Comprised of Caspar Hesselgar (synths and production) and Carl Coleman (vocals), the Danish indie psych pop act Palace Winter can trace their origins to the Winter and Spring of 2013 when the duo were tour […]
Category: Indie Pop
21 year-old Paris-based, French-Brazilian singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Yndi Ferreira is the creative mastermind behind indie electro pop project Dream Koala, a project that Ferriera started back in 2012. Interestingly, Ferreira developed a reputation of his production style as he quickly became a go-to remixer, remixing the work of Angel Haze, The 1975, BANKS and others — and as an artist, his debut single “We Can’t Be Friends” caught the attention of renowned acts including Fabolous, Doja Cat and the aforementioned BANKS.
Building on an increasing buzz around him, Ferreira released the critically applauded Odyssey EP and Earth. Home. Destroyed. EP which were informed by a variety of Ferreira’s influences including Flying Lotus, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, contemporary R&B which gave the material a spectral, shoegazer-like, introspective feel, along the lines of Beacon‘s For Now and The Ways We Separate while thematically exploring Afrofuturism and sci-fi.
Slated for a December 4 release, Ferreira’s soon-to-be released EP Exodus will reportedly continue thematically where the critically acclaimed Earth. Home. Destroyed. left off while cementing his reputation for crafting moody, spectral electro pop that seamlessly meshes elements of contemporary R&B, bass-heavy electronica and soft rock. “Dimension Sleeper,” Exodus‘ first single (and EP opener, by the way) pairs layers of slowly cascading synths, dub-inspired tweeter and woofer rocker bass fed through gentle washes of reverb and skittering drum programming with Ferreira’s plaintive and ethereal vocals in a song that evokes both the sensation of weightlessness and of wisps of smoke curling and rising heavenward before dissipating. And although possessing a retro-futuristic sound that would clearly sound at home in the early 80s, at the core of the song is a delicate and ancient ache that’s haunting and unsettling.
While playing this song I thought of the song’s narrator in a dying spaceship traveling through the cosmos, and the entire time the narrator is haunted by the lingering and inescapable ghost of a departed lover.
Up and coming, New Jersey-born pop artist Donna Missal first captured the attention of listeners and the blogosphere with her sultry and bluesy debut single “Keep Lying,” which paired Missal’s soulful, pop belter vocals with buzzing power chords, a propulsive rhythm section and anthemic hooks. Lyrically, the song’s narrator pleads with an unfaithful and deceitful lover to keep the facade of faithfulness so not to ruin her long-held fantasy. Is it cynical? Absolutely. But it evokes a deeply dysfunctional relationship — the sort where lies are just as useful and good as honesty. Somehow, I’ve been there once or twice before . . .
Building upon the buzz that “Keep Lying” has received Massal recorded a sultry and bluesy cover of Drake‘s massive hit “Hotline Bling” that turns up the vulnerable and sensual need of the original, essentially taking Drake’s hit song and confidently making it her own.
Check out how Donna Missal’s cover compares to the original.
New Video: ACES Cinematic Yet 80s-Inspired Video for “Find Me Out”
ACES, a Brooklyn-based electro pop duo comprised of Russ Flynn and Alexandra Stewart. The Brooklyn-based duo of Flynn and Stewart have quickly captured the attention of the blogosphere with a sound that pairs Flynn’s shimmering and atmospheric […]
Comprised of Linnea Atieno and Joakim Buddee, the Stockholm, Sweden-based production and electro pop duo Heart/Dancer have received attention nationally in their native Sweden and internationally for an ambient and cinematic synth pop sound that has been favorably compared to the likes of Young Galaxy, Kygo, M83 and others — and similarly, the Swedish electro pop duo’s sound possesses elements of shoegaze and new wave. Adding to a growing profile, the duo recently completed a UK and European Union tour and have had their a number of their songs appear in a few Swedish blockbuster films and an American TV series.
“Under,” the duo’s latest single will appear on their soon-to-be released full-length effort, My Heart Is A Dancer, slated for release on November 27. The single is a nuanced pop confection consisting of swirling electronics, bursts of angular guitar chords, gentle layers of ethereal synths and soulful boy/girl duet vocals paired with subtly anthemic hooks that give a song that’s as intimate as sweetly whispered nothings in a lover’s ear, a larger-than-life feel.
New Video: The Luminous and Dream-like Video for Melany Watson’s “Illuminate”
About two weeks ago, you may recall that I wrote about the Texas-born, New York-based singer/songwriter Melany Watson. Watson has been singing and performing music for as long as she can probably remember but, she can […]
New Video: The Stormy and Nostalgic Video for Leena Ojala’s “Why”
Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the young, up-and-coming pop artist, Leena Ojala. Born in Germany to a Finnish father and English mother, Ojala was raised in Hong Kong and Essex before she relocated to London when she was […]
Comprised of Jamie Cogar (guitar, drums and vocals) and Andrew Trouwborst (guitar and vocals), the Brooklyn-based duo No Kill specialize in what they describe on their Facebook Fan Page as reverb soaked noise pop. And the duo’s latest single “Better” is a slow-burning and moody and swooning ballad that would likely make Hope Sandoval and Phil Spector proud — although decidedly lo-fi, the song captures the feelings and thoughts of someone, who recognizes that their romantic relationship may be on the ropes, and they’re uncertain of not just what to do, but if there’s a way to make it better. If you’ve been in that situation the song will be achingly familiar.
New Audio: Kishi Bashi’s Swooning and Romantic Cover of The Talking Heads “This Must Be The Place”
As a child, I was a huge fan of Talking Heads. I’ve probably seen and heard Stop Making Sense more times than about 80% of the population before I turned 15 and several of their albums — […]
New Video: Introducing the Dramatic and Moody Pop of Malta’s Berne
Influenced by the likes of Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor, Agnes Obel, and Marina and The Diamonds, Maltese singer/songwriter Berne initially began her career as the frontwoman of the acclaimed and award-winning act Bletchley Park, an act […]
Comprised of Darren Weiss (vocals and drums) and Danny Present (bass), the Los Angeles-based duo of Papa have been playing music in a variety of bands and projects since they were 11. The duo have spent the past couple building up a national profile as they’ve toured the country’s major festival circuit, and have opened for the likes of Cold War Kids, Of Monsters and Men, Girls, Handsome Furs, and Florence and the Machine, among others and after an incredibly busy schedule, the duo went into the studio and began working on material that reportedly is a change in sonic direction that was largely influenced by the experiences they’ve had over that period , playing half-filled clubs to sold-out amphitheaters, self-releasing material and having major label support and back again.
Weiss and Presant’s latest single “Hold On” is the first original material they’ve released since the release of their 2013 full-length effort, Tender Madness and the single is a funky track with a propulsive rhythm, soaring hooks paired with urgently sung lyrics to craft a song that feels anthemic and club-ready while possessing a direct, intimate emotionality. It’s radio friendly pop that feels and sounds carefully and thoughtfully crafted while possessing an upbeat, swagger.
Weiss and Present will be embarking on a short West Coast tour over the later part of the fall. Check out the tour dates below.
Tour Date:
Nov 27 – The Echoplex Los Angeles, CA
Dec 1 – The Chapel San Francisco, CA
Dec 2 – Don Quixotes Santa Cruz, CA
Dec 6 – Constellation Room Santa Ana, CA
Dec 9 – The Casbah San Diego, CA
Dec 10 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ
New Video: Superhuman Happiness’ Playful Yet Wistfully Nostalgic Video for “Super 8”
Certainly, if you’ve been frequenting JOVM since its inception 5 years ago, you’d be familiar with the Brooklyn-based dance pop/funk Superhuman Happiness. Their long-awaited full-length debut, Hands was one of my favorite albums released last year and as […]
San Francisco-born, New Orleans-based singer/songwriter, producer and composer Abby Diamond initially caught the attention of several blogs with her collaboration with Yugen on “Single Cell,” an icily, minimalist, slow-burning track that featured Diamond’s sultry crooning over gently strummed guitar, and off-kilter syncopated beats, which gave the song a glitchy, stuttering feel.
Diamond saw increasingly attention with a subtle yet brilliant reworking of Froyo Ma‘s “I Live All Alone” that rearranges a sample of Bill Murray’s character from Lost in Translation by having it appear within the song twice, and although Diamond’s reworking retains the original’s hypnotic and forcefully propulsive nature, her soulful vocals drifting over the mix gave the song a sinuous and sensual feel. The New Orleans-based pop artist quickly followed that up with the first single off Down, Down, Deep, “I Love To Watch You Leave,” a song that Diamond wrote when she was 19. Initially produced by her then-boyfriend Luke Todd, the track featured her coquettish vocals over a minimalist production. Producers Liam Shy and Alex Cowan assisted Diamond on a rework that managed to give the breezy original a bit of heft, as the song was given a funky, 80s-inspired R&B groove — the sort of groove that bears an uncanny resemblance to the sample on Biggie’s “Juicy” and the radio version of “One More Chance.”
Diamond’s full-length debut, FEMINISTA, which will be co-proudced by Dimaond and Blue Hawaii features collaborations with artists and producers Kyross, weirdinside and others. As Diamond told me via email, the 10 song album will be released in several parts over the course of the next 8 months or so with films, feminist zines to bring about a larger discussion about what feminism means to variety of artists across different media. According to Diamond, “Each music video that I release along with FEMINISTA will be available for download (along with other b-roll film) as well so film makers can make their own films using our footage. The album itself will be free for download online and CDs will be sold inside feminist art zines, which are being created by myself, other female musicians and artists as well as artistic fans who submit work to us. These zines will be reminiscent of Riot Grrrl and other female punk rock zines that helped spread feminist concepts like wildfire in the late 80s and early 90s. The idea is to resurrect this movement within a new context and culture—bringing feminist zines into the pop/electronic scene as a vehicle for all different women who share a similar taste in music to express what it’s like to be a third wave feminist today.” Clearly, the project aims to be bold, brash and enormous. And as Diamond told me, “I see this project as a unique opportunity to look at art through the lens of all different types of feminists.”
The album’s first single “There’s a Light in My Room” is a subtly layered production comprised of wobbling low end, skittering and stuttering beats, ominously swirling electronics, brief bursts of twinkling keys, handclaps and finger snaps that’s spacious enough to allow Diamond’s sultrily soulful vocals to gently drift over the mix. Lyrically, the song reveals a fully-fleshed out and vulnerable narrator, who longs for someone with an urgent, desperate need, and through the length of the song, the narrator walks a tightrope between asserting herself and self-doubt; the sort of self-doubt that comes up whenever anyone puts their heart on the line for another, with the hopes that their affection and desires are reciprocated — while knowing that most of the time, love doesn’t make much sense, and will often be unreciprocated.
With Diamond’s vocals bearing an uncanny resemblance to a young Mariah Carey, the song subtly seems to mesh 90s R&B, soul and pop with incredibly contemporary production in a song that sonically speaking is a marvel, as the song reveals subtle nuance on repeated listens.
Initially influenced by No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cranberries and Radiohead, the Australian-born, London-based singer/songwriter Lucy Mason first learned the guitar when she was 13, and after finishing school in Australia, the up-and-coming singer songwriter relocated to the UK, where she quickly wound up touring with fellow singer/songwriters Matt Corby and Josh Kumra across the UK. Adding to a steadily growing national profile, Mason is a winner of the UK Songwriting Contest, which naturally established her as one of the UK’s best, new songwriters.
Now, if you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past eight or nine months, you might remember that I’ve written about Mason — and over that same amount of time, the Australian-born, London-based singer/songwriter has been receiving attention internationally across the blogosphere for dramatic yet deeply personally pop.
Her newest and latest single “Lightning Strikes” pairs Mason’s husky jazz-inspired vocals over a sparse and atmospheric production comprised of layers of trembling and ethereal synths, finger-snapped percussion and sudden tempo changes that gives the song a tense, jagged and almost anxious feel as the song builds in intensity. And as Mason explains in press notes, the song is inspired by a deeply personal experience — the sort that had required some time for Mason could write after some time and gaining some perspective. In fact, the song manages to be a bitter and regret-stained confession over a dysfunctional relationship that the narrator spent way too much time in.
New Audio: Kisses’ Disco-Friendly, New Single “Jam”
Comprised of Zinzi Edmundson and Jesse Kivel, the Los Angeles-based duo Kisses have developed a reputation for crafting records that had been intentionally and conceptually cohesive synth pop — with both Edmundson and Kivel assembling […]