Lush riffs and dreamy good vibes meet with a kind of energising folk-rock energy and brightness that’s instantly infectious. Belgian creative Hidden Shores blends indie pop, shoegaze and anthemic passion, with the limitless creative tools of AI, for the intoxicating album Mighty Oak.
Music
Introducing a brief but colourful explosion of instrumental Christmas joy – Flip My Beatz captures a classic melody in a net loaded with trap rhythms and vocal fragments, which naturally gift the sound a fresh sense of style.
Less than two weeks until the big day, Christmas is approaching at pace, and here we have the third instalment of One World One Christmas – just in time to light up the celebrations, as we get everything ready for December 25th.
Featuring Michelique, and a fine fusion of classic RnB qualities and modern production tools, In Silence (Blue Mix) is smooth, catchy, cool, and naturally addictive.
SC4REAL takes things back to the sharp fluidity and smartness of real rap, with the personal depths and clever, compelling wordplay of DARK KNIGHT.
Achieving the perfect chemistry between ambient, evocative production, and thoughtful, melodic human performance, Tinrex captures a nostalgic electronic vibe, with the immersive and hypnotic FU2.
Big indie pop vibes blend multi-layered production with soulful vocals and vulnerabilities that feel authentic and intimate. SHTEEL captures the modern appeal of acts like Rag’n’Bone Man and Alex Warren, but also brings through a twist of something like RnB and dream pop in the stylistics.
Spoken word artist Queen Majeeda takes on the depths of grief with poetry, passion, and subtle sound-design, for the initially intimate and ultimately powerful Bye Bye Grief.
Great production and songwriting creatively unites hip hop and alternative pop, as the neo-classical strings and modern beat of Trigger My Aria let Maria Rosa La Kakiee deliver a modest but striking ode to self-preservation.
Big indie alternative vibes light up a strong riff and groove that naturally draws you in. NYC band Why Another capture creative structuring and mood beautifully, with the highs and lows of this deeply confronting, thoughtful and intimate yet colourful new single.
Better Red Than Dead loops out to intensely hypnotise its audience, as we fall deeper under the spell of this intricate analysis and presentation of psychological strain and suffering; daily life consumed by nuclear threat, inner turmoil, and cultural division.
Svartsengi emerges at just the right time it seems, when it can often feel as if music has lost its way, lost its depth, lost its magic. OUTER and Arve Henriksen capture something profound and powerful with this composition and song. The subtle artistry is phenomenal. An easy highlight from the year.