Browsing Tag

Progressive Pop

Kasey Butler – Love Like That: No Indie Alt-Pop Artist Has Worn Scorn Better

Posted on 2 July 2022
Kasey Butler

“You’re the darkest daydream in my mind” is one hell of an opening lyric; the poetry doesn’t falter from there on out in Kasey Butler’s latest progressive indie hit, Love Like That.

From a folky, vocally flooring intro into a fiery scorned proclamation of contempt for the people that send our orbits off-kilter to the tune of massive EDM pop beats, Love Like That is a summer stormer that just keeps on raging.

Ingraining even more gravitas, there is also a touch of theatrical piano-pop sewn into the hit around the arrestive orchestral swells. In every conceivable way, Kasey Butler constructed the perfect pop hit. It keeps you guessing; the monolithic shifts in tone and momentum happen as easily as breathing and that voice… That mindfully poised voice wrapping around the earworm choral lyric, “I know you don’t have dimension, broken heart was your intention, forgive me I was naive”. It is safe to say we are hooked.

Love Like That will officially release on June 30th. Get it in your ears via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kate Gala has released her sticky sweet summer EDM pop earworm, Summer in October

Posted on 19 April 2022

Since making her 2019 debut, the EDM pop artist, Kate Gala, hasn’t failed to pick up traction with her progressively momentous instrumentals, consolingly sugared vocals and innocently candid lyrics. After garnering over 97k streams with her seminal single, Hold on Tight, she’s here with her sun-bleached earworm, Summer in October.

If Taylor Swift poured her endlessly bright vocal timbre over Avicii’s beats, the end result wouldn’t be far from the Virginia Beach singer-songwriter’s epically blissful hit that deserves to dominate the electronica charts. It shares plenty of the hallmarks of your average summer love song, but with Gala’s soul-deep vocal performance, few hit as euphonically as this.

Summer in October is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The prodigal son of impassioned EDM pop HeartMouth has returned with his brand-new single, Get Right for You

Posted on 18 March 2022

Brace your heartstrings for the stridently impassioned soul in HeartMouth’s latest stormer of an EDM Pop track, Get Right for You. There’s nothing more romantic than someone pulling their psyche into a brighter place for the person that inspired the change, which makes this pop track a rip-roaring roller coaster of all the feels.

From folk-pop style harmonies to entrancing beats, Get Right for You seamlessly transgresses through the atmospheric build-ups and high octane full-frontal harmonic pop proclamations of passion. Get Right for You isn’t just radio-ready; it’s Grammy-worthy. 90s pop boybands eat your heart out.

Get Right for You will officially debut on March 18th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud or HeartMouth’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Agaaze proves that pace is the trick in his electro-pop-meets-neo-psych single, Take it Slow

Posted on 8 January 2022

The New York-hailing multi-instrumentalist and producer Agaaze is fresh from the release of this debut 7-track EP, A Portal Inside, which features the eclectically progressive, Take it Slow.

Take it Slow was curated to prove that when it comes to progress, pace is the trick. The progressive single starts with the downtempo, dreamy textures you would expect from a track under such a name. By the time Take it Slow reaches the outro, expect to find yourself in a trippy, psychedelic rabbit hole that is structured by Agaaze’s soulfully sweet magnetism and the sheer range of his experimentalism. At the age of just 19 years old, his songwriting talent transcends the majority.

The world will never see another David Bowie for the simple reason that they’d rather place icons on pedestals and believe independent artists can never reach them. As far as we’re concerned, Agaaze came pretty damn close with Take it Slow.

Watch the visualiser of Take it Slow on YouTube or add it to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gard Read pops the perfectionist bubble in his anthemic indie pop debut, All We Can Do

Posted on 12 November 2021

Indie electro-pop artist Gard Read joined the swathes of artists making their debut in 2021 and scarcely left any commercial potential for the rest with ‘All We Can Do’.

While every faction of the media convinces you that you deserve nothing less than perfection while implanting unrealistic romantic ideals, Gard Read popped that naïve bubble with the reminder that Nobody is perfect. The stunning Slowdive-reminiscent guitars cushion the blow while the fiery production mimics the torrid state of mind  we enter when we contend with our insecurities and question if we’re worthy of affection.

Gard Read is right up there with Empathy Test for the way he can turn raw emotion into an anthemic hit that unifies through the resonance. If any track is going to convince you to embrace your imperfect autonomy, it’s All We Can Do.

All We Can Do is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Get your euphoria fix with MAR1’s alt-electronica single, Someone Else

Posted on 18 September 2021

If it has been a while since you’ve encountered an uplifting track that does what it says on the tin, delve into MAR1’s hyper-pop dance track, Someone Else, which uses distorted vocals that find ubiquitous synergy with the beats.

Someone Else was never orchestrated to fall in line with contemporary trends or style. The Alexandria, Egypt-hailing producer and DJ thrives when his electronic craft knows no stylistic bounds. Experimental it may be, but by no means is MAR1’s evocative sound niche. The artist has counted plenty of successes in his career, including joining big-name acts at festivals such as Firefly Music Festival. Something tells us that MAR1 won’t stop there, considering that his potential leaves us with as much hype as his energetic sound itself.

For the sake of your serotonin levels, safe space on your radar.

Someone Else is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ETM – Losing Feelings ft Stantina (Rude Jude Remix)

Posted on 26 August 2021

For their latest single, Losing Feelings, electronica artist ETM borrowed old-school disco soul vocals from featuring artist, Shantina, and paid ode to the freeing feeling of losing your rose-tinted glasses when you look at someone who was only significant when they were your ‘other’. After a melodic minimalist prelude, Shantina’s echoey vocals welcome you into the cleverly paced progressive pop single that will hit you with a flood of 90s acid house nostalgia.

You can check out the Rude Jude Remix of Losing Feelings via YouTube. For more info, head over to ETM’s website.

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

Vekken blows the roof off his progressive house track, Can’t Live, featuring Beverly Anderson.

Posted on 30 July 2021

For his latest radio-ready dance pop release, Can’t Live, electronica artist and producer Vekken collaborated with the sensational American vocalist Beverly Anderson who laced even more soul into the infectiously uplifting melodies.

If Vekken isn’t already on your radar, he soon will be; the number of radio station A-list he features on is growing by the day. His progressive house style revolves around massive production and takes influence from artists such as Kygo, Martin Garrix and Avicii. He may not be afraid to wear his influences on his sleeves, but when you hit play, you will soon find out that authenticity is a major part of Can’t Live.

Can’t Live is due for official release on July 30th; you can check out the official music video by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bryten explores retrospective regret with her progressive electro-pop single, Where Would I Be.

Posted on 26 May 2021

Since releasing her debut single, Without Me, in 2019, up and coming pop singer-songwriter, Bryten has given pop fans plenty to get excited about with her compassionate and candid releases. After the release of her latest single, Where Would I Be, there has never been a better time to jump on Bryten’s high-vibe sound that is grounded in empowerment and sincere emotion.

Where Would I Be unravels through questioning introspection, regretful for time wasted on people that made that time living hell, but emboldening through the recognition that suffering leads to strength. It’s a powerful track that starts as a postcard to 90s pop before transgressing into a bass-riding visceral feat of future pop. If you can relate to the lyrics, you’ll find resilient euphoria in every crescendo in Where Would I Be.

Where Would I Be is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast