Revolver
bülow

We haven’t posted in a while, but this song compelled us to. Today you have to hear this jaunty offering from German-Canadian singer-songwriter bülow, packing more punch in 2 minutes 50 seconds than we’ve managed for the entirety of 2021.

Set over a pulsating bassline which has a sense of urgency from the first second, there’s a lovely juxtaposition between the pure, sweet vocal and the more angsty nature of the musical set up. Also a great contrast is how the bridge dips in pace, evoking a slower, dreamy, slightly trippy feel, breaking up the song (to positive effect) before the horse bolts the stable again for an upbeat almost dnb-lite chorus. ‘Romp’ isn’t a word that gets much of an outing nowadays, but a romp this certainly is.

Heavy on harmonies, with a great use of vocal effects, this is a song which knows how to have peaks and troughs (not an ongoing horse pun, we promise). Despite starting at high intensity, it pares back at certain points and knows when to amp up to the next level to keep it exciting.

It could appeal to fans of all kinds of artists, with pop and indie sensibilities as well as a drum heavy, dancy chorus. She could be the kind of artist that straddles all the boxes.

For fans of Maggie Lindemann, confidence anthems, mad as you like bedroom raves.

19/06/2021 00:00

All Your Exes
Julia Michaels

Ever had whiplash in the course of a song before? Well, you’re about to - courtesy of the song you have to hear today, Julia Michaels’ territorial ‘back off bitches, he’s mine’ anthem.

Starting out as a quaint acoustic number with sparse backing and yearning lyrics, you’d be forgiven for thinking we were in for three and a half minutes of gentle balladeering - but you’ve been misled. The bridge sees the production start to amp up somewhere in the distance, but it is after a brief pause that the song turns entirely on its head and a new beast is born.

‘I wanna live in a world where are all your exes are DEAD’ Julia spits - a dark sentiment over a deep thrashing of electric guitar, no more pretty acoustics in sight. Consider those metaphorically smashed. Like a pretty pussycat who was all sweetness and light to begin with, Julia is soon peeing to mark her territory and clearly not afraid to use her claws.

We all understand the heart dropping feeling when an ex gets brought into conversation, and Julia is not afraid to make her feelings on it known (‘I’m confident I’ve got them accurately demonised’) in a song that builds and builds, drums upon production upon guitar until it is entirely unrecognisable from how it began.

‘You tell me not to worry, I’m the only thing you see - well yeah I fucking better be!’ she sings as the song launches into its biggest and loudest chorus yet (feat some beautiful harmony work). This is a song with very obvious purpose, big backbone energy and absolutely zero shyness. And if you predicted where it would end up from where it began… then can I have the lottery numbers?

As catchy as it is risk tasking, this will be in your head for days… but your ex lovers better not be.

For fans of: Pale Waves, shapeshifting tunes with a real air of unpredictability, letting your man know he better not even THINK about them, honey!

07/04/2021 19:31

Dance For The Hell Of It
LOVA

With a title that offers some sage advice for how to lift your mood in these difficult times, today we recommend to you Swedish powerhouse LOVA - you have to hear her guitar-pop ROMP of a new single.

Energetic and pacy from the off, the song deals with the issues of fitting in and the rituals we all go through in trying to get in with the ‘in crowd’ and find our place. Spoiler alert: don’t dim your own light or sacrifice your own uniqueness to be what you think you need to be - just be yourself, a theory LOVA backs up.

Boasting a voice with a grit in it’s deepest parts and a beautiful break in it during the falsetto moments, even her voice seems to lend itself well to the songs message of leaning into your uniqueness, and is a commanding presence as the song charges on. The breakdown moment with the spoken word ‘f**king hate this place’ provides a laugh and is a standout moment too. LOVA has character, can be brash, but also offers beautiful vocals and all of this is apparent across the whole Grown-Ish record.

Any song saying ‘just let loose and be yourself’ is a victory in our book but it helps that this is a catchy, hook led, guitar pop monster!

For fans of The Veronicas, saying ‘f**k it’ and doing it anyway, realising the cool kids don’t stay the cool kids forever.

21/03/2021 18:48

This Is Heaven
Nick Jonas

Looking for a chilled out chunk of pop music that will have you with your hands in the air at the same time? Well, you have to hear the newest aural treat from the youngest (famous) Jonas Brother.

We all appreciate Nick as a fine hunk of man but we absolutely think he deserves more credit for his musical output - the likes of Teacher, Champagne Problems, Find You, Remember I Told You and Numb all deserve praise - and that’s without even considering his actual hits. So we know he can come correct - and he’s done so again here.

Nick’s new single is slinky and chilled but absolutely packs a punch, particularly in the gospel-tinged chorus. It’s a musically FULL production with a heap of layers that give us a strikingly detailed final product.

What is particularly striking about this is that - although there is no doubt about who is the lead artist - other players are allowed to shine, with Nick’s backing singers getting a chance to show off their vocal prowess, as well as an extensive (and sexy!) saxophone solo. The harmonies shared with the backing choir are highlights, and Nick allowing them to ‘outsing’ him is a sign he a) knows his own and their strengths and b) isn’t insecure about that.

It’s sunny, it’s bold, it’s also restrained when it needs to be, it’s laidback, it has confidence in its pace - and it sticks to it. We love it.

For fans of: Years & Years, poolside music that will also take you to church, hearing about other people’s happiness.

06/03/2021 18:22

Long Distance
JORDY

More upbeat pop for you today from LA’s JORDY, whose wish to find real love - even if it’s over the pond on the other side of the world - rather than a neighbour with no real interest is today’s song that you have to hear

The song does a few things we really enjoy - firstly, it’s proudly queer from the off, JORDY singing within the first five seconds ‘met a guy on the internet last week’ - and that’s refreshing. Maybe it shouldn’t be a point of note but it still feels special to hear artists using their authentic voice and stories. Second - it utilises intricate music and lyric to deliver quickfire verses with really satisfying rhyme schemes set to truly catchy melody (‘that it was useless - but the truth is, it was just another one of his excuses’) - construction that feels like it took real time and thought.

Thirdly, the production remains interesting throughout, sometimes just sparse bleeps, claps and bloops (official terminology), to the occasional DOUBLE CLAP (always a pop song hero) through to much fuller computerised backings that build as the song progresses. At times it sounds like it’s come from the future and could certainly never be accused of being generic.

JORDY’s voice is a sweet treat throughout, delivering strong falsetto on the onomatopoeic ‘loooooong distance’ and - though we hate to be unprofessional, we’re forced to be - he’s very easy on the eye too. A true new pop crush. The harmony moments are super cute, and the post chorus ‘I would rather be distant with you’ breakdown is the height of catchiness.

It’s a story we can relate to - being unluckier in love than we are in the Lotto, jumping on a plane at the first sniff of a hint of something special, and being prepared to take a punt if there’s ANY chance of something better than a local lad armed with nothing but excuses. We wish you well JORDY, both on the quest for love and with this bubbly pop banger!

For fans of: LAUV, knowing all the boys in your hometown are a no go, songs that sound like cotton candy.

21/02/2021 16:15