Bel Epoq - Mind & Matter

Mind & Matter - Bel Epoq (SynthPop) Bel Epoq’s new track Mind & Matter takes no time slapping you in the face with some delicious 80s synthwave pop. And those synths truly soar here, feeling as if they were in duet with the vocals, as the track makes sure to clear way to handoff the melody to those buzzy chords and leads, allowing them to take center stage. But that’s not to say that the vocals aren’t also incredibly strong, reminding us of the Bangles, the Go-Gos or Bananarama—sort of how HAIM retros their vocals. I mean, the lead singer is definitely in the Belinda Carlisle vein. The vocal layering is perfect, creating an anthemic feel, hitting its sweet spot in the bridge where the tight harmonies are pure heaven. You could slip this track right into your “hits of the 80s” playlist and none would be the wiser.

Best Lyric: “Tonight the street is my home, and our feet will tell us where to go.“

Alta Falls - Tried To Forget About

Tried To Forget About - Alta Falls (Pop) In Alta Falls’ latest record, Tried To Forget About, we get some serious 80s vibes with everything from a bouncy bass to retro synths to a wailing guitar in the climax of the song. There’s no doubt this would’ve been a major Top 40 contender in that era, as the song boasts both sing-along-ability and what appears to be a very specific, personal tale of ruminating on the potential of reigniting a former love. The vocal production is heavenly—a very Queen aesthetic to the choral elements in particular—and the EQ dampened synth intro is a great appetizer to wet the listener’s appetite for the rest of the track.. All in all, this record is a smashing success, and one you wouldn’t dare attempt to forget about.

Best Lyric: “Most days I sing them silently.“

Sydney Gordon - I Should've Known

I Should’ve Known - Sydney Gordon (Pop) Sydney Gordon delivers a waltzy pop ballad that feels like something out of JoJo’s or Christina Aguilera’s playbooks. It’s a hard hitting production, with crisp drums and wailing guitar, crescendoing into an epic chorus matched by the strength of Sydney’s glorious vocals. While the distorted echos and synth screeches add some haunting ear candy that really keeps the listener engaged, the song’s greatest strength are Sydney’s strong and passionate vocals. We particularly liked the slow down of the second half of the bridge, which allowed Sydney to shine, stripping away the fullness of the production to let her powerhouse vocals triumphantly soar through the reverb. We would love to hear this one live—it’s a lighter’s up kinda track.

Best Lyric: “I acted so foolish, believing the words that you’d say.“

Lukx - What If

What if - Lukx (R&B/Pop) Lukx is back and we couldn’t be happier. The prolific artist returns with his monthly bop and this time we’ve got a nice little 2-step reminding us of a 00s R&B/pop crossover. What sticks out to us the most is the extremely Outkast-like chorus—you can almost hear Andre 3000 all over this. As expected, Lukx uses the track to display his bilingual skills, seamlessly bouncing back and forth between English and French not in distinct sections, but in a constant switchup which we think is a genius way to expand an audience. The production is flawless, as always, with a crisp drum percussion accompanied by a catchy guitar loop. We’d tell you to put this on a commute playlist, but at this point we think you need to have your own Lukx playlist.

Best Lyric: “Don’t let anybody make you lose your mind.“

Ikonic Tae - Maxine

Maxine - Iconic Tae (Rap) Iconic Tae’s track Maxine is a capital G groove. The song reminds us of 00s era crossover rap, with a real Outkast feel. As far as subject matter, Iconic Tae describes the track as an 80s tale of an undercover police officer, Maxing, falling in love with a gangster, star-crossed lovers due to their differing lifestyles. In weaving his story, Iconic’s flow is smooth, riding the beat with ease, sitting perfectly in the center of the swirling production. The drums create a great drive—this record is the definition of a two-step—but we are most in love with the synth keys, which when blended with Iconic’s buzzy baritone/bass vocals makes a perfect duet. This song is summer haze personified.

Best Lyric: “Tectonic plates making moves up under her skirt.“

Key of Evergreen - Love Actually

Love Actually - Key of Evergreen (Retro Pop) There’s a real meld of two different nostalgias working in Love Actually. Key of Evergreen’s new track starts off giving straight 80s with those analog synths creating a bubble gum pop-esque soundscape, but as soon as the guitars start we start to feel the punk-pop influence. There’s a Jesse’s Girl vibe to this, both the sound and the subject matter, as the vocalist pines for someone else’s girl. But there’s almost a 90s alternative/punk vibe in the vocals that makes us think of Weezer or even Greenday. It’s a head bopper for sure, and very sing-along-able. Put this one on your commute playlist, we think this goes well in the car.

Best Lyric: “And I know that I missed the boat, no surprises see yourself on the shore. Wave goodbye, what are good friends for.“

Sasha Hromyk - Rebound

Rebound - Sasha Hromyk (R&B/Pop) This song is throwback heaven. In Rebound, Sasha Hromyk brings back the pop/R&B crossover that reminds us of early JoJo, Nsync and a hell of a lot of Brandy. The latter really pops out when some deliciously layered background vocals create a choral wall of sound that couldn’t help but make us smile. The production is incredibly fresh, with all the little earcandy you’d expect from a track like this—record scratches, a traveling bass guitar, etc. As a whole, this song had us really thinking of one hit wonder Tatiana Ali’s “Daydream” which we assume only a fraction of you will remember. Boy do we wish music like this was on the Top 40 again.

Naked Face - Eyes In Love

Eyes In Love - Naked Face (EDM) Naked Face’s latest track, Eyes In Love, takes no time to get started. Within the first second we’ve got a hyper-modern lead vocal—buzzy and resonant, compressed and layered—which builds throughout the song to a very cool house-style bridge section. There’s a late-90s dance sensibility to moments of this, and the production blends elements from lots of different time periods to make something very fresh. The kick and bass synth keep the track humming along, very Robyn-esque, and a varied instrumentation keeps the listener interested throughout. Switchups in the drum kits, the bouncing synth plucks and the house keys keep you drawn into the song. In sum, it’s an expertly crafted production with a very catchy earworm of a melody that you’ll definitely be singing along to long after the song is over.

Best Lyric: “Rumors of you in my mind.“

HeartMouth - Hear Me Out

Hear Me Out - HeartMouth (Pop) How refreshing it is to get a Top 40 style ballad—an artform that seems to be a dying one these days. HeartMouth’s newest track accomplishes quite the hat trick. The lyrics and vocals are longing in nature, a bittersweet plea to a love walking out the door, none of which is lost in the hyper-modern vocal production of heavy compression, tuning and layering. The result is a track that is pure earcandy without squeezing out all of the inflections that convey intimacy and emotion. The mix is incredible, and we specifically loved when the strings swooped in. The instrumental is quite understated, letting HeartMouth’s vocals take center stage. We think this one is karaoke certified.

Best Lyric: “I’m going to cause a scene again because I don’t know how to fake it.”

Mimi Pretend - Guys in LA

Guys in LA - Mimi Pretend (Dream Pop) Mimi is bringing some real late 80s/early 90s retro alt rock vibes on this earworm of a track. If we were putting Guys in LA on a modern playlist, however, we think it’s right up the alley of Lana Del Ray’s Videogames. Mimi’s voice is wrapped in haunting delay and reverb throughout, with a husk to the delivery that gives the melancholy number real weight. The instrumental conjures the image of hazy dusk in the summertime, especially the warbling guitar that reminds us of Wicked Games. Broody and seductive, Guys in LA is sure to resonate, and the song itself is just begging for dance remixes.

Best Lyric: “Falling in love’s like kissing a gun.”

Meghan Pulles - father, oh father

father, oh father - Meghan Pulles (Dream Pop) father, oh father is BIG—it’s a big song. Meghan Pulles delivers a haunting, operatic dream pop midtempo using a cathedral-like reverb to create something with an epic, cinematic feel. The vocal production is almost choral in nature, with opera-level shimming backgrounds swirling around a vocal delivery almost more broadway than pop—we think of Florence and the Machine in that regard, with spoken word moments that give us Gaga. Cutting through the miasma of synths and layered vocals is a thudding percussion production and a soaring, crunchy guitar that brings us to the pop anthems of the 80s.

Best Lyric: “There’s so many people in pain and in strife, I heard that you can work miracles.”

Magdalia - Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision - Magdalia (Pop) Magdalia’s newest track is an excellent example of maturity in both lyric composition and vocal delivery. The vocals are incredibly strong, and delivered thoughtfully and dramatically with a luscious alto that drives the track. The lyrics are truly brilliant, which made it difficult to pick our favorite (below) and Magdalia’s delivery signals that they are deeply personal and specific, which always makes for the best music. She’s a great storyteller, and her vocal stylings give us a real Fiona Apple vibe which we didn’t realize how much we’d missed until hearing Tunnel Vision. But while the vocals are a standout, the mixing and production are also top notch. Super sharp, super catchy and lyrics you will definitely want to learn.

Best Lyric: “I been talking to a mirror image in a text message drought.”

Occurrence - Slow Violence (LP)

Slow Violence (EP) - Occurrence (Alternative Pop) Slow Violence by Occurrence is an opus.  With 22 tracks, including instrumental interludes, this 72 minute journey is an invitation to the depths of pain, regret and longing following what appears to be the end of a significant relationship.  Or relationships, considering Occurrence is a 3-member team, reunited for this pandemic-produced project after two years.

According to the band, this double album boasts songs inspired by Rob Nixon’s concept of “slow violence” describing the unseen violence that the West perpetrates against the developing world. The band takes that concept as an apt metaphor for how the trio’s personal lives are the products of the slow violence of their collective pasts.  The band also put together an accompanying dance-theater piece to Slow Violence which we think is incredibly fitting.  So let’s dig in.

The double album is best viewed as a cohesive high-concept project and we’d even say ASMR experience, rather than a collection of songs.  As such, there are numerous tracks that serve as bridges into other songs, including a few purely instrumental interludes, which showcases extraordinary artistry.  The sounds and concepts explored are deeply emotional, abstract and eclectic.  The instrumentation is extremely varied, giving an epic and cinematic feel to the entire project.  The closest parallel we can draw is maybe a Bjork album. As a whole, Slow Violence feels incredibly unique and relistens are sure to uncover more and more hidden gems throughout as we feel the work is far too complex for a single listen.  There is much to discover within.

So fortunately the album is so incredibly well crafted that it beckons those repeat listenings.  Every song is chock full of ear candy, impressively mixed and mastered by Kiri Stensby and Jessica Thompson, respectively, from the buzzy 80s synths to the sound effects to the intimate peaks behind the curtain with small bits of dialogue we assume are pulled from the recording sessions—very Janet in that way (and that way only).  We assume earbuds and stereos do not do the album justice—this was made for a surround sound theater.

For us, the standout tracks—and by that we mean not only engaging but also easily extracted from the overall work for playlist or radio placement—are You’re Not A Miracle and The Remote Past Tense.  The first is incredibly catchy, sing-along-able, and more traditionally structured compared to the rest of the tracks.  We could easily envision this as a pop record—very Robyn-esque.  The latter’s lyrics really made our ears stand up, hitting the hardest, and is the best example of the incredible lyric athleticism displayed throughout Slow Violence.  The Future, Pt 1 is also quite a gem, and primed for a million dance remixes.

The best examples of the abstract elements of the project are clearly the hard hitting intro Blossom Forth—driving in a way that reminded us of Rolling In The Deep—and the deeply personal November 30, 2014, where the band turns an extremely personal letter into a sonic experience.  I Fucked the World to Get You is a poem set to music, and we think would work just as well as a spoken word piece.

When listening, we could clearly envision many of the tracks being attractive to film and TV licensing.  Fresh, forward, high concept and BIG, we assume that Occurrence is completely exhausted by leaving it all on the table, emotionally and professionally, with Slow Violence. This was two years in the making, and that effort shows.

V of 40M - Martin Luther

Martin Luther - V OF 40M (Rap) The instrumentation of V of 40M’s new track, Martin Luther, is giving us a real 00s Eminem vibe, maybe even with a touch of Lil Kim’s La Bella Mafia album. While the percussion is expectedly hard hitting and top notch, paired perfectly with powerful bass and sub riffs, we think the driving force of Martin Luther’s sound is the string loop, which adds real weight and conflict to the track. V of 40M’s flow is patient and methodical, building with each verse in both speed of the flow and the artist’s emotional connection to the lyrics. V really chews each word, layered with distorted vocals containing a husky/smokey quality that is really great on the ears. In sum, Martin Luther is brooding, haunting, dangerous and undoubtedly replayable.

Best Lyric: “I’m punching anytime the wind blows.”

Ilan Bell - Anna

Anna - Ilan Bell (Pop) There’s a 90s alt rock/pop vibe to Ilan Bell’s new track, Anna, that transports us back to the days when “Sunny Came Home,” “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone” and “One Headlight” were on the charts. Ilan sings a bittersweet goodbye to an old lover who is still kicking around in their memories, doing so with a soft, layered vocal that perfectly meets the melancholy, regretful mood of the track. It is baked so beautifully into the mix that it’s almost just another instrument in the orchestra. But there are two specific touches that really hit in this song we want to touch on. First, the little vinyl scratch is just great earcandy and gives a welcomed cut into the lushness of the rest of the instrumentation. Second, and more importantly, we LOVE the way the chorus picks up everytime Ilan sings “my mind.” That moment, and Anna overall, is a real pull on the heartstrings that we hope you’ll enjoy as much as we did.

Best Lyric: “Losing your apartment keys, no fireworks on New Years Eve.”

Grichu - Ma Ma

Ma Ma - Grichu (EDM) Grichu’s infectious dance track, Ma Ma, is sure to be a winner at outdoor dance parties this summer. The song just exudes sunshine, ocean breeze and cold drinks, so we think it’s one all of you summer party DJs should gravitate toward. With an eclectic instrumention, the song is extremely Euro in it’s soundscape, reminding us of some of the quirky dancefloor tracks of yesteryear. Though kick forward, the song is defined by its whimsical horns, which inject a whole lot of fun, making this dance track a real standout among recent releases. It’s also noticeably an all ages affair, approachable by any demo, and comfortably at home on any party playlist.