Creatively eclectic to its core, the new album from Pennsylvania songwriter Monti Korbelle encapsulates freedom of play and curiosity of concept.
Alt Pop
When In May carve out an emotive and genre-fusing pathway, programmed rhythms juxtaposing the organic and crisp guitar, with a breathy vocal somewhat blurring the lines between emo-rap and The xx.
Offering both uncertainty and longing, satisfaction in the progression and particularly the drop to the hook’s repeat, Emotions is a song that feels perfectly capable of making its way up through the rankings this season.
This idea of you and I both having scars is strangely comforting, and the warmth and simplicity of the music reinforces that comfort. But elsewhere, the lyrics present a sense of having lost our way, and of there being no tomorrow – no second chances.
Always resolving with the simplicity of a poetic and tuneful chorus, Space Meat falls somewhere between the likes of Courtney Barnett, Deftones and PJ Harvey, but makes sure to blend in a subtle twist of mainstream familiarity just in case.
Pretend You finely captures the essence of existing somewhere between the familiar and the unknown – a quality apparent in both style and topic. The folk-esque freedom is refreshing, the guitar-play is stunning – and all the more impressive for its humble placing in the mix – and the songwriting is genuinely original.
“I’d choose Leonardo Da Vinci. I’ve always loved Renaissance history and Virgin of the Rocks is one of my favorite paintings. I’ve studied his life in great detail. In fact, a few years ago I attempted to learn how to read sheet music from that time period so that I could sample the requiem that was hidden in ‘The Last Supper’.”
Deeply atmospheric trip-hop production meets with breathy and soulful vocals, for an RnB-fusion single that’s as evocative as it is mood-setting and ultimately uplifting. Vironnica delivers a seductive and catchy anthem of longing to connect, for the poetic and immersive Mirage.
Form the EP The Futurists, Time Flies marks a fine introduction to Popgang, a retro bass-line and ethereal guitar setting the foundation for a Damon Albarn-like vocal to softly blend expressive sentiments and references with a clear sense of character and heart.
Atmospheric depth pairs distorted darkness with intoxicating delicacy, as Maeve Bluebell Wells delivers the beautifully cinematic, poetic and powerful single Lucifer’s Dream.
Artist and songwriter Elnoir presents a refreshingly atmospheric embrace of darkness and depth, with the uniquely intriguing, impassioned and unsettling Hades.
The vocal style is unmistakable as Guccibenx once you’ve listened to even just a handful of releases, this meeting of professional production and freestyle, dissonant vocal outpouring is a clear identity trait, and Someone combines this approach with a catchy hook for that essential twist of memorable resolve.