Browsing Tag

Indie RnB

DJBrandice is more than ‘Good Enough’ in her latest gospel-inspired RnB single.

Posted on 20 April 2022

Houston TX RnB artist and producer, DJBrandice has released her gospel & hip-hop-infused latest single, Good Enough. Over a simple yet striking melody, the deeply compassionate lyrics smoothly move through notions of self-worth in the context of relationships that plant seeds of doubt.

Even with the heart-wrenching honesty in the lyrics, the nuances of Christian music brings a resolving dynamic to the release that is full of aural salvation for anyone with a confusing sense of self-worth. The instrumentals may be minimal, but with DJBrandice’s unique sonic signature written in the mix and her resoundingly evocative vocals, Good Enough is more than that; it’s exceptional.

Good Enough is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LJ Gomez proves that patience is a romantic virtue in his latest alt-indie single, Soon

Posted on 9 April 2022
LJ Gomez

Austin, TX alternative artist, LJ Gomez, let the soul pour in his hazily sweet latest lo-fi single, Soon. Fans of Radiohead, Bon Iver, Ye, and James Blake will want to bathe in the trippy tape-effect saturated guitar tones that complement the glitchy trip-hop beats.

By opening with the lyric, “is it possible to miss somebody that you never knew”, you’re instantly disarmed by LG Gomez’s candour and artful vulnerability. Even if the question was hypothetical, the answer is a resounding yes. There’s nothing quite as melancholy stirring as needing someone that doesn’t yet exist in your peripheral vision. And on the other hand, there’s nothing quite as sweet as the grasp of the belief that the right one is right around the corner.

Check out LJ Gomez on SoundCloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: FEAT delivered all of the curatively cathartic soul in his indie RnB single, This Time

Posted on 6 April 2022

‘This Time’ is the latest single released from the Philadelphian alt-RnB artist, FEAT, who has been on a home run with his soul-baring hits since making his debut in 2020.

Some of the tracks that featured on his debut album, For the Lovers Mixtape, have made it onto the OST for the indie film, The Unhinged, and his smooth sonic signature works just as well on the airwaves. Lyrically, this Time explores the very human tendency to stay in toxic dynamics for longer than is healthier while channelling compassion for others in the same situation. Aurally, This Time is a rock and indie guitar-licked distinctive triumph that stands as the ultimate testament to FEAT’s originality. It was a bold move to be so artfully authentic, but it more than paid off in This Time.

Here’s what FEAT had to say on his latest release

“This Time was a song written during a breakup. After numerous attempts to make the relationship work, I was left with disappointment and dissatisfaction and hurt. This song became a way to relieve the undesirable emotions; it was time for me to realize my potential, what I am capable of, and to disconnect from a love that was so very tragic.”

This Time is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lauren Tuchscherer shows how gravitas is brought to raw moody alt-indie RnB pop with her seminal single, Complicating

Posted on 2 April 2022

After garnering plenty of hype with her previous releases, the up-and-coming RnB alt-pop trailblazer, Lauren Tuchscherer, has released her seminally raw single ‘Complicating’.

The moody and barbed-soul-steeped track unravels as an indulgent juxtaposition for the way it feels so candid and vulnerable but still carries a slick and resounding production that effortlessly sets Lauren Tuchscherer apart from her contemporaries.

With a vocal style that sits somewhere between Lady Gaga and Eilish and lyrics that get to the core of dissonant frustration, there’s no evading the weight of Complicating. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Check out Complicating for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KANITHA has us gripped in her trauma-bond exploring indie alt-pop hit, VICES.

Posted on 11 March 2022

The San Diego-hailing Cambodian-American alt-pop artist KANITHA (Marjorie Huot) has released her most arrestive RnB pop single to date with VICES, which captures the people-pleasing and co-dependent tendencies that can form through trauma-bond-forming tumultuous relationships.

If you know, you know. If you don’t, VICES will open your eyes Clockwork Orange style to the type of trauma that emotional abuse can bury within us. The lyric, “he only likes me when I’m on my on my knees begging him to give a fuck about me”, is soberingly succinct; few lyrics have captured the nefarious nature of abusers so vividly.

We can’t wait to hear what KANITHA has in store with her upcoming EP; the depth of her emotional intelligence is enough to put most artists on the airwaves to shame. And that is without mentioning the evocative weight of her light vocal timbre against the chamber pop style RnB instrumentals. We’re officially infatuated.

VICES will officially release on March 11th, 2022. You can check it out for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Santi Castro showed us the depth of his affectionate introspection with his indie RnB pop track, Best I Can Do

Posted on 5 February 2022

Since making his debut two years ago, the Richmond, US-hailing indie RnB pop artist, Santi Castro, has consistently proven to be the total package. With lyrics that reel you in as much as the juicy choral indie hooks and the sweet soulful sincerity in the harmonies, his single, Best I Can Do, is the perfect introduction.

Thanks to the finesse in the lyrics “I would give you answers even where your questions felt playing lost and found”, “I’ve been looking for you in all these other women but they don’t have a heart like you” Castro transcends the usual cliché tropes and affirms that this track came straight from the soul. Lyrical poetry like this doesn’t come cheap.

You can delve into Best I Can Do yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indigo Indiibabi lets her soul drive in her RnB single, Automatic

Posted on 20 January 2022

Up and coming RnB artist Indigo Indiibabi penned an old school serenade for her latest single, Automatic, which takes the unlikeliest romantic hallmark and allows it to become a vehicle for her affection for the person behind the wheel in their romance.

Old school and new school collide as the contemporary and atmospheric beats set a sultry atmosphere and Indigo Indiibabi’s gorgeously layered vocals bring the old school soul. Despite the mellow textures, there’s a panoramic feel to the dynamism that is laid out in this shamelessly impassioned release that wears its heart on its sleeve.

Check out Indigo Indiibabi’s latest single, Automatic, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leo breaks through the heartbreak in his indie-soul single, Helicopter Leaves

Posted on 16 January 2022

If you like your RnB fed through plenty of wobbly tape echo delay, the up and coming artist Leo’s latest single, Helicopter Leaves, is exactly the kind of hazy indie RnB pop catharsis you want to delve into. In sentiment, Helicopter Leaves is a bitter-sweet release that explores the memories and emotions shared with an ex, but Leo never bows to the melancholy; he keeps the tone as bright as his infectious optimism.

It was a bold move to try and make it with Leo as a mononym, but based on Helicopter Leaves, he has the right amount of talent and soulful warmth to do exactly that. If anyone is this generation’s answer to Jack Johnson, it is the 24-year old Massachusetts-hailing singer-songwriter that entrenches his work in his deep spirituality and determination to connect the dots that nature leaves creatives to play with.

Helicopter Leaves is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: NIA paints a portrait of inner turmoil in her downtempo alt-RnB single, Distant Colors

Posted on 14 December 2021

‘Distant Colors’ is the latest compassionately composed single from the New York-born, Philadelphia-based alt-RnB artist, and producer, NIA. Her signature spiritualism weaved its way into the downtempo release that explores inner turmoil for the emotionally attuned. For anyone who has ever cursed the depth of their emotional intellect, Distant Colors will act as an olive branch of empathy. As NIA’s light vocal timbre falls into the echoey and reverb-drenched shimmering guitars, the solid, steady drumbeats give the track enough structure while letting the ambience breathe through. The single was written, recorded and produced at NIA’s home studio; before being mixed and mastered by Tito Orjih at Oscar’s Greenhouse.

Here’s what NIA had to say about the release:

“My single, Distant Colors, expresses the raw emotion of being in tune with our inner struggles. Not only does this downtempo R&B tune tackle the feeling of isolation; it also represents the realness of the relationship that we have with ourselves.”

NIA started songwriting at an early age; on her journey to adulthood, she’s continued to hone in on her inexplicable talent that will instantly pique the interest of fans of Sade. Shortly after graduating from Shippensburg University, she established her record label, Chill Room Records and formed her band, The Chill Room Band. With new material in the pipeline, she’s definitely one to watch.

Distant Colors is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Charlotte Ooi delves into the unknown with her intimately sultry RnB single, Never Know

Posted on 10 December 2021

Charlotte Ooi proved how sultry bedroom pop always could be with her debut single, Never Know, which was released on December 3rd. If any artist warrants coining the genre ‘boudoir pop’ for, it is this London-based intimately evocative RnB pop artist.

Breathy vocals can be hit or miss, but Charlotte Ooi’s light vocal timbre is right on the money in her emotionally vulnerable release that delves into the unknown. In her own eloquent words, this is what Never Know lyrically encompasses:

“My new single shines on topics about vulnerability, hope and the essential need to embrace all types of emotions. I’ve personally struggled with a lot of anxiety moving a lot throughout my life and it has also become quite common in our society, so this song seeks an emotional intimacy with the audience.”

Check out Never Know for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast