Browsing Tag

Indie RnB

Ride the new wave of UK RnB with L’Rockett’s ‘Ain’t My Love Story

Posted on 12 December 2022

Cambridge, UK-hailing singer-songwriter and producer L’Rockett has pushed the envelope of RnB by writing his antithesis of a love letter, Ain’t My Love Story.

Fully owning up to the recklessly dumb assumptions that spring to mind every time someone causes our hearts to skip a beat, the RnB pioneer ripped up all of the fantastical tropes and refused to sell even more unrealistic romantic expectations to his listeners. In his track which melds elements of synth wave, alt-pop and neo-soul into the instrumentals that cradle his vulnerably inviting vocals, L’Rockett stands by his word of taking you to places you’ve never been before.

After making his debut, the exceptionally promising artist has been on heavy rotation on BBC Introducing, with his music being selected for ‘Track of the Day’. Perceptibly, the best is yet to come for the up-and-coming artist as he continues to say the unspoken and breaks boundaries with his sultry electro-pop RnB flavour.

Ain’t My Love Story is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lia J sips bitter memories in her ground-breaking indie-RnB-pop single, Chardonnay

Posted on 19 November 2022

Indie RnB pop sensation, Lia J, oozed sophistication in the jazz-tinged melodies of her latest single, Chardonnay, which melancholically reflects on how a shift in dynamic can sour the sweetest of memories.

The soft bluesy instrumental layers cushion the blow of the bruisingly honest accounts of her new-found loneliness in the wake of heartbreak. We’ve all been there, bravely attempting to figure out how to find new meaning in our surrounds when all we can feel is the ghost of our former selves.

There’s a beautiful idea that we don’t really miss people; we miss the person we were with that person. Chardonnay reflects that sentiment with overwhelming soul. But even if Lia J was singing her shopping list, the effortless class in her semi-vibrato vocals would awaken your senses with the invigorating stir of her vocal timbre.

Chardonnay is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jessica Nicole Brown is an indie Rnb dream come true in The Devil’s Favorite ft. Brian Brown

Posted on 14 September 2022

South-Carolina-born Indie RnB singer-songwriter Jessica Nicole Brown gave us a soulful insight into her reprising torment in her latest single, The Devil’s Favorite, featuring Brian Brown.

The melodiously euphonic single normalises the routine of negative thoughts and actions in a profoundly honest way. All too often those who err on the side of pessimism use it as another reason to reprimand themselves. But this playfully up-vibe protest to existentialism and all of its pitfalls subversively switches the narrative.

Jessica Nicole Brown is evidently an Indie RnB pop dream come true, and her decision to bring the smooth vocal timbre of Brian Brown into the soundscape that exudes Nelly Furtado in her prime vibes was a stroke of genius. The affable chemistry is one of the best aural highs we’ve experienced in 2022.

The Devil’s Favorite will officially drop on September 14th. Catch it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

J. Jeaux exhibits blissful command over rhythm in his RnB debut, More Than Enough

Posted on 23 July 2022

Taking a brief reprieve from composing for video games and media, the singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist J. Jeaux released his debut single, More Than Enough, in June 2022.

Exhibiting his world-building melodies, sweetened R&B vocal lines and songwriting tenacity, More Than Enough rewrites the R&B rules through the warm analogue atmosphere & cuttingly contemporary resonance.

Few breaking artists excel in bringing RnB into this era without assimilation, but the Mexico City-based artist is so much more than your average Frank Ocean carbon copy with his blissful command over rhythm. Even with the tinges of sorrowful sentimentality, More Than Enough is a touch of serenity in our chaos-encompassing times.

More Than Enough is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Beth Macari bites Ouroboros’ tail in her Indie RnB single, Circles

Posted on 1 July 2022

To say that Beth Macari’s latest single, Circles is one of the best UK RnB singles from the past few decades doesn’t come close to hyperbole.

“I don’t think you know what it’s like to be a woman” is something that every woman will have felt in her lifetime. That makes it no less profound when Macari uses it to let solidarity spill from her soundscape, which proves that soul and emboldening energy fit hand in glove; when the grasp of the gravitas is so tight.

The jangly indie-pop elements in the emotion-driven single are nothing short of electrifying as they find their charge through creating friction between the sonic past and an empowered future. We honestly couldn’t love her more.

Circles drops on July 1st; check it out on SoundCloud or by heading to Macari’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Andrew Brown looks for the light in his debut RnB single, In the Dark

Posted on 17 June 2022

For his alt-RnB debut, the independent artist and producer, Andrew Brown, went all-in with the trippy minor-key melodies in his poised yet profoundly raw single, In the Dark, which lasciviously flirts with elements of pop and new wave hip hop after its sombre and ballad-like intro.

When in full momentum, In the Dark is a visceral triumph of experimentalism and straight from the sad boi soul expression. While there is a little room for improvement in the production with the slightly excessive use of phasing, all in all, In the Dark stands as an all too promising debut for Andrew Brown. You can hear it for yourselves by heading to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt-indie artist, André Molina became everyone’s idea of seductive with his latest single, Euphoria

Posted on 8 June 2022

Everyone’s definition of seductive is different, but few will disagree on the broodingly demure power of André Molina’s third single, Euphoria, which explores the visceral highs which follow a hopeless romantic falling deeply.

Indie, alt-rock, orchestral dream pop and extremely nuanced RnB layers all became part of the fabric of the teasingly intimate track, which sensuously blows Closer by Nine Inch Nails out of the water; or at least provides a cinematic modernist alternative.

The Philippines-born, New Jersey-residing artist has an aptitude for giving the rough (almost industrial distortion) with the knee-weakening smooth (his lushly layered vocal harmonies). We can’t wait to watch the inevitable rise of André Molina. Few deserve it more.

Euphoria is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Orlando Rocco Music & Justis Chanell delved beyond superficiality in their indie RnB single, Way You See Me

Posted on 13 May 2022
https://soundcloud.com/user-532179988/way-you-see-me-ft-justis-chanell

Orlando Rocco Music & Justis Chanell became the ultimate RnB collaborative power couple with the release of the East Coast hip hop-influenced single, Way You See Me, which captures that intoxicatingly euphoric feeling of knowing that someone sees you, with their field of vision extending far beyond surface level.

Justis Chanell’s smoothly sultry yet understatedly charismatic vocals resonate against the slick indie RnB grooves that are swathed in layers of shimmering reverb. Way You See Me stands as a contemporary testament to both of their talent. We can only hope that there’s more collab content in the pipeline. Way You See Me was nothing short of alchemically cathartic for the way the sophisticated style runs on a par with the level of soul.

Way You See Me will be officially released on May 13th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The RnB-inclined fusionist, KaEl has released his alchemically intimate single, LondonTowne

Posted on 24 April 2022

‘LondonTowne’ is the standout seminal release from the RnB-inclined genre alchemist, KaEl. At the start of his career, the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter committed to expressing his life, epiphanies, and afflictions through his music; he definitely came through in LondonTowne.

The low honeyed bass guitar and soft bluesy electric guitars create a stunning dynamic to the instrumentals that mellifluously flow under KaEl’s passionately demure classic-style RnB vocals. Any fans of Prince, Frank Ocean, Ye and Tyler, The Creator won’t want to miss out on this euphonically unforgettable release.

The official music video for LondonTowne is available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jspino has released the ultimate you-will-see-me single with his latest RnB-Latin-Pop earworm, Noticing

Posted on 22 April 2022

Indie RnB artist, Jspino, laid it out all on the line in his latest Latin pop-spliced hit, Noticing. The track sinks its teeth into the frustration that manifests when there is that soul-obliterating feeling of knowing that the person you want to see you the most have their blinkers on to your autonomy.

As the perfect contrast to the fiery RnB pop vocals, there’s a deep sense of melodicism that cushions the blow of the hard-hitting beats which match the progressively intense vocal momentum. It is hardly a stretch to say that Noticing is easily one of the rawest RnB tracks we’ve heard this year. We hope Jspino follows his own trend.

Noticing officially dropped on April 15th; you can check it out via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast