Category: Indie Electro Pop

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Fake Fever Shares Glistening Pop Confection “Graveyard Shift”

Andrew Barnes is a New York-based producer, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who has spent much of his musical life playing guitar and drums in a variety of heavy bands. Barnes made a splash with his solo recording chillwave/bedroom pop/dream pop project Fake Fever — and its 2020 full-length debut, Surrogate, which caught the attention of the blogosphere with its material being a hazy, subdued trip through a lazy river of vaporware-tinged dreams and memories.

Of course, nostalgia is a rather powerful drug. It can be provide a quick escape or a warm blanket of comfort in times of need — or in desperately uneasy times. But what happens when that temporary saccharine rush fades? As it turns out, the longer that Barnes spent in the nostalgic space that had long defined Fake Fever, the more he felt those reflective comforts dissipate over time, and found that the harsh realties of the present being uncomfortably inescapable. “When I initially tried to piece together ideas for my 2nd album, I was hitting a wall and slowly realized that I had spent so much time over the last few years trying to recreate this essence of my childhood and my past and existing in this escapist place where I was constantly looking backwards, that I was doing a horrible job of living in the present and trying to progress, both creatively and personally,” says Barnes.

After spending three years of false starts, new surroundings, much-needed band-aid ripping, chaotic experimentation and refinement, the result is Barnes highly-anticipated sophomore album Inside The Well. Slated for a for a September 1, 2032 release, the album thematically is a bittersweet breakup album viewed through the lens of nostalgia. “This album encompasses that sometimes-painful process of loosening the grip on the past so that you can free yourself to move forward,” the New York-based artist explains.

Sonically, the 11-song album sees Barnes sees him effortlessly weaving new genre flourishes to the Fake Fever sound including hints of shoegaze, house music, footwork, 2000s indietronica revival and drum & bass among others. The result is an album that sees Barnes showcases a new confidence that honors the electro pop sound and ear worm video game bleeps of the 90s and 00s while maintaining a creative, forward-thinking approach to blissful soundscapes and hook-driven songwriting.

Inside The Well‘s first single “Graveyard Shift” is a slickly produced and deliberately crafted slice of pop built around glistening synth arpeggios, sinuous bass lines and skittering processed beats paired Barnes’ ethereal and yearning falsetto, and his unerring knack for razor sharp, remarkably catchy hooks. Along with a shimmering guitar solo, “Graveyard Shift,” manages to sound like a sleek synthesis of Jorge Elbrecht’s work as an artist and producer, Brothertiger‘s 2022 self-titled album and 80s sophisitipop. But the song is rooted in the devastation of heartbreak, the longing for something you can’t get back, and the slow process of moving forward as best as you can.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Montréal-based pop outfit Le Couleur — currently founding members Laurence Giroux-Do (vocals), Patrick Gosselin (bass) and Steven Chouinard (drums) along with newest members Phillipe Beaudin (percussion, synths), Jean-Cimon Tellier (guitar) and Louis-Joseph Cliche (synths, vocals) — debuted over a decade ago with 2013’s Voyage Love EP. Since then, the Canadian outfit has released 2015’s Dolce Désir EP, their critically applauded full-length debut, 2016’s P.O.P. and 2020’s Concorde, which have seen them plumb the depths of human desire, while firmly establishing a glittery and vintage-inspired electro pop sound that draws from a varied array of influences including 70s erotica, psychedelia, disco, yéyé and French chanson.

The French Canadian pop outfit’s long-awaited third album Comme dans un penthouse is slated for a September 22, 2023 release through Lisbon Lux Records. The album is reportedly a concept album, and will feature “Sentiments nouveaux,” a sleek, slickly produced bop that to my ears sounded like a synthesis of Tame Impala, VEGA Intl. Night School-era Neon Indian and Nu Shooz.

Comme dans un penthouse‘s second and latest single “Autobahn” is fittingly built around a relentless motorik pulse, glistening synth arpeggios paired with Laurence Giroux-Do’s ethereal yet sultry delivery paired with the Montréal-based outfit’s penchant for crafting razor sharp, catchy hooks. Yes, it’s the sort of song that you should play loudly while driving on the highway.

“Autobahn” reintroduces Barbara, a character first seen on 2016’s P.O.P. Barbara is an assistant to a star that’s fallen from grace and flees to a collection of islands off the coast of Panama with stolen money. She’s constantly on the run, and addicted to the chase and quest of new feelings. Or as the members of Le Couleur says “sentiments nouveaux.” Barbara’s journey ends in a catastrophic car crash; for her, the end may well be the best way out.

“Barbara is the symbol of this relentless quest for intensity and thrill,” the Montréal-based outfit explains. “Always on the hunt for renewed sensations, all that’s left for her is to break down taboos in order to feel a tiny bit of excitement. Her tragic fate is inevitable. Death will steal her away as the ultimate pursuit.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Columbus, OH’s klay-man Shares Bittersweet and dreamy Bop

klay-man is a Columbus, OH-based singer/songwriter and artist, who has been writing music as far as he could remember. While working as a custodian at a USPS mail processing plant, he was sent off to clean an empty and secluded part of the building. And as he was working, he had time to think and reflect — especially on past relationships. At the time, he thought about the people that come into our lives at seemingly the wrong time entirely. Naturally, we can see the potential that something could have happened if the circumstances and timing could have been a little bit different.

He thought to himself, that maybe in another life things would be different. And it inspired the hook of his debut single “next life.” Built around twinkling keys, the Columbus-based artist’s achingly tender delivery and a driving groove, “next life” manages to sound a bit like M83 — but with the nagging sense of missing out on something that could have been meaningful if the timing was right. While the experience that informed the song may be deeply personal, it’s remarkably universal.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: ronnyboi Shares a Dreamy Bop

Ronald Harris-Gavin is an emerging singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, who writes, records and performs as ronnyboi, which he derives from a childhood nickname that his grandfather gave him. As an artist, Harris-Gavin specializes in a dreamy, soundscape-based sound that draws from his family’s background in Cajun and traditional Irish music, lo-fi, trap, indie pop, indie rock, classical and others.

His ronnyboi debut, the dreams i had was a collaboration with his friend Cerulo, and feature s small collection of songs that speak from the heart and soul. EP single “mama’s shoes” is built around glistening, reverb-soaked guitars, skittering beats paired with Harris-Gavin’s dreamy delivery. The result is a song that reminds me a bit of early Washed Out.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Vienna-based sibling electro pop duo FANTAST — Mario and Daniel Gschwendtner — specialize in a sound influenced by hip-hop, Fever Ray, Sleaford Mods and others. They’re currently working on an EP that’s slated for release later this year, but in the meantime, the Austrian electro pop duo share their latest single “CUTW,” a cover of Radiohead‘s “Climbing Up The Walls,” one of my favorite tracks off OK Computer.

“CUTW” sees the members of FANTAST replacing the guitar-driven melody of the original with glistening synth arpeggios and tweeter and woofer rattling beats paired with a trip hop-like delivery. FANTAST’s cover sees the Viennese sibling duo transforming the song into a brooding trip-hop banger that subtly changes the overall mood — but while retaining the sense of creeping unease.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: JOVM Mainstays L’Impératice Teams Up with Cuco on a Woozy Bop

Rising Paris-based electro pop sextet L’Impératice — founder Charles de Boisseguin (keys), Hagni Gown (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), Tom Daveau (drums) and Flore Benguigui (vocals) — formed back in 2012. And in a relatively short period of time, they quickly developed a reputation for being extremely prolific: Within their first three years together, they released 2012’s self-titled debut EP, 2014’s Sonate Pacifique EP and 2015’s Odyssée EP. 

Back in 2016, the Parsian sextet released a re-edited, remixed and slowed down version of Odyssée, L’Empreruer, inspired by a fan mistakenly playing a vinyl copy of Odyssée at the wrong speed. L’Impératice followed that up with a version of Odysseé featuring arrangements centered around violin, cello and acoustic guitar. During the summer of 2017, the Parisian electro pop act signed to microqlima records, who released that year’s Séquences EP. 

Their full-length debut, 2018’s Matahari  featured “Erreur 404,” which they performed on the French TV show Quotidien. They followed that up with an English language version of Matahari and 2021’s Renaud Letang co-produced sophomore album Taku Tsubo.

Deriving its name from the medical term for broken heart/takutsubo syndrome ((蛸 壺, from Japanese “octopus trap”). The condition usually manifests itself as deformation of the heart’s left ventricle caused by severe emotional or physical stress — i.e., the death of a loved one, an intense argument with someone you care about, a breakup, a sudden illness or the like. An untreated broken heart can actually kill you.

Cuco is a Hawthorne, CA-based electronic music producer and artist, whose early stage, earnest bedroom pop aesthetic seemed to immediately connect with audiences online. Home-recorded and then shared through Bandcamp and SoundCloud, his self-released efforts 2016’s Wannabewithu and 2018’s Chiquito EP featured relatable and catchy material in both English and Spanish that openly defied genre restraints with elements of mariachi, R&B and psychedelia helped him win over first generation Latin Americans and young fans of indie singer/songwriters.

As the play counts and stream counts increased, there was a greater demand for him to play live shows in front of increasingly larger crowds on tour and at festivals. “It’ll always be surreal to me,” he says. “I never take it for granted if I see so many people at one show, you know, I don’t know the next day that I’m gonna see that again; it’s always appreciated.”

With massive buzz surrounding him, Cuco wound up signing with Interscope, who released his full-length debut, 2019’s Para Mi. His sophomore album, last year’s Fantasy Gateway sees him pushing the envelope of his sound, presenting a new chapter of the young producer/artist’s career in which he takes risks to great results.

The Parisian JOVM mainstays recently teamed up with the rapidly rising producer and artist on “Heartquake,” a collaboration that can be traced back to when they all met during last year’s Coachella. “Heartquake” is a woozy yet breezy bop built around an expansive, mind-melting arrangement that begins with glistening and wobbling synth oscillations, twinkling keys and trap-like beats before briefly morphing into a slinky bit of disco funk before closing out with glistening and wobbling synth oscillations and trap beats . Throughout the song L’Impératice’s Flore Benguigui sings English lyrics with a bemused yet sultry sense of longing and desire.

“It’s the story of someone completely disconnected from their emotions who is on their usual peaceful bus ride one morning. And then, someone sits across from them, and suddenly, their brain freezes, and they fall to their knees, struck by a thunderbolt, a kind of Tako tsubo,” the members of L’Impératice explain. “It’s a sensation that shakes them to the core, and they’re not sure if they can survive it, but they desire it.” Cuco adds: “It’s a pleasure and honor to be working with my friends in L’Impératrice.” 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Finland’s JANELY Shares Cathartic Pop Anthem “I Won’t”

JANELY is an emerging Finnish-born singer/songwriter and pop artist, who grew up in a deeply musical home. Her grandfather was a musician, and she can trace much of the origins of her music career to being inspired by him to seriously pursue a music career back in 2007. Since 2008, the Finnish singer/songwriter and pop artist has taken her massive vocal range and her charismatic stage presence to stages of all sizes and live television appearances in her native Finland.

This year may arguably be the biggest year of her career to date: Earlier this year, she landed a live performance at New York Fashion Week this fall. She also released her first single of the year, “Crown” through Global Unique Music Group. The Finnish pop artist’s latest single “I Won’t” is a cathartically defiant anthem built around a contemporary pop production featuring skittering beats, atmospheric electronics, glistening synth arpeggios and rousingly anthemic choruses. The production is a slick and contemporary vehicle for JANELY’s earnest, lived-in lyrics and her enormous, superstar range.

“I Won’t” is an empowering metaphor for finding courage to never give up on your hopes, dreams and creative ideas, the Finnish-born artist explains in press notes.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Single: DJ Moderno Shares Club Banging “Esa Habitación”

German Ormaechea is a Spanish-born and-based musician, electronic music producer, remixer and DJ, best known as DJ Moderno. As a musician, the Spanish artist has played at a number of clubs and festivals. He has also spent several years releasing remixes of a number of indie bands.

Back in 2020, the Spanish artist began to produce and release material as a DJ Moderno, starting with a batch of critically applauded singles between October 2020 and October 2021. Since then, his material has landed on the indie charts of TIDAL, Deezer, and Apple Music in Spain while receiving airplay on Spain’s Radio 3.

The Spanish artist created a live band to play the material live. The band features DJ Moderno (vocals, synths and bass), Alpha Circle‘s Alberto “Berty” Garcia (guitar, synths) and Isabel Borbolla, a.k.a. Isa Atòmica (vocals). Live, the trio have toured across Spain, playing in venues and festivals like Cadavra, Sirocco, Acalá Suena, Barbeira Fest, Primera Fila Fest, Backstage, WegowLive and a lengthy list of others.

“Esa Habitación,” was released earlier this year, and it’s a club friendly banger built around techno and house beats, enormous hooks and glistening synth oscillations paired with shimmering guitars from Garcia, backing vocals from Isa Atòmica, and DJ Moderno’s dreamy delivery. While sonically sounding like a synthesis of From Here to Eternity-era Giorgio Moroder and New Order, “Esa Habitación” describes a traumatic hospital room experience that’s rooted in lived-in horror.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: LavBbe Shares A Sultry, Genre-Defying Banger

LavBbe is a rising Romanian-born, British-based artist, who can trace her passion for music and dance to her childhood growing up in a performing household: She received her first bellydancing costume as a special present from her grandmother — and she quickly began to show her talent to everyone around her. Her father was a singer, and she grew up surrounded by an eclectic array of music including rock, jazz and soul — with Amy Winehouse and Sade being major inspirations.

When she turned 16, LavBbe relocated from Romania to Newcastle to continue her studies. Inspired by some of the world’s great dancers and performers, she attended classes in contemporary dance, acting and singing for a year.

Upon graduation, she became a flight attendant at Virgin Atlantic. She wound up taking a break from her dancing routine but when the pandemic broke out back in 2020, she started to create dance videos on TikTok, dancing from morning to evening. In a few months, she quickly amassed over one million followers and became a highly sought-after influencer, with a deep love of Afrobeats. Her dance videos, which reveal effervescent dance moves went viral, and she has now amassed over 4.6 million followers on TikTok, and tens of millions of comments.

After the lockdown, she traveled to New York, Los Angeles and Nigeria for work, but her music career began in earnest a few months ago, when multiple Grammy-nominated, Romanian producer Costi Ionita discovered her on TikTok. “Lavbbe is talented, valuable and multilaterally developed, with a a great voice which impresses me”, Ionita says.

LavBbe’s second and latest single, the Ionita-produced, Ionita, LavBbe and Silviu Dimitriu-co-written “Pumping” seamlessly meshes elements of Afrobeats, reggaeton, Balkan, pop and dance music in slick, club friendly production that serves as the perfect vehicle for the Romanian-British artist’s sultry, self-assured delivery. I’m certain of one thing: this artist is a certified global star, and we’ll be hearing more about her in the future.

Directed by Alex Ceaușu, the accompanying video for “Pumping” follows the Romanian-British artist through a variety of brightly colored backdrops while revealing her playful yet self-assured and undeniable sex appeal.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

As a founding member of The B-52s, Cindy Wilson is a pioneer of the New Wave sound that redefined rock and pop music in the late 70s through much of the 80s. And if you love the legendary Athens, GA-based outfit as much as I do, you know that Wilson has one of the most distinct, melodic voices in rock — and that she’s known for her ability to deliver powerful emotions throughout her work.

Back in 2016, the New Wave legend stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist. Since then she has released two EPs and her full-length solo debut — Sunrise EP and Supernatural EP and Change, which saw her collaborating with electronic musicians and producers Suny Lyons and Ryan Monahan. The collaboration with Lyons and Monahan proved to be a decided sonic departure from Wilson’s best known and beloved work that also managed to stay true to Wilson’s alt rock, punk and New Wave roots: Her world famous vocals were paired with a backdrop of dreamy and ambient, dance floor friendly music. And as a result, the material subtly continues Wilson’s long-held reputation for being behind some dance floor friendly jams while establishing herself as a singular force in her own right.

Wilson’s forthcoming sophomore album Realms is slated for an August 25, 2023 through Kill Rock Stars. Realms sees the New Wave legend continuing her collaboration with Suny Lyons and features contributions from Sterling Campbell (drums) and Maria Kindt (strings). The ten-song album reportedly her most ambitious to date, with the material inviting the listener on a journey that peels back the layers of our common humanity — and digs deep into our minds and souls. Continuing upon the contemporary, electro pop of its predecessors, the new album is rooted in carefully crafted material that reveals that the New Wave legend has her fingers on the pulse of contemporary music, while being a new chapter in her already storied career.

The album’s latest single “Wait” is built around an atmospheric production featuring skittering beats, glistening synths, and euphoria-inducing hooks paired with chopped up vocal samples serving as a lush bed for Wilson’s yearning delivery. “Though I love all of the tracks on Realms, there is something special about ‘Wait,'” Wilson explained to BrooklynVegan. “Its beautiful vocal melody; abstract love song about being in the right place at the right time.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstays Belau Share Lush and Dreamy Collaboration with Beth Hirsch

With the release of their debut single “Island of Promise,” the Budapest-based electronic music duo and JOVM mainstays  Belau — Peter Kedves and Buzas Krisztian — quickly exploded into their homeland’s scene while establishing buoyant, summery, dance floor friendly sound designed to evoke “cheerful places, filled with sunshine, where one can relax, unwind and find peace and harmony,” the duo explain. 

“Island of Promise” landed at #1 on Deezer Hungary, one of the country’s largest streaming services and eventually amassed over 500,000 streams. And adding to a growing profile, the song was featured in in the HBO Hungary series Aranyélet and was part of an international Pepsi ad campaign shown in 33 countries.

The Budapest-based duo’s full-length debut, 2016’s The Odyssey was nominated for and won a a Hungarian Grammy for Best Electronic Music Album. They supported the album with an intense, international touring schedule: 120 shows in 19 countries with a run across the global festival circuit, which included stops at Eurosonic, Sziget, Reeperbahn, Untold, and SXSW. 

After the release of The Odyssey, Belau released a series of remixes of tracks off their debut.

Their sophomore album, 2019’s Colourwave featured: 

  • “Breath,” a sultry, dance floor friendly collaboration with Sophie Lindinger centered around glitchy beats and a sinuous yet anthemic hook

  • The Massive Attack-like “Natural Pool“

  • “Rapture,” a collaboration with Blue Foundation‘s Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg centered around a trip hop-inspired production featuring shimming synth arpeggios, wobbling low end and Stubbe Teglbjærg’s sultry vocals

  • “Essence,” a collaboration with Sophie Barker that features Barker’s sultry vocals gliding over a shimmering production centered around looping, reverb-drenched guitar shimmering synths, skittering beats and an enormous hook that brought Third-era Portishead and Octo Octa to mind – but a with a brooding air.

During the height of the pandemic, the duo teamed up with Sexto Sentido for  “Luz,” a decided change in sonic direction that was a blend of traditional Afro-Cuban folk music and modern electronica paired with lyrics sung in Yoruba and Spanish that was included as part of Colourwave DLX.

Colourwave DLX also featured an Ohxalá remix of “Breath” feat. Sophie Lindinger that retained Lindinger’s sultry vocal and paired with a dub-leaning house production that gave the song a completely different feel — a bracing chilliness that brought Octo Octa’s Between Both Selves to mind. 

Last year, the Hungarian JOVM mainstays shared “Dreamstate,” which paired Aussie vocalist Akacia’s sultry vocal with an atmospheric R&B-like production featuring skittering, reverb-drenched beats, a reverb-drenched guitar solo, paired with glistening synth arpeggios that evokes a half-remembered, feverish dream.

The Hungarian duo’s latest single “Ethereal” features gentle layers of glistening synth arpeggios and skittering beats serving as a lush bed for Beth Hirsch’s gorgeous and expressive delivery. Hirsch contributed vocals for AIR‘s beloved 1998 album Moon Safari — and fittingly “Ethereal” captures the Hungarian JOVM mainstays at arguably their lushest and most nostalgia-inducing of their growing catalog.

“We think the new song will be a special, nostalgic, dreamy part of our upcoming LP. For us it was a huge honour that Beth said yes to our request, not just because Moon Safari is one of the masterpiece of our genre, but also because her voice made the song really unique,” the members of Belau say in press notes.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Maria-Carmela Raso is a Canadian-born, Reykjavik-based singer/songwriter, musician, electronic music producer and creative mastermind behind rising electro pop project MSEA. With MSEA, the Reykjavik-based artist specializes in a sound that has been described as “nightmare pop with hints of Julee Cruise and a more demented Anohni.”

Raso’s forthcoming album Our daily apocalypse walk was inspired by a dream journal that she kept during the height of the pandemic. And as a result, the music takes on a hazy, half-remembered quality, hinting at something just out of reach and in a fog. But throughout, the material is punctuated by the horrors of human nature and a bit of Grimes-like cyber terror.

Our daily apocalypse walk‘s second and latest single “It’s got a little ring to it” is built around a foreboding goth-meets-industrial production featuring skittering tweeter and woofer rattling beats, atmospheric electronics, brooding synth arpeggios and the Canadian-Icelandic artist’s ethereal and achingly vulnerable delivery paired with a subtle bit of campy, off-kilter horror nods. Sonically “It’s got a little rg to it” reminds me a bit of Björk, Grimes and Juana Molina — but with a sultry yearning,

“‘Having a ring to it‘ suggests that there is something appealing or attractive about a sound, a phrase or an idea,” Rasao explains. “”In this case it’s the idea of beautiful love between people. A type of pure softness that is rarely found – but when it is there is a fear of losing it, a hint of self-doubt and a whole lot of gratitude.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Stefan Certic Shares Atmospheric “Human”

Stefan Certic is a Serbian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and producer. His latest single “Human” featuring Steve Sims is a brooding and atmospheric bit of 80s-inspired synth pop featuring glistening synths melodies paired with shimmering strummed guitar, deep bass lines and sparse yet propulsive beats. While nodding at OMD and Eurythmics, “Human” is a remarkably cinematic track with melancholy and reflective lyrics discussing the human condition in a deeply lived-in fashion.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Sweden’s The Sweet Serenades Share Hopeful and Anthemic “Akhilia”

Martin Nordvall is a Swedish singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and creative mastermind behind the acclaimed recording project The Sweet Serenades. And with The Sweet Serenades, the Swedish artist specializes in a sound that’s designed for both small clubs and late night car rides.

Nordvall’s work has been highly praised across the blogosphere, and as a result of his material appearing in TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Teen Wolf and The Fosters, the acclaimed Swedish artist has toured around the world.

His last album 2020’s City Lights featured a brooding sound built around dark synths and programmed beats. But his forthcoming fifth album, the Johannes Berglund-produced Everything Dies reportedly features a much more playful sound. “While writing and recording the new album I lost my father in [sic] a heart attack, I also became a father myself for the first time,” Nordvall says of the album., “The contrast between loss and happiness can be heard in the songs  – in the end it’s a hopeful album filled with energy – life is a cool thing.”

Everything Dies‘ second and latest single “Akhilia” features rumbling toms, insistent four-on-the-floor, a mischievous marimba melody, twinkling synths, and buzzing guitars paired with Nordvall’s penchant for enormous, rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses and his weary yet hopeful delivery. At its core, is a song with a simple yet profound and oft-heard message, that frequently needs to be repeated — all things pass in time.

“Rumbling toms, four on the floor, a contagious marimba melody mixed with 80s synths and distorted guitars. Could be the first time The Little Mermaid and New Order has something in common,” Nordvall says of the new single. “This is an ambitious song that wants to be heard. It wants to be a hit. Arena Indie.” 

The accompanying video features a young child in a silver mask dancing in a wooden area. The video captures and emphasizes the mischievousness and the resilience within the song.