Category: Synth Pop

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Brighton and London-based indie label Catskills Records celebrates their 20 anniversary and just like Fluff and Gravy Records, the label which can trace their origins to its first release by Sonorous Star, featuring label founders Khalid and Amr Mallassi just released a compilation of music from some of their wildly genre-spanning artists, artists who have specialized in electro pop, hip-hop, punk, country, prog rock and others titled Catskills Records: 20 Years of Victory. And along with the retrospective look of where the label has been and their overall aesthetic, the compilation includes two new tracks from label mainstays Pepe Deluxe and Husky Rescue

Finish electronic music act Husky Rescue have developed a reputation across both their native Finland and Scandinavia for a songwriting approach that focuses on restless experimentation — and for material that sonically and aesthetically walks a very careful tightrope between anxious tenseness and childlike innocence.  Now if you had been frequenting this site last year, you may recall that I wrote about two singles off the expanded Long Lost Friend album, “Deep Forest Green,” a track that sonically seemed to draw from Bjork, and Talking Heads while the album’s second single “Far From The Storm” seemed to draw from  Moonbabies fantastic Wizards on the Beach and Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” — or in other words, cinematic dream pop with an even breezier nature and catchy hooks.

The Finnish act’s contribution to the Catskill Records compilation is the slow-burning and tense “My Shelter,” a single that pairs Ringa Manner’s aching yet powerhouse vocals with gently undulating and twinkling synths, swirling electronics and a cinematic sweep to create a sound that’s reminiscent of Kate Bush and Bjork while being a swooning, romantic ode. As the members of the electronic act explained to the folks at Clash Magazine “‘My Shelter’ is a previously unreleased track we wrote in the midst of a long hiatus. We had recently gotten to know singer Ringa Manner and felt she might have just the right voice for the song. And so she most certainly did: forceful and fragile all at once. Which is pretty much what the song is all about.”

 

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay Sofi de la Torre Returns with Some Slow-Burning Synth Pop

de la Torre has been rather prolific releasing two EPs That Isn’t You and Mess, both of which critically applauded and received attention across the blogosphere; in fact, at one point Mess steadily climbed the the Hype Machine charts and was featured in Spotify’s Weekend Buzz playlist. Earlier this year, I wrote about “Sit Down” which may have arguably been the Spanish-born, Berlin-based pop artist’s boldest, feistiest song she had released to date while nodding at the work of M.I.A. Interestingly, de la Torre’s latest single “Flex Your Way Out” is a slow-burning and radio-friendly track in which de la Torre’s ethereal yet sultry vocals are paired with moody and sparse production comprised of swirling electronics, twinkling keys, and stuttering, tweeter and woofer rocking beats. Pop artist Blackbear contributes a verse to a song that focuses on a relationship between two difficult and damaged people, who can’t quite figure out how to make it work — or if they should make it work.

The recently released music video continues de la Torre’s reputation for pairing her slickly produced pop with slick music videos — and in this case, the visuals feature de la Torre driving around her gorgeous birthplace of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Corbu on Baeble’s NEXT Sessions

With the release of two critically applauded EPs, We Are Sound and Everything You Imagine is Real, the New York-based trio Corbu, comprised of Johnathan Graves (guitar, synths and vocals), Amanda Scott (vocals, synths) and Todd Hoellerman (drums), have received praise from the likes of several major media outlets including NYLON, Stereogum, The Guardian, NME and others for a sound that’s not only heavily influenced by the Warp Records roster, sci-fi imagery, psychedelia and their own dreams but also draws from the likes of Moonbabies, M83, Washed Out, Yes, and others as their swooning and shimmering take on dream pop and synth pop possesses a cinematic quality. 2016 has been breakthrough year for the band as they released their gorgeous, attention-grabbing full-length debut Crayon Soul earlier this year — and from album singles “Battles,” and “Better Better Off,”and a national tour that included the trio’s first festival set at this year’s Austin City Limits, the band is looking forward to an even bigger 2017.

The folks at Baeble recently invited the members of Corbu to participate in the website’s Baeble NEXT Session series, which features a band of interest performing several songs at the Baeble offices down at the Industrial City complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn along with an interview. The live footage features the band performing “Neon Hallway,” “Prism,” and “Battles” off Crayon Soul and from the footage, you should get a sense of how their live sound hews very closely to their immersive and lush recorded sound. And in the band’s full-ranging interview, the band talks about their unexpectedly big year, which featured their first national tour and their first festival set, how their music videos and other visuals tie into their aesthetic, how they wanted to make a full album in the veins of Radiohead’s In Rainbows and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Mood, how the album’s mixer helped create a lush, nuanced sound, the album’s overarching themes and more. (This is another one where the embed works a little funny, so click on the link and it’ll drive you to a full-page embed window — and enjoy!)

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Sylvan Esso Return with Another Radio Friendly Song

Continuing the ongoing focus on this site’s mainstay artists, if you had been frequenting this site over the past couple years, you would have come across several posts on electro pop duo Sylvan Esso. Comprised of Mountain Man‘s Amelia Heath (vocals, synths) and Megafaun’s Nick Sanborn (synths, programming, production) electro pop duo Sylvan Esso dominated the blogosphere two years ago for a sound that paired Heath’s coquettish vocals with a slick and somewhat sparse production featuring propulsive and undulating grooves, shimmering synths and big, tweeter and woofer beats.

Earlier this year, I wrote about “Radio,” the A side of their recently released “Radio”/”Jump Kick Start.” Interestingly, “Radio” quickly became both a staple of their live sets and a fan favorite — all while being a brash, refinement of their sound with Heath singing with a self-assured sultriness paired with a propulsive, dance floor-friendly production featuring cascading synths, wobbling low end and stuttering drum programming. “Jump Kick Start” the B side of the “Radio”/”Jump Kick Start” continues on a similar vein as the preceding single as Heath’s self-assured coos are paired with a stuttering and shuffling production featuring electronic bleeps and bloops, twinkling synths and analog crackling in what may be one of their most radio and dance floor-ready songs they’ve released to date.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their firs three singles — the achingly vulnerable “What Do You Think They’ll Say About Me,” the part torch song, part wistful and tender farewell “I’m Already Gone” and the slow-burning Quiet Storm-era R&B inspired pop song “Find Me Out,” the Canadian-born, Brooklyn-based electro pop duo ACES, comprised of  Russ Flynn and Alexandra Stewart received quite a bit of attention across the blogosphere for a subtly modern and atmospheric take on early-to-mid 80s synth pop.

As Stewart explains in press notes, the Brooklyn-based synth pop duo’s first single of 2016 “I Could Be Your Girl” “is the true ACES getaway track, but today, I’m not sure where we’re headed. ‘I Could Be Your Girl’ is about being honest with yourself and realizing when you deserve more. It’s about embracing that change and still wanting to love anyway. I hope it can be a voice for all of us doing some self-reflection right now . . . the future is female!” Their latest single pairs Stewart’s breathily tender vocals with Flynn’s atmospheric production consisting of gently trembling synths, hi-hat flashes, swirling electronics — and as a result, the song possesses a swooning quality but just underneath the surface there’s a palpable sense of trepidation and uncertainty.

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Now, if you had been frequenting this site over the course of last year, you would have come across a couple of posts on Amanda Stickler, a New York-basd electronic music artist and producer, and her solo recording project Blonde Maze. And with the release of the aching  “Summer Rain,” off her debut EP Oceans and a slow-burning and melancholic cover of “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home),” Steckler received attention here and across several other sites across the blogosphere for slickly produced yet atmospheric electro pop that possessed a plaintive ache and longing for someone dear being half a world away.

 

It’s been close to a year, since we’ve last heard from Steckler, and her latest single “Antarctica” features a slick, glittering and swooning house music-leaning production featuring layers of cascading and shimmering synths, marimbas, layers of cut and chopped vocal samples, stuttering and skittering drum programming and hand claps paired with Steckler’s breathy and tender cooing.  Interestingly, the song focuses on a profound emotional connection — but at its core is that weird dichotomy between the fear and sting of loss and the sense of dependence that comes up within every relationship, even the most functional ones. And it captures that with an emotional honesty and wisdom that belies the artist’s relatively young age.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past couple of years, the Brooklyn-based electro pop duo denitia and sene have become won the attention of this site and the rest of the blogosphere for Brian “sene” Marc’s hyper-modern and slick production work, which effortlessly meshes elements of electro pop, hip-hop, funk, minimalist electronica, underground and advant garde pop paired with Denitia Odigie’s ethereal yet soulful vocals.

The duo’s full-length debut was both critically and commercially successful as the album landed on the Top 10 of iTunes R&B charts and the duo was profiled the New York Times, for their participation in a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist collective.  However, since the release of their debut, the duo have been busy with individual creative pursuits as Marc is part of the cast of Netflix‘s Luke Cage, has starred alongside Emma Roberts in Nerve and a lead role in White Girl while Odigie’s solo recording project ADESUWA received attention after the release of the Air Light EP earlier this year.

Interestingly the duo found time to write and record the material that would comprise their forthcoming sophomore effort, love and noir, which is slated for a November 18, 2016 release. Last month, I wrote about the album’s second single “open wide.” That single featured a chilly, subtly industrial production paired with a sultry sensuality as that song’s narrator swoons over her object of attention and love.  The album’s third and latest single “favorite.” features a sleek, contemporary production consisting shimmering synths, stuttering drum programming, wobbling low end, a distorted vocal sample as the song’s melody and finger snaps paired with Odigie’s easy going and soulful crooning in an airy song that gently dips and swoons, and evokes waking up next to a lover, after you’ve made love and sighing happily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Rodes Rollins is  Boulder, CO-born pop artist, who has spent time living abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina and now currently splits her time between New York and Los Angeles. Her latest EP Young Adult was produced by Alex Goose, who has worked with Kevin Gates and Weezer, and the material on the EP is largely inspired by her experiences living about while also thematically focusing on the fleeting nature of beauty and youth — and as a result, as you’ll hear on the EP’s latest single “Young & Thriving,” the material possesses a wistful sense of nostalgia, acceptance and wonder over the circumstances and people that inform and influence one’s life. And it’s paired with a sexy and subtly Spaghetti Western, psych pop sound reminiscent of Betty Black.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Over the past year or so, you’ve likely come across a handful of posts on London-based indie pop duo Ten Fe. The duo of Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan won the attention of the blogosphere with the release of anthemic singles “Make Me Better,” and “In The Air.”  Last month, the duo released the brooding music video for their ambient, R&B-leaning, plaintive yet restrained single “Turn,” off the duo’s forthcoming and long-awaited full-length debut Hit The Light, which is slated for a February 3, 2017 release through Some Kind of Love Records/[PIAS] Recordings.

Recorded at Kompakt Records Studios in Berlin with Ewan Pearson, who has worked with Jagwar Ma, M83 and The Rapture, Moorhouse and Duncan’s full-length debut reportedly finds the duo’s effortlessly meshing contemporary electro pop, Americana and the classic Manchester sound while thematically speaking, the material focuses on renewal and possibility.  The duo’s latest single and their full-length debut’s second official single is the album’s opening track “Overflow,” is a shimmering 80s-inspired synth pop/New Wave track, complete with a tight motoric groove that lyrically focuses on a lost love. And while naturally being a bit wistful over the past, the song possesses a profoundly optimistic bent that reminds the listener that heartbreak is a reminder that you once knew love and will have it again many more times over.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past year or so, you’ve come across a handful of posts featuring the Brooklyn-based experimental/psych pop act Pavo Pavo. Deriving their name from the name of the southern constellation Pavo — Latin for peacock —the members of the band Eliza Bagg (violin, synths, vocals), Oliver Hill (guitar, synths and vocals). Nolan Green (guitar, vocals), Austin Vaughn (drums) and Ian Romer (bass) can trace its origins to when the members of the quintet were studying while at Yale University, and since then individual members have collaborated with the likes of Here We Go Magic, John Zorn, Dave Longstreth, Porches, Olga Bell, Lucius, Roomful of Teeth and San Fermin among others.  Adding to a growing profile, their “Ran Ran Run”/”Annie Hall” 7 inch was praised by a number of media outlets and blogs, including  Stereogum as being “weightless pop music that sounds like it was beamed down from a glimmering utopian future.” And while nodding at 60s psych pop and 80s New Age, just underneath the glimmering surface there’s a hint at unease, anxiety, rot and dysfunction.

Now, as you may recall the band’s highly-anticipated full-length debut, Young Narrator in the Breakers is slated for a November 11, 2016 release through Bella Union Records and thematically, the material according to the members of the band describes both the magic and panic of adult life — with the understanding that much like a getting caught in a vicious breaker, you have to stop fighting and ride it out until you can get to shore safely. Interestingly, the album’s latest single “Ruby (Let’s Buy The Bike)” consists of gorgeous falsetto boy/girl harmonies, a strummed and slightly ragged guitar-led melody, off-kilter percussion and soaring synths, and the result is a gorgeous and trippy acceptance of time’s passing and a swooning love song to a beautiful motorcycle named Ruby that the song’s narrator stumbled on to at a bike show. Part of the song involves the hopes and plans the narrator has for the bike; some of which picturing himself riding around on the badass bike, potentially getting into a gruesome accident and dying — but saying “man, for the bike, it was fucking worth it.”