Browsing Tag

London Pop

R†o has released his morbidly addictive dark art-pop single, The Wolf & The Deer

Posted on 15 March 2022
https://open.spotify.com/track/5A0XcNqZpxumjkVzg85l2p?si=47408d18be5e45e9

After a dark chamber pop-style piano prelude, R†o’s life-affirmingly cathartic single, The Wolf & The Deer, starts to unravel as a beguiling electronic-folk-meets-art-pop reminder of every living thing’s mortality. If that comes across as morbid, it says more about your perception of life than it does about this exploratively provoking release.

The single was loosely mused by the death of the London-based alternative artist’s great-grandfather. It serves as a meta ode to his family, by using the wolf as a parable for death and the deer as a metaphor for life. Dark and edgy doesn’t often come hand in hand with spirituality. Naturally, we’re obsessed with R†o and his stunningly layered harmonies and his ability to bring beauty to the macabre. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

The Wolf & The Deer was officially released on March 11th. It is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

West London singer-songwriter and producer Kai Justine released the ultimate break-up playlist staple with Don’t Worry.

Posted on 12 March 2022

In her latest single, Don’t Worry, the West London singer, songwriter and producer Kai Justine proved that she has got exactly what it takes to be the next alt-pop icon.

The moody yet energetic beats may not be a sonic signature that you’re familiar with. Yet, with the RnB pop vocals super-charging the self-produced mix with emboldening soul, it is all too easy to get in the dancey groove with Don’t Worry. The chorus of “don’t worry about me, I ain’t thinking about you” bites into the liberation that sparks when a toxic dynamic finally becomes obsolete.

Destiny’s Child, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey are three muses that inspired Kai to tap into her talent; even though that influence rings through in Don’t Worry, it doesn’t override Kai’s autonomy. She is definitely one to watch.

Don’t Worry was officially released on February 25th. It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zofia Alaya dropped the temperature in her latest alt-indie single, COLD

Posted on 4 March 2022

London’s ethereal alt-indie-rock songstress, Zofia Alaya, is set to drop the temperature with her latest single, COLD, which paints with chillier tonal textures to reflect the cold nature of the human experience.

It is one of the hardest life lessons to realise how cold, calculated, self-involved and downright narcissistic a significant proportion of humanity truly is. For anyone that is already schooled in that regard, COLD is a stunning reminder that, even if that behaviour is prolific, it’s still fundamentally wrong.

The deeply compassionate single has all the experimentalism of The Mars Volta paired with Zofia Alaya’s vulnerably moody vocal timbre. It is nothing short of arrestive – especially in the presence of the poppy hooks that make an addictive earworm out of COLD.

COLD will officially release across all major platforms from March 4th, 2022.

Check out Zofia Alaya via Facebook, Instagram and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Melancholic Pop Meets Nordic Soul in Maren Davidsen’s Sophomore Single, Back to You

Posted on 1 March 2022

After garnering over 50k streams on Spotify with her 2021 debut single, Damage Done, the London-based Norwegian singer-songwriter, Maren Davidsen, has returned to the airwaves with her equally as phenomenal indie-pop sophomore single, Back to You.

Any fans of Big Thief, Daughter, and London Grammar will quickly come to be consumed by the toxic tale of love that is narrated through the melancholic-pop-meets-Nordic-soul arrangement and Davidsen’s vocal vulnerability.

The hypnotically harrowing yet hooky all the same single lays bare on the subject of heartbreak following an equally as soul-crushing relationship. For anyone that is still carrying buried relationship trauma, Back to You will hit bruisingly hard.

If you’re as hooked as we are, you’ll want the singer-songwriter and guitarist on your radar for the release of her debut 5-track EP, which will hit the airwaves this summer.

Back to You is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Abi Mia shares her infectious optimism in her latest single, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.

Posted on 22 December 2021

The London-based breakthrough alt-pop artist Abi Mia ended 2021 with the ultimate up-vibe bop, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. With the funk in the melodies and the fire in her vocals, the resilience in the 90s influenced triumph of a track is infectious from the first hit. And if we’re all being honest with ourselves, that’s exactly what we need right now.

In the verses and pre-choruses, she extends compassion and understanding to anyone feeling the apathy before proving how sweet it is to throw pessimism by the wayside and embrace a brighter perspective in the choruses. If you’re looking for a definitive definition of a perennial pop earworm, just hit play.

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dance-pop goes dark in FHUR’s single, We Just Wanna Have Fun.

Posted on 12 November 2021

London-based artist FHUR’s dark electro-pop hit, We Just Wanna Have Fun, is melancholic enough to serve as the antithesis to the fairly cringe-inducing Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Anyone whose mentality manual setting isn’t banal joy will appreciate the way that the darkwave synth-pop hit makes satisfaction seem like a celestial force in our apathy-imparting world.

Since her debut, FHUR has become an unignorable name in London’s alt-electronica scene, and it is unlikely that her notoriety will end there. Her sultry vocals have haunted venues such as Hoxton Underbelly and Amersham Arms. For any fans of this single, there’s plenty more in the pipeline as FHUR’s debut EP is due for release in early 2022.

We Just Wanna Have Fun is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Raw emotion meets emboldening euphoria in Andrea’s latest pop track; tell her that too.

Posted on 27 October 2021

London-based singer-songwriter and producer, Andrea, has released her seminal single; tell her that too, which explores unfulfilled promises and the ability for all words to lose meaning when they become a means to an end instead of an expression of truth.

The immensely powerful lyrics, “don’t tell me that you love me when you tell her that too”, extends the conversation around moving on from manipulation and infidelity. The only people that could conceivably hate this track are those left sick with guilt for the way it so innocently yet succinctly alludes to the pain caused by deception.

Despite the raw emotion projected into the 90s pop-inspired hit, Andrea still finds a way to bring emboldening euphoria to the listener.

tell her that too is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The London-based singer-songwriter Lilo has released her hypnotic hyper-synth-pop single, Everything I Ever Dreamed of.

Posted on 22 October 2021

London-based singer-songwriter, Lilo, is set to release her 80s synthpop anthem, Everything I Ever Dreamed Of, which brings hyper pop energy, sweet ABBA-Esque piano chords and artful vocal timbre that allows you to imagine how Florence and the Machine would have turned out as an 80s synth-pop outfit.

Under the lush layers of reverb, the dancey beats boast a hypnotic texture, making Everything I Ever Dreamed of the perfect multi-functional indie pop playlist staple.

I’ve heard my fair share of contemporary twists on the 80s sound in the last year; it is safe to say that none left me as enlivened by the ingenuity as Everything I Ever Dreamed of which is due for official release on October 22nd, 2021.

Check out Lilo on her official website, Instagram and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Adam Wedd reaches the pinnacle of pensive piano pop with ‘Home N Away’.

Posted on 1 October 2021

Pensive piano pop has never been quite as bitter-sweet as the latest stormy release, Home N Away, by up and coming artist Adam Wedd. The emotionally charged semi-orchestral soundscape is fraught with loss and mourning and still manages to hit a compassionate soft spot as you’re swept up in the fanfare of the theatrical elements and straight from the soul sentiment.

Despite a global pandemic, the London-based singer-songwriter’s career hasn’t failed to pick up traction. With a sell-out debut EP under his belt, accolades from BBC introducing and the freedom to tour Europe and the USA once more, he is definitely one to watch.

Home N Away was officially released on October 1st. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Doyle put his uplifting indie-pop touch on Starley’s ‘Arms Around Me’.

Posted on 10 September 2021
https://youtu.be/IoPQUP9SuVk

For his latest release, the up and coming London-based artist Doyle put his uplifting touch on the iconic track, Arms Around Me by Starley. By all accounts, Arms Around Me was the perfect summer dance-pop anthem before the remix, under Doyle’s melodic manipulation, the track started to emanate quintessential indie-pop vibes, making the lyrics even more intimate and the vocals infinitely more endearing.

With his debut album expected to drop in 2022, you should leave ample space on your radar for the bedroom artist and producer.

You can check out Doyle’s entrancing remix of Arms Around Me via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast