Acoustic guitar recorded to a crisp and and bright quality, an organic groove and a fast-paced but gentle vocal outpouring – Partywhispers reflects upon romantic longing with equal parts personal and poetic contemplation, for the upbeat indie anthem 2night.
Music
Rapper and artist Rok Major brings a modern flow and melody to a classic hip hop beat, with the mellow storytelling and changing stages of Business as usual.
Globally renowned Americana live act The Dina Preston Band showcase the very best of their energetic and melodically infectious approach to making music. We’ve Been Everywhere is a timeless upbeat anthem, captured in what feels like a genuine single take, with the sheer passion and devotion of the band faultlessly united in everything from the celebratory concept to the musicianship.
UK songwriter Stephen McCafferty not only writes songs that connect and captivate, but achieves a fine use of contrast structurally along the way. The single Someday Somehow is a fine example of that skilful approach, an explosive rock introduction quickly dropping out for a much more intimate and stripped-back verse vocal.
The idea is protection and teaching, raising children who can deal with anything in a bright and empowered fashion, despite a darkened world – instil a sense of change and possibility that lasts – and the song naturally gets that kind of positive energy flowing through the space.
In The Queue is one of the band’s latest releases, and perhaps their most memorable to date. The single promises a huge earworm of a chorus, a satisfying resolve, and a strangely enthralling subject matter – one perhaps all the more outstanding for those of us who grew up the global capital of enjoying a good queue.
Introducing a uniquely distinct vocal lead and supporting voices that inject an all-together-now sense of oneness, Brace is a refreshingly honest and personal new single, from a band whose sound subtly intertwines aspects of indie rock and Brit-pop across a modern and fairly limitless creative aura.
Cody Wayne Connell, known to the scene as both paradox and Xodarap, recognises the duality of mankind through his yin and yang-themed alter-egos, and carves out a hard-hitting new lane in modern hip hop.
Self-penned as left-wing synth-pop and electronica, a contemporary take on political protest music – the aptly named and rather unforgettable Debt Shop Boi delivers a series of boldly scathing original songs, and soundscapes that rain down with the hypnotic multi-coloured depth of eras past.
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.
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.
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.