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London Pop

Classically-trained alt-indie songwriter Libby Phippard is all fired up in When a Question is Not a Question

Posted on 27 August 2021

London-based alt-indie singer-songwriter Libby Phippard has released her latest single, When a Question is Not a Question; sonically, it’s a funky upbeat synth-pop track, lyrically, it’s a visceral attack on the manipulative protagonist that inspired the artfully enraged single.

With a canter that is enough to leave Eminem’s head in a spin and vocal timbre that carries rich harmony, Phippard didn’t just succeed in creating an experimental track; she succeeded in creating an experimental single that burns with enough soul that it will leave you feeling fired up. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

The single was officially released on August 27th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gabrielle Ornate has released her ethereal synth-pop anthem, Waiting to be Found.

Posted on 6 August 2021
Gabrielle Ornate

‘Waiting to be Found’ is the latest colossal alt-pop single from the luminary artist Gabrielle Ornate, which allows synths to bring a post-punk-style atmosphere while she feeds new-age-style-soul into the vibrant, massive production through the unapologetically intense vocals.

It is easily one of the most ethereal summer pop anthems that you will hear this year, or any other year, given that feels like quite the sonic paradox. Despite the alchemic ingenuity of the release, accessibility oozes through the sincerity and the rhythmic pull of the dark and sultry dance pop-rock earworm.

Waiting to Be Found was officially released on August 6th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emily Silver raises the temperature in her dance-pop track, ‘Feel the Flames’

Posted on 10 July 2021
Emily Silver

Independent London-based singer-songwriter Emily Silver’s latest future pop track, Feel the Flames, is enough to make Lady Gaga sound tame. The single that was co-written and produced by the Brit Award winner, Simon Ellis (Britney, Spice Girls, S Club 7), is the epitome of filthy pop.

The bass-drenched-drops motif the track with electrifying energy which Silver easily matches with her fiercely resounding vocal timbre. Emily Silver has already performed in the Royal Albert Hall and the 02 Arena, but with her vocals, there isn’t a stage she couldn’t command. There’s a magnetic amount of hunger in Feel the Flames that grips you with sharp melodic teeth and refuses to let go.

Feel the Flames is due for release on July 16th; you can check out Emily Silver on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Singer-songwriter duo Scotia & Dagny have made their debut with their contemporary pop ballad, ‘All I Ever Wanted’.

Posted on 29 June 2021

NYC-hailing, London-based singer-songwriter duo Scotia & Dagny have made their debut with the release of their contemporary indie-pop ballad, All I Ever Wanted. In the rankings of the best slow dance singles ever released, we wouldn’t put this cinematically neo-classically-underscored single far away from Elton John’s ‘Your Song’.

The poised, reflective nature of the semi-orchestral downtempo soundscape complements the lyrics that explore the emptiness that ensues loss. The dreamy air to the single takes the sting out of the melancholy, but the wavering vocal notes hit bruisingly hard.

All I Ever Wanted is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sofia Biancardi shares visceral grief in her latest pop ballad, ‘Need You Now’

Posted on 28 June 2021

After listening to Sofia Biancardi’s latest single, Need You Now’, it is safe to say that London has a new luminary artist in its midst that has made the competition for the Mercury Prize a little harder.

The, quite literally, arresting release is everything that an indie ballad should be. There’s a sublime balance between poise, grace and fiercely intense expression. The otherworldly ethereal release is enough to leave you feeling like you’ve had a religious experience.

Words alone could never encapsulate the raw beauty in Need You Now, which captures the visceral obsessive distress that catches us when we contemplate losing the ones we need the most. It’s so far beyond a ‘watching the rain with pensive malaise’ kind of ballad; it’s a contending with a storm of guttural pain kind of ballad.

Need You Now officially released on June 25th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Folk noir soulstress Echo Wants Her Voice Back has released her most evocative single to date, ‘Wife’

Posted on 3 June 2021

‘Wife’ is the latest poetically Avant-Garde single from Cypriot-born, London-based singer-songwriter and actress Echo Wants Her Voice Back. Starting with a minimalist, spiritual intro that any fans of the Cranberries will appreciate, Wife is captivating from the start. The conversationally imploring vocals lead you right into the heart of the track, and that is a trip you’re going to want to take over and over again.

With a touch of Gwen Stefani-Esque attitude to the folk-pop lyrics in the chorus, the seamlessly progressive single is proof of the alchemy that can breathe through a release created without constraint. The baroque pop outro that carries reminiscence to Emilie Autumn’s archaic sound is a haunting way that ensures Wife will stay with you long after the outro

With her second EP in the works, Echo Wants Her Voice back is well worth room on your radar.

Wife released on May 21st; you can hear it for yourselves via SoundCloud and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lara de Belder has made her Jazz Pop debut with ‘Turn it Over’.

Posted on 29 May 2021

Lara de Belder’s debut single, Turn It Over, is easily one of the most promising debuts made in 2021. Discernibly, the British-American artist brought plenty of her experience in the theatre to her jazzy debut single that reflects upon themes of obsession and desire.

With a voice as mesmerising as Cher’s and the endlessly enlivening instrumentals bleeding euphoria with every progression, Turn it Over is consistently captivating. The single allows you to mentally contend with the dark side of obsession as the jazzy instrumental arrangement finds a way to absolve any guilt you may be harbouring from obsessive behaviour. We have all been there.

Turn it Over is the first single to be released from Lara’s upcoming concept album that explores relationship breakdowns. Needless to say, we’re already stoked to hear it.

Turn it Over is now available to stream on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Classically trained London singer-songwriter Libby Phippard has released her latest single, ‘Please Don’t Ask Me to Stay’.

Posted on 5 April 2021
Libby Phippard

London singer-songwriter Libby Phippard’s latest single, ‘Please Don’t Ask Me to Stay’ is the kind of revival needed to keep classical music relevant in 2021.

With her operatic training, background in classical music and tendency to draw influence from everyone from Hozier to Ariana Grande, her latest ballad is a theatrical release that doesn’t allow any of the pain of a relationship expiring to hide behind smoke and mirror. Instead, it bridges the gap between those grandiose lovesongs that have always been around and the common experience of romantic duality.

It is criminal for singles such as Please Don’t Ask Me to Stay to be relegated to soundtracks. If society can see the beauty in acts such as Daughter and Tom Odell, there’s no reason why the same affection can’t be found in Libby Phippard’s timeless sound.

Please Don’t Ask Me to Say is due for official release on March 12th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud. Head over to the artist’s official website for more info.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joe Hayes reflects on the agony and euphoria of love with their sophomore dance-pop single ‘My Mind’

Posted on 26 March 2021

London-based pop artist, Joe Hayes has followed on from their enigmatic 2020 debut with their sophomore single ‘My Mind’.

In some ways, it’s a familiar funk-fuelled perennial pop earworm. In others, it’s an eccentrically daring release that exhibits Joe Hayes’ natural born authentic talent when it comes to reflecting human emotion through hook-filled melodies and massive choruses.

My Mind is a stunning portrait of how agony and euphoria often come hand in hand with love. With palpitation-inducing breaks and energising drops, My Mind is a flawless feat of radio-ready pop that will leave any fans of Bruno Mars, Jax Jones and Charlie Puth arrested from the first verse to the last.

My Mind is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jimmy Theo – Insane featuring A Pocket Full of Wonder

Posted on 14 March 2021

London-based Pop singer-songwriter, Jimmy Theo has released the most relatable lockdown single to date with ‘Insane’, featuring A Pocket Full of Wonder.

You’ll feel every single discernible emotion listening to Insane unfold, but mostly, the artist’s drive to sweeten the collective unstable mood with their playful indie-rock style left us unequivocally endeared.

Jimmy Theo’s sound falls nicely between Frank Turner’s and Lewis Capaldi’s, the slight off the cuff nature of the track draws you right into the theme of the single, but the simple acoustic guitar chords keep the track full of mainstream potential.

The official lyric video is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast