Dynamic duo Temptress hit us with their second single of the year, called ‘Baby Blue’.
The London groups RnB infused dark pop vibe is everpresent, with jazzy vocal influences and smooth synth work, the duos latest offering is one of their best yet.
Speaking about their new single, they say;
“‘Baby Blue’ is about acknowledging your sadness, after suffering from anxiety for so many years. This is a way of opening up about the struggles I’ve had and reflecting on my past that lead me to where I am now. It’s about saying I need help and I’m ready to move forward, it’s okay to be sad and how talking openly can help you come to terms with those thoughts and feelings.”
Scottish band, Dancing on Tables, explores a more melancholic side in ‘Not To Need You’.
Written in Nashville alongside legendary songwriter Liz Rose (TaylorSwift, LittleBigTown, CarrieUnderwood), the hopeful song encapsulates the uphill battles everyone goes through in life but reminds us that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sounds like: Sea Girls, Biffy Clyro, Circa Waves, The 1975, Rat Boy, Circa Waves, The Amazons, Blossoms, Wild Nothing, Cassia, Catfish and the Bottlemen
Like an early Billie Eilish, Australian artist Stellie is transforming our take on pop.
Inspired by strong female voices, her tender and personal tales are indie-pop slow-burners that cut straight to the heart. Listen to her hazy new single, ‘How Do We Look So Good?’ below.
It’s great to see GusGus back with another stellar release.
The electronic innovators have released ‘Out Of Place’, highlighting the duo’s affinity for rolling synth-lines and sharp, pop-driven vocals. Listen below.
Sounds like: Simian Mobile Disco, Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, Röyksopp, Goldfrapp, Orbital, Roisin Murphy
Another Newcastle band for us this week – Llovers.
Releasing the infectious new cut, ‘Feeling Sound’, it’s clear that anyone listening to the track will be enamoured by their immense potential, thanks to their irresistible anthemic tendencies with sparkling riffs, sing-along choruses and playful songwriting.
London baroque pop band Weird Milk shares ‘Is That Love?’.
Having already supported indie risers Alfie Templeman and Pip Blom, and about to support APRE on their UK tour, their latest offering doesn’t disappoint.
Songwriter and drummer Charlie Glover-Wright explains, “The song itself is about a relationship turning sour as a lemon and the main character realising that they don’t need it anymore and they’ll be better off on their own.”
Sounds like: FEET, Sports Team, The Magic Gang, Genghar, The Last Shadow Puppets
You may recognise Kelli-Leigh’s vocals from such hits as ‘More Than Friends’ by Jame Hype, ‘I Got U’ by Duke Dumont and Second City‘s ‘I Wanna Feel’, but it’s time for the British singer/songwriter to step out into the light and reveal her first solo music of the decade.
The uptempo pop song, ‘Cotton Clouds’ describes a blissed out relationship. Lovely.
Dutch DIY duo The Day are Laura Loeters from from Antwerp/Belgium and Hamburg based Gregor Sonnenberg.
Sharing the fancy-free video for their cover of ‘Tenderfoot’ by The Lemonheads / Smudge, the latest release is inspired by their youth, as the dream-pop band continue their tasteful take on original classics.
Orlando-based 25 year old Talii has a wicked streak, as can be witnessed in her sultry and dark pop song, ‘Good To Be Bad’.
Born into a musically gifted and diversely talented family of musicians and performers, she began singing at age 3 and was playing the piano and writing songs by age 7. There is no denying her talent.
Introducing the bright and summery sounds of Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter BenjiLewis. We asked Benji to take a break from songwriting and put together a list of his favourite songs for us.
“I keep this playlist updated, always adding new favourites I’m listening to. These ones below are on repeat at the moment for me.”
Ariana Grande – Needy Have over the last few years become a fan of Ariana, her vibe and flow. I love how simple the beats and instruments are. And her vocal just flows effortlessly over the top. It’s pretty, beautiful, a vibe and fun to sing along to and with her.
SZA, The Weeknd, Travis Scott – Power Is Power I absolutely love SZA, she is very cool to me. She gives so much attitude and feeling to her performance. She makes this song for me. The energy though of the entire song, everything comes together to just hit you with this big energy. Pumps me up for the day.
Duckwrth, Rico Nasty, Medasin – LOVE IS LIKE A MOSHPIT Duckwrth is sick, in the best way. Have loved his music and vibe for a while now, since I saw him live at SXSW 2018. Was more into his upbeat stuff. But this song hit me, I really connected with the energy and emotion he gives in this one. Hits you with all the vibes.
Tayla Parx ft Duckwrth – Read Your Mind I became aware of Tayla Parx recently for her collab and writing efforts behind some of the biggest songs from Ariana Grande recently. Then I saw her from this album, ‘We Need To Talk.’ And this song connected with me the most. It’s so vulnerable and really hit me in the feels. It’s beautiful. And the featured vocal from Duckwrth gives it that extra kick it didn’t even need but you secretly wanted.
Conan Gray – Lookalike I’ve know Conan Gray more for his Youtube covers. As I slowly started listened to him more recently. His music, vibe and vocal is something else. He’s completely doing his own thing and killin it. I guess I connect with this one as I’m sure many others do as we all wish someone that we really loved still thinks of us, misses us and possibly sees us in others as we move on. It’s really honest and totally relatable.
JP Saxe – Save Room This guy is one of the most vulnerable artists I’ve come across over the last few years. I saw him live opening for Freya Ridings a year or two ago and been a fan since. This song is so honest and heartfelt, his feelings all spilling out, all out in the open for us to relate to, feel and almost give us a sense of safety while we go through the same emotions getting over a breakup.
Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter This song off her latest EP just has this strength and power to it that I love and connect with. Love her vocal delivery. It’s a good listen. I support what she’s doing and creating right now.
Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler – you were good to me Love both of these beautiful voices and all their collabs. This one is the most recent from an EP they just released this year. Love how their harmonies intertwine and sound just beautiful together. It’s a little bit of magic. I’m sure a lot of effort and thought went into the production and lyrics, and they make it all sound so simple and effortless. It’s an art, and they do it so well.
SZA and Willow – 9 I just love the vibe of this song. There is such a natural flow of the simple music going on underneath and their vocals in and out over the top. Both their vocals go really nicely together.
Beyonce – Diva – Homecoming Live I mean who doesn’t like Beyonce. If you don’t it does make it a little harder for me to be friends with you a ha …but for real. Ok, this song just gives so much energy, some of what you get from watching or listening to anything from Beyonce. She’s a boss. All the power, strength and mood she exudes and gives us. Thank you
MEDUZA and Goodboys – Piece Of Your Heart I was only shown this one recently from a friend of mine who goes by TACHES in LA while we were driving away from a great writing session. It makes you want to move and dance so much, I love it. My favourite part is the where one of the guys says’ “Hold on sorry, how about.” And Then comes the main hook. So smart. I can only imagine that moment in the studio where whoever came up with that main melody. It would have been very cool and special.
Sounds like: The 1975, The Kite String Tangle, Antony Hegarty, Active Child, Gallant, Sam Smith, Solomon Grey, James Blake, Yazz, Jack Garratt, Disclosure
Sweet sweet pop is on the agenda right now, courtesy of NOA who channels some serious Robyn meets Ariana Grande vibes on her new single ‘Hypocritical’.
Expect lighthearted pop vocals, catchy melodies and a resonant emotional theme throughout, from the Toronto-born singer-songwriter.
At the forefront of the neo-jazz revolution is Brighton-based fourpiece Yakul.
Echoes of Stevie Wonder courtesy of frontman James’ indulgent vocals, the unexpectedly cohesive new single ‘Blossoming’ offers playful percussion and razor-sharp fills to create a complex yet vibrant song.
We are intrigued by ORIION‘s genre-bending take on “nostalgic pop”. The musical nomad has lived off a diet of pop icons which has fuelled his cutting edge sound.
His new single ‘Ayodele’ straddles the retro past and the euphoria future. Listen below.
Brighton-based band Will & The People is comprised of Will Rendle, brother Jamie, Jim Ralphs and Charlie Harman.
The new single ‘Gigantic’ is an alt-pop number offering a raw seaside vibe. The video – which you can watch below – showcases their creative side, and features both their hometown and friends and family of the band.
Meet intriguing twin sister duo FUSHIA. Both feminists and musical artists in their own right, their music pulls otherworldly inspiration from various continents.
Their highly vulnerable new single ‘Dreams & Stardust,’ is full of empowering messages daring you to believe in yourself and turn your words into actions.
Sounds like: Bat For Lashes, Kae Astra, Kate Bush, Björk
Stockholm-based Augustine follows up his debut single with ‘A Scent of Lily’ – a cinematic and melancholic interpretation of Ariana Grande‘s ‘Into You’, and the powerlessness of losing yourself in a relationship.
Once again, Augustine takes us on a journey through a future-retro, bombastic-pop soundscape.
Sounds like: PNAU, Foster the People, James Blake, Maggie Rogers, Phoebe Bridgers, Tame Impala, Phoenix
Drinker returns with their latest offering called ‘Wave’.
The partnership of bicoastal NY/LA duo of songwriter Aaron Mendelsohn and producer Ariel Loh, Drinker provides a sonic realm of enlightened experimental-pop and ambient productions.
Listen to the addictive ‘Wave’ below, taken from their upcoming debut LP, ‘Fragments’, released on May 3rd via B3SCI Records.
Sounds like: Yoke Lore, Thom Yorke, James Blake, Trentemoller, The Acid, Fever Ray, Sevdaliza, Tame Impala
Sometimes the best pop songs are the most simplistic, allowing them to be catchy and emotive.
One of these contenders is ‘Change Your Mind’ by New Zealand-based Abby Wolf. An effervescent track which depicts the internal struggle faced when you’re unsure of the right path. Something we all can relate to.
Exciting EDM and pop vocalist ROZES features on Sam Feldt & Yves V‘s new tune, ‘One Day’.
Sam Feldt fell in love with the vocals of ROZES when he heard it on the track she made with The Chainsmokers. So he decided to work with her on a new track, together with Yves V.
Their studio session resulted in a track with the perfect balance between Yves V’s pop dance sound, the uplifting summer tunes of Sam Feldt and the airy vocals of ROZES.
MIG50 & FRANK E MADDOX – Fearless (Gimme The Light)
Finally, to finish the gems off, is the frenetic ‘Fearless (Gimme The Light)’ from a new collaborative project between MIG50 & FRANK E MADDOX.
Both Chicago natives, the track loops in Chicago house basslines with as if it was Sofi Tukker on speed, combined with the fiesty originality of Georgia.
It’s a perfect way of the duo expressing their own artistic style outside of their work with other artists including SIA, NVDES and Empires.
Kiev-born Delena is making waves with her ambitious take on modern pop music and strong message on female empowerment.
Born in Kiev, Delena relocated to a Switzerland school at just 12 years old and went on to London, to study at the London Institute Of Contemporary Music Performance. Music was always in her veins, through her relation to Ukrainian screenwriter, film producer, and director Alexander Dovzhenko.
Ever keen to inspire, we decided to ask Delena to put together a playlist for the Indietronica readers that does just that. Check it out below.
Ariana Grande – God is a woman God is women.
Alicia Keys – Girl On fire The vocal is great.
Beyoncé – Run the World (Girls) It has a very strong message.
Little Mix – Salute It’s the sound of female empowerment.
Gloria Gaynor – I will survive I listen to this song when I’m scared.
Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me I feel very independent.
Lady Gaga – Born this way I’m in a right track baby I was born this way.
Delena – Animal Power and will.
Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman Sexy.
Christina Aguilera – Fall In Line (Feat. Demi Lovato) It’s so important to know who you are and follow what is right for you.
Madonna – Material Girl Madonna is just an icon.
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun Makes me want to dance with my girls.
Aretha Franklin – Respect It’s a statement.
Alessia Cara – Scars To Your Beautiful We are how we are and it’s can be sometimes challenging to except it.
Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money I always say that hard work pays off.
Christina Aguilera – Fighter There is nothing to be afraid of.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Bad Reputation Has a killer punk spirit.
Delana – Done It’s important to say I’m done and move on.
Los Angeles by way of Nashville singer/songwriter Charlee Remitz has just released her album, ‘Sad Girl Music’. It’s full of 80’s inspired synths and breakaway vocals that tell a story of the first flashes of love.
Charlee has put together a playlist together for Indietronica. Check it out below!
Troye Sivan – SUBURBIA
I’ve always admired Troye Sivan’s work in its entirety. His songs are beautifully structured–the melodies, the lyrics, the swelling synths and sparkling production beneath. I tend to stray from most modern pop. It’s become predictable. There are no dramatic or epic imperfections, which is something I think is so important in music. That subtle messy quality, which reminds you this person is human. This side effect of life is relatable. Love is found and lost. Troye Sivan transmogrifies the mundane–that’s what I most admire about this song. It is, in essence, a love letter to suburbia–the most mundane and simple part of our world. Where things look neat and perfect, but wars and exhausted battles are being fought within. Where transformation is often a thing of myth.
Lorde – Homemade Dynamite
Lorde is an elegant songstress. She draws a parallel between princesses and youth, kings and jesters. She has this incredible ability to string all these different parts of life into one teeming soup of tragic, melancholic celebration. There’s an insane relatability there, but also a disconnect, in that you can never imagine rising to such a prodigious understanding of life and its weary inhabitants. I’ve always imagined her heart is a different color than mine. A different shape even. It seems far more resilient and impervious to societal blue. I love how it observes our changing landscape, how it translates it into written word.
Hayley Kiyoko – Sleepover
This song is a wild clump of Forget-Me-Not. That sudden and intense remembrance of everything you had with a lover in your bed, especially knowing you may not ever have it again, as that love is swept away, downstream. But it isn’t nefarious, it’s sweet, it’s a lullaby. There’s no vengeance. I wanted to touch on that same elegance when I wrote about the end of my relationship.
Ariana Grande – Thinking Bout You
I’m not actually a massive Ariana Grande fan. But she does have BIG moments. Big, random, wonderful, spontaneous songs that pop up on each album. “Why Try,” “Thank U, Next,” and this track are all immediate, flawless favorites of mine. A branch of polished pop I can get behind. They all carry like a movie epic. The way they rise and fall, the way she tells a story, it’s like her vocals are afloat.
Aly and AJ – Take Me
This track is a dream. An ode to the 80s. I’ve largely called upon the 80s for inspiration with this album, right down to the fonts used. The 80s have this disconnected sparkle. Everything seems vivid and colorful and the stories are epic, teenagers riding in their classic cars, falling in love on spindle-wired phones. Unrequited love is in drastic overuse, but this story seems brand new. A blue heart turning remarkably pink by the song’s grand finale.
FLETCHER – You Should Talk
I didn’t fully understand this song until I went through a similar situation. Now, it’s the most relatable song to me in the world. There truly is no terror beyond the person you love finding love, comfort, sharing their self and body with someone new. Lately, I’ve been struggling most with the lack of empathy and warmth. The boy I loved, and will probably love forever, has no warmth left. No compassion. When he addresses me, it’s ice cold, and I’m left in his wake, shivering. I’m tired of the misunderstanding. The desire to find a closure that could exist if only he would open up just a bit and tell me his misses me too. It doesn’t need to be our revival, it just needs to be a final, “It was real, but now we let go.”
Katelyn Tarver – You Don’t Know
Simply put, this is the song I cried to, for so long. It’s being misunderstood. It’s wanting to be blue. It’s wishing people would stop poking at you. It’s being sad and not forcing yourself to wipe your tears. It’s ugly. It’s beautiful. It’s just letting it consume you for one moment because you’re sick of being strong. But there’s a triumph in that. Even if it feels like giving up. You’re not. You’re giving in so you can find the strength in unraveling.
John Mayer – In Your Atmosphere
The truest love of mine: John Mayer. Picking just one song was quite the struggle. I landed here because it falls–somewhat–in line with the rest of these. It has that cosmic feel the others do. Some carry it in their production, some in the story, some in the melodic structure. John Mayer is a wordsmith and “In Your Atmosphere” is the perfect break up song for someone like me–who loves being connected to another heart in the world when I’m traveling, who loves coming home to someone. Who loves that drum in my chest, the butterflies in my belly, the buzzing beneath my skin. That anticipation is a miracle. I’ve lost it. I feel terrified I took it for granted and won’t have it again.
Taylor Swift – Call it What You Want
A delicate love story. I remember listening through Reputation for the first time, and winding up in tears after its redemptive finale, with “Call it What You Want” and “New Year’s Day.” I’m not a crier without reason. How she found such a sweet and sound ending to an album that was otherwise filled with revenge, is beyond me, but she did. I wanted to end Sad Girl Music in a similar manner. I wanted it to come full circle. To feel like a journey. To drive, and then, to drift.
Lord Huron – Lost in Time and Space
I was very inclined to select his other, more popular 13 Reasons Why smash success, “The Night We Met,” but felt this track was one I more often heard in my head when I was in a rare moment of silence. Lost in time and space. Isn’t that what we all are? “Drowning in the seas of stars, lost in a galaxy of cocktail bars.” It’s miserable and uplifting. It’s sadness, it’s the distraction you search for, it’s the acceptance: all you have is you. You have you and the stars, and what else–really–do you need? Getting to that place. That final turning moment where you realize, love, as special and beautiful it is with another, love is best enjoyed when it’s found with yourself. When you become resolute–lost in time and space.
We don’t know a great deal about 17 year old German singer ninazo, apart from the fact she creates youthful music that mixes older genres like blues, soul and jazz with house tinged indietronica..
Her new single ‘Rewind’ was written in just two hours with her producer Patrick Wörner, and is damn catchy, perfect for a Boohoo.com generation.
Toronto-based singer-songwriter, Candice Sand shares the perfect pop song, called ‘Just So You Know’.
Candice has worked with Sony ATV producer Rob Wells (ArianaGrande, SelenaGomez, JustinBieber, KeshiaChante, NellyFurtado) to share a confession of saying the words ‘I love you’ while not knowing if the person you are with is ready to receive that love.
