Katie Belle - The Best You'll Ever Have

The Best You’ll Ever Have - Katie Belle (Pop) With an incoming summer of dance parties sure to be ruled by Kylie’s new “Padam Padam”, Katie Belle’s latest track “The Best You’ll Ever Have” fits perfectly into those DJ mixes to come. An infectious record and a real earworm, Katie’s ASMR-like vocals are pure ear candy, aided by those delightful synth harmony layers and a thin whisper layer that turns an otherwise straightforward vocal into a delicious seven layer cake. The beat is silky, sexy and fresh, allowing Katie to slither seductively around the buzzy synths and thudding percussion. This is one of those tracks you hear out at a bar and actually use Shazam to grab it for your library. We expect like a million dance and club remixes to this one.

Best Lyric: “If they knew then your mother wouldn’t love you the same.”

Kindur - Coins

Coins - Kindur (Rap) Kindur’s “Coins” boasts a bevy of talent on an impeccably produced track. Taking a well worn subject matter of accumulating wealth, each artist on “Coins” is given their own distinct moment to shine, with numerous production switchups to ensure each artist is supported with their own unique soundscape. The female vocalist connects the rap artists throughout, rising above mere hook delivery by getting the opportunity to shine on the bridge. The flows of the various rappers are distinct yet collaborative, handing each section off to the next seamlessly. But we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the other star of this number—the epic instrumental production that is chock full of earcandy and delivers an ASMR experience with a meticulously plotted stereo spectrum.

Best Lyric: “Ya’ll makin money makes no sense. Everything you say is nonsense.”

Among The Masses - Utopia

Utopia - Among The Masses (Pop Rock) In their latest track, Among The Masses takes listeners to “Utopia” with a pop rock record that reminds us of early 2000s alternative rock. Haunting and anthemic, “Utopia” feels like it could appear on the soundtrack of a movie about a dystopian future—it’s very much giving The Matrix. The simple chorus makes quite an earworm and beckons the listener to sing along, similar to the way you can’t help yourself chanting “another brick in the wall” with Pink Floyd—we were not surprised when we found that iconic band among this band’s noted influences. While a great listen in its own right, we expect this song makes for a great live listening experience—this one would really fill up a room.

Best Lyric: “Trying to find the truth about who we really are.”

Sarah Rose - Boys Don't Cry

Boys Don’t Cry - Sarah Rose (Indie Rock) This record is quite timely with respect to modern day social commentary on the topic of toxic masculinity. In her indie rock midtempo jam “Boys Don’t Cry”, Sarah Rose serenades a man in her life by telling him it’s ok for him to connect with his feelings. Despite its modern message, there’s an 80s sensibility to this anthemic number, which gave us vibes similar to a Belinda Carlisle ballad—maybe a B-Side to “Heaven is a Place on Earth”. With passionate, soaring vocals, the track truly comes alive as the bridge leads into the outro, delivering a real ‘lighters up’ moment. We think this one would be great to hear live—we imagine it inevitably becomes an audience sing-along.

Best Lyric: “It’s ok to cry. Whoever said boys don’t cry?”

Georg Oskar - I'm A Failure

I’m A Failure - Georg Oskar (Electronic) There’s a delightful strangeness to Georg Oskar’s “I’m A Failure”, which plays like a diary entry that the artist has written during one of their darkest moments—marinating in self doubt. The creepiness of the track is helped by the distorted rhodes, which float in the air, paired with breakbeat percussion that cuts through the disturbing miasma. As the avant-garde track drives along, the distorted baritone confesses an innermost demon, brooding, as additional instrumentation makes the track increasingly erratic. More than a record, the track is an artistic expression worthy of dissection, and a perfect one to play when you are lost in your feelings.

Best Lyric: “I just want to say hello goodbye.”

Marqelectronica - Be Yourself Tonight

Be Yourself Tonight - Marqelectronica (Pop) This track barrels out of the gate right from beat one. With Marqelectronica’s latest release, “Be Yourself Tonight,” we get a Top 40 worthy EDM jam just in time for summer. With a hyper modern production, the bass and steady kick drive the track forward with incredible momentum, as the modulated vocal line glides through the record like a sports car weaving through highway traffic. There’s an appreciated 80s touch as well in the choruses, with some verbed vocals serving as part of the instrumentation and a handful of memorable synth hits. This is a record that you’d expect to be on the playlist at your gym, only to hear again at the club later. Immaculately produced, this track is a great one for the summer.

Bom-C - Lonely

Lonely - Bom-C (R&B) Bom-C arrives with “Lonely” just in time for sunny weather. “Lonely” is surely a beach/island jam with an afrobeat sensibility and Top 40 crossover appeal. The record is a perfect example of that winning combo of a melancholy subject matter and a dancey groove, resulting in quite a hip winder of a song. Boasting with song of the summer appeal, we see this track as a natural evolution of retro cuts like Justin Bieber “Sorry” and Wayne Wonder “No Letting Go.” Our favorite part of the production, however, are Bom-C’s harmonies in the wall of background vocals that help fill out the sharp instrumental, elevating the entire affair to hit record status. This is one we’ll be jamming to all summer long.

Best Lyric: “Tears in my eye, I’m losing my mind.”

Kapture - New Beginnings

New Beginnings - Kapture (Rap) What would you get if you blended the flow of Megan Thee Stallion with the sung vocal side of Nikki Minaj and the tonality of Saweetie? Why, you’d get the fresh sound of Kapture, who is here to announce a new beginning in her track…”New Beginnings.” Feeling very much as if it could be lifted from Pink Friday, Kapture takes an upbeat approach to fresh starts through a punchy and crisp production. As the trap inspired snares and hats crack, we get a looped warped vocal effect as our synth which leaves Kapture plenty of room to shine as both a rapper and singer. Also filled with earcandy aplenty thanks to producer Sam J. Garfield, “New Beginnings” is that peppy summer bop just in time for the sunny weather.

Best Lyric: “When time slows down I can hear my heartbeat.”

Cas Du Pree - London

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.