Browsing Tag

Pop

Lilypads found room to organically blossom in their affectingly sweet debut single, Ode to You

Posted on 7 November 2023

Lilypads set their bar transcendently high with the die-hard romanticism instilled into their debut single, Ode to You. With commercial and cross-over appeal by the smorgasbord as a result of their cultivated charm and endearingly articulate lyricism that is effortlessly complemented with the equally as affable melodicism, the tenderly refined duo is set to take the reverence for their sound far beyond the London music scene.

If your soul doesn’t stir with the dreamily accordant delivery of “I guess I never really knew just how much I ode to you”, you may want to check you’ve still got a pulse. Love songs may proliferate the airwaves, but Lilypads still found room to organically blossom as one of the premier indie pop acts of 2023.

The relaxed yet complex melodies are as innovative as they are innovative; the side serving of comforting nostalgia is a harmonious bonus element, which makes losing yourself in the gratitude of the single even more affectingly sweet. As Lilypads continue to rise, this track may well be remembered as the genesis of their ascent.

Ode to You hit the airwaves on November 3rd, stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DJ Homeboy & Kay Law brought hedonistic hypnotism to the dancefloor with their hit, 2 in 1

Posted on 7 November 2023

DJ Homeboy and Kay Law brought rhythmic hypnotism to the dancefloor with their collaboration on the high vibe, big beat hit, 2 in 1, which reimagines the 90s Europop sound as one that oscillates with an unapologetically infectious brand of hedonism that draws you right into the heat of the wanton lust.

The snappy backbeat and Afrobeat nuances keep the energy electrifying through the progressions which get catchier with every repeat listen for the way they bolster the earwormy vocal delivery from the Nigerian British singer-songwriter who can often be found genre-bending to contort her distinctively impassioned sonic signature.

We can’t wait to see the boundaries that Kay Law is set to break in 2024 and beyond after her hits have received plaudits and airplay from BBC Introducing in Summer 2022. Watch this space to see the major waves she brings down on the UK pop scene she’s destined to reign over.

2 in 1 was officially released on October 27; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rukudzo called time in her fiery pop hit, Big Things

Posted on 6 November 2023

The Hertfordshire, UK singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rukudzo exhibited what a perfect pop hit should sound like in 2023 with her latest hook-rife and soul-lavished single, Big Things, which allows indie guitars to weave an intricate melodic tapestry across the lush layers of reverb and the Afrobeat rhythms that give the genre-fluid track a solid backbeat.

The sonic ingenuity, which also leaves room for Rukudzo’s signature rock attitude, is only matched by the poignant lyrical message which unravels as a fiery vignette of a depiction of the necessity of knowing when to be forbearing in a relationship and when to draw the line and call time.

In every conceivable way, Rukudzo made an unforgettable impression with Big Things. You’ll be humming the melody for days and revelling in the introspection for even longer.

Big Things will drop on November 3rd, stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The genre alchemist James Urquhart is set to unleash his progressively prodigious hit, The Tearz and the Pain

Posted on 4 November 2023

The genre alchemist and one of the top producers in the UK, James Urquhart, drifted through a melodic menagerie of style in his latest single, The Tearz and the Pain, which is locked, loaded, and ready to drop an atom bomb of ingenuity onto the airwaves.

With all the hooky body-rocking flavour of 90s boyband pop in the deliciously infectious vein of the hit that announced Backstreet’s Back after a mellow 80s RnB opening sequence that Seal fans will give the seal of approval, Tearz and the Pain reaches its high-octane peak in a euphoric intersection of drum n bass before winding the track right down again.

The progressive prodigy left us arrested with every aural transgression and convinced us that labels will be hammering down the door to his professional studio, which he uses to produce his and other people’s hits. Previously, his music has been distributed by Hed Kandi and Let There Be House; there’s no telling who will pick him up next.

Follow James Urquhart on SoundCloud and Instagram to be the first to know when The Tearz and the Pain drops; with the soul it sonically unleashes, it is more than worth the wait.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Robin Ashcroft rocked the pop beat in her latest electrifying vindicative earworm LIAR

Posted on 2 November 2023

Radio DJs will be lining up to add LIAR to their A-lists; the hook-proliferated hit which demonstrates Robin Ashcroft’s flawless command over her dynamic vocal lines with the enliveningly immersive atmosphere of the track will resonate in your heart, soul, and rhythmic pulses.

After an intro that will pull you in as forcefully as the prelude to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Maps’ or Toxic Airborne Event’s ‘Sometime around Midnight’ the track veers into a pulsating electro-pop anthem with glistening guitars and a backbeat so strong it makes this earworm a heavyweight champion.

Those soaring with soul vocal lines and the vindicating energy of the release that will bring waves of catharsis to anyone feeling frustratedly naive for believing the fallacies that gaslighters can’t help but spin is the perfect introduction to one of Scotland’s most promising solo powerhouses.

LIAR will drip scorn onto the airwaves on November 2nd; check out the official lyric video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast  

Misty Drinx reinvented 80s nostalgia with his soul and funk-wrapped RnB pop hit, You’re So Cool

Posted on 1 November 2023

After bearing witness to a Toto show in LA, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter and pop icon-in-the-making Misty Drinx Americanised his infectious perception of pop and lavished his sophomore single, You’re So Cool, with layers of soul and funk-wrapped RnB that radiate reinvented 80s nostalgia.

With lustfully intoxicated exoticism oozing from the pores of the sax lines and synth-driven melodies, Drinx brought swathes of colour to UK shores with You’re So Cool. Fans of George Michael and Boy George will undoubtedly want to savour every drop of the delicious aural cocktail which envelopes you in the hazy hues that transform the mind’s colour palette when you’re lucky enough to be ensnared by someone.

With the eclecticism Drinx has already exhibited in his sound, we’re stoked to hear what will follow.

You’re So Cool was officially released on October 20; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Anike stylised the archetypal perennial pop earworm in her sophomore release, Victorious

Posted on 30 October 2023

Following the success of her debut single, Beautiful Fate, the unforgettable electro-pop originator Anike took a year to hone her sound and sharpen her sonic signature before unleashing her superlatively stylised sophomore earworm, Victorious.

With as much experimentation in her sound as Warpaint, Cherry Glazerr, and Blonde Redhead fused with a sticky-sweet bubblegum pop sensibility, Victorious bridges the gap between two pop worlds with her synth-carved melodies and rhythmically arresting progressions. The track is an overpass you’ll want to revisit time after time for the feel-good factor which has all the euphoria of a guilty pleasure and all the gravitas of an artful pop-hooked Tour De Force.

Victorious was officially released on October 20; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Angel Sinclair came of ‘Strange Age’ in her ethereal alt-indie pop sophomore release

Posted on 27 October 2023

After coming in all melodic guns blazing in her debut release, Soldier, the Canadian alt-indie-pop singer-songwriter Angel Sinclair invited us into an ethereal realm with her sophomore single, Strange Age.

Capturing the disorientating surrealism of coming of age and feeling alien within your own skin better than Brett Easton Ellis’ novel Less Than Zero within a soundscape which carries reminiscences to the artfully quiescent air within singles from Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy and Torres, Angel Sinclair effortlessly succeeded in her mission to envelop you in an intimately raw atmosphere where confessionalism spills around the accordance.

She may not have reinvented the wheel with Strange Age, but she asserted her mainstream appeal in the contextually tumultuous release all the same. Angel Olsen may want to watch out, there’s another Angel reigning supreme.

Strange Age was officially released on October 13: stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Let the sun hit with Kristen Beckwith’s soul-affirming release, Hawaii

Posted on 20 October 2023

After a three-year break from her music career, the singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Kristen Beckwith signalled her strident return with her open love letter to the Ocean in her Grammy-worthy soul-pop release, Hawaii.

With the autumnal timing of the sun-worshipping single, which carries *all* the mesmerism of Fast Car, the fondness for tropic climates feels a little bitter-sweet, but in the very same vein, it will instil you with the recent nostalgia for memories made before the cold started to creep in. As you listen to the warmth in her radiant vocal and acoustic guitar melodies, anticipate Polaroids from the past few months to flood to the surface of your consciousness.

Hawaii is the first single to be released from Kristen’s sophomore LP, which was penned following the birth of her child. Don’t wait to put mindfulness and living in the moment more on your New Year’s resolutions; start now with the Salt Lake City songstress’ lyrical and rhythmic enlightenment.

Hawaii hit the airwaves on October 20; get your sun and serotonin fix by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast