Browsing Tag

Pop Producer

Get into the euphoric electro-pop groove with Zach Schuh’s synthy and celestial single, Blurry Pictures

Posted on 26 October 2023

Capturing the sweetness of a perfect moment you never want to leave behind, the latest single, Blurry Pictures, from the ever-ascending independent artist Zach Schuh is, somewhat ironically, the perfect polaroid of euphoric gratitude.

The bedroom pop artist who never leaves any clues within his soundscapes to his DIY approach has discernibly mastered the art of song crafting, arranging, producing, mixing, mastering, and visualising emotional experiences to make them universal.

The Cali native’s vibrant style has all the trappings of an infectious electro-pop earworm; the 80s synths lend themselves effortlessly well to the funk-carved grooves that are cut as deep as the most body-rocking hits from Daft Punk, as for his vocal lines, they couldn’t be dreamier. You might want to pinch yourself to make sure you’re awake while you’re being consumed by the ethereal soul of them.

Blurry Pictures was officially released on September 1st; you can get into the kaleidoscopic groove with it by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zach Haselow brought purity to passion in his synth-pop hit, Rent Free

Posted on 1 September 2023

Get hooked on the reverb-heavy retrowave synth lines in the latest electro-pop hit, Rent Free, from the Alaskan icon in the making, Zach Haselow.

With a soundscape that finds the middle ground between the Weeknd and the Midnight, it is all too easy to get into the lush electronic grooves of Rent Free, which soulfully pays homage to the phenomenon of all-consuming romantic obsession while traversing the insecurities that desire can forcibly manifest.

The humbly sweet hit couldn’t be purer in its passion or more polished in its production; the melodies seem to effervesce around the funk-dripping basslines that will arrest your rhythmic pulses and refuse to let go until long after the fadeout. After spending over a decade perfecting the art of songwriting and producing, Zach Haselow has achieved a sonic signature that is as honed as it is distinctive.

Rent Free made its debut on August 18th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Isohel added nuance to stoic philosophy by embracing negativity in his latest pop hit, BAD VIBES

Posted on 24 August 2023

Billie Eilish gave us Bad Guy; in another pop universe, the luminary who is well on his way towards the one million steam mark, Isohel, gave us BAD VIBES in his latest viral-worthy hit.

While some see negative emotions as something to be repressed, Isohel proved that when you embrace pain, you will find the lesson within it. Consider it a far more nuanced and realistic view than the stoic belief that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Following an angular guitar prelude that sounds like it was pulled from a Slowdive album, BAD VIBES unravels as one of the most progressively electric pop hits the airwaves have received this year. While the guitar tones remain a constant throughout the mix, dance-pop proclivities start to work their way into the melancholia-laced anthem that defies expectation and genre to establish Isohel as one of the most authentic acts on the scene.

The RnB and moody synth-pop nuances infused into the track with all the hallmarks of a pop earworm is a testament to the talents of the Italian singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who is making light work of breaking into the international music industry.

Stream BAD VIBES on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skinny G Radio showed trauma the door in his euphoric indie-pop anthem, Pain, Go!

Posted on 9 June 2023

Fans of The Airborne Toxic Event, Sam Fender and Mark Ronson will want to grab themselves a slice of the latest single, Pain, Go! from the indietronic pop innovator, Skinny G Radio.

In contrast to the high-energy production, which rivals the euphonic records under the deft touch of Jon Bellion, the lyrical themes tread through the darker waters of our deeply personal relationships with trauma.

Anyone who has lived through it will know the fear of not being able to recognise themselves without it, as much as they want to show it the door for the final time. The Connecticut-born and raised songwriter, producer and performer, with his John Mayer-ESQUE songwriting chops, paid euphoric homage to that conflicting experience while orchestrating the ultimate indie pop earworm you can turn to time after time for the solace of the stabbing synth lines, soul-soaked vocal harmonies and layers of funk wrapping around the pop hooks to alchemise the perfect aural remedy for ennui.

Pain, Go! will be available to stream from June 9th. Hear it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Ipe defied the laws of gravity in his funk-grooved feat of disco-pop, Stratosphere

Posted on 7 June 2023

If you could imagine what the output would be if Nile Rodgers, Nic Hanson, and Daft Punk stepped into the studio together, you will get an idea of the electrifying funk-grooved euphoria which organically spills from the latest single from the Chicago-based singer-songwriter and producer, Ipe.

Stratosphere is the ultimate euphonic aphrodisiac for the way the cosmic lyricality lifts you higher than the upbeat instrumentals, which pay an ode to the heritage of disco while bringing in an electrifying new wave of pop.

The infectiously enlivened vocal lines from Ipe, who has been racking up tens of thousands of Spotify streams since making his debut in 2019, are the ultimate aural pick-me-up. His hedonistically honeyed vocal lines are all you need to get in the groove.

Stream Ipe’s latest single, Stratosphere, on all major platforms via this link

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Forget Peterson; follow Ninali’s rules for life in her synthy soul pop meditation on mindfulness, Alive.

Posted on 22 May 2023

With her latest pop-dominated melting pot of genre and style, Alive, the singer-songwriter and co-producer Ninali celebrated life and gave her staunch fanbase a few lessons to live by. By eloquently alluding to the irrefutable truth that we all harness the power to choose what we expose ourselves to and ultimately, who we want to be, Ninali will undoubtedly guide countless people to the epiphany that the power to shape reality exists within us all.

The meditation on mindfulness is just as infectious as the hits from Black Honey, as poetic as the indie pop gems from She Drew the Gun, and effortlessly classy as April March. So it’s safe to say that the 18-year-old songstress is a triple threat that could easily find herself at the top of the charts if her songwriting chops remain as sharp as they were in Alive. Feel good tracks have never felt so damn good.

Ninali launched her latest single, Alive, on May 12; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Drunk in Love Dance Pop: Lucy Crisp – One Summers Day

Posted on 28 April 2023

Good love songs ring with romantic sincerity; great love songs get you drunk on someone else’s love; Lucy Crisp’s latest single, One Summers Day, is definitively in the latter camp.

By taking a leaf or two from Taylor Swift’s lyrical book and producing her own EDM pop signature with a little help from her co-producer, Nathan Flynn, Lucy Crisp came into her vibrant summer vibes own while doing what us mere mortals always struggle to succeed in; expressing love in its true visceral form.

It has been six months since the last single from the Nottingham indie dance pop innovator. Her return has signalled a new era in her artistry, which previously received plaudits from BBC Introducing. It is safe to say that she’s lost none of her radio-ready touch with One Summers Day, which traverses the organic peaks and flows of a healthy relationship. No dynamic is perfect; instead of shooting for an implausible ideal, keep hold of what’s real. Lucy has warned her fans not to get too comfortable with her sticky sweet new sound. Her upcoming releases will touch upon a life lived with chronic illness while exploring themes of foreseen fear and depression.

Check out One Summers Day from April 28 on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

AŸA is anything but pedestrian in her jazzy RnB pop single, Sidewalk

Posted on 22 April 2023

Singer-songwriter, producer, and artist AŸA has beguiled the Berlin scene and beyond with her latest RnB pop rendezvous, Sidewalk, which is anything but pedestrian for the way it breaks the monocultural mould by pulling on her Moroccan and Yemeni Roots while keeping the production refreshingly contemporary.

If I’m being honest, I dread the run-up to summer for the swathes of superficial sun-soaked singles that land on my metaphorical desk, but AŸA couldn’t be trite if she tried. The revolutionary soul in the ethereally warm vocal lines melding with the dominant percussion is a lesson in Summer pop alchemy. If the sax lines and the lyrics that narrate a story of romantic stagnation don’t leave you wanting to dive into realms of fulfilment, you may as well hibernate through summer too.

“The lyrics of the song are a metaphor for an ongoing relationship that is actually not going anywhere. Instead of riding into the sunlight with the one you love, you find yourself taking dark paths and compromises for the one you love even though it feels so wrong.”

Sidewalk was written, composed, and produced by AŸA, with help from Kurtis Wells, Johnny Kulo, and Gavriel. Executive production and mixing were taken care of by the #1 Billboard music producer, Ido Poleg, and the single was mastered by the award-winning engineer, Manon Grandjean.

Stream the official music video for Sidewalk on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mia Laren is demurely devil may care in her cinematic Latino pop track, Careful

Posted on 5 April 2023

Starting with a scintillating spoken word verse which outlines the brutality of betrayal with devil-may-care demure beguile, Latino pop artist Mia Laren’s latest single, Careful, is a cinematic invitation into her hypnotically emboldening scorn.

With a music video that is somewhere between Westworld and Moulin Rouge exhibiting the artist’s professional dance training, few icons shine brighter than the Baltimore singer-songwriter and producer. Evidently, there’s no end to her superlative talents. After growing up in a musical family, she found her magnetically celestial voice at 10 before graduating from UMBC with a BA in dance. From there on out she found her calling; replicating her life experience through rhythmic dramatized depictions.

Watch the official music video for Careful on YouTube or add the track to your breakup playlists on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

solos has unveiled his innocently sweet star-crossed indie-pop single, only mine

Posted on 17 January 2023

Recently, there has been a lot of demonising rhetoric about people crushing on their friends; the up-and-coming Boston-based artist and producer, solos, proved that it is completely possible to respect the friend you want to go further with through his single, only mine.

The melodic indie-pop single that pushes the accordance from the acoustic guitars to the front of the mix is an extension of resonance to everyone who finds themselves lamenting over the lack of mutual attraction but maintaining gratitude for the friendship.

The ornately mellow short and sweet track, complemented by the music video, is one of the purest things you will see and hear all year. His crystal-clear RnB-tinged pop harmonies against the mellifluous flow of the instrumentals are wholesomely transcendent.

The official video for only mine premiered on January 13th; watch it yourself on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast