JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates French touch pioneer Thomas Bangalter’s 50th birthday.
Tag: electro pop
New Audio: Daniel Higley Shares Tense and Uneasy “Ultimatum”
Daniel Higley is an emerging, American-born, German-based artist. His latest single, the Brook Fraser-produced “UItimatum” Portishead-like track featuring a supple and propulsive bass line, eerie atmospheric synths that serves as a broodingly uneasy bed for British vocalist Gen’s Beth Gibbons-like delivery. The song manages to capture our exceedingly urgent and anxious zeitgeist with an uncannily lived-in precision.
Higley explains that “‘Ultimatum,’ was created with the sense of anxiety that all my friends have been going through. It seemed to be a common theme going around my circle. This moment in time seems very important, and pivotal. This is a call to action for those feelings of anxiety, and worry. This is life giving you an ultimatum. It’s saying you need to be focused, and not too extreme to get through it.
“The line ‘not too far left, not too far right’ is from the feelings after the US election, and the state of politics in the USA, and the world. Being on a side doesn’t allow one to see clearly. We’ve never seen so much tension, war, and mistrust in our lifetimes. So basically, the theme is this is something you can’t avoid, and you can either let it sweep you away, or you can use all theknowledge and training you’ve had to this point to get through. Be centered. Stay in the light and be present.”
Throwback: Happy 70th Birthday, Annie Lennox!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Annie Lennox’s 70th birthday.
New Audio: Davidé Shares Brooding and Cinematic “Nevrotik”
Davide Orsi is an Italian-born, French-based musician and producer, whose career started in earnest with a stint in Italian psych rock outfit Rubber Eggs. Orsi relocated to Grenoble, France, where he continued his musical career, eventually joining Bleu Tonnerre in 2019. And while with Bleu Tonnerre, he played alongside a collection of French artists including Izia and AARON.
Orsi also started his solo recording project Davidé in 2019. The project, which is inspired by Thom Yorke, Tears for Fears and others sees him blending futuristic and dreamy accents while exploring science fiction themes like dystopian worlds and altered realities.
Orsi’s sophomore Davidé EP, Plasticity, Pt. 2 was released a few months ago. The EP’s latest single “Nevrotik,” is a brooding and cinematic composition featuring glistening synth arpeggios and a relentless motorik groove that sounds as though it were inspired by John Carpenter soundtracks, Magic Sword, Umberto and others.
New Audio: Miami’s Sara Diana Shares Brooding and Sultry “all up in my head”
Emerging 18 year-old, Miami-based singer/songwriter Sara Diana has quickly developed a reputation for introspective and poetic storytelling lyrics and soulful vocals paired with lush, atmospheric production.
Her debut EP, the Tracksion and Camilo Velandia-co-produced Can’t Be Fazed sees the emerging Miami-based artist blending heartfelt lyrics with mesmerizing melodies while exploring themes of love, growth, survival, invincibility and self-discovery. “The whole concept of not being ‘fazed’ is feeling as though nothing can hurt you anymore,” Sara Diana explains. “I’m sure many people have experienced a time in their lives where they feel they are dealing with so much that they can’t be fazed anymore. So this project is simply that. It’s about survival.”
Can’t Be Fazed‘s latest single “all up in my head” pairs a brooding, trip-hop meets alt-pop production with the young Miami-based artist’s yearning and soulful delivery describing the wooziness of love-crazed obsession that will probably result in the narrator’s own madness.
“all up in my head” reveals a remarkably self-assured artist, beyond her relative youth, and with an uncannily innate understanding of human nature and psychology.
New Video: Terciopelo Shares Coquettish and Sultry “Hey Boy!”
Terciopelo is the solo recording project of a mysterious and emerging Costa Rican-born and-based electronic music producer and artist, who blends diverse instrumental elements, trap beats, jazz and soulful melodies into a unique and moody sound that has been described as thought provoking.
The mysterious Costa Rican-born and-based electronic music producer and artist’s forthcoming full-length debut, The Breakaways reportedly sees him collaborating with a talented and diverse group of female vocalists. Thematically, the album focuses on women and their journeys through life — with each vocalist singing lyrics that detail the trials, tribulations and joys of their life through their perspective. The album’s material delves into the depths of passion, love and all of the various aspects of human life.
“This album represents a significant chapter in my musical journey,” the mysterious producer and artist says. The Breakaways is not just a music album, it’s a celebration of life, love and the magnetic power of music. We poured our hearts into every note, and we hope it resonates with our audience on a profound level.”
So far I’ve written about two of the album’s previously released singles:
- “Your Love . . .,” a brooding and slickly produced synthesis of Portishead-like trip hop, trap beats and contemporary electro pop paired with yearning vocals and evocative lyrics. The song thematically is a deep dive into the lives of women trapped in abusive romantic relationships. The song’s narrator paints a poignant and haunting picture of the internal and external struggles that domestic abuse victims face with a seemingly lived-in specificity.
- “Nothing Can Stop Me,” a slickly produced track that pairs contemporary pop with trap beats, shimmering acoustic guitar, bursts of twinkling Rhodes with a soulful vocal, pop starlet delivery. Much like its predecessor, the song captures the interior world of its narrator with an uncanny attention to psychological detail.
The Breakaways‘ latest single “Hey Boy!” is a slick mix of strutting Brazilian and Latin jazz, complete with some fantastic solos paired with skittering trap beats and a coquettish and sultry vocal. The song — and in turn, the video — sees the woman taking charge, and getting what she desires.
Lyric Video: WILDES and St. Francis Hotel Team Up on Broodingly Atmospheric and Yearning “Are You Gonna Speak?”
Ella Walker is an Irish-British, London-based singer/songwriter and the creative mastermind behind the rising pop project WILDES. Walker’s critically applauded full-length debut, last year’s St. Francis Hotel-produced Other Words Fail Me featured “True Love,” a collaboration with The Flaming Lips. Building upon a growing profile, Walker released her self-produced EP Subsidence earlier this year.
Declan Gaffney is an acclaimed Irish producer, best known as St. Francis Hotel. Gaffney has worked with the likes of Little Simz, Michael Kiwanuka, Wasia Project, Lip Filler and a growing list of others.
WILDES and St. Francis Hotel recently announced the forthcoming collaborative EP, Kopfkino. Slated for a February 19, 2025 release, the EP continuing their wildly successful collaboration together while drawing from 80s synth pop acts like Erasure, The Human League and Depeche Mode, and trip-hop acts like Massive Attack and Portishead. “Though regularly collaborating for various projects, we chose to come together for this EP because of our shared experience and grounding in the emotive meaning behind the songs,” Walker says of the forthcoming collaborative EP. “Exploring and getting lost in our own minds, being shut out of the minds of others, and trying to navigate the world at the behest of our subconscious.”
Kopfkino‘s second and latest single “Are You Gonna Speak?” features bursts of reverb-drenched, strummed guitar, throbbing and oscillating synths, skittering industrial clink and clatter, which help to create a broodingly atmospheric bed for Walker’s yearning delivery.
“Drawing from the silence and suffocation that can surface towards the end of a relationship, ‘Are You Gonna Speak?’ is a plea for connection,” Walker explains. “Exposing difficult conversations but trying to inspire hope, it’s a final cry for help before the moment ends for good.”
Throwback: Happy 46th Birthday, Nelly Furtado!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Nelly Furtado’s 46th birthday.
New Audio: Joey Sachi Teams Up With AKINAT on Breezy “7 Seconds”
Joey Sachi is an Aussie-born, Tokyo-based singer/songwriter and pop artist, who can trace the origins of her career to her childhood: She grew up in a household where music was not only a pivotal and integral part of her life, but where she quickly became ins tired to follow in the footsteps of the pop icons she admired.
Before relocating to Tokyo, Sachi became intrigued by songwriting after studying Classical music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
As a songwriter, Sachi cites the likes of Jamie xx, Daft Punk, and Sabrina Claudio as influences on her sound and approach, which sees her attempting to bridge the gaps between pop and electronic music while paired with introspective and emotionally intimate lyrics.
“7 Seconds,” the Aussie-born, Tokyo-based artist’s latest single is a hook driven and breezy pop confection featuring a simple yet propulsive beat and glistening synth arpeggios serving as an atmospheric bed for Sachi’s ethereal delivery. The pair explain that they “wanted to experiment making a track inspired by Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ with a simple beat/layers and a topline influenced by Stevie Nicks’ melodic creativity. While nodding at Stevie Nicks, I think the song reminds me a bit more of JOVM mainstay ACES and others.
Sachi explains that the song is inspired by the life story of Clive Wearing. “Clive Wearing is a British classical musician whose life was devastatingly impacted by a rare and severe form of memory loss. The profoundly beautiful part of Clive’s story is that his wife Deborah remained a constant in his life – the deepest of connections…almost instinctual, that despite his memory resetting every few seconds allowed him to always seek comfort amongst his fragmented existence.
Inspired by his story we created ‘7 Seconds’, exploring the divine beauty in a love so deep, one that endures all the ebbs and flows of life.”
Throwback: Happy 46th Birthday, Karen O!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O’s 46th birthday.
New Audio: ORKID Shares glistening “Skin and Bones”
Northern Sweden-born pop artist ORKID has made a name for herself in Stockholm‘s acclaimed and vibrant pop scene. Drawing influence from Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke while embodying the essence of modern Swedish indie pop, the Stockholm-based singer/songwriter possesses a vocal delivery that’s ethereal and fragile yet commanding. Behind the scenes, the Swedish pop artist has also made name for herself as a formidable pop songwriter, writing hits in studios from Los Angeles to London through collaborations with Armin Van Buuren, K-pop group Apink while working alongside Shane Stevens, Maths Time Joy and Eddie Serafica.
ORKID’s own work have appeared on Spotify New Music Friday playlists across 20+ countries while receiving praise from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Complex and Beats 1.
Building upon a growing profile, the Swedish artist’s latest EP Where Flowers Grow may arguably be her most intimate effort yet: The EP’s material is a poignant love letter to her late mother. The five-song EP features carefully crafted songs that see her infuse luminous indie pop with a shade of melancholy, informed by grief and loss. “There’s no reception for a soul, so I go where your flowers grow and sit there with you for a while,” the Swedish artist says of the EP.
The EP’s latest single, EP opening track “Skin and Bones” is anchored around an ethereal production featuring glistening synth arpeggios and skittering beats that serves as a lush, Stevie Nicks “Stand Back“-like bed for ORKID’s yearning, pop star delivery, which sees her confronting mortality — her mother’s and even her own — and the aftermath of death on those left behind.