Browsing Tag

LA Pop

Magnus Ferrell put us on the same high with the hazy alt indie RnB pop vibes in ‘Love Drunk”

Posted on 21 November 2022

LA singer-songwriter, Magnus Ferrell, shared the intoxication with his latest single, Love Drunk. As it dropped, a new niche in alt indie-RnB-pop was carved. With Daft Punk-style galvanising highs written into the funky organic grooves, the pink, hazy euphoria comes at you in waves.

Part of Ferrell’s salaciously scintillating authenticity is owed to his jazz piano background. Partly due to his uninhibited boldness when harmonising his uplifting pop harmonies and his determination to make a serious impression on the industry. Given that he’s opening for The Psychedelic Furs in San Diego despite the drastic genre difference, it’s safe to say that he’s well on his way. We couldn’t be more stoked for him.

With the consistently infatuated themes of his singles in his short and sweet discography, you can’t help but get invested in what drops next, like it’s your brand-new binge-worthy Netflix series that you’d happily lose sleep for.

Love Drunk is now available to stream on Spotify. Stay tuned for fresh serenades by following Ferrell on Instagram & TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Pop-Punk’s Fiercest Lyricist, Juliette Irons, Advocated for the Heartbroken in her Latest Anthem, Skydive

Posted on 18 November 2022

After a brush with disorientating heartbreak, the Toronto-born, LA-based artist, producer, and dancer Juliette Irons picked herself up, dusted herself off and released the stormer of a pop-punk anthem, Skydive, as an act of solidarity with anyone feeling the same anxious dejection.

Skydive follows on from her evocative whirlwind, Prisoner of My Mind, which introduced the airwaves to the claustrophobia of anxiety. Still on stellar lyrical form, Skydive ensnaringly traverses the euphoric highs and dark and despondent lows of a situation-ship to prove even if you’re the one broken and bruised, you’re not the loser.

No heartbreak can survive the flood of dopamine that surges from Skydive. The rap verses are the vindicating cherry on the hook-sprinkled pop-punk cake, which tastes like 00s nostalgia, but Juliette Irons always brings her own signature emboldening flavour to the mix.

“Skydive was inspired by the confusion that comes from whirlwind heartbreak. I had just come out of a brief rollercoaster situation-ship that ended abruptly without much explanation. I felt like I had been thrown from a moving plane, woke up on the ground, and I was the only one who jumped.

I had given everything to this person, only to end up a shell of myself as I picked up the pieces during a realisation that everything was over. I hope this song can help other people going through a similar ungrounding shock to the system, and we can be empowered through it together.”

The official music video for Skydive will officially premiere on November 18th. Catch it on YouTube, and stay tuned on Facebook & Instagram, as Skydive is only the first part of the story. The concluding chapter will be told through her follow-up single, The Fear of Flying.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ariana Molkara spellbound us with the spectral lexicon in her orchestral pop single, Boogeyman

Posted on 21 October 2022

LA’s Ariana Molkara became the spooky pop supreme with her orchestrally spellbinding single, Boogeyman. By using spectral lexicon to allude to the haunting nature of breakups, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter and actress staked her claim as one of the most talented songwriters of her generation.

Between the lines “now I’m stuck seeing your ghost, except I want you to haunt me for forever, you being gone is the horror” and “Hey Mr Mr, how about we do something sinister” the imagery grips you with a strength far greater than the fear instilled by the most iconic horror flicks.

Of course, there was no forgetting Molkara from her debut single, Birdies Gotta Fly, which introduced us to her effortless pitch perfection and magnetic vocal presence. Through Boogeyman, Molkara well and truly came into her artful own.

Check out Boogeyman for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Broadway B – Heat Check: High Fire RnB Pop ft. Tara Louise & ThisIsJaySol

Posted on 14 October 2022

Carry the heat of summer with you through Broadway B’s fiery new pop track, Heat Check, which borrows Afrobeat and RnB flavour to bring the sun-bleached grooves, but the melodies are straight-up earworm pop.

With Tara Louise bringing the collaborative chemistry through her seductive harmonies and ThisIsJaySol bringing grit and gravitas through his rap bars, Heat Check is a firestorm of a pop hit that keeps giving.

Broadway B is already an icon in LA; he’s taken to the stages of some of the most renowned venues, including the Viper Room, Peppermint Club and Whisky a Go-Go. He’s also collaborated with high-calibre artists such as Rachel Platten, and opened for household names, such as Twista. His music that is always delivered straight from the soul is an unreckonable force – it is easy to see he has only got started in his bid to win over an international RnB fanbase.

Heat Check was officially released on September 23rd. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Daisyjimes poured demure soul into scorn in her her electro-pop single, Trading Places

Posted on 12 October 2022

LA pop artist, Daisyjimes, poured soul into scorn in her latest single, Trading Places; the luxe lyrically driven electro-pop single utilises minimalist instrumentation to give her vindicating words plenty of room to attack the type of protagonists that we love to look back on and see how far we’ve come from our dependence on them.

Tackling themes of loneliness and the emotional growth that comes as a result of involuntary independence, Trading Places is a tender outpour of vulnerability, one that many people will undoubtedly resonate with in an increasingly individualistic society. The mellifluous cadence of her harmonies takes the sting out of the harsh truths, but this demure hard-hitter is all too efficacious nonetheless.

Stream the official music video on YouTube, which premiered on September 16th, or check out the track on apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Juliette Irons bends the pop genre to breaking point in her viscerally confessional single, Prisoner of My Mind

Posted on 5 October 2022

Lyrically, Juliette Irons reigns supreme over Baby Queen in her latest candour-fuelled alt synth-pop hit, Prisoner of My Mind. The gritty future-pop production plays with tension in the progressions to further amplify the visceral confessional nature of the track which flows through artfully jarring breakbeats and lush synth chords.

The song was inspired by her experience with panic disorder and her determination to help anyone struggling with the same conditions. As someone on a similar anxious wavelength, I can safely say that the badass icon that Juliette Irons has already become has left me inspired about what people can achieve – even when they are struggling with the exhausting shackles of mental illness.

The Canadian-born, LA-based singer-songwriter and choreographer is becoming renowned for her cinematic music videos and flawlessly raw expositions of heartbreak and the other darkest facets of the human psyche. It’s going to be amazing watching her ascend the pop charts.

Prisoner of My Mind was officially released on September 30th. Watch the official music video on YouTube, or add the track to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Maysun reveals the dark side of the ‘Friends with Benefits’ arrangement in her latest jazz-pop serenade.

Posted on 16 August 2022

With a single as heart-wrenchingly stunning as Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good, the LA sultry songstress, Maysun, has left us floored with her latest single, Friends with Benefits.

‘Who cares the least is the winner’ is straight-up lyrical gold; it carries as much wordsmith wit as it does harrowingly candid introspection. The friends with benefits arrangements are often synonymous with ‘fun’, but Maysun exposes the very real dark side with this jazzy pop jam.

Countering the sombre concept is the sweeter than honey instrumental arrangement, which gently sends soul carousing through this unforgettable triumph; produced by Arthur Pingrey.

Friends with Benefits will officially release on August 12th. Check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leeza traverses affectionate fear in her stormy synth pop serenade, Stars

Posted on 10 August 2022

Like swathes of pop fans, we have been caught up in the hype amassing around LA-based singer-songwriter Leeza’s latest single, Stars. A month on from the July release, the smoothly interstellar single has racked up almost 45k streams on Spotify alone.

With the honesty in the lyricism acting as the centre of gravity in this future-pop-meets-old-school-pop-serenade, it’s impossible not to succumb to the romanticism as the track explores our tendency to long for comfort after someone has knocked our emotions out of orbit.

Her commanding vocals over the seductively moody synth lines proved to be a stylish recipe for pop magnetism. It is far from just titularly beyond earth’s atmosphere. Leeza is a conduit of connection who deserves to be lauded for her ability to translate our deepest fears and desires into melodic bliss.

In her own words, here is what Leeza had to say about her latest single

“Stars is a song about finding new love, and all the scary things that come with it that make you want to distance yourself from the person. Regardless of those fears, you realise that you are already in too deep anyway, and just need to give in, fall and see where it takes you, hopefully to the stars!”

With her debut EP, which will also be produced by fellow Berklee alumni, Jordan Sweet, due for release this October, she is more than worth a spot on your radar.

Listen to Stars on Spotify & follow Leeza on Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get your gratitude fix with Nhala’ bubble gum pop-rock hit, Blissfully Distracted

Posted on 3 June 2022

With Beach Boys-style backing harmonies to round off the country nuances in the perfect pop hit, Blissfully Distracted by the LA bubble gum enchantress, Nhala’s tracks will take you higher.

The optimistic track, which hazily orbits around the emotions tied to being in the honeymoon phase, is almost as sweet as indulging in those feelings on a physical level with the new object of your affection. After her angsty no good at love era we’re all too happy to join Nhala on cloud nine.

She’s got the look; she’s got the soul, and, my God, she’s got the voice. Her Taylor Swift meets No Doubt dreamy demeanour more than has what it takes to leave you on a blissful pop plateau.

In her own words, here is what she had to say on the release.

“This is the perfect mood booster that 2022 desperately needs, leaving you craving sunshine & adventure. I’ve learned that appreciating what you have will always bring you more to be grateful for. With this single, I am literally saying “thank you”. I hope this song makes you want to put down your phone, get lost in life and fall in love with whatever that may be for you – this summer and for years to come.”

Blissfully Distracted will officially release on June 3rd. Hear it here, or head over to her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Joyeur – How to Love Yourself and Not Destroy Everything

Posted on 27 May 2022
Joyeur

LA-based electro-pop duo, Joyeur helped their fans get their body beats in their intricately melodic and mindfully quintessential 10-track album, How to Love Yourself and Not Destroy Everything.

With the opening single, Underbelly, which melds Big Black Delta electronic textures with Lady Gaga-level pop supreme style, you are instantly caught off-guard by Joyeur’s ability to shine through the pain lyrically, vocally, and instrumentally. The convergences of genres switch between amalgamations of hip hop, RnB, pop and electro from there on out; the only constant, the artists inclination to vocally shine light on dimmed perspectives.

As someone who knows exactly how it feels to spin a self-destructive narrative and watch the carnage amass around my own spited belligerence, How to Love Yourself and Not Destroy Everything was so much more than just a feat of sonic serendipity.

There has never been such a succinct pop exposition on the necessity of self-awareness and accountability. Joyeur notably has what it takes to draw listeners into a world where they too see the beauty in life’s flaws through music.

The layers of synthetic elements don’t attempt anything all too grandiose between the tracks on the debut LP, leaving plenty of the sonic focus on the sanctity that streams from vocalist Joelle, who found the perfect match with her collaborator and producer, Anna Feller.

Here is what Joyeur had to say on their LP

“The album explores human themes of hopefulness, perseverance, self-acceptance and self-sabotage—experiences that have guided my writing from the beginning

I feel like I’ve torn the veil off my pain, fear, and insecurities to reveal a power that can be used for good. Empowering and accepting myself in this way feels like a gateway to letting love in and stopping undermining my own wants and needs. I can be my own worst enemy.”

The album is now available to stream on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast