DATE ARCHIVES : February 2020

Clear Soul Forces – ‘Chip$’

Detroit hip hop collective, Clear Soul Forces are preparing to release their fifth and unfortunately final album Forceswithyou on March 13.

Formed in 2009, the hip-hop quartet made their name with a classic combo of head-nodding, shuffling percussion with subtle and melodic instrumental touches. Ahead of their final hurrah, they have shared hypnotising and bouncy lead single ‘Chip$’ to whet our appetites. Clear Soul Forces hit the ground running as each rapper unleashes his own style and cadence, attacking the beat with slick wordplay crammed tight with colourful pop-culture references. Like most of their work, ‘Chip$’ finds a balance between contemporary creativity and nostalgia – it is irresistible, and will have you coming back for repeated listens. A slick, hypnotic and perfectly executed introduction to the new record.

Listen to ‘Chip$’ below and keep an eye out for Forceswithyou when it is released on March 13.

Winter – ‘Say’

Winter are an LA-based outfit fronted by Brazilian born songwriter Samira Winter, who’s love for guitar music and nostalgic imagery inspires their dreamy cuts of pop perfection.

Together, they form a formidable partnership, delighting us with a steady supply of woozy, glimmering and wistful dream-pop songs – delivered in abundance on 2018 album Ethereality. Winter have returned with news of a new album called Endless Space (Between You & I), due May 15 via Bar/None Records, it is accompanied by lead single ‘Say’. 

A lush, woozy and dreamy excursion, ‘Say’ sees Winter’s light, inviting vocals cast into a shifting series of settings, with beguiling results. At times entirely covered with a heavy blanket of reverb and fuzz, a bubbling bassline groove propels us through a gentle whirlpool of shimmering psychedelic dream-pop awash with slumbering tones, pop hooks, irresistible melodies and effortlessly effervescent. It is charming and beautifully crafted dream-pop, it strikes a perfect balance between pop and the psychedelic.

Listen to ‘Say’ below and keep an eye out for Endless Space (Between You & I), due May 15.

Wesley Gonzalez – ‘Change’

UK musician Wesley Gonzalez will release new album Appalling Human later in the year, the follow up to the 2017 debut LP Excellent Musician.

Out on June 12 via Moshi Moshi, it matches confessional lyricism to an increasing electronic music influence, mixed for the dancefloor by James Greenwood (Ghost Culture, Daniel Avery, Kelly Lee Owens). With news of Appalling Human comes the arrival of lead single ‘Change’ – a huge tune in sound and emotion. Underpinned by a bubbling groove, floating synths and bouncing bass rhythm, ‘Change’ will be stuck in head for days on end. Notwithstanding the electronic allure that graces his sound, at his music’s heart there is a depth to the song writing and his honeyed, melancholic vocals convey this message with aplomb.

‘Change’ is below now. Wesley Gonzalez’s Appalling Human album arrives via Moshi Moshi Records on 12 June

Daddy Who – ‘Milky Way’

Daddy Who is a German beatmaker and producer with a flair for instrumental hip hop & lo-fi sounds.

Taking inspiration from producers such as Madlib, J-Dilla, DJ Premier, 9th Wonder & Daringer, ’90s era hip hop looms rather large here but his skills, personality and ear for melody shine through to forge his own sound. This alchemy is demonstrated with abundance on ‘Milky Way’, the lead single lifted from his latest LP Who Is Who, released a mere two weeks ago. ‘Milky Way’ is a hypnotising bout of production wizardry, with plenty of swagger, strut and funky allure. Introduced by a slew of old-time vocal samples, the deep bassline and dusty beats provide the meat for this swaggering, groove heavy jam. This swagger through a dusty haze is illuminated by cascading 8-bit style glitchy electronics and dripping melody – hypnotising instrumental hip hop of the highest calibre.

Check out  ‘Milky Way’ below and if that is to your liking, check out Who Is Who here.

Cherry Slide – ‘Does It Matter’

Cherry Slide is the musical project revolving around Dale Humphries, originally from the UK and now residing in NYC.

We last encountered Cherry Slide with the release of self-titled, 2018 debut album but Humphries et al is back with news of a new record called Sugar Slo-Mo. Expected on March 20, the forthcoming record is preceded by brand new single ‘Does It Matter’, which more than hints at a continuation of their lush, melodic and endearing indie pop sound. Hushed vocals hover gracefully over a steady strum and understated rhythm as a guitar twangs amid hazy parps of brass and splashes cymbals; it is lush, hooky and seductive, and dripping with a lavish, irresistible melody. A beautiful, warm and fluffy slice of richly melodic indie pop – and one that will leave you all the better getting acquainted.

Listen to ‘Does It Matter’ below:

Le Couleur – ‘Concorde’

Le Couleur is a Montreal trio made up of Laurence Giroux-Do (vocals), Patrick Gosselin (bass), and Steeven Chouinard (drums) who, together, craft wonderfully woozy, lush and disco-infused pop.   

The Canadian outfit strut their seductive wares with new single ‘Concorde’ – the title-track lifted from their forthcoming album, Concorde on April 17. It is lush and alluring as it slides along a seductive, deep, slo-mo disco groove as basslines bubble and synths shimmer and glisten while the irresistible breathy vocals float above. Peppered with breakouts of funky riffs and glowing synths, ‘Concorde’ is stunning and utterly irresistible. Suffice to say, it’s a catchy, fun, and pure pop, in the best way possible.

Listen to ‘Concorde’ below and keep an eye out for the album of the same name coming in mid April.

LITCHE – ‘But Isn’t Love Important?’

Aussie producer LITCHE (aka Sam Litchfield) has a knack for cultivating dreamlike soundscapes that whisk us off to free-floating, ethereal wonderland in the clouds.

The latest in his line of atmospheric wares is the heavenly ‘But Isn’t Love Important?’It is a lush, dreamlike affair as synths shimmer and electronics twinkle, illuminating the true pulse of the track as steady beats and sustained rhythm protract the promise of euphoric climax, while keeping you captivated through repeated propulsive beats and swirls. LITCHE blends warm sounds with a crisp frosty elegance, creating a hypnotic, comforting sound collage that thrives in the space between subtly euphoric and vaguely ambient.

Listen to ‘But Isn’t Love Important?’ below:

EGOISM – ‘You You’

Egoism, Sydney-based dream-pop pairing of Scout Eastment and Olive Rush, are preparing the release of their second EP On Our Minds, later in 2020.

With that in mind, the duo have afforded us our first glimpse of what we might expect with lead single ‘You You’. A sizzling slice of soaring indie-pop that injects some sunshine into our lives, it is a shimmering, jangletastic delight with heavenly harmonies, hooks aplenty and dripping with heart-melting melodies. ‘You You’ is addictive pop-perfection fizzing with effervescence as bright riffs, shimmering guitar and seductive rhythm coalesce with a sunkissed, lush and alluring warmth; a perfect backdrop for the breezy, honeyed vocals to thrive. A magical, charming three-minutes of pop heaven.

Listen to ‘You You’ below – it is magic!

Maddie Jay – ‘The Peanut Butter Song’

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 lush and lavish sounds in her bedroom studio.

Jay introduced herself to us last year with ‘Little Love’ & ‘I Got You’ – a pair of hypnotising dream-pop gems – and she has returned with her first offering from 2020 with ‘The Peanut Butter Song’. It is another delicious bundle of suitably lush and woozy wonderment. An alluring blend of slinky grooves and hazy tones, ‘The Peanut Butter Song’ shuffles gracefully over a softly rippling wave of shimmering synths that cascade over a twinkling guitar and soft pillowy beat. Jay’s laid-back and breezy vocals are perfectly paired with the hazy dream-pop sounds.

Do yourself a favour, check out ‘The Peanut Butter Song’ below:

Harmony Byrne – ‘Good Idea’

Every now and then you come across a song so tantalising that it stops us in dead in our tracks, instantly demanding your complete and undivided attention. Well, one such track is new single from Australian Singer-songwriter Harmony Byrne.

‘Good Idea’ is the latest single lifted from Byrne’s forthcoming debut LP, Heavy Doors, due to arrive this spring. It is a deeply moving and intimate country-tinged folk song, Byrne depicts a realistic scene of everyday issues, while a steady guitar strum intertwined with a slow-burning waltz makes for a hypnotic and stimulating five-minutes plus. The distant wane of a steel guitar, the lilting, rich vocals and genuine emotion bursting from the speakers; ‘Good Idea’ transmits something you just can’t find elsewhere – it is on another level altogether.

Tune into ‘Good Idea’ below and keep an eye out for debut LP, Heavy Doors.