Category: Indie Synth Pop

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Up-and-coming, Los Angeles, CA-based producers Mike B. and Mike Nana have quickly developed a reputation as one of their hometown’s go-to production units as they’ve collaborated with the likes of Terrace Martin, Jay 305, Kembe X and Anderson .Paak; however, the duo known as MIKNNA will be releasing their debut EP 50/50 (All Seasons) and from the EP’s second single “Trinity Ave,” will also establish the duo as one of the their hometown’s hottest artists as the single consists of tribal-like percussion, swirling electronics, stuttering 808s, trembling synths, bursts of Nile Rodgers and Prince-inspired guitar playing in a strutting and swaggering song that manages to be soulful, sensual and incredibly contemporary.

 

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Hauntingly Gorgeous Visuals and Sounds of Benjamin’s Brother’s “Room 505”

Benjamin’s Brother is a fairly mysterious British electro folk/electro pop act comprised of a producer and songwriter, who writes and records under the moniker of Benjamin’s Brother and a rotating cast of collaborators and friends who pair haunting and ambient productions with songs that lyrically focus on death, desire and pain, among other subjects. The act’s latest single “Room 505” is an eerily sparse production featuring contemplative piano chords, plaintive, falsetto vocals, stuttering drum programming and brief burst of mournful horns. Sonically, the song reminds me of BRAIDS’ impressive Flourish//Perish but with an aching yearning at its core.

The recently released video features a dancer performing in sparsely arranged room with her doppleganger — but is it all an delusional within her head? Interestingly, the video manages to suggest the internal struggle between our real, internal self and the self we project out toward the world.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of their 2011 self-titled EP and their full-length debut, Richmond, VA-based indie act White Laces developed a reputation for being a noisy, indie rock band that had been banned from a number of venues for being way too loud. However, over the last couple of years the band’s material has increasingly leaned more towards electronics and samples paired with some live instrumentation — and with the addition of newest member Tori Hovater, the band’s soon-to-be released album No Floor also includes ethereal three-part harmonies.

“Cheese,” the first single off No Floor pairs ethereal and atmospheric synths, stuttering drum programming and shimmering guitar chords and plaintive vocals in a song that’s moodily cinematic while possessing a wistful and aching nostalgia while sounding as though it nods at both 80s synth pop and the contemporary synth pop of St. Lucia, Haerts and others.

The band is embarking on a short tour during October and it includes an October 10, 2016 stop at Williamsburg’s Muchmore‘s. Check out the tour dates below.

Tour dates:
10.07 @ DC9 (Washington, DC)
10.08 @ Hardywood (Richmond, VA)
10.09 @ Golden Pony (Harrisonburg, VA)
10.10 @ Muchmores (NYC)
10.12 @ Auroura (Providence, RI)
10.13 @ The Thirteenth Floor (Easthampton, MA)
10.14 @ Trixie’s Palace (Allston, MA)
10.15 @ TBA (Philadelphia, PA)

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Quinn Lewis is an Australian-born, Nashville, TN-based indie electro pop artist, who has has spit part of his childhood in both the Western US and Eastern US is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and producer, who started his music career while in his early teens. Lewis began a fruitful collaboration with Danen Reed that caught the attention of the blogosphere; however, Lewis’ solo debut effort The Addicted EP is slated for an October 14, 2016 and from the EP’s first single “Bridges,” the Australian-born, Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist and producer reveals that he specializes in a sleek, infectious, dance-floor groove that’s reminiscent of blogosphere darlings like St. Lucia, Haerts, Nick Murphy (f.k.a Chet Faker) and others while drawing from the work of Nile Rodgers, 80s synth-based funk and R&B and house music — and its paired with Lewis’ plaintive and sultry cooing. In other words, it’s a  sexy yet plaintive, radio-friendly, club-banger that you’ll likely find yourself playing while pre-gaming your way to the bar or to the club.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Jess Labrador and Shannon Madden, Chasms is a San Francisco, CA-based duo who specialize in crafting sparsely, minimalist dirges based around Labrador’s hauntingly ethereal vocals and shimmering guitar, propulsive and pummeling drum programming, swirling electronics and bursts of feedback and industrial clang and clatter. And in some way their sound draws from shoegaze, drone, dream pop, doom metal and ambient electronica as you’ll hear on the “We’ll Go,” the latest single off the duo’s forthcoming, full-length debut effort On The Legs Of Love Purified, which is slated for an October 14, 2016 through felte records. Interestingly, “We’ll Go” may arguably be the most slow-burning song they’ve ever released — and in some way it evokes smoke slowly dissipating before your eyes as Labrador’s vocals and shimmering synths gently drift into and out of focus and reverberate.

But just under the seemingly placid surface, there’s a sense of unease and discomfort, and that shouldn’t be terrifying surprising. Labrador spent most of the year recording the album herself with a hand injury that made guitar playing and production work difficult, laborious and painful.  Then add that the duo recorded the album in an illegally rented rehearsal space and a cramped apartment, struggling to survive financially as artists while facing the constantly looming threat of eviction, as they were frantically trying to finish their long-awaited debut effort. And in some way, that discomfort helps to emphasize the stark and haunting beauty and the visceral ache at its core.

The duo will be embarking on a tour through October and November, which will include a November 16, 2016 stop at Brooklyn’s Shea Stadium. Check out tour dates below.

Tour Dates

10.07 Portland, OR @ Lovecraft %  
10.08 Seattle, WA @ Blue Moon
10.09 Eugene, WA @ Wandering Goat 
10.10 Sacramento @ Press Club # 
10.11 San Francisco, CA @ The Knockout ^ 
10.13 La Puente, CA @ Bridgetown DIY ~ 
10.14 San Diego, CA @ The Whistle Stop *
10.15 Long Beach, CA @ 4th St. Vine 
10.16 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo (Part Time Punks) + 
10.29 Berkeley, CA @ KALX (Live Session + Interview)
11.08 Indianapolis, IN @ State St. Pub
11.15 Providence, RI @ Machines with Magnets
11.16 Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium =
11.19 Chicago, IL @ TBA

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Over the course of this site’s six year history, you’ve likely come across a number of posts on Brooklyn/Pittsburgh dance pop/experimental pop/funk act Superhuman Happiness. With the release of their long-awaited 2014 full-length debut Hands, the act led by co-founders Stuart Bogie (vocals, saxophones, synths) and Eric Biondo (vocals, trump, synths, percussion) emerged on the national scene for a sound that draws from Talking Heads, Antibalas (which, both founding members and several members of their rotating cast of collaborators have been members of), Fela Kuti, synth pop, dance music, New Wave, and others, and for an ebullient and mischievous live show that incorporates elements of jazz-like improvisation, surrealist comedy, performance art and infectious joy. Interestingly, since the release of Hands, the act has gone through a major lineup reshuffling that included the recruitment of Andrea Diaz (lead vocals, keyboards, percussion) along with the aforementioned rotating cast of collaborators featuring friends, former bandmates and other musicians from across the Northeast in completely reformatted project that has gone through a major (and decided) change in sonic direction as the material on Hands‘ follow up Escape Velocity incorporated an increasing use of synths and electronics while retaining many of the elements that first caught my attention, as well as that of the blogosphere — deep groove-filled material that’s whimsical, mischievous, joyous while continuing to thematically focus on profound topics. In the case of Escape Velocity, several songs focused on the fidelity and accuracy of one’s memories against nostalgia.

From what I understand, the members of Superhuman Happiness are currently working on yet another full-length effort but in the meantime, they’ve released their latest single “Powermasters,” which consists of boom-bap drum programming, fluttering and twinkling electronics, warm blasts of horn and a driving, dance floor-friendly hook – – and in some way, it sounds a bit like a subtle yet bumping modernization of their “GMYL”/”Hounds” 7 inch. Completing the single is a hauntingly gorgeous, atmospheric and mournful coda that begins with looping synths, subtly syncopated drumming and ends with a gorgeous string arrangement.

 

The band is in the middle of a tour with Arc Iris that includes an October 6, 2016 stop at Rough Trade. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.

Superhuman Happiness / Arc Iris — 2016 Tour Dates
October 6 – Brooklyn, NY – Rough Trade
October 12 – Portland, ME – Empire
October 13 – Cambridge MA – Lizard Lounge
October 14 – Providence, RI – Columbus Theatre
October 15 – Burlington, VT – Signal Kitchen

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of Darius Byrne (vocals), Brian Ireland (beats, production) and Andrew Eyles (bass), Adult Future is a Toronto, ON-based trio, whose forthcoming full-length effort In The News draws from the contemporary feeling of disconnect and alienation that many of us feel so very deeply. As the members of the band mention in press notes, “the band wanted to make a record that emphasized the singular stories that we all have and share as human beings. All of the songs on this record were inspired by personal stories and were utilized as a method to reconcile those feelings of estrangement. It was an attempt to bridge those feelings of isolation that seemingly contradicts a shared environment where people are literally living on top of each other. Drug abuse, mental and physical illness, violence and love — all of these things impact us individually, but when seen as an amalgamation == is the totality of human history.”

 In The News‘ first single “The Leaf House” doesn’t shy away from the fact that we live in dangerous and fearful times but at its core, is a love song — an urgent call for love in the face of a world that seems hopeless and insane; while suggesting as the Buddhists would suggest that opening oneself up to love when things are at their most precarious is an act of true bravery and the most important weapon we have in such fucked up times. Sonically speaking, the Canadian trio pair a looped strummed acoustic guitar line, boom bap beats, twinkling synths and plaintive vocals — and in some way, the song reminds me quite a bit of Jose Gonzalez and his work with Junip but with a desperate and forceful urgency.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this site for the past couple of years, you’ve likely come across a  handful of posts about renowned violinist, vocalist, composer and producer K. Ishibashi and his solo recording project Kishi Bashi. And with the release of two critically applauded full-length efforts  — 151a and Lighght — Ishibashi has developed a reputation for decidedly crafted and swooning orchestral pop in which he employed the use of samplers, looping machines and other electronics for a lush and densely layered sound. Ishibashi’s third, full length effort Sonderlust was produced by Grizzly Bear‘s Chris Taylor, engineered by Pat Dillet, who has worked with Angelique Kidjo and David Byrne, and features the contributions of drummer Matt Chamberlain, who has been in the backing bands of Morrissey and Fiona Apple, as well as having a stint in of Montreal, and the album is a radical sonic departure from the sound that first caught the attention of the blogosphere as the material leans heavily towards hook-laden, electro pop as you would have heard on Sonderlust‘s earliest released single “Say Yeah.” Interestingly, this massive change in sonic direction came about from two different sources — the first being that Sonderlust‘s material didn’t come immediately or through his usual creative processes.  “As I sat down to write songs last summer, I went to all my usual conduits of creation: violin loops, guitar, piano and I came up with the musical equivalent of fumes,” Ishibashi explained in press notes. “I tried to create orchestral pop recordings that I assume were my forte, and in turn, I found myself standing in front of a creative wall of frightening heights.” Second was that along with a period of creative uncertainty, Ishibashi also faced faced significant changes in his personal life, the sort of changes that had him questioning everything he thought he knew about being in love, loving another and desiring another. And as a result, the album’s material focuses on heartbreak, the difficult struggle to move forward and the how that heartache influences every subsequent relationship.

The album’s latest single “Can’t Let Go, Juno,” is comprised of shimmering and cascading layers of synths, a gorgeous and soaring string arrangement, Ishibashi’s aching and plaintive vocals, propulsive, four-on-the-floor like drums in what may arguably be some of Ishibashi’s most danceable, seemingly straightforward and hook-laden pop-leaning material he’s released to date. However, lyrically speaking, “Can’t Let Go, Juno” focuses on the lingering ghosts of a past relationship that has haunted the song’s narrator, a narrator who recognizes that he’s had a difficult time letting go and moving forward — and as a result, the song possesses a bittersweet sense of unfinished business, all while sounding as though it drew from New Order and Cut Copy.

You can catch Kish Bashi on a lengthy North American tour this fall, and it includes an October 2, 2016 stop at Webster Hall. Check out tour dates and ticket information below.

Tour Dates
9/27: Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre (tickets)*
9/28: Charlotte, NC @ Visulite (tickets)*
9/30: Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (tickets)*
10/1: Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore – Silver Spring (tickets)*
10/2: New York, NY @ Webster Hall (tickets)*
10/3: Boston, MA @ Royale (tickets)*
10/4: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer (tickets)*
10/6: Toronto, ON @ MOD Club (tickets)*
10/8: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern (tickets)*
10/9: Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom (tickets)*
10/10: Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre (tickets)*
10/11: St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall (tickets)*
10/12: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Mainroom (tickets)*
10/14: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown (tickets)^
10/15: Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre (tickets)^ 
10/16: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge (tickets)^
10/18: Seattle, WA @ The Showbox (tickets)^
10/19: Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret (tickets)^
10/20: Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom (tickets)^
10/21: San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic (tickets)^
10/22: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium (tickets)^
10/23: San Diego, CA @ Irenic (tickets)^ 
10/24: Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco Theater (tickets)^ 
10/26: Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress (tickets)+
10/28: San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger (tickets)+
10/29: Austin, TX @ Mohawk (tickets)+ 
10/30: Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (tickets)+
11/1: New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks (tickets)+
11/2: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse (tickets)+
*  w/ Twain
^  w/ Busman’s Holiday
+  w/ Laura Gibson
Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of their first two tracks “Margarita” and “Dark ‘N’ Stormy,” the mysterious production and electronic music artist duo The Modern Strangers quickly emerged into the blogosphere. Building on the buzz the mysterious electronic music duo have received, the duo recently released their latest single “Vanilla,” a densely layered, slickly produced track that features handclap and cowbell-led percussion, enormous boom bap beats, a sinuous and ridiculously funky bass line, angular, Nile Rodgers-like guitar and a rousingly anthemic hook comprised of buzzing power chords, swirling electronics paired with falsetto vocals in an arena rock-friendly bit of electro pop that’s reminiscent of Big Data and The Crystal Method among others.

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Vex Ruffin Teams Up with Hip Hop Legend Fab 5 Freddy on the Incredibly Upbeat “The Balance”

Vex Ruffin’s latest single “The Balance” is a collaboration with YO! MTV Raps host, actor, painter, photographer and icon Fab 5 Freddy and interestingly enough, the single is Fab 5 Freddy’s first musical project since the release of “Change the Beat” over 30 years ago. And as the story goes, the collaboration between Ruffin and the hip hop legend came to fruition through an introduction from a mutual friend director and animator Ben Marlowe, who coincidentally produced the video for “The Balance.” As Fab 5 Freddy explains in press notes, “I liked the way this idea organically developed and I began to see my involvement as a sort of art performance piece. The track reminded me of cool dance records that downtown NY DJ’s played back then in the 80’s at places like The Mudd Club, The Garage, Area, Danceteria and Nells where I hung out so I put myself in that mindset when working on my lyrics for this song.” And interestingly, “The Balance” consists of a sinuous and funky bass line, stuttering drum programming, swirling electronics, bleeps and bloops run through tons of reverb paired with Vex Ruffin’s plaintive falsetto singing lyrics about desperately trying to keep himself balanced and Fab 5 Freddy’s old school braggadocio to craft a swaggering and strutting song that sounds as though it could have been released in 1983 — sonically, it gently nods towards The Clash’s “Magnificent Seven,” and “This Is Radio Clash” as much as it does to classic dub.

The recently released video is a mix of black and white shot, live action footage of Ruffin and Fab 5 Freddy and trippy animation that features neon bright figures dancing in a charcoal drawn version of New York City, line drawings, psychedelic imagery that suggests that someone is losing their head both literally and figuratively.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release her sultry and bluesy debut single “Keep Lying,” New Jersey-born pop artist Donna Missal first captured the attention of listeners and the blogosphere, and she followed that up with a soulful and jazzy single “The Keeper,” and a bluesy take on Drake‘s mega-hit “Hotline Bling,” that turned up the vulnerable and urgent need of the original. Now, it’s been a little bit since I’ve personally written about Missal; however, her latest single “Slide” was written as a reminder for Missal “to relax and not take everything so seriously and personally. ” And as Missal explains “I would say that I’m very passionate and can get all in my feelings. When anyone listens to this little jam, I hope it makes them feel good. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is throw up your hands, breathe, brush your shoulders off and remember that it’s ok to have fun — no mater how imperfect the circumstances around you.” Sonically, the song consists Missal’s sultry and self-assured vocals with a production that nods at 90s hip-hop infused R&B as a looped horn sample paired with twinkling keys and atmospheric electronics and stuttering drum programming in a silky smooth, sensual and slow-burning song.

 

 

 

 

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of founding members Matthew Young and Grant Wheeler, along with Ian Chang and vocalist Angelica Bess, the Brooklyn, NY-based indie dance pop sensation Body Language can trace its origins to when its founding duo Young and Wheeler had began making their own mixes and remixes at a weekly party they curated/DJ’d when they were both in Hartford, CT. Shortly, after their weekly party had begun, they met and then recruited Angelica Bees and the trio began writing their own original material together — with the end result being their debut effort Speaks. As the trio began work on Speaks‘ follow up, Social Studies EP when they began collaborating with Theophilus London. Interestingly enough, their collaboration with London was how the trio met its newest and fourth member Ian Chang. Now, whether as a trio or a relatively new quartet, the act which eventually relocated to Brooklyn have received attention across the blogosphere for crafting sleek, dance floor-friendly synth pop.

And with the release of “Addicted,” the first single off the Brooklyn synth pop act’s forthcoming effort Mythos, the act reveals that the quartet has gone through a subtle change in sonic direction, as the single draws from New Jack Swing and classic house as shimmering and cascading layers of synths, handclap-lead percussion and stuttering beats paired with Angelica Bess’ sultry, come-hither vocals. Is it love? Is it lust? Maybe it’s both? And we’ve all been there — and as confusing as it could be, the possibilities both contain are endless and fun, and the song manages to capture that all with aplomb.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’re a child of the 80s like me, you’d likely remember Kate Bush collaborating with Peter Gabriel on “Don’t Give Up,” as well as her solo career — in particular her smash-hit “Running Up That Hill.” Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site since it’s inception 6 years ago, you’d likely know that I’m frequently multi-multi-multitasking while working on blog posts so it’s not uncommon for me to be watching a ballgame, listening to tracks and writing emails. And as a result, I’ve stumbled upon a number of singles that caught my attention — including Vancouver, BC-based electro pop duo Mu’s gorgeous and fair faithful cover of “Running Up That Hill.”

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this site for the better part of the past year, you may recall that I’ve written about London-based indie duo Ten Fe. With the release of their critically praised single “Make Me Better,” the duo comprised of Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan took the blogosphere by storm for a sound that my fellow critics internationally have described as darkly Romantic and anthemic electronic-based rock. Moorhouse and Duncan  closed out 2015 with “In The Air,” a single that paired the duo’s earnest harmonies with a driving, motorik-like groove, layers of shimmering and atmospheric synths and soaring, anthemic hooks.

 

 

The duo’s latest single “Turn” is a slow-burning song that gently nods towards R&B and soul as swirling, ambient electronics are paired with shimmering guitar chords and plaintive vocals that express vulnerability within a turn of a phrase, and stuttering drum programming in what may arguably be one of the duo’s most restrained single they’ve released to date. And while being a taste of what the duo’s forthcoming and highly-anticipated full-length debut, which was recorded during a year-long exile in Berlin, the song lyrically speaks about a relationship fraught with bitterness,  uncertainties, miscommunications and perceived deceit. Throughout the song, the song’s narrator isn’t quite sure if there’s someone else that has taken his lover’s heart or if his lover is hiding something altogether much worse.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Crush Club is an up-and-coming New York-based indie electro pop act and their debut single “Get Me Off” manages to channel Nu Shooz‘s “I Can’t Wait” and Tom Tom Club‘s “Genius of Love” as the act pairs a sinuous disco funk bass line, Nile Rodgers-like guitar, shimmering and tumbling cascades of synths, sultry, come hither vocals and an infectious, anthemic hook in a sexy, club-friendly track.

Crush Club makes their live debut this Friday at Rough Trade, opening for Bright Light Bright Light.