Browsing Tag

dark dream pop

Freyja Elsy embodied the sentiment that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned in her single, Over It

Posted on 23 November 2023

Freyja Elsy’s latest single, Over It, from her upcoming EP, Modern Artifice, is a mesmerising blend of trip-hop, dark pop, and innovative electronica that resonates with the chillingly arcane Southern Gothic air of Chelsea Wolfe.

The single, which premiered on BBC Radio Wales on Adam Walton’s Introducing show, has been aptly compared to the likes of Massive Attack and Portishead, with a nod to the acid house genre in its production. The multi-layered auditory journey reflects the despondency of being cast into the harsh realities of adulthood and forced to contend with the seemingly arbitrary monotony which stretches for decades before those coming of age. Elsy’s voice, both haunting and commanding, unravels this narrative against a backdrop of spiky dream pop and leftfield electronica, creating a sound that is as visionary as it is haunting as it oozes the divinity of female power.

Elsy, who has had a remarkable year, opening for acts like Death & Vanilla and Welsh artists Eädyth, Ani Glass, and Small Miracles, never fails to showcase her ability to create a cohesive and clear vision in her music. Her previous singles, Lungs, Requiem, and Golden Hour, have already garnered international attention and BBC recognition, setting a high bar for her upcoming EP.

Over It hit the airwaves on November 17; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Starleen cinematically exhibited what it means to be human in her debut art-pop LP, To Give In

Posted on 16 November 2022

After making her art-pop debut in 2020 with her beguilingly dark EP, Life is Strange, Starleen came into her cinematically ethereal own through the unveiling of her ceremonially humanistic LP, To Give In.

To Give In explores our desires to succumb to the forces keeping us on our knees while celebrating our unwavering determination to endeavour the myriad of storms that our chaotic world unleashes upon us. With soundscapes that spill a jarring sense of unease around the assuredly celestial vocals that moodily paint the imperfection of the human experience around the pulsating indietronica rhythms, anyone who accepts the idiosyncratic beauty of the human experience will find a wealth of resonance across the seven soundscapes.

All too often, lyricism paints humanity, as a collective, as what we wish we were, what we aim for; an endless series of pretences held up by scarcely anyone for any enduring length of time before perfectionism becomes a crushing weight. Starleen breaks the mould by upholding the truth behind the facades. Paired with the cathartically artful structuring of the soundscapes, her bold daringness to encapsulate the most harrowing facets of the human psyche in To Give In unleashes a wealth of emotion.

For me, the highlight of the LP came in the form of the penultimate single, Out of Touch, which efficaciously reflects the multi-sensory nature of disassociation. Before the album concludes on the tranquility of the reverb-drenched melodies in From Myself. Any fans of London Grammar and Chelsea Wolfe won’t want to skip it. Actually, that goes for the entire LP. It’s officially in my collection of sad girl playlist staples.

“With this project, I knew I wanted to create a dark world. The message I try to convey is that in life, we have choices. Although going back may tempting, we have to move forward. People and their strength to overcome life’s battles always has been an inspiration to me.

Lyrically I have always gravitated towards artists like Nina Simone, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen because they talk about what it truly means to be human. And that is something I try to bring in my music.”

To Give In is available to stream on Spotify.

Keep up to date with new releases via TikTok and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

VAN ELST – OU ES-TU: Confessionally Resonant Dark Dream Pop

Posted on 22 July 2022

After joining Peter Murphy on his 40th-anniversary tour with his previous band, Desert Mountain Tribe, the Dutch producer, songwriter and drummer VAN ELST focused on crafting dreamy, dark feats of electro, which allow the emotion to outweigh the sum of the sonic parts.

The hooky yet ethereal vocal layers in his single, OU ES-TU, draw you into the monochromatic tones with the grip of quicksand as you sink into the raw confessional lyricism. The ability to expose the most wounded parts of the soul and do it in stylistically reticent form is the mark of a true artist.

As someone who discovered Desert Mountain Tribe on that Peter Murphy tour and was transfixed by the psychedelic cadence of the rhythms, I can’t tell you how stoked I am to see VAN ELST coming into his synth-carved melancholic own.

OU ES-TU will officially release on July 22nd. Check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

QueenK melds RnB with trip-hop in her soberingly evocative release, My Butterfly

Posted on 23 February 2022

RnB and trip-hop collide in QueenK’s latest seductively demure multi-lingual release, My Butterfly, which switches between the independent artist’s mother tongue and English; to mesmerising effect.

My Butterfly falls into the short and sweet trend with a duration of just 1:55 minutes, but QueenK wasted no time in the hypnotic release that mourns the loss of butterflies and questions their existence in her absence. The lyric, “my butterflies don’t fly like they used to”, is particularly striking when versed by QueenK’s vocals that wouldn’t be out of place in a David Lynch production.

My Butterfly was officially released on January 7th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-punk pioneers, Tube Amp 101, are set to release their single, ‘Strawberry Smile’

Posted on 15 June 2021

Perth, Australia’s most promising indie post-punk outfit, Tube Amp 101 are set to release their sophomore EP, True Friend which features their mesmerising lead single, Strawberry Smile.

Fans of Echo and the Bunnymen, Desperate Journalist, Big Thief and the Smiths are sure to appreciate the overdriven tones overlapping snappy, fervent percussion to create a bed for the dream pop-style vocals that add a stunning sense of vulnerability to the release.

Living in Manchester UK, I’ve heard my fair share of post-punk and indie jangle pop, but it is safe to say that nothing flows in the same lusciously dark vein as Strawberry Smile.

You will be able to check out Strawberry Smile from June 18th via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zeli has left the indie electronica scene enraptured with her debut single ‘Almost’

Posted on 1 March 2021

‘Almost’ is the dreamy darkwave debut single from Zeli, an 18-year-old artist and producer who has already left the indie electronica scene enraptured with her intimate approach to production and lyricism.

Billie Eilish comparisons are easy to make but capturing the evocative sensuality behind this moody electro-pop hit is infinitely harder.

The entrancingly dark synth-led melodies groove at a steady tempo, ensuring that each syllable projected into Almost leaves you arrested until you reach the ethereal outro which will undoubtedly leave you feeling as eager as us to hear the London-based artist and producer’s sophomore release.

Almost is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast