It’a that time again when we do our biggest new music round-up of the past fortnight, here’s everything that’s popped up onto our radar that we think will get you through the next two weeks! As ever, it’s a smorgasbord of genres, styles, artists and bands – something to suit every palette!
We love a comeback, especially when that break from hiatus is as something as impressive and unforgettable as ‘Howl’ from Raindear. In this electro-pop single she embodies the wild side of her nature and lets those stunning vocals fly free over this synth and beat driven soundscape. It’s a strong and confident statement of self-renewal.
“I have long felt like a lion in a cage and with this song I finally break free. I wrote ‘Howl’ back in 2020 and since then it has been marinated for what feels like an eternity. I often write songs from my subconscious side, only to know for sure what the songs are about in retrospect – when the future is already here. I think ‘Howl’ in some weird way is about releasing ‘Howl’. After a long and painful wait filled with crashes and a massive identity crisis, I finally release music again and it feels powerful. Strangely I feel both stoic and fragile right now.”
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Look who’s back for a second round in the MMM, it’s our new favourite 90s alt-rock throwbacker common goldfish. Like his last song ‘Feel The Fuzz’, this new one titled ‘Shout Louder’ is the artist’s own take on a retro sound, complete with chunky chords and dazed’n’confused vocals. It’s arrived just in time for the long summer days of the festival season.
“I created the beat using a mix of 90’s break samples. Quite quickly I had the bass line and piano. I’d been watching the “Get Back” documentary, which definitely inspired the vocals and psychedelic guitar sounds. The track was making me think of being outside with friends in the sun, and the lyrics try to capture this.”
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Acting as our little oasis of calm amongst all this pent up summer activity is ‘US’, the serene collaboration from Nother and Moon Leap. Constructed around delicate, velvety vocals of Moon Leap, we sink into the intricately woven electronic backdrop translates all the emotion of a heart that’s full of longing. There’s something so human about the rise and fall of Nother’s production that you forget it’s all from a computer.
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Nigel Hinds is breaking new ground with his latest track ‘Ghostin”. It’s a powerful track that combines old-school R&B with mid-2010s dub, so that each bassy moment is pushed into even more intense territory. That energy is matched by his passionate vocals that are taking this platform to be heard.
‘Ghostin’ was written based on a personal experience that i went through. I have been the one to ghost and I have also been ghosted. I thought this would be something a lot of listeners could relate to as we have all experienced this at some point in our lives”.
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Clarke John returns with a gorgeous new chill-hop cut, perfect for the current heatwave, the aptly named ‘Sunsets’ is live and ready for streaming. Mixing Clarkes signature sound and style with a smooth, sultry RnB edge on the vocal ‘Sunsets’ is rounded off with sublime, tranquil synths. Be sure to give this one a spin this weekend!
“Sunsets takes a melancholic look back at a past relationship, expressing hope and concerns about how differently it could have gone. As a sunset represents the closing of a day, I chose that title to represent the closing of that relationship.”
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Keeping it cool, calm and collected next we have a new slice of Aussie artistry from cln ft Holly Hebe, with the vibey ‘Undone’. Staying true to his expertise, Brisbane based cln creates chilled electronic, alt R&B soundscapes with ‘Undone’ being no exception. Blessed with the golden vocals of Holly Hebe, this tune is a summertime staple.
“Undone is the first single from my sophomore album, and it also represents quite a bit of a sonic shift for me. The album is stacked with features, which is quite a contrast to Dawn Chorus which only had one. I can’t quite pin down the genre, it’s a bit of a mixed bag but in hindsight I think it has much more of an indie feel to my previous work. Electronic music is always at the core of what I do, but for this album I leaned more towards vintage synth sounds and drew inspiration from totally different places to my previous works.”
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Picking it up a notch now with brand new track ‘Deliverance’ from Albanian born, German based dark pop artist KOKA featuring producer TTeo. With influences stemming from nostalgic 90s electro pop to Kate Bush and Imogen Heap, KOKA takes these inspirations and carves out her own unique, niche sound. Full of pounding synths, arpeggios and complimented by KOKA’s captivating vocals, ‘Deliverance’ is a stunning slice of alt pop goodness.
“It is about the freedom one can find in their life calling.That purpose, that we often refuse to see, embrace, or sometimes never get to exploit fully, because of this distracting life experience…then oneday something happens, a scary force drives one out of the safety net, into the divine unknown.
Deliverance.”
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Closing off the MMM this week is CloudKids very own updog, somewhat part of the Purple Melon furniture, well known and well loved, he is gracing the pages of the MMM again this week with brand new track ‘obsessed’. A glorious alt-pop anthem that follows the lyrical consciousness of someone who seems to be dabbling and bordering delusion — and of course, obsession. Excitingly it also includes some Easter eggs from the singer-songwriter’s past tunes, including ‘bouncy boy‘ and ‘skellies,’ painting a fuller picture of updog as a narrative-driven, anecdotal and incredibly intriguing artist.
“I wrote ‘obsessed’ during my writing week with fellow CloudKid artist, Joseph Feinstein, the first song we wrote of many. We started it by jamming alongside a Greek-style melody super late at night, and just really liked the vibe, so we ended up turning that jam session into a proper song. The lyrics were inspired by a good friend’s ex. She was not super nice, a bit possessive, and kind of pretentious, and when they broke up, she freaked out and wouldn’t leave him alone. Quite obsessive. Almost a year later, he still gets hit up by her once in a while, and so the obsession seems to continue.”
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PURPLE MELON 