Creativity is a gift, integrity essential, talent non-negotiable. ATRYP is carving out a sensational catalogue of original hip hop tracks – an artist both intelligent and thoughtful at the helm, as well as confident and gripping as a leading performer. The music offers an experience that’s a little more rewarding with each revisit. Undoubtedly one to know about this year.
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Epic electronic arrangements and the poetic exploration of topics both thoughtful and fierce – HeartherLee Sounds creates from a place of conceptual inspiration, and as such, her album Battleground features a boldly eclectic array of styles.
“I definitely struggle with finding good places to walk away from a song, and really the whole album was made simultaneously, with me bouncing between songs to avoid having to finish the other ones. Even If I’ve already written the whole song on one instrument, when I begin recording the song feels like it’s buried under a thick fog, and overtime I slowly clear away the fog until the song is completely clear.”
Fearlessly vulnerable songwriting from Nami Shafaghi, emerging under the moniker of NumyNumyNumy – Lovely Headache is a dreamy deep-dive into personal struggle and uncertainty, and blends poetry and personal anecdote throughout a modest, keys-led arrangement and intimate performance that naturally suits the depth and emotion of the writing.
From smiling, laughing, and connecting with nature, to embracing the simple pleasures of food and daily life, Don’t Forget is a creatively distinct ode to all that makes life wonderful, and it speaks volumes on behalf of the creative intentions of producer and songwriter Bee-Pet.
Songwriter and producer Edmond Bruneau compiles the very best of his lost singles and feature songs from a colourful career. The album Singles and Jingles is a bright and catchy collection of versatile anthems and singalongs, and highlights the strength of songwriting and design that drives everything from the creative Edmond Bruneau corner.
Great music and purposeful songwriting, interesting structures that feel both satisfying and unpredictable – MICKELSON fights against the quiet voice of modern pop and rock, with an album that fearlessly unites creative freedom and intentional songwriting, throughout 10 striking originals.
Dance-pop and synth-wave crossover artist Barbara Romanov, building tracks out of dreamy, impassioned vocals and purposeful writing, lights up the indie space with a handful of originals this year – not least of all the anthemic eighties groove and infectious hook of Do It With You.
For a gunslingin’ good time, upbeat rhythms and slick guitar riffs, an old-school western vocal and a classic country rise and fall in both the story and melodic progression – Ace Diamond captures the good vibes of times past, with The Baddest Gunslingin’ Man.
An old-school drum-line with a Philadelphia groove about it, blending smoothly with world music tones and organic layers of synth / string / voice… An intoxicating mystique, and a melancholic aura from the chords to back up the instant escapism of the track. Beth Gladen sets herself apart from the crowd, with the beautifully original, piano-led trip-hop and alternative essence of Re-Birth.
Instantly presenting with the raw purity of a live piano performance, complete with the weight of the keys and the natural reverb from the pedals, The Awakening is quick to intrigue for its sense of melodic originality. We progress through almost 4.5 minutes of music, an explosive mid-section injecting sheer power and tempo and fullness, in between two halves that feel both united in their tuneful direction, and unconfined by the walls of expectation.
We hear fragments of anger, gritty reflections and ideas, but otherwise it’s the music that takes precedence – which is actually a brilliant encapsulation of the very concept at hand. The voice of conscience is quiet, taking a backseat over the stylistic requirements of a mainstream audience. “I sold out… I f*cked up…” These words are nearly silent echoes amidst an otherwise celebratory instrumental wave of music.