Desperate Electric - Dopamine

Dopamine - Desperate Electric (Funk/R&B) Oh “Dopamine” is right up our alley, as Desperate Electric delivers a chill funk/R&B record just in time for the summer heat. We’ve got two vocalists here who compliment each other beautifully to deliver quite a showcase of talent. We’ve got the soft and sultry vocal of the female lead (who really belts it out in the end) layered in a powerful chorus with the resonante male baritone. The instrumental is lush and engaging, reminding us of some late 90s R&B/soul grooves which is our favorite sound here on this blog. Then of course you have incredibly unique and memorable lyrics, conjuring specific imagery that give the record a clear identity among its peers. The highlight of this track however is the wailing at the end of the track right after a welcomed guitar feature which take the song into the stratosphere. This is truly one of our favorite tracks of the year.

Best Lyric: “Yeah we’re groovy like a drive-in movie, like a sunroof in June.”

Jay Roecker - Mi Amor (I Had a Dream)

Mi Amor (I Had a Dream) - Jay Roecker (Synthwave/EDM) This is Jay Roecker’s fourth appearance on our blog, after his LP “Electronic Symphonic” and tracks “Pour On Me” and “A New Day For You”. We have him back this week with “Mi Amor (I Had A Dream)”, a track which demonstrates why we select his music time and time again (and suggest you do as well). Jay continues to resurrect the 80s here, with another track that belongs on the Top 40 charts of that era. With “Mi Amor” we have his signature vocal layering and Kate Bush synth lead taking the spotlight. The production is constantly shifting and varying as Jay has an excellent understanding of song structure and motifs, allowing him to keep the audience constantly engaged without fundamental shifts to the sonic landscape. Lush and heartfelt, “Mi Amor” is a “sing along in the car” type of track. 80s kids, get this one.

Best Lyric: “Then I asked you out, without a doubt, we were on to something.”

Kyle Richardson - Anything

Anything - Kyle Richardson (Pop)  Top 40 gold is what Kyle Richardson delivers in his latest release, “Anything.” The song is hyper modern and fresh production while avoiding the trap of sounding dated—this record could be played for years to come. From the top, the guitar strums set a tension that carries through the track, which really drives and swells throughout in a way that hits you in the chest. It’s a perfect feeling to evoke when the song is one of pleading and yearning. Back to production, the vocal layering is pure earcandy and happily does not swallow Kyle’s obvious talent as a vocalist. The instrumental is cavernous—it’s a “big” song—and deceptively minimal, doing a lot with very smart and subtle touches. This should be Kyle’s breakout song.

Best Lyric: “I’ll let you see my heart wide open.”

Natalie Clark - Mission

Mission - Natalie Clark (Pop)  In “Mission”, Natalie Clark is on a…well, mission. The track is a slow burn and cinematic, with a great beat drop moment in the second chorus which elevates the song into anthemic territory. The record feels like it would be at home on a streaming show—providing the music to a montage that shows a heroine’s rise after her fall. Delivering the mantra of empowerment, Natalie’s vocal is mature and sultry, expertly produced and commanding the track. There’s a Nicole Scherzinger way about it, which feels like an apt reference due to some of the late 00s early 10s synths and pads used throughout. Well produced and vocal forward, if Natalie was out to make a bop, she completed her mission.

Best Lyric: “It’s the phoenix in me.”

70000APART - White Noise

White Noise - 7000APART (Pop)  With “White Noise,” 7000APART delivers a plucky little pop bop that feels prime for commercial placement. Centered on a funk guitar and a crispy percussion, there’s a healthy amount of 80s in here with the gated snare, backing horns and that classic 80s tom. The song has a great build, and the chorus is incredibly catchy—a real earworm. Vocally, we get a strong performance from our female vocalist, demonstrating that she doesn’t need production tricks to be able to carry the song. Tonally, she kind of reminds us of an early Lady Gaga. Sunny, pleasant and groovy, we recommend putting “White Noise” on your playlist so you can tell your friends you knew it before it got featured on a nationwide commercial.

Best Lyric: “Home’s got a different meaning.”

Anoush - Cherry On Top

Cherry on Top - Anoush (Reggae)  Anoush is a woman of simple needs—she just wants you to reignite the fire from back when you were young lovers and give it to her with a “Cherry on Top.” This sultry and sexy mid tempo sets the mood immediately with a sun drenched guitar, just before the a classic reggae beat kicks in. Anoush’s voice has maturity, and a “husk” and “heft” to it that smolders, bringing a seductive quality that seems far from performative. While the beat is straight reggae, Anoush impresses us more as a jazz vocalist and we assume she’s a fantastic live performer. But the cherry on top of this song is certainly the steamy sax that hits us right in the end, letting us know that Anoush’s desire shall not be denied.

Best Lyric: “Drink milk and honey, I’ll feed you cherries from my tree.”

Lady Alderney - She's Boss

She’s Boss - Lady Alderney (Pop)  Much like the lady described in “She’s Boss”, Lady Alderney is certainly a boss with this infectious jam. A girl power anthem, Lady Alderney brings some serious 80s jams with a pop-rock sound that fits right in with the new wave girl bands of that era. When it comes to the vocals, Lady Alderney’s pure tone stands apart from the rest of the production, making clear that she’s in charge and the song services her. Tonally, we get a little bit of Robyn in some of the spoken delivery, but overall we actually hear something that reminded us of the Spice Girls…maybe Baby? It’s innocence a great compliment to the rip-roaring, grungy, guitar soaked production that drives from the moment the song kicks off. It’s a freight train.

Best Lyric: “Step out of our way, she’s here to stay.”

Federick, The First - So Good

So Good - Frederick, The First (Pop/Funk)  It’s all the title with this one. In “So Good”, Frederick, The First delivers a song that’s just that, a dreamy retro funk vibe with a sprinkle of disco influences. The production is stellar, with a tension and intensity building throughout and some beautiful vocal layering with some surprising melodic switchups that keep the track interesting as it grooves along. The chorus is simple, yet elegant—a catchy little earworm. The track reminds us a lot of The Time—that 90s style exploration of 70s funk, so it’s actually double retro. For a track that started as a well-received instagram post, we wouldn’t be shocked to believe this evolution finding a place on playlists and radio.

Songs for Sabotage - Pills

Pills - Songs for Sabotage (Pop). With “Pills”, Songs for Sabotage takes us back to the Fame Monster, with an early Lady Gaga-esque midtempo. “Pills” explores a former life of meaningless friendships and empty party culture—the realization of that serving as a “bitter pill” to swallow. The production on the track is top notch, featuring a driving synth bass and crisp percussion with synth swells that add an epic quality to the track. The vocals, layered perfection, are also VERY Lady Gaga—you might even mistake this song for one of hers. But as excellently produced as this one is, the standout of the record are the lyrics, with incredibly creative word choice and phrasing exploring a unique subject matter and fresh point of view. This is a special one.

Best Lyric: “Dead all day and then awake at night.”

Avaraj - Til Death [EP]

Til Death [LP] - Avaraj (Pop/R&B)  Flashback: put yourself back in the mid 00s-mid 10s towards the end of the days when pure R&B would crossover onto the Top 40 charts. Think the days of Neyo. It is that classic R&B sound that Avaraj resurrects in the 12 track LP, “Til Death.” The project is one of love—from all angles. Love wanted, love achieved, love lost, the mistakes, the regrets—all of it. It’s an album of yearning; of vulnerability. Before we go our highlights, let’s start with the overall sound.

“Til Death” is Avaraj’s first album, and tells the story of a failed marriage and the self-blame that came with it. The songs were written, Avaraj tells us, as a way to process the emotional fallout, and the artist hopes the rawness of the record resonates with others on a personal level. If that was the goal, Avaraj has achieved it.

As mentioned above, the sound is classic R&B, with a few twists and surprises. Deep bass with sparkling synths and tight snares, we are mostly dealing in ballads, reminding us of the aforementioned era’s Mary J (“Be Without You”), Mariah Carey (“We Belong Together”) and Toni Braxton’s criminally slept on “Pulse” album. It’s a mature record sonically, despite the sweet and innocent vocals that often stand alone in the spotlight, centering each track in pure vulnerability, yearning and heartache. Fortunately, Avaraj is able to pull off the hat trick of having a consistent sound without the tracks feeling repetitive. From the different points of view on love to the varying productions, “Til Death” is a cohesive, play-through record that doesn’t lose the listener.

Avaraj’s voice is best described as pure. Not without its moments of power, for sure, the vocal production is mostly spare, allowing for the artist’s openness to flourish without all the bells and whistles of modern day production. It’s fortunate that this was the chosen route as it adds emotional weight to each song, each of which feel grandiose—they all feel like a “moment.”

Two standout tracks, however, take a welcome diversion from the R&B, giving us some unexpected shifts. First off, the poppy-punk of the Greenday-esque “Don’t You Worry” is a great sound for Avaraj, and we hope it is one the artist continues to explore on future projects. There even moments of the GoGos here. It’s total Top 40. The other diversion is “Peace With You” which has a latin flare to it. Moonlight tinged guitar riffs lead this track, and spice up the procession of ballads.

The other 9 tracks (we also get an alternate version of “Little Monsters” at the end) stick to the R&B ballad formula, and for us the standouts are title track “Til Death” and album closer “Are You Missing Me?” From the vocal production to the melodic lines to the lyrics, these tracks in particular are very strong contenders for playlist placement and radio spins. “Til Death” marries a raw piano line with spoken-word features and a shining upper register that elevates the chorus to epic levels. But just when you think the album hits its crescendo, “Are You Missing Me?” knocks it out of the park—our favorite track next to “Don’t You Worry”. It’s got some great flow to the rap portions, the chord progressions are moving and the production is top notch, especially the vocal layering, all married with a chorus that is catchy AF.

“Til Death” is a sing along in the shower record, and one where you don’t skip a single track.

Rogue FX - Two Hearts

Two Hearts - Rogue FX (Synth Pop)  The 80s are alive and well in Rogue FX’s latest track, “Two Hearts”, which revives that classic retro sound similar to the way Robyn did a few years ago with “Missing You”, in addition to blending in with all those great Top 40 synth records of the 80s. In fact, from the instrumentation to the structure of the song itself, it wouldn’t be difficult to convince someone the track came out in the late 80s. You can almost imagine the A and B side cassette tape of “Two Hearts.” The vocals are a layered baritone, sitting at the center of the swirling synths, propelled by the driving synth bass and gated drums typical of the era. In sum, when the Stranger Things kids over at Netflix go to a school dance, this song should be on the soundtrack.

Best Lyric: “What’s pure and good, don’t let it fall apart.”

Baze Blackwood - Banana Ketchup

Banana Ketchup - Baze Blackwood (Indie Pop)  “Banana Ketchup” is a record that lives up to its name—quirky and inventive. Baze Blackwood gives some serious 80s vibes in this eclectic production, specifically with the drums and vocal production. There’s an almost reggae feel to the flow—it’s an island/beach jam for sure—belied by the off the wall synth production that makes the track incredibly unique. On top of all that originality, Baze delivers a story song—something we don’t see very often—about a third person, telling a tale with high art poetry—you shouldn’t be surprised that a song titled “Banana Ketchup” has some avant-garde lyrics. But what’s most interesting is that while there is creativity abound, it’s centered on a very catchy pop melody, a great delivery mechanism for this high concept record.

Best Lyric: “Blood on the trees.”

Cause Allure - Dreamzzz

Dreamzzz - Cause Allure (Pop/R&B)  Cause Allure certainly creates a lush dreamscape in their latest track “Dreamzzz.” It’s a warm, analog, retro production complete with that delicious vinyl fuzz whose sonic landscape is the personification of the last glowing ember in a fireplace. It’s a trippy track for sure, with an old timey muffled record spinning in the back on a loop as the retro hiphop drumkit drives the track forward. A proper duet, we’ve got a melodic male rap/spoken word handing the baton to a warbling, layered and tightly delayed female vocal, with each artist pulling the listener further down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. The song seems to exist in that limbo between asleep and awake, like a night when you stay up to see the first crack of dawn before finally hitting the hay. Of all of the intricate layers of this lush track, we were particularly fond of the sax production, which really leveled up the track to make it stand out from its peers.

Best Lyric: “All that we perceive are dreams in another dream.”

Kelsie Kimberlin - Road Trip Summer Remix

Road Trip Summer Remix - Kelsie Kimberlin (Pop)  Kelsie Kimberlin is outta here, heading out on a roadtrip with the hope of leaving all of her troubles behind. In her latest record, the “Road Trip Summer Remix,” we get a hyper modern mid tempo bop that would feel right at home on the Top 40 charts. The overall vibe is dancehall, centered on a driving kick and accented by crisp snares and claps. The record has some great movement, really ‘trotting’ down the road at an easy clip—a lighthearted and breezy listen that beckons repeats. Overall, the “Road Trip Summer Remix” is pure escapism, a happy little bop to 2-step along to.

Best Lyric: “I always thought that my family was perfect, so I never prepared for the day it didn’t work out.”

Annstiina - Berlin

Berlin - Annstiina (Pop)  Robyn vibes abound in Annstiina’s latest record, “Berlin.” It’s a “big” song for sure, conjuring images of a massive club or rave with flashing lights and fog machines as bodies undulate the night away on the dance floor. As the synth bass drives the song forward, adding an urgency to an otherwise airy track, swirling synths and heavily verbed percussion and strings add an epicness to the affair. Annstiina’s vocals are sharp yet slippery, slinking about the production with an emotive delivery, calling like a siren or preaching like a goddess to her disciples. Overall, “Berlin” is an acid trip of a track, and we suggest you take it.

Lukx - Breathing

Breathing - Lukx (Pop/HipHop)  I feel like at this point we just have to say we Likex Lukx, because he’s just a bop factory. “Breathing” marks his fifth appearance on our blog, and is certainly his poppiest effort to date. Screaming Top 40, his latest track leans into a funk/R&B vibe, with his husky Snoop Dogg esque vocals bouncing between earworm melodies and syncopated flow. In fact with this one specifically, we think Lukx’s vocals really take a step up, with the moments he steps into the spotlight to sing without his signature layering he impresses. Having had the privilege to review Lukx often, we can now say that his lane is certainly positivity. Each effort is pure sunshine, delivering a consistent sonic style and yet always giving something new. All in all, “Breathing” is sure to leave you out of breath after you spin to it on the dance floor.