Browsing Tag

Summer Pop

KrizRok has released his summer pop taste breaker, ‘Welcome to My Show’

Posted on 12 June 2021

After a successful 2020 debut, the artist that is impossible to pigeonhole, Krizrok, has unleashed his anthemically eccentric sophomore single, Welcome to My Show. With elements of tropic dance-pop coalescing with indie vibes and reggae rhythms, the sun-kissed release reaches the pinnacle of summer pop while playfully resisting the constraints of your average pop earworm.

The German singer-songwriter and instrumentalist truly comes into his own with his boundlessly magnetic vocals that defy convention while simultaneously leaving you enamoured by the quirky soul on offer.

It is always refreshing to hear a seasoned professional session musician embracing self-expression own with their solo work, and KrizRok is certainly no exception to that rule. Notably, he has a keen sense of which aural rules are made to be broken to find the perfect balance between distinction and infectious appeal.

Welcome to My Show is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sukesha Ray has unleashed her emboldening future pop anthem, ‘We Are the Way We Are’

Posted on 9 June 2021

Prepare your summer pop playlists for the latest euphoria-laced future pop anthem, ‘We Are the Way We Are’ from American singer-songwriter and dancer Sukesha Ray.

Once again, the emotion brings just as much energy to the track as the intense build-ups and colossal future bass drops in the anthem that starts with an all too resonant melancholic tone before the progressive track builds momentum and garners mental resilience along the way.

After racking up over 140,000 streams on Spotify alone with her sophomore single, A Place We Never Knew, it is easy to see how the autonomy-embracing single, We Are the Way We Are, will follow.

You can check out We Are the Way We Are by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Darrian Gerard broke the pop mould with her pop-punk earworm, ‘Festival’.

Posted on 5 June 2021
Darrian Gerard

If memories of music festivals feel like a lifetime ago, Darrian Gerard’s latest pop-punk single, Festival, will bring them flooding right back as if they were yesterday. Darrian Gerard’s vocals carry the same girl next door vibe as the likes of Taylor Swift and all of the outlier attitude of pop-punk princesses such as Avril Lavigne, expectedly, that’s an instantly infectious and accessible mix.

The Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist also takes influence from Alanis Morissette and Angels and Airwaves, giving her sound a refreshingly dynamic sound that breaks the perfect pop mould with the effect-laden, punchy indie guitars and wholesomely rebellious attitude.

Festival released on June 4th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Debrah Jade has released her funk-fuelled hyper-pop single, Nobody But You.

Posted on 12 May 2021

‘Nobody But You’ is the latest fierce feat of  hyperpop left on the airwaves by the breakthrough artist Debrah Jade. After racking up hundreds of thousands of streams since making her debut in 2018 with her single, ‘Drenched in Love’, Jade has stayed true to her signature funk-fuelled, disco-pop affectionate style that unapologetically reminds her listeners of their capacity to feel.

Hit play on Nobody But You, and you won’t just hear Jade’s optimistic disposition; you will be inclined to share it. We may have all collectively endured the most trying times in living history. But the presence of resoundingly visceral voices, such as Debrah Jade’s that remind you of the time when Houston and Turner were the reigning queens of pop, bring back a sense of normality.

Nobody But You is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Naked Face are ‘Coming Home’ with their ephemeral indie-pop single

Posted on 27 April 2021

Dreamy, ephemeral indie-pop with little dashes of post-post-punk – that’s the initial impression from first-listen of Melbourne-based Naked Face’s new single ‘Coming Home’, but on subsequent plays it’s clear the Australian three-piece have a lot more tricks up their collective sleeves and significantly more musical depth and character than that early, overly-simple description gives them credit for.

There’s elements of chilled Caribbean and even reggae to the chord work and arrangement of the verses, contrasting nicely with the bigger, chuggier power-chord overdrive of the choruses on ‘Coming Home’, singer Eddy Seagoon’s unique vocal delivery and delicately-picked guitar lines adding superbly to the tight groove of the rhythm section of Steve Slik and Nathan Stone, mashing-up a mixture of pop, punk, funk, jazzy chord voicings, and musical elements of The Police, the Young Knives, and Bloc Party amongst the audio influences here. It’s catchy and melodic, mixing in lyrical themes of isolation, social alienation, and distance whilst at the same time fusing a tight, focussed delivery and pumping out something that’s ultimately poppy, catchy, and delectable.

You can hear ‘Coming Home’ on Spotify, or check out the official video on YouTube. Follow Naked Face on Facebook or here.

Review by Alex Holmes

LA singer songwriter Ali Angel wants to ‘Play Pretend’ in her bluesy pop-rock track

Posted on 22 April 2021
Ali Angel

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Ali Angel brings us her new single ‘Play Pretend’, a slice of summery upbeat Americana-tinged bluesy pop-rock that’s reminiscent of Sheryl Crow, KT Tunstall, or Meredith Brooks, all twangy Telecaster riffs, horn section fills, and Texas Shuffle drum patterns, capped off with Angel’s soulful, resonant vocal.

It’s ‘top down’ driving music of the very best kind, long straight dusty roads, sandy deserts, and palm trees; that timeless, classic feel of the very best summertime ‘radio’ rock, the lyrics humorous and lighthearted yet full of sunshine and self-knowing. Angel’s voice really is good, a little vibrato and a lot of heart, and the music swings, swaggers, and grooves in equal measure. It’s a perfect summer tune, and it heralds great things for Angel’s forthcoming debut EP, due later this year.

You can hear ‘Play Pretend’ via Ali Angel’s website and across all major streaming platforms from the 23rdApril. Check out Ali Angel on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Farah Ash reminds us that no man is an island in her debut RnB pop track.

Posted on 21 April 2021

LA-based Norwegian-Moroccan pop artist Farah Ash has made her solo debut with her empoweringly demure single, ‘No Man’. With “no man is an island” as the chorus, you’re forced to contemplate the effects of the isolation that we’ve endured. It’s an unignorable reminder no matter how attractive social withdrawal seems, we all need a community to thrive.

With the multicultural sun-bleached beats triggering your tribal impulses, you’ll have no choice in allowing No Man to resonate as a high vibe hit. It is an incredibly strong debut that could easily find its way onto the A-lists of plenty of international radio stations. But it was only a matter of time before Farah’s name started to dominate the airwaves. After working with Pitbull’s team, Chris Brown, Travis Scott and Post Malone, and even making it in Asia with her K-pop tracks, her own ascent to the top almost seemed inevitable.

No Man is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alisa Velasquez has made a radio-ready debut with ‘Hold Me Close’ featuring Hana Sushi Music.

Posted on 16 April 2021

Alisa Velasquez’s RnB pop vocals are well-known in her Connecticut hometown. After releasing her debut single, ‘Hold Me Close’, with her partner Hana Sushi Music, her ardent vocal pop timbre will be appreciated by international fans with a penchant for pretence-less pop.

Under the influence of icons such as Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, Alisa Velasquez started professionally recording as a session singer-songwriter in 2015. After the passing of her mother and the meeting of her collaborator, Alisa Velasquez made her debut with her upbeat track inspired by the blossoming love. The clean, contemporary pop beats are the perfect platform for her vocals that effortlessly share the sticky-sweet haze that comes with being in love.

You can check out Hold Me Close for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MDMelo keeps us euphoric with their latest single ‘DON’T STOP DANCING’ featuring Francis

Posted on 11 April 2021

MDMelo served up a solid slice of funk and disco with ‘DON’T STOP DANCING’, just one of the tracks to feature in their ‘In the Moment’ EP.

By bringing in the smooth vocal timbre of Francis, the single unfolded as a convincingly heartfelt mash of RnB, Soul and Funk. Grooves don’t come much more danceable than the ones that you’ll find in this glossy euphoria dripping sanity-saver.

MDMelo’s lyrical advice is worth heeding. Imagine how much dancefloor awkwardness it will save when clubs finally open. Until then, keep the artist and producer on your radar – you owe it to your serotonin levels.

You can check out the official video which premiered on March 6th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike Cortes – the New York-based musician/writer drops first solo single with ‘Unstable’

Posted on 10 April 2021
Mike Cortes

‘Unstable’ is the first single from newcomer Mike Cortes, but he’s far from new to ‘the scene’; with a publishing deal and writing credits for numerous other artists over the last six years, this is Cortes putting everything he’s learned in the last six years into practice for himself, with a gentle little dance-pop track. Part Hispanic-beat, part soft, catchy pop chorus, held together by Cortes’ high, sing-song vocal. It’s a great little opener, a perfect radio-friendly pop track, dance beats mixing with a bouncy skank groove bassline and choppy guitar-and-keys chords – there’s a touch of Deanz, Tommy Ljungberg, Aiyo, or Blaeker. It’s a track that promises much, much more from Mike Cortes.

Check out Mike Cortes on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes