POSTS TAGGED : Folk-Pop

Adam Melchor – ‘I Choose You’

Adam Melchor is a Jersey-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter with a penchant for rich, melodic and heartfelt old-fashioned pop songs.

On his Plan on You EP, released earlier this year, Melchor displayed a knack for atmospheric dreamy folk-pop and he is back, signing off for 2019 with another alluring pop song ‘I Choose You’. While the folk ingredients remain, Melchor has braided more pop into the mix than before, delivering a colourful confection of sweet and charming ear-worm pop. Melchor’s verses bob along the skipping rhythms, playful percussion and jangly guitar and all sewn together with sinuous melodies – an unshakable blend.

A wonderful, charming single to sign off on – listen to ‘I Choose You’ below:


TOLEDO – ‘Qué Pasa?’

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Revolving around the Brooklyn-based pairing of Dan Alvarez and Jordan Dunn, Toledo have have drip-feeding us charming delights from their forthcoming debut album over the past while, and bewitching us in the process.

The good news is Toledo will release their aforementioned debut, HotStuff in March and the latest single lifted from it, is without question the best yet. ‘Qué Pasa?’ is a heartfelt, lush and melodic slice of indie-folk delight. Dripping with melody as hushed, lilting vocals flow gently on by amid a sea of richness and warmth, flourishes of soft drums and state of tranquillity. ‘Qué Pasa?’ proves Toledo the masters of hook, harmony and heart. It is one of those songs, filled with such heartfelt beauty, glowing with warmth and marked by just the right amount of melancholy, that will leave you unable to resist its allure but all the better for it. An absolute joy!

Listen to ‘Qué Pasa?’ below and keep an eye out for the debut record come March.

mxmtoon – ‘porcelain’

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We were introduced to the delectable talents of mxmtoon – the work of Oakland-based Maia – with charming, breezy and bewitching single ‘i feel like chet’ just last month.

The 18-year-old Oakland artist is back with ‘porcelain’ another beautiful single; a tender and moving piece of enchanting bedroom-folk. ‘Porcelain’ thrives and flourishes with its stripped-back approach, pairing a gentle ukulele with beautifully breezy vocal and heartfelt lyricism, all dripping in melody. It is a rich and heartfelt sound creating an atmosphere of real beauty, you cannot help but be captivated by her music or resist its powerful emotional pull.

Give mxmtoon’s ‘porcelain’ a spin below and if you like what you hear, it is lifted from the new Plum Blossom EP, which you can listen to here.

Freedom Fry – ’21’

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No one quite does cheery, infectious, feelgood indie-pop like Freedom Fry, the Franco-American duo of Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll, really are in a class of their own.

This combination of talents has served them (and us, the listener) rather well to date, producing stellar single after single. With each new release, they’ve upped the stakes and their latest single ’21’, is no different. Recorded with the help of audience’s during their recent residency at the Echo in LA, who provide the vocals and claps, it is a bright, buoyant and wholly irresistible indie-pop tune. Fuelled by the vocal exchange between the two, it is an upbeat affair bursting with exuberance, hopeful optimism and all manner of summery feelings. Yet another catchy, charming and smile-inducing tune, and unmistakably ‘Freedom Fry’. The pair seem intent on serving us with the world’s catchiest tune, and as they continue on their merry quest to do so, it’s going to be a fun-filled ride.

For now, you can stream the wonderful ’21’ below; time to put the sun back in our hearts. And in case you’re interested, I’d a quick chat with Freedom Fry before their Vancouver show back in April (you read it here)

Introducing: Faith Healer

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Faith Healer is a collaboration between Edmonton singer-songwriter Jessica Jalbert and producer Renny Wilson. Together the duo recently released their wonderfully warm and dreamy debut album, Cosmic Troubles.

This is strange, boutique folk-pop, with a vitalised re-imagination of ’60s/’70s psych and power-pop. Bright, warm and melodic, it’s built on sweet, swaying melodies and understated folk harmonies, deft guitar riffs, and exquisite and bewitching vocals, which slice through the strange ramshackle flurries of experimental noise. ‘Again’ offers a gentle, jolly and sun-kissed indie pop escape, ‘Cosmic Troubles’ channels Village Green era The Kinks and the spaced-out undulations of ‘Acid’ meanwhile, are etched with a bittersweet mournfulness. It’s a dizzy, helter-skelter journey as they flit between the past and present to happen upon a gloriously happy retro-leaning psych-pop vibe all of their own – all tied together in harmony.

Cosmic Troubles is out now through Mint Records. Stream/Purchase it from here. Guaranteed, it will warm your heart.