Introducing Illyin Pipes, a blissed-out pop duo from Toronto.
Their mutual affinity for textured soundscapes, layered harmonies and heavy electronic synths, fully presents itself in their melancholic debut EP, ‘Waking Up’.
We asked Illyin Pipes to put together a playlist for Indietronica to coincide with the EP release.
Little Dragon – Feather Have always loved Little Dragon and Feather feels like a dreamy modern take on 80s synth-pop meets 90s trip-hop. I love a vibey vocal and airy synth over a driving bass line.
Arthur Russel – That’s Us/Wild Combination I heard this song for the first time two years ago and fell deeply in love with it. I had a challenging couple of months shortly after finding it and truly couldn’t listen to any other song. Just this over and over. And it’s still my very top favourite.
Radiohead – House of Cards Everything Thom Yorke touches is a dream to me. His solo releases are beautiful and I love his contemporary dance music videos. House of Cards is on this list because it’s so perfectly vulnerable, and my top pick from “In Rainbow’s” which I come back to all the time.
Brian Eno – The Big Ship I usually listen to Brian Eno’s hour-long tracks, but Big Ship is a cinematic, emotional shorty.
10CC – I’m Not In Love I discovered this song in high school and burned it onto a CD with a bunch of my other favourites at the time. Still playlisting it a decade later! It’s so soft and I love the weird whisper section partway through.
Hundred Waters – Murmurs I love Hundred Waters’ quiet vocals and acoustic piano over bold drum choices/effects.
Solange – Losing You Such a sweet pop song. Dev Hyne’s nails the writing/production.
Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place/Naive Melody David Byrne’s lyrics are amazing and the repetitive bass line makes me want to listen to it forever. The live version from “Stop Making Sense” is so good.
Jon Hopkins – Open Eye Signal This song transports me to a dark club fantasy in my mind. I have closed my eyes and danced to this song many times.
Aphex Twin – #3 (Rhubarb) This song is what got me into ambient music. Airy/calming/sweet/meditative. I often listen to it when I’m writing.
Blood Orange – Best to You Feat. Empress Of Another Dev Hynes track but a duet with Empress of. So dancy!
Beach House – Sparks I love the steady shoegaze-y guitar and alto vocals. I’m also a sucker for songs that don’t change chords at the bridge: altering the melody of the vocal for a moment, or going to an interlude is always my songwriting instinct.
Massive Attack – Teardrop The vocals are an inspiration: so close they’re almost whispered, then building dynamically at all the right times.
Washed Out – Feel it All Around Dreamy, lo-fi, psychedelic, synth-pop <3
The Cars – Drive Total 80s heaven. I love the subtle and emotional lyrics. We’ve covered this live a couple of times and it feels really nice to play.
You can listen to the EP below.
Sounds like: Susanne Sundfør, Lykke Li, RALPH, Vera Blue, BANKS, Washed Out
It’s the first time we’ve heard of the band, but what we can say is their ability to combine retro-smooth production, with electronic synths and falsetto makes a highly addictive, mesmerizing sound.
Australian artist cln makes a melancholic declaration with his new single ‘Fade To Grey’.
The groovy and downtempo song was born following cln’s experimentation with new sounds and textures, and may not fit his usual “sound”, but that’s the way he likes it.
Torn Palk‘s new single, ‘Juliana,’ is pure, sun-soaked bliss.
The musician, who remains anonmyous, drifts his music between lazy guitar riffs and seaside soundbites.
He describes the single, “Juliana’ is about a situation in which you feel fully connected to your surroundings. This can be a place, a person or memories of both. It’s a simple love song.”
Exciting new talent, Akurei shares his new single ‘Stockholm’.
Conjured up during his solo trip across Europe, ‘Stockholm’ was actually written on his phone in a hostel in Berlin, and covers the topic of loneliness and the longing for a connection to encounter while travelling alone.
Co-produced with Golden Vessel, the track effortlessly switches between hip-hop and pop worlds. Golden Vessel also filmed the stylist DIY video which can be viewed here.
Exciting newcomer EMM creates music from a unique perspective, yet her music is undeniably “EMM” when you listen to it – classically produced, authentic pop.
Landing a hand in every instrument in the track, as well as every word and melody you hear, ’11’ is another powerful ballad that comes from her past struggles of eating disorders, mental health issues, many industry evils.
Delena (fka Boba K) shares her new single ‘Animal’. She creates honest pop music with a gritty edge.
‘Animal’ is a powerful anthem of self-confidence, strength and belief, elevated by her flawless vocal delivery. Speaking of the track, Delena explains,
“I wanted to write a song which could mean something more. The moment I walked into the studio I knew exactly what the song would be about.I didn’t want a love song. I wanted a song with strength, power and authenticity! I wanted anybody who heard it, to find themselves in it!”
We’ve been fans of Summer Heart (aka frontman and producer David Alexander) for a while now.
The fourth release in his #12SongsOfSummer project, in which he would release a brand new track each and every month is called ‘Touch’, a woozy psych-pop number about playing the game of life.
It’s out now via Perfect Texture Records.
Sounds like: Swimm, Hazel English, Washed Out, Day Wave, Teen Daze, Toro y Moi, Animal Collective
Aaron Taos discusses the topic of depression and constant battle between dark and light in his new single ‘Loneliness’.
The video portrays the feeling of isolation Taos felt during a rough patch he found himself in, where he wasn’t able to leave the house. He managed to get through it by appreciating the relationships around him, specifically that of his girlfriend at the time – “She was a shining light through my dark time, reminding me that as important as your goals are, connection and love is the foundation of feeling good and whole.”
Nightseason got its start when drummer-turned-producer Patrick Zeinali scoured through Spotify for a voice to accompany his new project and located Jordan Caiola. Following this digital trend, their new EP ‘Coasts’ was later written exclusively via email and touches on themes of love.
You can listen to their new single, ‘Wear The Treads Off’ which is stripped-back and a beauty of a slow-burner.
Their ‘Coasts’ EP is out now.
Sounds like: Talos, Honne, Yoke Lore, Sir Sly, Alt-J
Born surrounded by Turin, and now residing in the city of Milan, singer/songwriter GINEVRA uses conflicting atmospheres of these two worlds to create exposing music with no obvious path.
‘Forest’ is about love and is out now via Factory Flaws.
With comparisons to soul heavyweights, Jessie Ware and Jorja Smith, it’s difficult not to stop and listen to London-based Billie Black.
Taking a slightly different direction to her former releases (including those with Mura Masa), Billie’s ‘After All’ has strings and delicate vocals, perfectly showcasing vulnerability, passion and desire.
People need to stop driving and taking selfies. Look at the road, take in the scenery and put this track by Paul Cook & The Chronicles on.
Inspired by a road trip, Cook wrote the slow-drive track, ‘Selfies’ over a 24 hour period during the heatwave in London in 2018. Expect a new full length in 2019.
Twenty one year old Taylor Grey is getting poetic in her new single ‘Heathers’.
With pop melodies, this girl reminds us of an early VÉRITÉ, using songwriting as a form of therapy and a way to empower the younger generation with her vulnerability.
Sounds like: VÉRITÉ, Selena Gomez, Sabrina Carpetner, Dua Lipa
Her new single ‘I Can’t Look Away’ addresses the positive effects of a romantic interest in a blissful manner.
Citing her main influence as being Christine and The Queens, we also sense a huge influence from Marina & The Diamonds in the tone of Dunn’s music as well.
Sounds like: Marina & The Diamonds, Kelly Clarkson, Christine and The Queens, VÉRITÉ
We recently discovered rising pop-star, Harlee and we haven’t been able to get enough of her stunning debut four-track EP, ‘It’s Personal’.
The lead single from the EP, ‘Now I Know’, was written when Harlee was just 14 and explores the feelings that she experienced coming out of her first relationship and the first time she had ever felt pain.
Emphatic electro-pop band WYVE from France share their upbeat debut single, ‘Sunset on the Bay’.
Groovy by nature, WYVE effortlessly bounce between 80’s retro vibes and contemporary drumbeats and sugary synths. Having already made a start on their debut album, we are excited about what’s to come from the musical pioneers.
Anna Pancaldi releases her guitar-driven song, ‘Peace’.
Since working with producer Matt Ingram (Florence & The Machine, Lianne La Havas, Laura Marling), Pancaldi has really got down to business honing her sound and adding more grit to her already heart-felt songwriting skills.
On ‘Peace’, Pancaldi states,
“A challenge at first but now an exhilarating awakening having discovered and then explored the electric guitar. ‘Peace’ is my first ‘foot stomper’ track which I think will surprise listeners who’ve been on the journey with me so far. It feels a bold evolution for me so here we go.”
Sounds like: London Grammar, Adele, Rhye, Birdy, Maiday, Courtney Barnett
Uk producer Calper and North London artist Latir have teamed up on new single ‘Run To The Moon’.
With it’s subtle of hints of dance sensibilities, the track never quite takes off in that direction, but it’s not big deal as we absolutely love the romantic escapism inspired in the track.
Canadian producer and remixer, Tep No, returns with new single ‘Fighting’.
Summer-ready production, floating vocals, and topics of melancholy make this the perfect way to see through the end of summer.
Speaking about his brand-new single ‘Fighting’, he says,
“‘Fighting’ is about the difficulty of breakups and moving past relationships, feeling like a part is taken away when it’s over, the loneliness, not knowin how to move on.”
Sounds like: Robin Schulz, Klingande, Goldroom, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Bon Iver, Summer Heart, Washed Out, Day Wave
Experimenting with vocal chops and melodic riffs, ‘Horizons’ is upbeat and memorable.
Exciting Nashville producer and creator Super Duper has managed to do something unheard of – create a repetitive song that is quite simply addictive, and in no way annoying. Even Super Duper puts it on repeat, and you should too.
Surprisingly, we’d not heard of Nashville-based singer/songwriter, Daniella Mason, before today, and quite frankly, we are blown away by her talent for crafting beautiful and intelligent pop music.
A journey of loss, Mason’s new record stands as one of four EPs that she’ll be releasing over the course of the next year as part of her State of Mine sound series. Each album — Emotional State, Physical State, Mental State, and Spiritual State — will explore the different parts of our humanity that we tend to suppress and have difficulty embracing.
Sounds like: Imogen Heap, The Japanese House, Robyn, Maggie Rogers, Billie Eilish
Charlee Remitz creates synth pop full of big dreams.
Having recently moved from Nashville to Los Angeles, the singer/songwriter’s music shines. Her new single ‘Forever Like This’ has lashings of 80’s inspired synths and breakaway vocals that tell a story of the first flashes of love.
It is the third single from her upcoming sophomore album, ‘Sad Girl Music’, out on 9 November.
We featured his new single, ‘Obsessed’ featuring Clara Hurtado, not that long ago and he’s come back with a lively new video for it. These two don’t take themselves too seriously, which is pretty refreshing.
If you follow CUB’s Twitter you will see more videos of him and Clara goofing around.
Finnish sister duo LCMDF release ‘Waterfalls’, taken from their ‘Sad Bangers’ album, out now.
Don’t be misled by the ironically positive pop keys and resulting euphoric climax in ‘Waterfalls’, as this is an ode to Generation Y, the modern day “baby boom” generation who were born in the 1980s and 1990s…and the ones who struggle in today’s society.
Newcomer YOUTH (aka songwriter and producer Steven Mudd) is also one half of the critically acclaimed indie-pop duo, Golden Coast.
His debut single ‘Fire’ is energetic from the get go, with a steady drum beat and finger clicks throughout, perfectly blending with the anthemic feel of the song.
We do like a good festival, and after hearing that NOS Alive in Lisbon, Portugal is up there as one the world’s best music festivals, we decided to plan a trip in July to find out what all the fuss is about!
In the mean time, buckle up and check out our ones to watch within the indietronica genres (looks like we’ll mainly see you at the Sagres Stage then!).
THURSDAY 12 JULY
Friendly Fires, Sagres Stage
Energetic Brit boys Friendly Fires return to the festival circuit after a hiatus.
Having already had massive success with hits such as ‘Paris’, ‘Jump In The Pool’ and ‘Skeleton Boy’, their new single ‘Love Like Waves’ doesn’t disappoint and continues the theme of tropical-tinged synth sounds.
Expect a highly fun and bold performance at NOS Alive.
Jain is a multi-cultural singer/songwriter and self confessed beat-maker, originally from France, but who has also spent time in Dubai and The Congo.
Jain means achieving liberation of the soul, and that’s exactly what this music embodies with its flecked sounds of African rhythms with simple, yet vibrant vocals.
Watch the video for highly recognised song ‘Makeba’ below and catch Jain at the Sagres Stage on Thursday.
One artist we are super stoked to check out live is Khalid.
The American singer/songwriter originally started writing music during his college years, where he was also declared prom king. Amalgamating an array of sounds from classical, pop to hip hop, Khalid shows a real sense of urgency in his music.
We can’t get enough of his track with Billie Eilish, and can’t wait to see him perform at NOS Alive.
Sounds like: Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Father John Misty, Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Lorde, James Blake, Billie Eilish
Indie rockers Wolf Alice have been our firm favourites from the UK for some time now. They never disappoint at a live show, fronted by a fresh-faced Ellie Rowsell’s seemingly blasé but endearingly nervous attitude.
Expect a set full of their most brilliant tunes…so that’s all of them then!
Sounds like: Black Honey, Peace, Superfood, Foals, Circa Waves, Harry
Sampha is to be one of the UK’s best musical exports in 2018.
He has a knack for writing songs with deep and personal lyrics of pain and reflection, some of which have unfortunately has stemmed from health hardships suffered with his family at home, and we can’t help but think we are supporting him on this journey.
Truly thought-provoking stuff, definitely worthy of a slot at NOS Alive.
Sounds like: Jessie Ware, Frank Ocean, Solange, Moses Sumney, James Blake, Chet Faker, SBTRKT, Dallas Green
Future Islands‘ front man Samuel T Herring’s dancing is reason enough to go watch these guys at NOS Alive. And of course, the US synthpop band are wildly brilliant in as many unique, refreshing and inspiration ways possible.
Feisty feminist attitudes and catchy lyrics is what CHVRCHES brings to the table.
Lauren Mayberry has faced her fair share of trolls online, but to her testament, the Scottish trio continue to go from strength to strength. We are very much looking forward to this show!
Sounds like: Kate Boy, Avec Sans, Purity Ring, Vogue Dots, R.A.B.B.I.I., Kaleida, Gems, IYES, For Esmé, ALMA, Pale Hands, Acre Tarn, Prinze George, Leitbur, Monogem, PALMEDO, NONONO, Still Corners, MUNA
Imagine if M83 and Joanna Newsom met one day and decided to make some music. The result would be the quirky and ambient tones of Portuguese Surma (aka Débora Umbelino).
Working with loop pedals, the solo artist works with analogue and digital sounds creating a primal yet sonic environment.
Kicking off Saturday’s ones to watch are Lisbon natives, Lotus Fever.
They fit somewhere in-between Alt-J and Pink Floyd and it’s really refreshing to hear. We are expecting a super tight performance, thanks to their longstanding stint together since 2011 and it being their local city.
Their music has tendencies to sway in the 60’s, psychedelic market – imagine riding on a surfboard in space. However, we expect their set at NOS Alive to be a relaxed affair, where you can chill out and have a cider…or ride a surfboard in space, whatever takes your fancy!
Less under the radar than the counterparts in this piece, but still worthy of a slot on one’s to watch at this year’s NOS Alive. The mighty MGMT!
The eclectic US-based duo are known for their otherworldly take on modern indie rock music, often combining psychedelic synths, crunchy guitars and stodgy vocals with fun videos.
Sounds like: Empire of the Sun, Foster the People, Tame Impala, Portugal. The Man
Covering topics such as sexual abuse, suicide and alcohol abuse, Perfume Genius (aka Mike Hadreas) is one such musical role model we want to be more involved with.
His music represents such struggles and recoveries in a camp but delightfully magnificent way.
Sounds like: Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent, Kate Bush, M83, David Bowie, Future Islands, Fever Ray
With a warming lo-fi sound, Brooklyn-based dream team, Real Estate is our last act to consider watching at NOS Alive.
Run by childhood friends who played in their backyards during the summer months, Real Estate write simple and endearing songs full of luminous guitar riffs and delicate synths.
We envisage this show to be a perfect end to a perfect weekend.
Singer Georgi Kay is warning us about guilty pleasures in her new single.
Quintessentially indietronica-based, ‘Guilty Pleasures’ is a song about falling in love with someone who, despite the deep emotional connection being mutual, is romantically tied down by another.
The story goes something like “when we’re good, we’re good. And when we’re low, we’re low”. Sound familiar?
Satin Jackets is tapping into our relationship insecurities with a strangely upbeat melody in ‘Mirage’. I guess that’s kind of the definition of a mirage!
It’s out now via Eskimo Recordings.
Sounds like: Goldroom, RAC, Le Youth, Pink Feathers
We have been huge fans of Brooklyn-based artist Von Sell for a long time, and we are extremely happy he is back well and singing again after a six month break due to vocal chord issues.
Von Sell takes more of a funky attitude in the production techniques of ‘Hell No’ but we dig it – we’re gonna call it his come-back track!
Sounds like: Summer Heart, Hazel English, Teen Daze
Singer/songwriter/producer Jayce Cantor shares his radio-ready single ‘Done For Now’.
The song has elements of catchy R&B blended with modern indietronica-influenced production that works brilliantly with Jayce’s soulful vocals as he sings about love and heartbreak.
CAPPA doesn’t like people wasting her time, and we don’t blame her. There are too many time wasters in this goddamn industry.
But how does CAPPA manage to declare this so elegantly in her new single ‘Waste My Time’? It’s gotta be because of her distinguished soft voice, which we love her for.
Listen below.
It’s out now via Congo Records.
Sounds like: Lorde, Lana Del Rey, HOLYCHILD, Purity Ring, Washed Out, Say Lou Lou, The Knife, M83, KLOE, Druzy, Taylor Swift, The Knife
