Welcome, welcome one and all to another musical morsel of pure delight as we take you into the depths of our most recent listening realms. Spotify Wrapped may be doing the rounds but here’s our round-up of tunes, especially for you! (Well it is almost Christmas, isn’t it?)
Kicking off proceedings this Friday is Midnight Pool Party with their latest disco lift ‘TRUTH’. Always pushing boundaries of dance music, this piano-forward track takes inspiration from boy band vocal melodies and classic disco-house to make a banger that you’re going to want to sing and dance along to.
“Our last three singles were about having fun, partying and sex, but with this one they wanted to take a slightly different angle in making a vulnerable banger for the lonely hearts on the dancefloor. It’s a song about being in a situation where love for another is not reciprocated, but in a way that it’s about self-love and putting yourself first. Lyrically it takes you on a journey in the verses where you feel helpless to the chorus but then you feel empowered to say “here’s the truth, I can’t wait anymore for you.”
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Bubbling samples, sweeping sounds and a continuous melody makes the way for LITCHIE’s new single ‘Bad Connection’. The serene backdrop was purposefully chosen to bring some peace and light into our hectic lives, while guest artist Yibby passing along some much needed wisdom in his earthy style.
“The name “Bad Connection” came naturally as one of the first samples I started to build the track around was a crackling phone voicemail recording. I felt like it would be cool to continue the theme with other sounds, using feedback effects, distortion and saturation. I really enjoy taking an interesting sound or sample and building a musical story around that. It was a lot of fun piecing it together, it felt like new territory which is always exciting. In a world where we are more connected than ever, sometimes it feels like on the inside we are becoming more disconnected and divided than ever. To me, the sounds in this track convey the stress and peace that come while trying to balance this new level of “connectivity”.”
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Electro-pop duo ÄTNA have decided to mix things up for their new single ‘Trick By Trick’, heading towards an even more experimental and avant-garde soundscape and leaning heavy on the autotune to emphasise the megalomaniac concept. The video is also full of feminine energy and artistic expression. Keep an eye out for their next album, Push Life, out April 2022.
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‘Shiny Things’ is the avant-garde pop offering from Sydney-born Kat Frankie. You’ll be struck by the theatrical music video inspired by famous Renaissance and Baroque paintings, which emphasises Frankie’s concept of timelessness. She’s constructed what she calls an artificial musical ruin that floats between yesterday and tomorrow. It’s a commentary of the fleeting nature and often silliness of life, but we’re here for it.
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The name of both a fictional Caribbean island and Lexxicon’s third studio album, avid fans will know that Tropicon Islands has been a recurring theme throughout Lexxicon’s campaign run. First introduced to listeners in ‘Power Over Me’, this fictitious island paradise has been the setting for the story of two lovers that has been gradually unfolding over the last two single releases; ‘Power Over Me’ and ‘Back to You’ featuring Desiire. Back with a ‘Bubble Everywhere’, the lead single of Tropicon Islands, Lexxicon offers addictive melodies, danceable grooves and an epic music video to boot!
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Another alternative add this week comes from London alt-rockers Curse of Lono who just dropped their new album, People In Cars. As it happened the video for ‘Ursula Andress’ features lots of people in a car as they head to some unknown destination, dancing and grooving along the the slow-and-steady melodies of this subtly psychedelic tune.
“I love the idea that in each car there’s this whole story or a whole family’s story, but we’re all in these bubbles. It’s like the support bubbles in lockdown.”
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Next up, taking centre stage is the intriguing and incredibly talented Kid Apollo(aka Rory Mullan). Residing in Derry, Northern Ireland, he’s not only a singer-songwriter as he also produces all his own music from his bedroom studio. Primed for 2022 with plenty more under his belt, his most recent release ‘Wrong Foot Forward’ is a small taste of the unique talent he holds.
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Be prepared to have your socks blown off with this next, high energy, dance inducing single. The last time these two heavy weights teamed up was 5 years ago. Now they return for a masterful reunion, NGHTMRE x Zeds Dead have revealed ‘Shady Intentions’ featuring Tori Levett. A gentle start, ushered in by Tori’s angelic vocals, this electronic number gradually ascends to make for a truly mesmerising track.
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Essex born, singer- songwriter Solo Jane shares new single + video ‘Freaks’ next in the run up. A fresh cut of soulful, melodic RnB paired with funky flavours of house and dashes of Garage sprinkled in the mix. Solo Jane continues to showcase her incredible versatility and endless creativity with her play on the traditional genres and sounds.
Myself and Tristan (producer) had an hour left from our session and so he was playing me some beats, and then he played the beat for freaks and I just loved it. I went straight into the booth and laid down the backing chorus harmonies that came to me first, and then freestyled off the top the hook and the first verse as a one take straight away. The second verse came shortly after and within the hour we had a brand-new song!” – Solo Jane.
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Finally, to finish off the mix today, we have something really special from the exciting, innovative artist Kan Wakan also known as Gueorgui Linev. Born in Bulgaria, now residing in LA/UK, Kan is an allrounder, with skills in production, composing, songwriting all whilst playing multiple instruments, his talents really know no bounds. A truly unique and exciting offering, this newest album see’s an ethereal blend of live orchestral arrangements with electronic instruments.
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PURPLE MELON 