Browsing Tag

New Zealand Pop

Elizabeth Metcalfe prescribed synth-pop serenity with her latest single, Falling

New Zealand singer-songwriter, Elizabeth Metcalfe’s career reached its zenith following the launch of her latest single, Falling. The dreamy synth-pop melodies rival the ethereal pastel hues within Swift’s Tortured Poet’s Society album as Metcalfe transcends the soul delivered in the hyped-to-the-nth-degree LP.

If you’ve been sleeping on Metcalfe since she made her debut in 2019, there’s no better way to awaken your senses to her ability to push future-forward synth-pop into unchartered spiritual territory with the force of her arcane vocal register.

While some love songs only scratch the surface of the light love can bring to our lives and how it casts away the shadows of the past, Elizabeth Metcalfe delivered a love story that is arguably more fully rounded than the Notebook. It’s a panoramic Blockbuster encased in a 3-minute pop production that leaves you hanging on the outro lyric “What if give you my heart and you break it” which juxtaposes the soulful lyrical serenity and Enya-esque beguile that drifted through the chorus and verses.

If you can’t get enough of Metcalfe’s discography, you won’t have long to wait until she unveils her debut EP later this year.

Falling cascaded onto the airwaves on April 19; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Theo Sawyer put perspective behind our hedonistic thrills with his intimate pop hit, Download a Ghost

With quiescently bitter-sweet piano melodies that resound with the same ethereal grace as Philip Glass, Theo Sawyer’s latest contemporary pop ballad, Download a Ghost, puts weight behind the belief that searching for love in the modern era is akin to a paranormal investigation.

Now that treating each other as a temporary dopamine hit before slipping off the radar is a common phenomenon; it was about time pop artists stepped up to the mark and helped the diehard romantics out there to navigate through the landmine-strewn landscape of dating where objects of desire can slip from perception at a moment’s notice when they’ve had their hedonistic fill.

Fans of Tom Odell, Daughter, and Bill Ryder-Jones, will want to playlist staple this subtly profound serenade that unravels as a flood of compassion, introspection and darkly intimate expression.

The New Zealand-hailing artist may have only entered the scene in 2022, but he is already stealing the show. Stay tuned for more expositions on dysfunctional dynamics and intellectual amorous psychology.

Download a Ghost officially released on December 9th; hear it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sabreen Islam breathes indie-pop euphoria onto the airwaves with, ‘Glow’.

Sabreen Islam

‘Glow’ is the latest indie synthpop single by up and coming singer-songwriter Sabreen Islam whose sound has already reached the pinnacle of fun, life-affirming pop. At the age of 18-years-old, the Auckland, New Zealand-hailing artist has already mastered the art of creating infectiously euphoric melodies and serenading serotonin levels.

With a little help from Auckland-based producer Will Henderson, Glow carries all the earmarks of a summer bubble gum pop playlist staple. Fans of Selena Gomez, Carly Rae Jepsen and Rebecca Black will definitely want to keep Sabreen on their radar for her future releases.

Check out Sabreen Islam on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast