Browsing Tag

Moody Pop

Stef Amadeus – Can’t Stop: Bitter-Sweet Dark Soul-Pop

Posted on 10 September 2021

Moody soul-pop may sound like a paradox, but that is exactly what up and coming artist Stef Amadeus served in her latest single, Can’t Stop, which blends contemporary dark electro-pop stylings with her imploringly powerful vocal timbre.

When she effortlessly stretches to the high notes, her harmonies carry the arresting appeal of Kate Bush; through the verses, she’ll treat you to a far more vocally vulnerable performance that breathes life into the all too relatable vocals. Can’t Stop is sure to resonate with anyone who finds themselves harbouring an avoidant personality through lines such as ‘you will never break my heart if I never even let you through, I can’t stop avoiding you’.

Amadeus’ talent is only matched by her emotional intellect that raised the airwaves’ collective IQ with the release of Can’t Stop.

The official music for Can’t Stop is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kaylin Cervini prescribes dark dance-pop with her intensely powerful single, ‘Bubble’.

Posted on 6 August 2021

Kaylin Cervini is set to release the most subversive dance-pop track of the year with her single, Bubble. After a moody, vulnerable and downtempo alt-pop intro, the single evolves into an intensely powerful feat of future pop that won’t fail to leave you galvanised.

The Rochester-NY artist has already made major waves with her sound that paradoxically offers intimacy despite the massive production. If you like your euphoric pop tracks to come with a heavy dose of realism, you’ll want to save a spot on your radar for Kaylin. Bubble finds a clever conceptual way to allude to the false sense of security happiness gives us and how exposed we feel when the rug is pulled from under us.

Bubble is due for release on August 6th; in the meantime, you can check out Kaylin Cervini on Spotify, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AMOSA has released her ethereally dark electronic pop debut, ‘WALKAWAY’.

Posted on 19 June 2021

Oxford, UK-based singer-songwriter AMOSA has released her debut indie-pop single, WALKAWAY, which runs in the same moody vein as Billie Eilish and King Princess.

The stylishly arranged single flows through downtempo, reflective synth-led grooves in the captivating soundscape that delivers an ethereal atmosphere, direct lyricism, and swathes of emotion that captures the vulnerability in the admission that you want someone to stay who has already started to walk away.

It’s a stunning extension of compassion to anyone who has ever experienced holding onto toxic people, knowing that they’re bad, but feeling the physical addiction all the same.

At the age of 21, AMOSA is already proving that she’s got the contemporary sound and the matured talent to climb the indie-pop charts. We’re stoked to watch her ascent.

WALKAWAY is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Halle Abadi is set to release her ensnaring Persian pop single, ‘Comfortable’.

Posted on 25 May 2021
Halle Abade

Halle Abadi is set to release her most ensnaring single to date with, ‘Comfortable’, the exotic, sensual and vibrantly authentic track weaves Abadi’s Persian/Afghan culture with dark moody pop sensibilities to create an empowering earworm that we are sure you’ve never heard the like of before.

Abadi wrote Comfortable as a siren call to relationship complacency and mundanity that can ensue when someone gets too comfortable without the invitation to do so; staying true to her lyrically emboldening style.

Halle Abadi’s vocals are just as distinctive as the RnB pop instrumentals that sporadically go baroque with orchestral strings, adding another mesmerising layer to this already intricately complex track that will remind you of the time when Britney and Destiny’s Child reigned to supreme.

The fiery pop track is due for release on June 4th; you can pre-save the single via Halle Abadi’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Danni Jackson opens up on ‘Too Much’

Posted on 7 March 2021

Opening up with some gentle picked electric guitar before the vocal and full-on musical arrangement kicks in, ‘Too Much’ is a perfect pop song, a mix of modern dance-able R&B with some older indie-rock stylings and a clever little set of pop sensibilities.

Recognisable from Comedy Central’s ‘Bad Cramps’ (which she writes and stars in), ‘Too Much’ is the follow-up to Jackson’s 2016 debut EP which included the BBC Introducing ‘track of the day’ ‘We Ain’t Got Love’. ‘Too Much’ is an honest, truthful first-person narrative on the problems of mental health, social pressure, and body image, an empathetic and open storytelling vibe in the style of Lily Allen or Anne-Marie, with maybe a little of the bounce and groove of Fergie thrown in for good measure. It’s fresh, vulnerable, and uplifting all at once.

Check out ‘Too Much’ on Spotify; follow Danni Jackson on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Zeli has left the indie electronica scene enraptured with her debut single ‘Almost’

Posted on 1 March 2021

‘Almost’ is the dreamy darkwave debut single from Zeli, an 18-year-old artist and producer who has already left the indie electronica scene enraptured with her intimate approach to production and lyricism.

Billie Eilish comparisons are easy to make but capturing the evocative sensuality behind this moody electro-pop hit is infinitely harder.

The entrancingly dark synth-led melodies groove at a steady tempo, ensuring that each syllable projected into Almost leaves you arrested until you reach the ethereal outro which will undoubtedly leave you feeling as eager as us to hear the London-based artist and producer’s sophomore release.

Almost is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

comeover – Reflect: Spikily Soulful Alt Electro Pop

Posted on 15 January 2021

‘Reflect’ is the latest entrancingly deep single from up and coming artist, comeover, which proves the necessity of vulnerability in music and affirms that it is raw unfiltered honesty which creates a connectable release; it scarcely matters who is behind the mixing desk.

Even though the prelude prepares you to brace for the emotion which the moody electro alt-pop soundscape has in store, you’ll still be caught broadsided by this resoundingly superlative DIY single.

The steady absorbing beats layer the mix with atmospheric energy as they run through their rhythmically transfixing progressions, but ultimately, they serve as a platform for comeover’s distinctive-beyond-measure vocals which don’t let emotion hide behind harmony. Instead, comeover’s spiky soulful timbre cruises through the lush reverb to hypnotic effect.

You can check out Reflect via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brian Perrone – Be This Way: Soul-Satingly Powerful Indie Folk Pop

Posted on 10 January 2021

If it has been a while since you’ve heard a truly authentic voice, fall into Detroit singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Brian Perrone’s, moody alt-indie folk sophomore release, ‘Be This Way’.

If you could imagine the vocal stylings of Morrisey, Peter Murphy, Chris Isaacs and Elvis all melding over a piano-led art-rock instrumental arrangement, you’ll get an idea of what is in store when you hit play on this evocatively potent release.

The slight vocal vibrato ensures that the single resonates with as much raw emotion as it does with resolving aural comfort while the atypical progressions will leave you utterly transfixed. Quite honestly, Be This Way is up there with Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ and Cat Stevens’ ‘Wild World’ in terms of tracks which can leave you in a catatonic stupor with the sheer soul-driven power.

You can check out Be This Way for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

RawFall – A Thousand Thoughts: A Stark Aural Portrait of a Disquiet Mind

Posted on 24 December 2020

RawFall’s latest single, A Thousand Thoughts, doesn’t just lyrically play with the concept of disquietude, within the intricate layers of the Darkwave Electronica single, agitation and restlessness reside in the soundscape as a perfect aural depiction of a tumultuously anxiety-ailed mind. That should be anxiety-invoking in itself, but with the consoling yet sonorous vocals, any such emotion will be efficaciously quelled.

With the duo’s influences including everything from Psych to Blues to Alt Electro, there’s a dynamic non-assimilative feel which fleetingly carries reminiscences to Empathy Test and Blue October, but you’ve never heard anything quite like A Thousand Thoughts before. I was beginning to wonder if any Dark Electronica artist had the ability to produce without sounding like a Trent Reznor carbon copy, but RawFall, with their conceptual fraught masterpiece of a single well and truly proved me otherwise.

You can check out A Thousand Thoughts for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dave Sorrendino – No Goodbyes: A Perception-Shifting Elemental Aural Storm

Posted on 7 December 2020
Dave Sorrendino

New York-hailing, LA-based Indie Pop artist Dave Sorrendino has released their elemental aural storm of a single ‘No Goodbyes’. I may never look at goodbyes the same way ever again.

It’s easy to live in fear of loss. It is even easier to sour what we cherish with belief that we need to cling to it perpetually for it to retain positive meaning. No Goodbyes poignantly alludes to the benefit of looking beyond fear and finding timeless appreciation instead of wistful remorse around what we can no longer touch.

With the trepidation-laden moody beats and purposefully placed glitches in the soundscape which is painted in tones of grey, Dave Sorrendino’s powerful message sonorously resonates over the atmospheric instrumentals. If Leonard Cohen made his debut in 2020, I can’t help but feel it would be reminiscent of No Goodbyes.

You’ll need to wait a little longer before you can check out No Goodbyes for yourself. In the meantime, head over to their official website to listen to their earlier releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast