Dutch DJ/producer Mark Villa has put out a trancey new house track called "Riptide" out on Spinnin' Records. Despite its simple melody, the song has a great dynamic with the energy building and flowing throughout and a fantastic breakdown that seamlessly brings in violins. Let yourself go and sway to the music as its current takes you away.
Norwegian band Pom Poko have aptly been described by DIY Mag as having the "intensity and fizziness of a bottle of Coke and pack of Mentos". Their band name "Pom Poko" comes from a wildly creative 1994 Japanese animated film of the same name from celebrated Studio Ghibli, and it suits their balls-out non-conformist style of indie pop/rock perfectly. "Follow The Lights" has a fantastic off beat rhythm and fun colourful sound. Catchy sing-along vocals, riffs and crunchy guitars come together to make a cool rockin' tune. The track will feature on their upcoming album "Birthday", due out 22nd Feb 2019, which you can pre-order here.
Australian pop artist Sarai has put out a smooth new self-produced single today called "Let Me Let You In". Her stunning vocals dance over a reggaeton beat with warm electronic bass and the chorus shows off a catchy, melodic lead synth. Sarai explains: "This track is about letting go of things that no longer serve you. There are so many distractions that don't deserve the energy they require. This song is about taking back control and focusing on what is good for you. It's about saying no." Stay tuned to her YouTube as she will be releasing a video clip for the song later this month! [...]
New Los Angeles-based alt rock band Kills Birds have torn it up on their debut single "Worthy Girl" ahead of their upcoming album release, recorded in its entirety in only 8 hours to capture the real spark and edge of their live performances. The lyrics may not make a lot of sense straight up, but you can sure as heck feel them as frontwoman Nina Ljeti lets them loose. The track has a passionate, punky, rebellious energy reminiscent of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Rage Against The Machine that makes you wanna grit your teeth and yell f*** yeah!
As producer Justin Raisen explains: "The moment I heard their music I was like a magnet to the stage's front. I looked up at Nina mesmerized by her absence. She wasn't with me. She had gone somewhere else outside of herself. I rarely see that anymore – artist's truly losing themselves. It was refreshing... I knew then I wanted to work with this band."
"I spoke with Nina after the show and we exchanged phone numbers. It felt like I just traded numbers with Kurt Cobain or something. After some thought, I proposed to the band recording a whole LP live in my studio behind my house (one room, no isolation) and added it was the only way I was interested in doing it. A few months later this took place. Drums, bass, guitar and vocals bleeding into each other in one room all together was the only way I felt I could try to recapture what I experienced while seeing them live. For me, it was the only way."
We need more rock with strong frontwomen like this! We can't wait to hear more from them!
Detroit-based producer Tokatta has released a new four-track EP called "Crystal Night" with space-like sounds and rolling dubstep synths. The third track "Gravity" has a DnB style energy with arpeggiated melody in the verses, hip hop MC-like vocals and a drumstep drop that'll hit you like a bass laser - it's sure to get your head nodding.
Danish producer Vosai has teamed up with Perth singer Veronica Bravo for their new track "Different Angle". The track has a beautiful atmosphere in the verses led by Bravo's gorgeous vocals and a huge trap chorus that goes off like a melodic warning siren.
Vietnamese producers Steji and Gotez have perfectly married acoustic guitars with bouncy melodic house production on their latest collaboration "Moving On", even throwing in a trap section in the second verse. Steji and Gotez have you drifting away with acoustic guitar and lovely vocals, then add big percussion, tropical synths and build into a tight, dancey chorus.
Thomas Godel has been on a roll lately releasing some great remixes. His latest of Zacharria's "It's Been So Long", about the timing of love, has an electro-pop vibe in the verses and a catchy, boy-band-ish dance production with vocal chops in the chorus.
In July, Chicago-based electronic producer INZO put out a thoughtful, popular track called "Overthinker" featuring tight, wubby production and samples of lectures from philosopher Alan Watts. He's followed up with a chill, wavy new single with a similar wubby style called "Local Void".