Browsing Tag

90s Pop

Scott Cruz gives us ‘The Reason’ to be cheerful

Posted on 28 February 2021
Scott Cruz

You’d think that perhaps receiving five (five. Count ‘em!) prestigious Telly Awards for TV compositions including the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and a bunch of independent films, alongside performing at that epicentre of cool the House of Blues and charting on Billboard’s Top 40 Indicator Chart with previous single ‘Rescue’ would be enough for US-based singer/songwriter/composer/producer Scott Cruz, but you’d be wrong. Very wrong. We’re not talking ‘resting on laurels’ here, we’re looking at an artist at the top of his game, and new single ‘The Reason’ absolutely demonstrates that.

Dance-oriented, electronic, swathed in synth-strings and upbeat as hell, ‘The Reason’ is a radio-friendly club-pop banger; it’s earnest, it’s open, and it’s all topped off by Cruz’s soulful voice – think Shawn Mendes, a touch of Calum Scott, some Calvin Harris, and a dash of Harry Styles. It’s pure, proper, uplifting dance pop, and it’s very, very likely to raise that bed of laurels Cruz has to rest on just a bit higher very, very soon.

Check out ‘The Reason’ on Apple Music; go to Scott Cruz’ website.

Review by Alex Holmes

Faith Louise – What I Need: K-Pop-tinged 90s Dance Pop

Posted on 27 February 2021
Faith Louise

When you’re fifteen and already produced by Ashea, with your second single debuting on BBC Introducing, you’re clearly doing something right. 1,000 Spotify streams in 48 hours, and 12,000 YouTube views in the official video’s first week of release is worth taking.

Now, Essex’s Faith Louise is back with new single ‘What I Need’, a delicious slice of K-Pop-tinged 90’s club/dance with a catchy little hook and a earworm of a chorus that sticks in your head and follows you round for days. Again produced by Ashea at SAFO music, ‘What I Need’ is a perfect little pop track – think Ariana Grande mixed with Little Mix – dancey, energetic, and catchily upbeat.

You can check out ‘What I Need’ on Faith Louise’s website or on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Smisch prescribes sticky-sweet Latin-inspired high-vibes with their latest single ‘Sugar for My Love’

Posted on 18 January 2021

Independent Pop artist, Smisch released their most unashamedly amorous single to date with ‘Sugar for My Love’ on January 1st.  If it has been a while since you last experienced the intensity of visceral emotion, this Latin-inspired high-vibe modernistic ballad will gladly remind you.

The Sweden-residing artist made their solo debut in 2017, he’s been bringing a uniquely powerful voice to the radio waves ever since. By drawing influence from the likes of Jason Derulo and Shawn Mendes, Smisch offers the same ardently evocative appeal, but that’s not to say that Smisch’s voice doesn’t cut through Pop mediocrity, it discernibly does.

Sugar for My Love is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

SQUARMS – Consequences feat John Dole: Dynamically Divergent Electronic Hip Hop

Posted on 15 December 2020

Newcastle, UK’s most promising Alt Electronica trailblazers SQUARMS’ latest single ‘Consequences’ is a dynamic DIY celebration of the UK underground. With groovingly sharp hooks which will lacerate you with 90s Pop nostalgia amongst elements of Indie Dreampop and gritty Hip Hop, Consequences is a smorgasbord of culture and style.

With every progression, there’s a new unpredictable evolution in the artist’s limitlessly expressive and intimate sound which borrows elements from the past to bridge the gaps between Hip Hop and Electronica scenes.

Newcastle’s aural contributions may frequently be overlooked, but tracks as eclectically indulgent as Consequences are hard to ignore.

You can check out Consequences for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stranger Girl show us their ‘Bad Side’ on their glorious new single.

Posted on 28 November 2020
Stranger Girl

Last year’s trio of singles from South East-based indie darlings Stranger Girl saw them, amongst other accolades, hitting BBC Introducing’s Track of the Week. Now, despite Covid, lockdown, and the dearth of gig opportunities currently threatening the music scene across the UK, they’re back with 3’10” of gorgeous, glittering alt-pop in the form of new single ‘Bad Side’.

Take a large portion of Sleeper and Elastica and a little of an imaginary female-fronted Candyskins, mix them up in a huge Britpop cauldron with a liberal helping of Blondie and The Strokes, and add in some ‘21st Century’ flavouring for good measure, and you’ve pretty much got the recipe for ‘Bad Side’. It’s sublime, an absolutely perfect slice of classic, chart-ready indie-pop. Singer Melissa sounds like Louise Wener with a side-order of Saffron from Republika and a little of the obvious Debbie Harry, the guitars shimmer and sparkle, and the sparse-but-snappy rhythm section powers and bounces the track along. There’s rawness but humour in the lyrical storytelling, but amidst the melancholy and geekiness there’s a hook that sticks in your head alongside the shouty gang vocal chorus. It’s upbeat, poppy, and just a little bit fantastic.

Check out Stranger Girl on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

NYC Soul-Pop artist Nazanin has bridged the gap between past and present with “Infatuation”

Posted on 17 November 2020
Nazanin

NYC Soul-Pop artist Nazanin gave us a sneak peek at the sultry grooves in her latest radio-ready single “Infatuation”. It’s safe to say that we formed an infatuation of our own with her uniquely evocative sound which mixes elements of 80s and 90s Pop with the roots of RnB.

Nazanin’s sound bridges the gap between past and present while her own signature sound flows evenly beneath. Far from being ‘just another love song’ Infatuation draws heavily on the challenges she’s overcome to become the unapologetically empowering artist she exhibited herself as with this Soul-Pop staple. Her defiance resonates in each and every vocal note.

Infatuation will be available to stream everywhere from November 27th. In the meantime, head over to Spotify to check out her earlier releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Rowanna Chown – Cry My Art Out: Feistily Infectious Alt Pop

Posted on 30 August 2020

If you think the title to up and coming artist Rowanna Chown’s latest single “Cry My Art Out” is ingenious, wait until you hit play on the fiercely punchy feat of Alt-Pop. Rowanna Chown makes Lady Gaga sound positively tame.

By taking influence from both 80s Madonna-style Pop and Backstreet Boys-style 90s Pop and weaving them into a danceable high-octane mix Cry My Art Out dripped with commercial potential. The radio-ready hit which dropped on July 27th is sure to see Rowanna Chown propelled from the underground. If she doesn’t have what it takes to be a household name, I don’t know who does.

Without any hint of exaggeration, Rowanna Chown exudes pure Queen energy in Cry My Art Out. You can bask in the feisty regal grace of the single by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ella has released her fiercely redemptive Pop single “Oops Oops”

Posted on 20 August 2020
https://soundcloud.com/missellamusic/oops-oops

If you like your Pop artists unapologetically fierce, breaking artist Ella has all the empowering attitude you could possibly ask for in her latest release “Oops Oops”.

If you turn on the radio, you’ll hear plenty of artists offering lovelorn introspection and abrasively sweet love songs and little else in between. Ella took a very different approach to contemporary Pop. Her redemptive single is a powerful reminder to women that you don’t need to turn into a snappish dolt every time you’ve been romantically screwed over. While we can’t exactly condone financial exploitation, we make no bones about celebrating this stellar radio-ready feat of Pop.

You’d be hard-pressed to find Pop hooks which are sharper than the ones that will grab you in the 90s-inspired perennial Pop earworm.

You can check out Oops Oops for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Ryan Xo is set to release his most evocative feat of Synthpop yet with “Soul Food”

Posted on 19 August 2020
Ryan Xo

We’ve all had a pretty soul-sucking 2020 so far, so breaking Pop artist Ryan Xo sought to address the balance with his latest single “Soul Food” and it’s safe to say that he succeeded.

His seductively soulful Synth-Pop single offers a serious amount of authentically amorous evocative appeal. With the slightly Retro Pop-vibe, it’s accessible from the first hit. Any fans of the 90s Pop sound under a contemporary production will undoubtedly want to make Soul Food a firm fixture on their playlists.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out Soul Food yourself. In the meantime, you can check out Ryan Xo’s earlier releases on SoundCloud.

Follow them via Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with the release info.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Raphi poured soulfully organic good vibes onto the airwaves with her Lo-Fi Pop track “When We Gonna”

Posted on 13 May 2020
Raphi

It’s safe to say that up and coming Pop artist Raphi is on creative fire during lockdown. Her latest track “When We Gonna” is just one of the organically soulful singles which she’s written and co-produced during quarantine to share some much-needed good vibes on the airwaves.

She definitely succeeded with When We Gonna which borrowed nuances of 90s RnB Pop to infuse in a modernistic resonantly uplifting Lo-Fi Pop earworm. Between the funky basslines, Raphi’s instantly magnetic vocals and the distinction which lies in the production of the track, When We Gonna demands repeat attention.

When We Gonna is due for official release on May 22nd, in the meantime you can head on over to Facebook to keep up to date with news on the release, and you can check out Raphi’s former releases via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast