London - Cas Du Pree (Pop) Subject matter wise, Cas Du Pree’s ode to London reminds us of Madonna’s own ode to New York back in her Confessions on a Dancefloor era. Sonically though, instead of a pulsing EDM number we’ve got a dancey pop-funk track, which has a great understanding of underlying tension and release—the former driven by the plucky guitar and the latter expressed by the punchy horn arrangement. The record delivers a mellow vibe, easy listening for sure, making it an all ages affair. The vocal lead has a childlike innocence to it, which pairs well with the kind of reverence the song is delivering to the singer’s beloved home. A pleasant listen all around.
Mase J - What's It To You?
What’s It To You? - Mase J (Rap) Mase J is back on the blog, following our review of “Head/Heart”, a melancholy melodic rap. This time, things feel a little more upbeat, as on “What’s It To You?” we have a lush production with crispy percussion on top of a hypnotic guitar loop. Taking a more aggressive approach, this time Mase J delivers a pointed song about chasing dreams and recognizing the matrix-like simulation of life. Our favorite part of a Mase J track continues to be his understanding of melodic phrase—his vocals slip in and out of spoken word and sung verse, with harmonies reminding us of Bone Thugs N Harmony. Never overstaying his welcome, the track fades out abruptly, continuing to leave the listener wanting more.
Talia Grace - Soliloquy
Soliloquy - Talia Grace (Singer-Songwriter) This is one of the delightful tracks where we have a horrible time choosing our favorite lyric because they are all SO GOOD. Talia Grace’s latest track, “Soliloquy”, is the epitome of the lesson that the more specific you are, the more universal you are. Not a cliche in sight, Talia opens her heart and expresses her specific circumstances of loss and regret, evoking the storytelling strengths of Adele, Norah Jones and Sara Bareillis on this lush track. The production delivers beauty in its simplicity and lets the heartache seep through the vocal, in a way that also reminds us of “When Somebody Loved Me” by Sarah McLachlan. Hauntingly beautiful, this is a track that stays with you long after it concludes.
Best Lyric: “And I feel like I’ve wasted all the love I’ve given, cuz they’re all out there living doing fine without me.”
Tali Simone Febland - Straight Lines
Straight Lines - Tali Simone Febland (Indie Pop) Tali Simone Febland’s latest track, “Straight Lines”, has an epic, anthemic feel to it—like it would perfectly fit on top of the closing credits of an indie movie. Boasting a lush production, Tali’s angelic airy lead soars above a driving guitar, muted thudding kick and a heartstring tugging string arrangement (shoutout to the artistry of violinist Morgan Marshall). The light touch of vocal tricks, doubles, harmonies and effects allows them to pack a punch when they do arrive. By far our favorite part of the track is the outro, where it’s just Tali and the piano rounding out the track with a cliffhanger melody line beckoning for a repeat.
Best Lyrics: “You can’t believe in what you didn’t see.“
Isak's Island - Someone I'd Recognise
Someone I’d Recognise - Isak’s Island (Singer-Songwriter) When Isak’s Island’s “Someone I’d Recognise” begins playing, you are immediately transported to places like a countryside or the rocky shores of a sleepy seaside town. With a minimal, intimate, acoustic production, the song pulls you in immediately to be romanced by an intoxicating melody and the husky, mature lead vocal that is drenched in vulnerability. A touching love song with a unique lyrical concept, finding someone you’d recognise, this track could easily be a couple’s “song” played at their wedding. A slow build, the record hits its crescendo with the addition of a bittersweet string arrangement, and when married with the poetic lyrics, the heartstring tugging track soars.
Mara Liddle - Oversharing
Oversharing - Mara Liddle (Pop) After wanting to become “facebook official,” pop robot Mara Liddle has returned to the blog with another catchy little midtempo R&B/pop hybrid with “Oversharing”, a delicate confection about doing too much when trying to forge relationships. With her distinctive tuned vocal production, Mara’s robotic modulation calling card gives the record an almost a plastic innocence, infusing the track’s lyrics with relatability to the universal subject matter of failed social connection, soliciting empathy for the performer as a kid sister you just want to help guide along the way. Catchy and very repeatable, the memorable melody paired with this effect creates quite the earworm. The production on “Oversharing” is very tight, with swirling synths punctuated by an 808 and classic trap percussion, and overall we think this is a great one for your commute.
Best Lyric: “Said some things I should’ve kept to myself.”
Carter Ray - Empty Promises
Empty Promises - Carter Ray (Pop) Carter Ray is back with the dark pop “Empty Promises”—a meditation on toxic narcissism and emotional manipulation, as Carter lets the listener in on the after effects Carter still deals with following a bad relationship. The sonic landscape is lead by heavily compressed and tuned vocals to give a piercing, robotic tone to slice through the swirling production, driven forward by the hefty bounce of the 808. The vocal themselves are soft and vulnerable, reflective and contemplative, accented with a distortion that gives it real ear candy quality. We could actually hear this tune next to some of Kanye’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” This a turn off the lights and vibe out kinda track.
David Nolf - Hell Of A Night
Hell of A Night - David Nolf (Rock Pop) David Nolf delivers two feel good, Top 40 tracks with his EP “Hell Of A Night.” Infusing pop/rock with a country sensibility, David’s strong vocal performance soars above pumping productions to deliver an all ages affair. In both the title track and closer, “Feels Like Summer”, David delivers a soundtrack to summertime beach parties and road trips (though honestly, they are also great cardio motivators for summer body readiness). Not only are the tunes incredibly catchy little pop confections, but they also have an anthemic weight to them, a bit of soul infused into the pop that elevates what might otherwise be stuck in the realm of bubblegum. If you don’t hear this track through us, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was the soundtrack to a big national commercial.
Cliffs + Caves - Eso Si Que Es
Eso Si Que Es - Cliffs + Caves (Folk) What a gorgeous song. With “Eso Si Que Es”, Cliffs + Caves delivers a heartstring tugging folk ballad that is as captivating as it is mesmerizing. The vocals are pure heaven, balancing strength with intimacy, delivering superb lyrics that stick with you long after listening, giving us a very Sara Bareilles vibe from the storytelling. The song seems primed for media placement—an indie romantic drama or a TV melodrama—we could certainly here it playing over a heart wrenching scene. This is one of those records someone clings to when going through a trying time, and hearing it will always bringing them back to a particular moment in time when they worked through something difficult. This track is truly, truly magical.
Best Lyrics: “Life is full of magic things mixed between tragedies.”
De Antiquis Et Novis - Falling Stars
Falling Stars - De Antiquis Et Novis (Dance) “Falling Stars” wastes no time getting started, with the classic house keys and driving bass immediately letting you know that you’re about to get spun around the dance floor. It’s a robust production complete with crisp 90s house percussion elements, but centered with a modern kick that thuds right in the chest. Vocals are sparse on this dance record, a lilting female vocal occasionally popping in and out, leaving it up to the constantly building instrumental to keep the listener dancing. Catchy, driving and full of constant forward momentum, with “Falling Stars” De Antiquis Et Novis delivers a club track perfect for any summer party, surely to be a favorite among DJs to keep bodies moving on the floor.
Sandra Bouza - The City
The City - Sandra Bouza (Folk) There’s a real Sarah McLachlan vibe to Sandra Bouza’s “The City”. A driving piano ballad with vocal tonality reminiscent of the aforementioned on her track “Adia”, “The City” also gives us the storytelling strength of a Sara Bareilles or Adele song. This broody record laments innocence lost, told through the tale of a young woman who thought she knew more about the world—the city—than she did. Sung passionately from the perspective of a woman matured and grown wiser with time, presumably to her past herself, the simple production of piano and voice really lets Sandra’s incredible voice and talented delivery stand squarely in the spotlight. Hey musical theater actresses, put this one in your callback repertoire.
Best Lyric: “Never unseen by the sunrise.”
Marion Hall - I'm Doing Better
I’m Doing Better - Marion Hall (HipHop) While the theme of doing fine without a recent ex and finding someone better is certainly a well explored topic in music, certainly in pop and hiphop, I’m not sure we’ve ever heard such a big 808 bumping reggae infused hiphop track carrying this message where the new better man is THE man himself, the man upstairs—Jesus. With a tonality that strikes as as a reggae-infused Lil Kim, Marion Hall lets her ex know what should be obvious—he cannot compare with the Lord. The song is a straight banger, certainly with great sing-along-ability and the urge to put on repeat to learn all of Marion’s boasts about Gucci suits. Tune into the video above, where the son of God has also blessed Marion and her gal pals with a yacht for all her prior relationship troubles. The Lord certainly works in mysterious ways.
Wotts - Blue
Blue - Wotts (Indie Pop) Wotts’ latest track “Blue” is hazy summertime personified. Dreamy, funky and retro, the track bumps as if it is spinning on vinyl as you listen, with a driving bass line that carries the song through its lush production. As the record continues, permeated with warm analog fuzz throughout, it constantly elevates by adding more and more to an already full arrangement, without ever feeling overcrowded—our favorite moment being a shining guitar solo right before the final chorus. The vocal production is understated, a husky baritone that is baked into the track as if it is just another instrument in the orchestration. This song is just good vibes and a bask in summer sun.
Nikolay Cranner - Times EP
Times EP - Nikolay Cranner (Dance/Funk) Alright, so there’s no reason Nikolay Cranner’s two track EP shouldn’t be on the playlists of this summer’s dance DJs. A multi-talented musician—giving you both a strong vocal performance and soaring sax solos—Nikolay’s Times EP is a neo funk/EDM bop melding an impressive amount of eras into a sharp, cohesive package. “Sunshine Living” gives us Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat” with its late 90s R&B/Funk vibes, also boasting a late 80s Herbie Hancock style horn solo. Add to that the 90s house snares and hats with a modern EDM kick and you get quite a melting pot of goodness ready for a summer dance party. Moving to “Times”, this track centers on late 2010s EDM vibes (think “Take Me Home” by Cash Cash or “Clarity” by Zedd) with another sax line that really soars—Lady Gaga “Edge of Glory” territory. Catchy, dancy and impeccably produced, Nikolay Cranner should be a staple of every outdoor dance party this summer.
The Connecting Dots - In The Arms Of A Stranger
In The Arms of a Stranger - The Connecting Dots (Soft Rock) In “In The Arms of a Stranger”, The Connecting Dots deliver a moody ballad that feels straight out of the 80s. The retro cut has some Kate Bush vibes, with a unique and distinctive vocal that is very reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper. With a retro song structure, our favorite moment is certainly the key change of the bridge, leading right into a lovely guitar solo. Careful listeners will also notice that the instrumentation is incredibly lush—constantly building with new additions—including everything from the light touch of a few bongos to a bevy of retro synths, which elevate the song to anthem status. Definitely blast this one on your commute, it’s a good one to sing along to in the car.
Best Lyrics: “This is a broken arrow.”
The Labra Brothers - Be Cool (EP)
Be Cool (EP) - The Labra Brothers (Soft Rock) On The Labra Brothers’ three-song EP, “Be Cool”, we get quite a jam session, delivering chill vibes, musical versatility and a bilingual flair. The brother band, comprising Adrian Labra on vocals and guitar, Cristian Labra on vocals and bass, David Labra on vocals, guitar, and sax, Antonio Labra on percussion, Danny Svenson on keys, and Matt Hayes on drums, has developed a distinct sound for their latest project after some prior experimentation—predecessor LP “Colder Weather” from 2019 leaned more into classical rock & roll. What results is quite a cohesive project—chill, low key and easy breezy. It was difficult to peg a genre here as “Be Cool” is a melting pot of soft rock, latin, funk and R&B/Soul—so we think it’s best to call this “grown folks” or “crowd pleaser” music. Light on modern day production tricks and gimmicks, the EP relies on traditional live band musicality, which has convinced us that The Labra Brothers would give an audience one hell of a live show.
Perhaps it’s the family dynamic, but you can tell when listing to the EP that this bevy of musical talent really gels, delivering a product more than the sum of its constituent parts. The three-part sibling vocal harmonies are lush (we had to read the press release to realize this just wasn’t one person dubbing as they were that well blended), and guitars and horns are given plenty of room to show off—again, The Labra Brothers must really turn an audience.
So let’s dig in. The title track, “Be Cool”, is a great intro to the project, and we agree with their choice to make this the lead single. It’s a song about kindness and good vibes, which you get from feel of the instrumental alone. The vocal performance is very strong, and we love the choice of the tight reverb which we think heightens the song and gives it a unique identity amongst its peers (this effect will return in closer “Not Far From Home”). Overall, “Be Cool” introduces you immediately to the brothers’ style for the project—these are jam sessions featuring robust instrumentations and an R&B sensibility in the lead melodies (we specifically got some Bruno Mars in this track).
The brothers slow things down in “Los Dias” and dive into some latin island vibes that evoke the feeling of the beach at dusk—rolling waves and sunset. The production is particularly crisp with a tight, punchy percussion cutting through the otherwise dreamy track. While a guitar solo featured in “Be Cool”, this time the sax is given its due, once again turning a catchy, radio-friendly track into a jam session.
Finally, “Not Far From Home” feels almost like a meld of the two prior tracks in terms of style, making it the perfect closer. Here, it’s the lyrics that stand out to us most—certainly the most memorable of the collection—delivered with a lilting melody in this midtempo affair. “How are you supposed to get home when you can’t face yourself?” will stick with us for a while.
Overall, “Be Cool” is an all ages affair, perfect for a day on the beach, or better, a The Labras Brothers concert..