This song impresses all the more so with each revisit. Think of those unusual pop songs that just work brilliantly, yet feel a little left of the expected – Drinking in LA, Somebody That I Used to Know. The kind of indie pop song you wish you’d written, and in this case, it’s perfectly captured and produced. An easy must for the summer playlists.
Indie Pop
Music that means something, softly gathering an intimate groove, with lush, breathy harmonies, quietly whispering long-form, nostalgic melodies, and concepts that feel poignantly relatable. Dovetail unite smart poetic references with deep personal uncertainty, for the blissful escapism of raining here, too.
LA songwriter and artist Simona Shao blends acoustic and contemporary pop qualities through a softly evocative realm, and the results are sublime. Her latest three-track EP Waves presents three parts or chapters of a story, reflecting on the highs and lows of an impactful romance, and balancing calm, poetic imagery and ideas, with personal experiences that feel both relatable and profound.
Conceptually united expressions of love, connected by stylistic threads of reverb and playful design – an aptly-titled artistic corner… Still Haunted presents stories of wonder, nostalgia, and inspiration, with Aren’t All Songs About Love?
Lyrically vulnerable, melodically uninhibited – almost freeform – musically dreamy for its organic, lightly reverb-washed guitar sound; Orlando songwriter and singer Linndsyeah reflects on interpersonal connections, with I’m Not Her.
The whole album is sensational, in my view. Interesting and engaging, with sublime vocals and performative diversity throughout. Easily one of the most impressively original and genuine projects of the year so far. Listen in full.
Korean-born artist and producer just min delves into the complexities of self-identity, grief, and emotional rebirth, with the delicacy and depth of this hugely vulnerable and evocative album Molten.
Sincerity and self-discovery, a conceptual realism and intimacy expressed through the intricate layering of dreamy synths, keys, and light rhythms. N!cole presents an ethereal walk through introspective thoughts and feelings, with the evocative embrace of getting there (somewhere).
Introducing a sensational indie pop-rock single, with refreshingly original lyrics, reflective of a unique and hopeful perspective, Lia Marie Johnson’s You Are Whole is an unmistakable gem of an indie track this year, and it releases at perhaps the most perfect time of all.
Ehson Hashemian creates with freedom and precision combined, writing stories that feel laid back but interesting, intentional, and Life Of The Party is perhaps his most mainstream-pop-inspired take on that characterful approach.
Feel-good acoustic pop music, a call and response dynamic and interesting, refreshingly original lyrics – Phibian connect well, blending familiarity and a fresh sense of character, for their colourful and fearlessly honest album Pantophobia.
A Turkish born creative, currently living in Sweden and with extensive travels in Africa clearly influencing the tribal rhythms at play throughout his repertoire, Caner Yeniyurt continues to impress. One Tree told the story of a tree fighting a storm on a hill, and Kedi Knows, somewhat more upbeat and funky, depicts an arrogant cat, walking the streets of Istanbul.