Captain Moonlight – ‘The Great Austerity Bake Off’

Kilkenny rapper Captain Moonlight, has long been one of Irish Hip Hop’s most prized possessions. Obsessive about politics, philosophy, literature, music and hurling, it has been nine long years since his last album, 2010’s On The Lough (Agroculture Pt 3).

This period of relative radio silence has been brought to a welcome and abrupt close by new single ‘The Great Austerity Bake Off’ – and it is superb. The beats are infectious and snappy, along with the hovering, soft synth provide an toe-tapping and contagious backdrop for his potent lyrical expanses. Moonlight is up there with the finest lyricist’s this country has produced, and ‘The Great Austerity Bake Off’ finds him in fine fettle – and as usual he doesn’t disappoint.

Although there have been singles here and there – incl. a track for our very own GruffWuff compilation (see below) – the new single also comes with news of new album called Offences Against The State Act 1, which is expected before the year is out.

I’ve long been a huge fan of Captain Moonlight and made no secret of this adoration over the years, so needless to say, it is great to have him back in action.

Listen to ‘The Great Austerity Bake Off’ below:

Lauran Hibberd – ‘Frankie’s Girlfriend’

Isle of Wight native Lauran Hibberd has built a solid rep for irresistible fuzz-filled indie pop and even with just some fleeting attention to her recent output, it is easy to see why.

Following on from ‘Sugardaddy’ and ‘Hoochie’ – both wonderful slabs of melodic, indie-pop goodness – Hibberd’s continuing an impressive 2019 with ‘Frankie’s Girlfriend’; a third track from her forthcoming EP, Everything Is Dogs. Marked by her now signature blend of sass, tongue-in-cheek attitude, quirky vibes and love of fuzzed-up meaty riffs, ‘Frankie’s Girlfriend’ is so infectious and bursting with vitality and laced with delicious power-pop tones. It is sweet yet barbed, and all coated in a warm layer of delightful fuzz and distortion, ‘Frankie’s Girlfriend’ is the right side of catchy.

Listen to ‘Frankie’s Girlfriend’ below and it should get you in the mood for Hibberd’s debut EP Everything Is Dogs, set for release September 20, 2019.

Adam Singer – ‘Balance’

Adam Singer is an electronic producer / musician from San Francisco, who has been creating music for over 15 years. Singer’s output is marked by a full spectrum of sound, mood and emotions as tales and experiences are vividly depicted, leaving quite an impression.

His latest single ‘Balance’, the latest lifted from his 2018 album My Only Hope, is a perfect and exquisite example of his craft. It is immersive and hypnotic, majestically blurring the lines between exhilarating electro and subtly propulsive Krautrock leanings. Just shy of seven minutes, this dynamic and pulsing electronic life-force is spearheaded by a spectacular glistening air, warm melodic keys, soft beats and succession of lush synth, swishes and chimes which eventually become consumed by waves of crunching beats, liquid blissfulness and boundless flourishes of crystalline percussion. Lush, glistening and elegant, ‘Balance’ is a futuristic, vividly imaginative and thrilling sound.

Listen to the beautiful sounds of ‘Balance’ below:

Maddie Jay – ‘I Got You’

Maddie Jay is a Canadian musician, bassist, producer, writer and multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for jangle pop, experimental music, synthesizers and sloths.

Having grown up in the relative wilderness of the small mountain town of Smithers, British Columbia, Jay traded that for the warmer climes of Los Angeles, where she now resides, crafting music in her bedroom studio.

Jay introduced herself to use earlier in year with ‘Little Love’ – a gentle whirlpool of shimmering and lush dream-pop – and has returned with another suitably lush and woozy wonder in ‘I Got You’. Written for her roommate’s dog, it is a lush and alluring blend of irresistible slinky grooves and woozy tones as a soft wave of hypnotising shimmering synths cascade over a twinkling guitar. ‘I Got You’ is a lavish composition, one of breathtaking and beguiling beauty. The swirling textured haze mellow undulation is the perfect companion for for Jay’s soothing vocals.

Do yourself a favour, give ‘I Got You’ a spin below:

Who Boy – ‘Steve Reich’

Beginning life as a synth pop trio, Detroit-based Who Boy have grown to five – Max Stutz, Phoenix Eller, Sean Mackillop, Max Capasso & Maria French – and purveyors of lush dream-pop.

Following a couple of well received singles over the past 12 months – ‘Toy Plane’ & ‘Golden Reservoir’ – ‘Steve Reich’ is all kinds of wonderful and captures the very essence of the band in under three-minutes of beautiful splendour. It is a warm, woozy and serenely beautiful sound with a gently undulating groove bubbling away beneath the dreamy vibes, dripping melody and hushed, honeyed vocals. ‘Steve Reich’ is lush and alluring, sweetly melodious and glamorous, and smouldering with powerful emotion – utterly divine.

Listen to lush dream-pop personified below, a la ‘Steve Reich’.