Browsing Tag

Alt Electro

The Ecuadorian Pop Priestess NÍNIVE alchemised explosively ethereal ingenuity in ‘Solo En Ti’

Posted on 16 September 2023

Following the spiritually beguiling prelude of ethereal vocals and minimalist electronic melodicism, the transition into the high-octane installation of fierce feminine energy with body-slamming beats to boot you into rhythmic arrest is a broadsiding testament to the boundless ingenuity of the one and only NÍNIVE.

For her seminal single, Solo En Ti, NÍNIVE collaborated with the world-renowned music producer Enrique Gonzalez, who has worked with everyone from Metallica to Tina Turner to Nine Inch Nails; together, they sonically solidified the Ecuadorian alternative artist’s claim to the pop throne.

Put her on your radar and watch her ascend even further with her forthcoming album; the ingenuity that the LP will breathe was teased by the explosive alchemy within Solo En Ti. If Mitski swallowed an atom bomb, her avant-garde stylings still wouldn’t come close to this scintillating Tour De Force.

Clearly, her strong musical background has served her well. NÍNIVE began her musical education at a young age at the National Conservatory of Quito and furthered her vocal studies at the College of Music at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (a Berklee Global Partner). She also holds a Masters of Music in Songwriting from Bath Spa University.

Solo En Ti will break ground on the airwaves on September 15; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Transcend to a new distorted dimension with the post-rock instrumentals in Bundle of His’ latest single, Patches

Posted on 7 February 2023
Úr Ur by Bundle Of His

If Grandaddy dialled the polyphonic distortion and fuzz up to 11, their sweet synthy melodies would be as infectiously muddy as the electro post-rock tones in the latest single, Patches, from the artist and producer, Bundle of His.

With a touch of Kraftwerk melded into his intrinsically authentic instrumental hits, the Outer Hebrides-based artist pushes the envelope beyond the limits most dare to, and his instrumental lo-fi tracks are all the more alluring for it.

After an illness got in the way of the artist playing bass in various bands in Glasgow and the Outer Hebrides, it is safe to say Bundle of His didn’t fail to bring his bass-driven ingenuity to life as a producer.

Patches was officially released on January 1st. It is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take a psychonautic trip through the cosmos with Nanoman Mucker Mush’s alt-electro single, Lost in Space

Posted on 6 January 2023

UK alt-electro originator, Nanoman Mucker Mush, used the fabric of the universe as a muse in his drone-heavy old-skool downtempo acid techno release, Lost in Space.

Nanoman Mucker Mush’s spoken-word vocals that allow you to imagine what the Prodigy would have sounded like if they recorded in the midst of a meditation session resound over the glitchy trip-hoppy instrumentals that push you far beyond the earth’s atmosphere into the vast, dark and cold cosmos.

The orchestral instrumentals add a touch of filmic flair to the gravity-defying release, while the lyrics keep the hit gritty with street attitude. It’s a potent combination that makes for a psychonautic trip you won’t regret going on.

Lost in Space hit the airwaves on December 19. Check it out via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TaidiClub pours soul across a harsh electronic landscape in his latest single, Rome

Posted on 28 October 2022

The up-and-coming alternative artist, TaidiClub traversed love, life, and dreams in his scintillating LP, Lovin3D! The standout single, Rome, puts vulnerable, harmonised pop vocal lines across harsh and discordant beats as a striking exposition of what it means to be human in a jarring and inhospitable world that would chew you up and spit you out given half of the chance.

The industrial meets post-punk EBM beats is a markable sonic shift away from the mainstream, but TadiClub’s sweet vocal timbre that will be a hit with any fans of the Weeknd and the Midnight pulls the track right back to the realms of commercial potential. Only the soulfully defunct can let Rome fade to a close without being absorbed by the uninhibited ingenuity.

Rome will officially release on October 28th; check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-hardcore goes electro-pop in I was the ocean once’s latest single, Heavy Love

Posted on 19 October 2022

Post-hardcore underwent an electronic renovation in I was the ocean once’s latest single, Heavy Love. After a scratchy turntable intro, a Deathstars-Esque sense of discord and heavy electro angst feeds into the pretty hate soundscape that toys with elements of electro-pop and hip hop. I say ‘toys’ think of Pinhead with a puzzle box!

It’s a scathing feat of experimentalism that won’t be for everyone. But for those inclined to dabble in vehement driven schizophrenically electric records, delve right into this cathartically raw outpour of visceral ‘love’. It is sure to hit the existential spot.

Heavy Love is now available to stream on YouTube.

Check out I was the ocean once via their official website, and follow them on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Saint Josie speaks for ‘The Lost’ in her indie electro-clash anthem

Posted on 19 October 2022

After her 2020 debut, the independent electronica artist and producer Saint Josie has picked up ample traction with her rock-licked feats of alt-electro. Their latest single, The Lost, is a bass-drenched remedy for the outliers, for anyone that doesn’t fit in with the constrictive constraints of normalcy and finds themselves astray by their authenticity.

Saint Josie’s music and content as a social media influencer focus on her experience as a trans woman, documenting her daily life and transcribing her journey, healing and growth. The Lost, despite its emotionally balanced depth, is an awakening electro-clash anthem which will show you just how sweet it can be when you truly embody your own autonomy. Fans of Fischerspooner will easily make The Lost a playlist staple.

The Lost was officially released on October 1st. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt electro producer Z3LDA delivered cinematic hyper euphoria in their sophomore single, Sincerely, All Caps

Posted on 31 July 2022

The US electronic music composer and computer programmer, Z3LDA, delivered cinematically hyper euphoria with their sophomore single, Sincerely All Caps.

After a series of vocal samples that get you in the right space for the histrionic sonic suggestion, rugged post-punk bass guitars, and one hell of an astutely fraught spacey build-up, the progressive mix descends into a dizzying blend of hard techno and psytrance with a mind-bending BPM. Frenetic enough to make most dubstep sound ambient.

If any new electronic artist deserves to go viral this year, on the basis of the sheer gravitas of Sincerely, All Caps, it is Z3LDA. Love it for the escapism. Love it for the insanity. Love it for the personality, whatever you do, don’t let this stratospherically stellar release slip you by.

Sincerely, All Caps is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Strays of the World gave dark-electro soul in his latest single, Hello

Posted on 19 July 2022
Strays of the World

Fusing the iconic guitars of Robert Smith with the signatory filthy production style of Trent Reznor, Strays of the World’s latest single, Hello is a stunningly dark convergence of alt-electronica, post-punk, and a little bit of soul-pop flavour through the Prince-esque vocals.

Once again, we definitively see that romanticism tinged with a touch of gothic inclination is a hypnotic sonic elixir, especially under the duress of Strays of the World with his affable vagabond soul. The LA-based artist easily conjured one of the most distinctive contortions of alt-electronica we’ve heard in recent years. It threw us right back to the collaboration between Bowie & Reznor while showing us the future of dark electro.

Check out Strays of the World via his official website, YouTube and Facebook. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Prepare to be torn from passive slumber with Cielo Pordomingo’s orchestral alt-electro feat of world music, Wake Up

Posted on 9 July 2022

Here to tear us from our jaded slumber with her spiritual synthetics is the alt-electro trailblazer, Cielo Pordomingo, with her latest single, Wake Up.

‘Enlivening’ scarcely cuts into the alchemy that the composer, singer, and producer used to reflect her soul in the orchestrally heightened single. It’s Europop meets Depeche Mode via Bond soundtrack with a classical chamber outro; need we say anymore? If we want to do Cielo Pordomingo justice as a lyricist, definitely.

Wake Up is far more than your average cry to people letting their lives pass them by. Pordomingo practically takes you by the hand to guide you through your awakening while addressing the problem of our tendency to waste existence by branding it as just another day. At this point, if she started a cult, I’d jump right into it.

Wake Up is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Yarsha exposes the hypocrisy of reality in his harsh electro-pop earworm, Run Coward

Posted on 8 July 2022

The Zurich-based Italian alt-electro originator, Yarsha, has followed his seductively eccentric debut single, Do you wanna dance, with the even more gloriously existentialist alt-electro pop single, Run Coward.

Under anyone else’s orchestration, Run Coward would be a cold and harsh track. Yet, with the inclusion of his personably playful vocals on the Powerman 5000-Esque analog synths, Run Coward doesn’t just hit the rhythmic spot. It tempts some serotonin to spit across the synapses too.

While the haunted synths and nasty electro-industrial discord set the caustic tone to reflect the insidiousness of the rife injustice on our planet that is more akin to the Christian depiction of hell, the cuttingly contemporary lyrics extend the gift of resonant antagonism. We all need more affirmations that the world is messed up beyond rhyme or reason. Especially when they are as infectiously upbeat as Run Coward, and the rest of the world is at work gaslighting us into believing that our fatalism isn’t a sign of sanity.

Here is what Yarsha candidly had to say about his latest release:

“This world is f…ed up. It’s full of hypocrisy on every level. I wrote this song in 2015, mentioning the war in Ukraine when almost nobody knew it was happening. Nobody knows that the Dalai Lama’s son was kidnapped by the Chinese government. Still, it was in many newspapers and tv shows. Assange exposed just the reality and cruelty of facts, and the US is treating him exactly like Putin treats his enemies.

I’m not finger-pointing them; I’m finger-pointing me. I’m the coward. When I see and know all this, what do I do? Nothing. I’m watching Netflix, playing music, and having fun. It’s a struggle to live in such a world: can we do anything to stop this? Or is it better to just run from it and enjoy the good time that pure luck gave us?”

Run Coward was officially released on July 8th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Follow Yarsha on Facebook and Instagram, or check him out on his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast