DATE ARCHIVES : May 2019

Kobina – ‘Does It feat. The Sei’

Kobina is an electronic producer from Dublin now residing in Amsterdam and over the past month or so, he’s been slowly teasing material from his 4 Poems EP, which is out now.

Capturing a period where he fell out love with music, ceasing to create and produce, ‘The 4 Poems’ referred to in the title are testament to that period. Kobina shared these poems with four separate vocalists – Bronte, Participant, The Sei & Obskur Mond – serving as the foundation for a fruitful collaboration, resulting in an elegant, slowly unfurling electronic excursion imbued with rich sounds, touching ambience and heartfelt emotion.

Personal favourite and example of what expect from the EP is the stunning ‘Does It feat. The Sei’. It is an elegant and cinematic cut, and one that remains distinctly intimate even as layer upon layer of rich sound enters the fray. Synths creep in as the song progresses, softly twinkling and fizzing by in the background adding texture, warmth and emotion. It is however, the piano chords and The Sei’s (Stacey Gill) vocals that serves as the emotive bedrock from which all else is built. This is a rich, compelling and deeply moving track of beauty, fragility and heartfelt emotion – utterly stunning.

Listen to ‘Does It feat. The Sei’ below – and you can check out there entire EP here too.

Introducing: Atroxity

Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Atroxity is an electronica producer and composer who embraces the full spectrum of genres and has a preference for cross-pollination.

For almost 20 years, Atroxity has been a part of the local Oslo music scene in varying capacities, culminating in the release of his debut album Newland Punks in November 2016. Today however, we concern ourselves with his latest release, EP Cult Of The Scarab which is buttressed by ‘Outpost 10-3’ and ‘Yeah (It Works)’.

The two pillars provide a perfect example of the differing facets of Atroxity and what binds them together so seamlessly. ‘Outpost 10-3’ is a lush blend of tech-house influenced bass groove, soft pattering percussion and seductive deep house vibes, and bound by a playful synth, that flickers and sparks, bringing some breezy brightness to the fore amid the ambient landscapes. ‘Yeah (It Works)’ is a more uptempo affair, playful yet cinematic, it bounces along a colourful confection of quick step beats and irresistible groove illuminated by acid squiggles, winding synth and bursts of electronics for the more dancefloor ready of the two. Not only is his work bound by a love off of all things electronic, Atroxity’s work is marked by a playfulness, flair for groove and precision beat-work.

You can listen to ‘Outpost 10-3’ and ‘Yeah (It Works)’ below:

Introducing: Sid Steppes

Sid Steppes is a musician and songwriter from Southern California, whose dreamy psychedelic-pop sound is born from a penchant for DIY, writing and recording as he has in various bedrooms and makeshift studios.

Steppes’ debut album Trails is primed for release on May 31 and is inspired by heartache, depression and the path towards rehabilitating the mind, as well as a deep fondness for 60s and 70s psychedelia. Ahead of the debut LP, Steppes has shared a pair of singles ‘I’d Like to Go Away From Here Again With You’ and ‘Keep in Touch’. The former is a languid and beautifully sullen slice of psychedelia, dripping with a rich melody, it seductively swoons and swaggers in slo-mo fashion amid an eerie guitar line, steady drum and loping melodic guitar jangle, gently spill and sprawl over one another. It is wonderfully heartfelt, marked by frailty and vulnerability – lyrically and vocally – it also radiates a lingering sense of warmth and defiance in overcoming adversity. ‘Keep in Touch’ grooves along, gently slinking through vast layers of hazy and dreamy vibes. Soft drums keep us on track, while the woozy guitar and dreamy vocal duke it out for the limelight. Evocative, emotive and woozy slices of dreamy psych-pop that are every bit as alluring as seductive sounds Syd Barrett, Donavan or The Byrds.

Listen to ‘I’d Like to Go Away From Here Again With You’ & ‘Keep in Touch’ below – and keep any eye out for the album coming on May 31.

Safetalk – ‘Layback’

Anglo-French trio Safetalk – comprised of two Parisian producers Hugues Tonnet and Thomas Desnoyers and Berlin-based British vocalist, David Harks – have released superb new single ‘Layback’.

On ‘Layback’, the continental trio further indulge in their now recognisable penchant for cosmic vibes but in a somewhat more earthly fashion. While Safetalk lure us into an otherworldly realm, we are brought back down to earth by tribal beats and rhythms. Electronics shimmer alongside, radiant and twinkling synths, swirls of atmospherics, and tender and ethereal vocals; a hypnotic fusion that leaves us with a beautifully melodious affair of coexistence between earthly and heavenly bodies. This is yet another compelling and transfixing electronic excursion, it is smooth and smouldering, rich and soulful, and of course, utterly divine.

Tune into ‘Layback’ below now:

islandman – ‘Lamani’

islandman are the Istanbul-based trio of Tolga Böyük, Eralp Güven & Erdem Başer, who have a flair for Anatolian psychedelic tones, pairing up dancefloor beats with psych-guitars, synth riffs on a bed of irresistible rhythmic grooves.

The trio are preparing to release their second album Kaybola in August, and they are warming us up with lead single ‘Lamani’ – and it’s a doozy. With ‘Lamani’ they have spliced together parts psychedelic surf rock, mildly dancey, kraut-rock grooves with sweet, sweet vocals harmonies, crafting a unique sonic brew of irresistible grooves laced with psych riffs and hypnotic reverb soaked melodies. A final lavish layer is lathered on as it is fizzed through there own unique Anatolian psychedelic prism. A swirling, melodious and harmonious infusion that blends both east and west while sitting somewhere on the spectrum between Django Django, the Beach Boys, Os Mutantes and Ennio Morricone. This is captivating and utterly hypnotic brilliance; those melodies, and harmonies especially, are divine.

Listen to ‘Lamani’ below:

Silent Forum – ‘Safety in Numbers’

‘Safety in Numbers’ is the third single released by Cardiff based Post-Punk/ New Wave outfit Silent Forum and following on from the swaggering, jerky off-kilter art-rock energy of ‘How I Faked The Moon Landing’ and ‘Robot’, ‘Safety in Numbers’ enters a much more reflective musical realm.

Teaming up with the superb Libertino Records, ‘Safety In Numbers’ is a warm and touching ode to community and ‘the importance of looking after your friends’. Sombre and touching, it braces shadowy post punk tones with flashes of uplifting, inspiring new wave, while the art-rock influence still simmers away – most pronounced with the utterly divine harmonies. Harnessing the measured and restrained power of a constant drum beat, steadily rumbling bass and melodic guitar strum, the heart-filled tale is shared through rich, sombre and moving vocals. ‘Safety In Numbers’ is wonderful; it is warm, vulnerable, honest and touching – and you will be all the better for making its acquaintance.

‘Safety in Numbers’ is out now through Libertino Records. Tune in below:



The Hannah Barberas – ‘I Like You In Blue’

Over the past 18 months or thereabouts, self-proclaimed “DIY pop partisans”, The Hannah Barberas have treated us to a steady stream of irresistible singles and EPs and in doing so, this London-based indie-pop foursome have forged a rep for home-brewed charms, with a knack for charming effervescent indie-pop gems.

Following up this early promise, the New Cross outfit have released album The Hannah Barberas Get Physical, fronted by lead single ‘I Like You In Blue’. It continues with their winning formula for crafting charming indie-pop. A light and hazy jangle is smothered with woozy and breezy vibes, creating an enchanting and addicting parcel of pop-craft that’s dripping with melody and brimming with heavenly harmonies. There’s a simplicity to their songs, they don’t over complicate things and it works like a dream for The Hannah Barberas. This is timeless indie-pop gold.

Give a listen to ‘I Like You In Blue’ below and the whole album available to stream/purchase on Bandcamp.

Gadget and the Cloud – ‘Quiescence’

Gadget and the Cloud is the moniker of Cork-based producer Kelly Doherty who has a clear preference for the experimental, pushing electronic sounds into ever more interesting settings.

The Cork native emerged on our radar in 2017 with singles ‘And I Told You Something True’ and ‘3600 Seconds’, and followed those with debut album Songs for Sad People to Dance To last year, and Doherty is back with a new track called ‘Quiescence’. Forming part of a compilation on Dublin-based Bandcloud, the track is a swirling blend of textures and soundscapes, with touches of ambient and drone. Opening with a deep bass hum, ‘Quiescence’ seeps to the foreground filling all available space with sound and feeling. It simmers with a rich emotive allure as gentle crisp, focused beats propel us forward though a world of lush synths, warm textures and dreamy vibes. While it is exquisite and gently ambient, it is not one of carefree abandon as the space afforded to reflective mood allows for contemplation and a darker tone and mood. It is a majestic track, its progression feels organic and the emotion real – exquisite.

Listen to ‘Quiescence’ below – if you like what you hear, why don’t you check out Songs for Sad People to Dance To from last year? It can be found here.

Trudy and the Romance – ‘That’s Not Me’

Trudy and the Romance are preparing to release their debut albumSandman, later this month and ahead of its release on May 24, the trio have released a final single ‘That’s Not Me’.

‘That’s Not Me’ is that latest in a line of sultry singles demonstrating their penchant for rich, melodic and heartfelt old-fashioned pop. It is an intoxicating single, sweet, heartfelt and imbued with a pang of nostalgia. Drifting, delicately, this wistful indie-pop ballad purrs with a rich, dripping melody and pulls hard on heartstrings as vocals croon amid the swell of lush, swooning orchestral-pop tones. It is a beautiful song plain and simple – musically and lyrically – it is warm, hazy and heart-strung. It will take a cold heart to be enamoured by this beauty. A rich and alluring blend of dreamy harmonies and dazzling pop, it is bursting with everything good pop music should be.

Listen to ‘That’s Not Me’ below and keep your eyes peeled for Sandman on May 24.

Bibi Club – ‘La Plage’

Bibi Club are Montreal duo Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nicolas Basque, who together create hypnotic and elegant lo-fi synth-pop.

The pair’s debut single is ‘La Plage’ (“the beach” in French) and it is something rather special indeed. It is a subtle, spellbinding and lush sea of textures, soft-edged synths, blissed out tones and flourishes of dreamy psych-folk. ‘La Plage’ bubbles along a rippling rhythm as guitars chime, synths twinkle and cascading cosmic electronic tones combine with a lapping groove creating a lush and alluring elixir, and one perfect for Trottier-Rivard’s smooth, light and mellifluous voice seems to breeze above, leaving us utterly powerless to resist.

A magnificent, hypnotic and elegant debut. Listen below: