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New Jersey Pop

Bari Mcknight synthed away the pain of ephemeral affection in ‘SUMMER THINGS’

Two things are guaranteed every summer: swathes of stellar summer pop hits and the inevitable ashes of quick-to-burn romances. In his latest single, SUMMER THINGS, the independent artist, Bari Mcknight, brought one of the former and consoled casualties of the latter by fusing echoes of Afrobeat with catchy pop hooks, the soul of stylistically synth-driven RnB and a trappy beat, resulting in an irresistible earworm which is weighted in evocative realism, contrasting the dreamy etherealism of the track.

If the lingering sting of ephemeral affection is making the onslaught of autumn feel that much colder, SUMMER THINGS is the ultimate source of salvation. The echoes of The Weeknd’s aesthetic coursing through the neon-lit, synaesthesia-inducing production leaves enough room for Mcknight’s sonic signature which is scribing his legacy – one hit at a time.

It’s rare to find a pop track with the potential to dominate the charts while resonating with the sincerity of a diary entry, but that’s exactly what the New Jersey-residing independent artist achieved in SUMMER THINGS, which features on his latest album, Summer of Love; a curated anthology of laidback melodies and relatable narratives.

SUMMER THINGS dropped on August 2nd; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Revel in the lovesick euphoria in Analog Beach’s synthpop-meets-indie-rock single, See You Tonight

80s synthpop grooves against angular indie-rock in the NJ-based up-and-coming duo, Analog Beach’s latest convergence of the past and future, See You Tonight. The vocal lines in the chorus easily become the sharpest of hooks, and that’s before you even get to the instrumentals that put white-hot guitar solos against colourful retro synths.

Fans of The Midnight, Wolf Club, and FM-84 will easily make a playlist staple out of this sweet affectionate hit, which doesn’t sugar coat affection. Instead, Analog Beach thrives while narrating just how emotionally crippling infatuation can be. Not all artists succeed in combining reality and romanticism, yet notably, Analog beach is anything but your average artist experimenting with tones and coming up with catchy lyrics. There’s substance by the smorgasbord in this euphorically bright hit that is sure to see the duo go far in 2022 and beyond.

The radio edit of See You Tonight is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast