Browsing Tag

Urban Pop

‘!! Stand’ by RoBB!EMAC: Reinventing Pop with Y2K Nostalgia and Emotional Cadence

Posted on 4 December 2024

The prolific pop prodigy, RoBB!EMAC, may have only made his official debut in 2023 with the drop of his LP, The Anecdotes of Mr. Songsmith, but he’s already delivered his fifth album, Howling at the Moon, proving that there’s no end to the flow of his creativity or his ability to find fresh alt-pop intersections to explore.

The standout single from his expansive 16-track anthology of pop-hooked vulnerability, ‘!! Stand’ kicks into rhythm through a melodic piano-driven prelude followed by a mash of pseudo-trap, Y2K nostalgia and the twang of alt-country pop; a synthesis which orchestrates a dreamy sense of reverie to drift within as you lock into the vocal cadence which sinks into synergy with the solid backbeats.

If anyone can bring back the trend of putting lighters in the air instead of iPhone cameras, it’s RoBB!EMAC, with his sound that leans into nostalgia while illuminating the path to the pop pantheon which is ready and waiting for his arrival.

RoBB!EMAC, the New Jersey-Hailing, Dallas-based innovator, is far from your average genre-fusionist; he’s mastered the art of ensuring every aesthetic at his disposal lends itself to the mood and meaning of his sound. In ‘!! Stand’, the singer-songwriter strips back all sense of pretence to outpour a vignette that assures the listener that, as we all make our way through the disillusionments of life, we’re all a work in progress, regardless of how perfect our facades appear to be.

Stream RoBB!EMAC’s Howling at the Moon LP on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Penny Taylor’s ‘Cuff’ Unchains the Soul of Modern RnB

Posted on 28 November 2024

‘Cuff’ by Penny Taylor smooths out the edges of contemporary RnB. With a trappy pulse, wavy oscillations of reverb wrapping around the melodies, and Taylor’s constantly in-flux vocal presence, it’s the definition of a melodious feat of sonic mesmerism. Hit play and sink into the single, which sees the singer-songwriter lay it all on the line while teasing salaciously hot imagery into the mix, ensuring it hits on every conceivable level.

Having honed his unique sound for over a decade—starting from humble beginnings with a USB mic hanging from his childhood room’s ceiling fan—Taylor has evolved into an unreckonable force in the music industry. Drawing inspiration from Bryson Tiller, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole, his distinctive hip hop, neo-soul, and RnB fusion makes him peerless, as does his ability to tune into universal emotion and make them hit with personal resonance.

Taylor may not have reinvented the RnB wheel with ‘Cuff’, but his authentic contribution ensures he has earned his place in the innovative vanguard as the genre shifts with the times, keeping the vibes raw, real, and relatable for this generation and beyond.

Cuff is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The rhythms rolled hot and heavy in PRES3T’s latest pop hit, Love Me Like That

Posted on 16 May 2024

Love Me Like That is the latest hot and heavy pop hit from the up-and-coming visionary, PRES3T, who has been working his way through the industry ranks from a young age and now has a safe foothold to serve as a platform for his stylistically rich rap-adjacent hits.

The solid backbeat kicks intently through the moody atmosphere of the modernised wavy-with-reverb production that throws back to 90s pop aesthetics while simultaneously envisioning the future of the pop genre. If you couldn’t get enough of the taste of Ed Sheeran’s Are You Entertained or Lil Nas X’s DON’T WANT IT, you’ll be obsessed with the flavour in Love Me Like That.

Thailand-born singer, songwriter, recording artist and producer PRES3T delivered his debut LP from his home studio at the age of 16 before receiving national radio airplay and attending the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Before working on his new material, which is steadily waterfalling onto the airwaves, PRES3T cut his teeth working on projects with tens of millions of streams on Spotify alone. We have no doubt he has exactly what it takes to achieve the same in his solo career.

Stream Love Me Like That on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dizzy Goku – Better Sides of You: A Perennial Pop Soulworm

Posted on 27 April 2024

With his latest single, Better Sides of You, the hopeless romantic hit maker Dizzy Goku, AKA North African Pepper, gave melody-driven pop a tantalising urban twist as an attest to his ability to craft earworms that linger in the soul.

This single, infused with a vocal melody as sweet as the intricate Latin-tinged guitar work, feeds into an intimate pseudo-dream-pop production which carries echoes of 90s pop. The track maintains the vulnerability and accessibility of bedroom pop, making it impossible not to succumb to its sweet, vulnerable pull. As the epitome of relatable tentative love songs, it masterfully balances realism and sincerity, enhancing the emotional depth rather than diluting it.

Crafted with the aid of London-based talents Rocco Hussle, Sh0tgun Josh, and Debani—contributing drums, baseline, and electric guitar respectively—the track’s soundscape is rich yet distinctly raw exploration of cautious love, articulated through Dizzy Goku’s personal lens and inspired by the poignant truth that it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

As the lead single of his upcoming EP, it sets a formidable standard and signals more meticulously crafted, thoughtfully polished projects slated for later this year.

Better Sides of You was officially released on March 8th; stream the single on Spotify now or watch the official music video on YouTube. 

Follow Dizzy Goku on Instagram. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Class Vee’s urban pop hit, House Party, is an invitation you won’t want to ignore.

Posted on 16 May 2023

Inspired by the 1990 film House Party, starring Kid N Play, the urban pop artist Class Vee paid homage to it in her infectiously galvanising hit of the same title.

The aesthetics in the official video and the old-school grooves will throw you right back to the 90s while you remain firmly in 2023 through the modernist production and Class Vee’s vocal lines, which go beyond contemporary stylings to create a brand-new trajectory to the evolution of pop hip hop.

House parties won’t solve all your problems, but House Party on your playlists will give you all the serotonin you need to get through the summer. There’s no understating the euphoric energy that Class Vee brings to the airwaves with her pitch-perfected harmonies; she’s more than an icon in the making; she’s already arrived.

The official music video for House Party premiered on May 6; catch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Go Go Gadget Pink Packet shakes it up in his intimate alt-indie hit, Sno Globe

Posted on 14 August 2022

Taken from his sophomore album, Unfinished Art, Go Go Gadget Pink Packet’s standout single, Sno Globe, is an emotion-driven hit of alt-indie, which throws back to the 00s while simultaneously embracing autonomously expressive melodic innovation.

Starting with an almost outtake-y prelude, the zealous lo-fi indie single breathes bedroom pop intimacy, with an extra flavour of sticky-sweet power-pop in the overdriven guitars, which carry as much emotion as the raw yet sugared vocal harmonies.

In his own words, the Sherrill, NY-based solo artist, writes common man blues records, perfectly encapsulating the immediate resonance you find in the dejection.

Sno Globe is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Christelle brings out her inner-saboteur in her urban dance-pop single, Piccadilly

Posted on 1 August 2022
https://soundcloud.com/christelle_official/picadilly/s-bO5pD914l6f?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

After a break from the airwaves, London’s Christelle is back to remind indie synth pop fans why she’s the Kate Nash of this generation with her latest single, Piccadilly. Keeping the pace with her hyper-dancey beats is the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s cleaver-sharp wit, which juxtapoxingly exhibits her relatability and iconic lyrical flair in the same breath.

Piccadilly is for every one that falls hard and runs just as fast when their inner saboteur takes control. It may be the most self-aware single we have heard this year with its increasing depth and playful self-effacing personality, amplified by the magnetic sense of expressive vulnerability. Few artists deserve to climb the charts more. She’s the whole package.

Piccadilly was officially released on July 29th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Glitchy art rock meets alt urban pop in Jacobi.e’s latest single, Rcv

Posted on 17 July 2022

Since his 2020 debut, experimentalism has been at the forefront of Jacobi.e’s alt bedroom pop sound. With his aptly dark, melodically off-kilter and tumultuously glitchy first single of 2022, Rcv, the Jamaican American artist and producer, currently residing in LA, fused his rock background with contemporary flavours of the originators, Dominic Fike, Kanye and Yeek.

While some artists manage to make exploring alternative sounds a contrived act of pretension, Jacobi.e instantly affirms that the alchemy came organically through his affinity for a plethora of genres. Pulling all of the contrasting textures together, his vocals are a sticky-sweet vocal point in the wavy track that stands as a testament to his flair as a producer that continues to amass gravitas.

RCV is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tana & Ava Like Lava are in vogue in their rap track Supermodel

Posted on 21 May 2022

After being championed by the likes of Sean Kingston, the revolutionary pop-rap originator, Tana is here with one of the hottest hip hop collabs of the year, Supermodel, featuring the South Africa-hailing artist Ava Like Lava.

With grooves and licks that are just as sultry as the honeyed vocals that know the perfect place to throw a little attitude, nothing about Supermodel feels superficial. It drips empowered decadence in a way that could put Grimes to shame.

Ironically, Supermodel is one of the most aurally aesthetic hip hop tracks to land on our radar in 2022. We can’t wait to hear what comes next from the Sony-signed and BBC Introducing lauded queer artist that is bringing swathes of style, culture, and attitude to the airwaves.

Supermodel is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

VITA has dropped one of the most ensnaringly Avant-Garde debuts of the year with BADBADBAD.

Posted on 28 February 2022

With her debut single, BADBADBAD., the icon in the making VITA is pushing alternative attitude and avant-garde textures into the mainstream, which is all a part of her mission to break society’s boundaries, and encourage her listeners to do the same.

If you could imagine the fierce feminine ferocity of Peaches paired with the earworm appeal of Rihanna and the extreme multidimensional artistry of SKYND, you will be able to get an idea of what the Sydney-hailing artist delivered in her arrestingly promising debut.

If the sonic gravitas isn’t enough to leave you enraptured, her determination to carry the power of her ancestry in her rebellious modern sound will be more than efficacious. Vita was named after her great aunt who died in the Holocaust; once you register the sheer juggernaut power in BADBADBAD. with that in mind, it is enough to leave you with goosebumps.

BADBADBAD. is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast