Well, this is just a brilliant piece of music, isn’t it?
Dramatic and cinematic through and through, ‘Golden’ is the new collaborative effort from New Zealand-born and Los Angeles-based Space Above (aka Aaron Short, formerly of The Naked And Famous) and So Below.
Two talents in their own right, their contrasting expressions within the electronic worlds collide into a wonderful stroke of ‘space tech’ and ‘goth pop’.
Sounds like: Sigor Ros, Ulrich Schnauss, Bat For Lashes, The Naked And Famous, Ryan Vail & Elma Orkestra, Phantogram, Broods
We’ve been desperately searching for some sweet, nostalgic heartbreak songs to play on the radio during our late night drives and we’ve just found one – ‘Awake’ by STRUAN.
Surprisingly written with this in mind, STRUAN explains he created ‘Awake’ because he was out in Los Angeles and couldn’t sleep thinking about his ex.
Sounds like: LANY, Great Good Fine Ok, Joan, The 1975
Rising Belfast dream-pop trio Beauty Sleep creates magical, synth-driven music. The three met at a friend’s party and bonded over a mutual love of G&Ts and music.
They are gearing to release their debut LP, ‘Be Kind’ is set for release on 17th May on Quiet Arch records. Listen to ‘The Dark’ below.
Following a stint of live shows last year, including Latitude Festival, Caswell releases ‘Surface’, a song of self-discovery and re-empowerment to reach a potential she didn’t realise she had the whole time.
It’s a crisp and clear rendition with definite musical intentions, and sets the tone for her second EP, to be released in April.
Sounds like: Låpsley, Skott, Lorde, Charlotte Cardin, Jorja Smith, JONES, Ray BLK, Sigrid, Maggie Rogers
Meet O Future (fka OOFJ), an electronic duo mixing electronics with symphony orchestra and voice consisting of Jens Bjornkjaer originally from Denmark and Katherine Mills Rymer from South Africa, now located in Los Angeles.
O Future’s new single ‘VOYEUR’ gains pleasure in watching other people’s vanity from afar in what the duo calls a “global turn on”, and with a gorgeously, exciting looping bass line throughout, what’s not to enjoy?
Current favs, Sea Girls, share their latest single, ‘Open Your Head’ – it’s about unconditional love and is another brilliant addition to their stellar back catalogue
Can’t wait for their album? In the mean time you can catch them at one of their live dates in the UK this February and March…
Sounds like: The Kooks, The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, Swimming Tapes, Slow Riot, Two Door Cinema Club
After landing support from the Arts Council England’s International Development fund, Leaone found himself working from Transmitter Park Studios in Brooklyn New York, alongside multi-instrumentalist and producer Tom Marsh (of Lana Del Rey’s band) and Abe Seiferth (Yeasayer, Bears In Heaven, James Murphy), on a body of new material.
The result is ‘Prairie Fires’, a deeply devastatingly emotive song that Leaone wrote at a time when he had to leave behind a blossoming romance.
Last but definitely not least is Girl Crush, the music and fashion project of Swedish/British duo, Ottilia Kjulsten and David Sugar.
These two have a special interest in lost youth, lust-stricken heartbreak and a future that never arrived, which they define as “promcore”. Their new single ‘Baby Steps’ is out now via Brilliance Records.
p.s. Want to be as cool as these guys? Then buy one of their limited edition pieces of merchandise which they offer with every track release.
Sounds like: Niki & The Dove, LOVE SICK, So Below, Ralph, Anna of the North, Call Me Loop, SUMif
Another Los Angeles-pop songstress, TRACE has just shared her new single, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ – a song about first impressions.
TRACE is the daughter of Vietnamese pop icon Carol Kim, and has always been surrounded by music. Despite trying not to follow in her mum’s footsteps, TRACE couldn’t resist penning tracks and recording them in the bathroom.
Listen to one of the results below.
Sounds like: Lana Del Rey, Laurel, Tove Lo, Broods, GEMS, Lykke Li, Phantogram, So Below, Jessie Ware, LUEM, Cat Power, Lorde, James Blake, Banks
Rock musicians-turned electronic producers Polarbearz share ‘Recognize’. Despite being located in the distant Lapland and writing a song about being different, the duo have managed to create music that sounds so on point.
We’ve been fans of New Zealand talent, So Below, for a while now.
We wanted to find out what helps So Below write her incredibly reflective, dark electronic pop, so what better way than her expressing it in a playlist?
“In this playlist I feel like a have a memory or feeling associated with each song, they all have a nostalgic quality to them. Like The Dodos track for example makes me think of sitting on my mums roof at her old house in Auckland and drinking beers with my friends in summer. Or the Trentemoller track makes me think of waiting at the bus stop for the bus to go to work and its pouring down with rain. All such great songs!”
Sounds like: Raindear, Kate Boy, The Naked And Famous, MUNA, Ofelia K, Monogem, Bo Rocha
Los Angeles-based Ofelia K creates wistful pop music.
In her track ‘Killing Me’, and like the female character with a similar name in Hamlet, Ofelia considers the highs and lows of falling in love, pondering her decisions.
BEL is 20 year old singer/songwriter, Isabelle Rich, from Melbourne.
‘Melancholia’, is an extremely strong debut of alternative electronic pop with emotionally charged lyrics that pierce the soul, produced by John Castle (VanceJoy).
Of the track, BEL explains;
“Melancholia provides an introspective depiction of what it’s like to be inside my head. Lyrically, it’s rich in raw emotion and personal truth. Our minds can make us think and feel all sorts of interesting and strange things, but it’s how we consolidate these sentiments that defines us as people.”
Her six-track debut EP will be released in the Australian summer.
So Below (aka Madeline North) returns to Indietronica with ‘Far’.
Perhaps it is a song about the distance from her native New Zealand. Perhaps not. But what we do know is that So Below effectively creates moody electro pop from the dark depths of her beautiful soul.
She has worked with fellow Los Angeles based Kiwi musicians Aaron Short (The Naked And Famous), Sam McCarthy (Kids Of 88) and Leroy Clampitt (Taste Nasa) to help her produce her demos and ultimately complete what has become her debut self-titled EP.
Sounds like: Raindear, Kate Boy, The Naked And Famous, MUNA, Ofelia K, Monogem, Bo Rocha
Strong folk and soul influences guide the music of Los Angeles-based, TRACE. Add tender electronic production and brooding words into the mix, and you have her new track called ‘Honey’.
We are expecting great things from TRACE.
Listen below.
Sounds like: Broods, GEMS, Lykke Li, Phantogram, So Below, Jessie Ware, LUEM, Cat Power, Lorde, James Blake, Banks
