; sonorous, mellow yet powerful, with the warmth of Gospel and Soul yet the raunchy edge of rock. Soaring and potent yet touching and beguiling all at once, ‘Control’ is the perfect taster for Ysabel Bain’s debut EP.

Filmed and recorded live at The Clarendon Centre, Ysabel’s “We Are” EP is available from the end of November. ‘Control’ is available on Soundcloud or via Ysabel’s Facebook page.

Review by Alex Holmes

Prepare for your feelings of inadequacy to be quashed by Emily Koko’s single ‘More Than That’

Posted on 18 November 2020
Emily Koko

We’ve been lucky enough to get a sneak peek of Emily Koko’s soul-driven RnB Pop single, ‘More Than That’, a lockdown-born single which navigates the relationship between love, confusion and feeling as though you’ll never be quite enough.

More Than That boldly proves that feelings of inadequacy are more of a commonality than we realise on a day to day basis. Those feelings are the trap door which allows us to fall into toxic relationships with people who not only allow us to question our worth but tell us that we deserve for all the self-deprecating talk to run through our heads.

Emily Koko’s lyrics are and smoothly soulful harmonic vocals are perfectly paired with the slow-tempo grooves in the Indie RnB Pop soundscape.  More Than That may only be her sophomore release, but she’s already exhibiting nuanced maturity in her sound. She’s undoubtedly one to watch.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you check out More Than That. In the meantime, you can head over to Spotify and check out her debut single Together Alone.

Review by Amelia Vandergast