Browsing Tag

Alt-Pop

Ojay put devil horns on their latest pop-rock earworm, Creep in the Night

Posted on 28 October 2023

This isn’t Thriller, but the Bad Guy by Eilish-esque swagger in the recently released macabrely magnetic pop-rock hit, Creep in the Night, from the prodigal sons of accursed experimentation, Ojay, is one of eeriest infectious earworms you will meet this year.

With their ability to bring the funk in the basslines, the grooves in the razor-sharp guitar cuts and wear the devil may care horns all too well in the vocal performance, the high-energy Australian outfit knocked it out of the seventh ring of hell with Creep in the Night.

Between the exemplary modern production which puts Highly Suspect to shame, the swathes of chilling charisma and the efficaciousness of the vocal hooks which seduce you into the dark heart of the release, I’m struggling to see how I will leave this hit alone.

Creep in the Night was officially released on Friday the 13th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Angel Sinclair came of ‘Strange Age’ in her ethereal alt-indie pop sophomore release

Posted on 27 October 2023

After coming in all melodic guns blazing in her debut release, Soldier, the Canadian alt-indie-pop singer-songwriter Angel Sinclair invited us into an ethereal realm with her sophomore single, Strange Age.

Capturing the disorientating surrealism of coming of age and feeling alien within your own skin better than Brett Easton Ellis’ novel Less Than Zero within a soundscape which carries reminiscences to the artfully quiescent air within singles from Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy and Torres, Angel Sinclair effortlessly succeeded in her mission to envelop you in an intimately raw atmosphere where confessionalism spills around the accordance.

She may not have reinvented the wheel with Strange Age, but she asserted her mainstream appeal in the contextually tumultuous release all the same. Angel Olsen may want to watch out, there’s another Angel reigning supreme.

Strange Age was officially released on October 13: stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jennifer Jess conjured reclamation in her dark-pop hit, Dark of Night

Posted on 19 October 2023

For her latest single, Dark of Night, the Atlanta, Georgia singer-songwriter Jennifer Jess artfully darkened her pop signature to deliver the ultimate aural reclamation of power. Anyone who has experienced losing themselves in a relationship, which proves that no monster can match the insidiousness of a narcissist, will find fistfuls of resonance within Dark of Night.

The cinematic synthesis of hammering ballad-esque piano keys and the turbulence of the electronic aesthetics, which push Jess’ sound far beyond the contemporary curve, created an arresting platform for her vocals that switch between sultry allure to gravely to strident and back again to deliver an authentically well-rounded hit.

After racking up over 1 million streams on Spotify alone and amassing an engaged audience of 18,000 on Twitch TV with her live pop performances, Jennifer Jess is rightly reigning supreme with her captivating song crafting and vocal range that lingers within the angel-devil dichotomy.

Dark of Night was officially released on October 13; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Holly Riva is as stormy as a tsunami in her latest alt-soul single, Drowning.

Posted on 16 October 2023

The hypnotic harmonic effect on her ethereal vocal lines over the crashing waves in the intro was a mesmerising way for Holly Riva to kick off her latest lyrically dark, texturally luminous single, Drowning.

With moody electronica motifs sending shockwaves of reverberance through the stormy as a tsunami release, the horn stabs harbingering doom and the metaphors alluding to the relatable phenomena of losing your power under the weight of toxicity, the Australian singer-songwriter succeeded in visualising universal emotions, which typically leave us out of our depth when we have chased an idea instead of a person.

Artistically and technically, it is a phenomenal release from the evocative enchantress who has already racked up 250,000 streams on Spotify alone since she made her debut with the EP, A Memory. Now that she’s shown a more vulnerable side to her creativity, we can’t wait to hear more of it rush to the surface.

Drowning was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Snir Yamin genre bends and transcends boundaries with the alt-pop aesthetic in Aftermath

Posted on 5 October 2023

With an eclectic synthesis of pop influences and an ability to weave them into a stunning pop aesthetic, Snir Yamin refreshed the airwaves with his euphoric take on pop-rock when he released his sophomore single, Aftermath.

The power pop licks tend to the wounds inflicted by a bitter-sweet heartbreak where promises were broken and dreams were left unmanifested while the new wave synths bring the track right up to speed with the contemporary curve before his heartfelt authenticity superlatively surpasses it.

The viscerally tender release is the perfect introduction to the indie singer-songwriter’s determination to stir the souls of anyone who ventures onto one of his expertly crafted sonic landscapes. It’s an earworm that you will never want to let go of.

Aftermath was officially released on September 21; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jessamine Barham melodised marionette melancholy in her compelling vignette, Puppet Girl

Posted on 21 September 2023

Every time the dark indie folk singer-songwriter Jessamine Barham turns her creativity to the composition of a new baroquely imaginative piano score, complete immersion in her archaic vignettes is non-optional.

In her seminal avant-garde single, Puppet Girl, the San Diego-hailing artist melodied marionette melancholy by inviting you into a world of powerlessness, subjugation, and betrayal.

Taking the single at face value, you will enjoy a jaunty Evelyn Evelyn-esque cabaret tune; look a little deeper at what is written between the lines, and you will lock into an exposition on the limitations life can find a way of imposing on us. No matter how free we think we are, we all come with strings attached, making Puppet Girl a resonantly dark reflection of reality.

Puppet Girl is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ines Belayouni delivered a hit of pure wanton decadence with ‘Attention’

Posted on 20 September 2023

In her two-year stint away from the airwaves after dropping her debut single, The Way You Make Me Feel, in 2021, Ines Belayouni has been hard at work honing her sound into one that stirs the soul, mesmerises rhythmic pulses and epitomises the phenomenon of the perennial pop earworm.

With her latest single, Attention, the Tunisian LA-residing singer who has been ingrained in the arts from a young age and has dominated the live circuit in jazz and pop circles, unveiled a fusionist masterpiece which transcends genres and era hallmarks to deliver a hit of pure wanton decadence.

Even though we can all relate to the innate desire for attention, it took a brave artist with a sublimely soulful vocal register to turn the trait into a sonic experience of pure empowered seduction. Ines Belayouni invigorated the smooth 80s RnB pop motifs that proliferate the synthetics of the track to an addictively infectious degree. It is only a matter of time before she moves from criminally underrated to critically acclaimed. Be part of her ascent from the underground.

Attention is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 16 September 2023
https://soundcloud.com/zilla_records/ninive-solo-en-ti/s-NvjBBrEEo4M?si=cfbe8d80b83a4eeba7f40e99755bf7bc&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

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

MØNA ripped up fabled tropes in her seminal art-pop hit, fairy tale

Posted on 15 September 2023

MØNA opened a portal to a fantastical realm with the otherworldly synth textures in her latest art-pop hit, fairy tale. Around the domineering oscillations of the basslines, theatrical motifs add a histrionically haunted air to the up-tempo release that challenges stereotypical tropes while narrating a complete story, with the singer-songwriter playing the villain protagonist.

After fairy tales become such a principal fixture of childhood and leave us with lofty ideals of how adulthood will unfold, it is hardly a surprise so many of us naively come of age, realise that sometimes the wolf will get us, and discover that white knights are often as nefarious as what they claim they will save us from. Encompassing all this and more, MØNA’s latest single rips up the fabled tropes in artfully beguiling style. We can’t wait to hear what the icon of Avant-Garde pulls out of the bag next.

fairy tale was officially released on August 18; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Isohel added nuance to stoic philosophy by embracing negativity in his latest pop hit, BAD VIBES

Posted on 24 August 2023

Billie Eilish gave us Bad Guy; in another pop universe, the luminary who is well on his way towards the one million steam mark, Isohel, gave us BAD VIBES in his latest viral-worthy hit.

While some see negative emotions as something to be repressed, Isohel proved that when you embrace pain, you will find the lesson within it. Consider it a far more nuanced and realistic view than the stoic belief that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Following an angular guitar prelude that sounds like it was pulled from a Slowdive album, BAD VIBES unravels as one of the most progressively electric pop hits the airwaves have received this year. While the guitar tones remain a constant throughout the mix, dance-pop proclivities start to work their way into the melancholia-laced anthem that defies expectation and genre to establish Isohel as one of the most authentic acts on the scene.

The RnB and moody synth-pop nuances infused into the track with all the hallmarks of a pop earworm is a testament to the talents of the Italian singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who is making light work of breaking into the international music industry.

Stream BAD VIBES on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast