With us all now deep into October, we feel that it is more important than ever to keep the good vibes coming with a brand new batch of new music from independent artists.
This week, we have a very diverse range of sounds to cover on our top ten picks, but each of them are immensely strong tracks. So without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Track Of The Week
Sarpa Salpa » Stick to What You Know
‘Stick to What You Know is exciting, dynamic, and colourful in every aspect of this phenomenal tune.
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Take the aesthetic of Sam Fender, and make it even more upbeat and dynamic, and you essentially have this week’s favourite tune of ours. ‘Stick to What You Know’ is the third and newest 2020 release from the Northampton-based alt-pop five-piece that are Sarpa Salpa. But on top of this, it is also the newest track to herald the arrival of an EP that is scheduled to be with us in the January of next year, as well as a load of prolonged tour dates in 2021. ‘Stick to What You Know’ is exciting and dynamic in every aspect of the tune, with melodies that are bursting with a colourful, yet nocturnal atmosphere, as well as remarkably festive energy. Needless to say, this track gives us a tonne of the belief that this band is going to make 2021 one hell of an enjoyable year for listeners.
Acrost » Pink Rabbit
‘Pink Rabbit’ feels incredibly mysterious in its sound, which ties into its respective narrative perfectly.
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The atmospheric musical project that is Acrost, continues it’s nature-inspired ambience with their sophomore release. ‘Pink Rabbit’ feels incredibly mysterious in its sound, which expertly plays into both the inspiration behind the upcoming album (which is to be released track-by-track) and the song itself. The story of ‘Pink Rabbit’ tells of Acrost’s personal experiences with a special form of sleep paralysis known as Hypnagogia. The multisensorial hallucinations that one feels as a result of this experience, is portrayed very well musically (which is no easy feat). All in all, ‘Pink Rabbit’ is an immersive new chapter to the musical tale that has been conceived by Acrost.
Erawan » White Noise
‘White Noise’ does a remarkable job of building its tension through its verses before bursting into the choruses of this brilliantly moody tune.
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Erawan is the musical project of London-based artist Hattie Marsh, who had released her sophomore single under this alias. ‘White Noise’ perfectly encapsulates and showcases the incredibly unique and musically diverse style that serves as the foundation for Erawan’s music, which could be described as a folk-jazz fusion with some gritty rock elements thrown in for good measure. And this is especially the case for this brilliantly moody track. ‘White Noise’ also does a remarkable job of building its tension through its verses; subtly and gradually increasing in volume and rhythm, before bursting into its choruses. This track truly gets our hopes sky-rocketing for whatever this artist has planned next.
Gracie Moses » Mood
‘Mood’ brings Gracie Moses into a more sleek and accessible territory of pop, and shows that this artist can be creative, but can also champion a set style.
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‘Mood’ is the second 2020 release, and third single release overall from Boston-based and self-produced singer/songwriter Gracie Moses. Following on from her previous single ‘We’ll Be Okay’, ‘Mood’ brings Gracie Moses into much more sleek and accessible territory, with a sound which fully embraces a dreamy pop ambience. This comes to show that while Gracie Moses has excelled in fusing genres in the past, she is also more than capable of championing a more straight-forward style in her music as well. But most importantly, ‘Mood’ has the kind of depth that you would expect a whole team of creatives to be behind. And thus, we are immensely impressed with Gracie Moses and her immense talent.
JXCKY » Lockdown Lover
Many people will surely be able to compute with the lyrics within ‘Lockdown Lover’, which is both a remarkable debut track and a brilliantly written love song.
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From the Melbourne-based artist JXCKY, comes his debut single. As the title suggests, ‘Lockdown Lover’ includes a quarantined relationship as the focal point in it’s writing. But what made the story of ‘Lockdown Lover’ all the more sweet and unique, was the fact that the love interest in this track is somebody who JXCKY is yet to meet. And the idea of feeling like you’re missing someone you haven’t met yet, while an extremely interesting take on the typical love song, is also a narrative that many people could probably relate to, in times like these. Pair the immersive lyrics, with a brilliantly warm, colourful, and lustrous production, and you have an absolutely remarkable debut single.
Local Nomad » Snakechild
The narrative behind ‘Snakechild’ ties into an earlier single from Local Nomad, and deepens both his writing and sound.
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Local Nomad, the New York-based synth-pop artist, has had a very productive 2020 so far. Having released a self-titled EP earlier this year, Local Nomad has since released 3 singles, with the newest being ‘Snakechild’. But for those who listened to ‘Gates’ from his EP, ‘Snakechild’ ingeniously ties in with the narrative of that track, essentially serving as a prequel of sorts. This track speaks of all of the blurry nights out with a friend of the artist, who serves as the focal point of the lyrics behind both ‘Gates’ and ‘Snakechild’, and this track’s sound masterfully captures all of the nocturnal atmospheres that it needed to. But even with the darker context of its writing, ‘Snakechild’ is a highly enjoyable tune.
Magnus Chapple » Trust the Process
The deeply subtle and moody approach towards the sound of ‘Trust the Process’ is sure to keep the summer spirit alive a little longer.
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The singer, songwriter, and producer Magnus Chapple continues to push his experimental R&B style forward with his latest single ‘Trust the Process’, which is his first single to follow this year’s debut album of his, Unprecedented Measures for Unprecedented Times. The production of this new track takes a far more deep and subtle approach towards its production, which creates a very soothing mood of sorts. We also love the Joji-like vocals that Magnus Chapple implements to elevate the moody and emotive atmosphere to this new single. But overall, ‘Trust the Process’ has a brilliantly warm vibe to it that is sure to keep the summer spirit alive a little longer.
Sofia Dragt » Come Home
The welcoming and homely vibe of ‘Coming Home’ is an enjoyably stripped-back change of pace, and shows how versatile this talented artist is.
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We absolutely loved what the insanely talented Sofia Dragt has released so far this year; not only with her band Luminar but also with her solo discography as well. We especially loved the atmospheric sounds of tracks like ‘Old Boat’, and ‘Underwater’, and our enjoyment continues with her brand new single release. ‘Come Home’ definitely succeeded in capturing that welcoming and homely vibe with flying colours. And while we still adore the aforementioned singles, ‘Come Home’ is a refreshing change of pace from the lustrous and dreamy aesthetic; instead vouching for a more stripped-back and wholesome experience. But it proves once more just how much of a versatile talent Sofia Dragt is.
The New Consistent & Charlotte Lennon » Turn Off All the Screens
‘Turn Off All the Screens’ is a song tailor-made for the lockdown generation, and had our attention from start to finish.
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‘Turn Off All the Screens’ is the first 2020 release from songwriter, producer, and spoken-word poet who goes by the name of The New Consistent, and it is arguably the most unique song we have listed this week. This track serves as a reflection of coping with mental health, specifically surrounding the lockdown generation. And in terms of production and lyrics, we feel that this track is also the truest to the likes of Mike Skinner, which we can only assume is a big influence behind the discography of The New Consistent. Along with the inclusion of singer Charlotte Lennon, ‘Turn Off All the Screens’ stands as a track that had our attention from beginning to end.
The Pulse » Poltergeist
The warm, twilit, and festive energy that The Pulse’s debut single brings is absolutely non-stop.
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And finally, we have the debut single release from Leicester indie group The Pulse. And we honestly feel that ‘Poltergeist’ is a fantastic way to kick off their discography. The warm, twilit melody of this track instantly let us indulge in the realm of festival season, with a brilliant mixture of wholesome ambience, and high energy. And honestly, the energy we speak of is absolutely non-stop in the case of this track. Our strong belief that ‘Poltergeist’ settles in with some of the most festival-ready indie bops, along with the fact that it is the bands very first single release, points clearly to the idea that there is a promising horizon-broadening in the distance for this awesome band.
Below you can find al of the 39 awesome songs that were released this week.
