There is no better feeling than sinking deeper and deeper into your couch as your skin absorbs the smooth colorful lights illuminating an otherwise dark room with the music lazily dripping and flowing from the speakers.  Joshua Moriarty’s first single, “R.T.F.L”  from his debut album gives me just those kind of vibes, and it has left me completely liquefied.

If you love Glass Animals (like I do) you can definitely see the similarities between “R.T.F.L” and some of Glass Animals’ older work in albums such as Zaba. The gooey, dark violet and indigo vibes are definitely there.

The synths are dark and smooth and vibrate through your brain. It snakes its way right under the melody like a lazy river, stretching and winding through the track. The beat is layered right on top, with an almost jungle-y percussion vibes. It’s a pretty medium-sounding, solid beat: it resides right in the middle of the track without being too deep and bass heavy, and it’s not too light either. It provides substance and a backbone to this track.Joshua Moriarty’s vocals rise to the surface of the track, with his harmonies being mesmerizing and borderline psychedelic. It wraps around the whole track, serving as a finishing touch to a very musically strong track. “R.T.F.L” brings a jungle-like heat with a very cool and smooth kind of ebb and flow that makes it feel like it’s dripping down the walls.

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He also released a video with this track, which is just as trippy as the song it was made for. Playing with lights and colors the video is a visually captivating. Optical illusion-esque 3-D images are seamlessly blended with interesting imagery and visuals resulting in a surprisingly sophisticated music video for a debut song.

If you dig really cool visuals and music that cocoons and hypnotizes you, check out “R.T.F.L” by Josh Moriarty, and keep an eye out for his upcoming music too. Issa vibe, honestly.

Check out Joshua Moriarty on YouTube, BandCamp, and Spotify!

“Luna Man” is the latest single by Xenoula from her upcoming self-titled album (coming this November 24). The quality of her voice is reminiscent of a lot of French music, with her gentle sweetness and fragility combined with a slight raspiness.  Her voice is idiosyncratic and reminds me overexposed pastel colors and round shapes. The way she sings is soft, and done in a way that stretches and bends and cracks over the music. There is a section of the track where she whisper-sings, and it’s an interesting sort of intimacy to come from a song. She is right there, whispering in your ear, all the while sounding just out of reach. I also really enjoy the way she modulates her voice when she sings. 

Her voice slightly reminds me of that of Coeur de Pirate and my mind keeps coming back to drawing comparisons to Melody’s Echo Chamber, but what marks Xenoula’s distinction from others is her actual music. It’s a blend of natural and rhythmic music, layered over some deep, doo wop-y harmonies and futuristic/gentle keyboard strokes. It’s complex in a sense, but it still maintains a sense of minimalistic simplicity. There is a sense of urgency created, while also giving the feeling that you are completely still: like standing on the edge of a freeway or river. 

The music is built around a solid beat created with wooden block sounding drums. There’s a very natural feel to it, almost reminding me of the sound of tabla drums from India. There is a minor-key, French bistro-esque way to how the music comes together. 

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The video she put out for this track is transfixing. The color palette is of fading coral pinks and lavenders and greyish-blues. It reminds you of late sunset, when the colors are slightly muted as night begins to seep into day.  The video consists of imagery of forests and bodies of water with a lone figure clad in futuristic, metallic clothes wandering around. It’s a pleasant video to watch, and the aesthetics are not something you see every day. The qualities of Xenoula’s music are imbued and represented in the video.

If you’re looking for a track that’s a good kind of weird and left-of-center, check out Xenoula and her new track “Luna Man” (and keep an eye out for her upcoming album too). It sounds like a splash of clear spring water: nice and cool and refreshing.

Other internet places to find Xenoula: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram!

“Holding Hands” is the latest single from Melis, Turkish/Czech singer/songwriter, previously a part of electronic pop duo IYES. This is the lead single from her debut EP, “Parallels” (coming out November 24).

Melis uses “Holding Hands” to weave a story of a one-sided relationship, and the frantic attempts to fix it which lead you to ultimately forget yourself. What she creates is a haunting melody that leaves you entranced.

There is something truly raw and vulnerable to this song, which is what makes it so appealing. The honesty behind the music is like jumping into cold water: refreshing and crisp. There is sorrow imbued into the music and the lyrics, and it feels like you are calling out to a lover who you would move mountains to be with, but who isn’t willing to give you five minutes of their day.

The song starts out gently, and crescendos steadily throughout the duration of the track. The music starts out fairly simple, with quiet piano strokes that are tinted with a hint of urgency and want. She frames the melody with this, with each additional instrument adding a layer of complexity and urgency to the track. The song picks up pace with each “are you ready” asked by Melis, with the music coming to the apex at the chorus. The music sounds like it is spinning around you, like dizzying spinning lights. It really captures the feelings of letting go of a one-sided relationship with the yearning and pain and the tumultuous confusion that’s roaring in your ears. The music slowly sounds more and more whole as her voice and the music gathers strength. With one last “stop holding my hand”, she is letting go of a toxic lover and becoming her own individual. It’s beautiful, haunting, and a story of finding strength within yourself.

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Melis released a video along with this track. Directed by Luboš Rezler and cinetomography by Filip Marek, the film is wonderfully done. The cinematography and the color palette and lighting fits with the music very nicely. The video is full of blood-reds and muted blues and greys and whites and is just very beautifully shot and captivating. The video was filmed in Prague (a city with a long history and I would love to visit one day) and serves as an allegory of a young girl finding her place in a dystopian near-future. Drawing upon Orwellian themes, the video depicts totalitarian regimes of today and interprets the hidden meanings and emotions from the song and carefully interlaces them into the film.  

Melis is a rising star and this track is just one of several of great songs by her. Definitely check out her other songs like “Sober (Over You)” and “Love Song Idea”, and check out her EP when it drops, I know I will.

Check out Melis on the other parts of the internet too! Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Twitter.

What’s not to love, honestly? It’s a combination of the fun, ethereal, and kinda weird (in the cool way) sounds of alt-pop with the slight grit associated with lo-fi music that grind you back to reality a bit. Aaaaand speaking of lo-fi alt pop, have you checked out “Rabbits” by Boys?

If you have, you’ll agree with me that it reminds you of distilled early-fall-sunlight and all the other nice warm things.

If you haven’t, what are you doing? In most cases when I say “trust me”, you probably shouldn’t, but in this case, you should definitely trust me and go check it out right now!

Boys is the solo musical lovechild of Stockholm based Nora Karlsson. After being laying low for about a year after the release of the EP “Kind of Hurt”, she’s back with “Rabbits”.

There is something vintage and sepia-tinted to the track that evokes (the good kind of) nostalgia. You could imagine this song being played over the stereo of a 60’s Corvette, and it wouldn’t be out of place. It’s all floaty and smooth and glides all over.

I really like it’s kind of funkiness and how it seems very real and down-to-earth. But interlaced with that is also a kind of muted etherealness. The music consists of traditional instruments, meaning guitar, drums etc., but they blend together into something wistful and warm. Boys’ vocals ride the music like a raft bobbing in the water.   

All of it comes together to create something warm and lovely. The emotions are in perfect balance, with happy wispy music in the front, and a slight tinge of wistful sadness in the background. Listening to “Rabbits”, it’ll gently wash over you like glittering waves of sun kissed ocean water.

It’s going to pretty interesting to check out what else Boys has up her sleeve and add to the collection lo fi alt pop tracks that’ll play 2017 out.

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Check out Boys on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

The artist is a Toronto-based musician who is currently dominating the electronic scene. He is quickly becoming one of the recognizable names in electronic music, along with electronic pop duo Louis The Child. I’m personally a fan of both musical acts, and especially the song “Love Is Alive”. Chet Porter takes that track, and transforms it to something of his own.

Louis The Child’s original version of “Love Is Alive” is super chill, slower track. My favorite part is the super solid bassline that really packs a punch.  It had a much more laid-back, muted vibe to it. He takes the cooler, fall feel to the original and injects some summer and sun to it.

Deviating a bit from the indie-pop sound he typically infuses into his music, Chet Porter forays (successfully) into some unfamiliar territory, away from his comfort zone. He tries out a heavier, more synthy type of sound. The bassline is bouncy and pulsates through the build ups and the drops. The synths saturate through the track, and bring in something sparkling and bright. If it could be described as a flavor, it would be something sweet and effervescent. The vocals are faded, and almost echoey. There’s a particular distinctness to them. Elohim has a voice that’s really pleasant, and works really well with the music, blending and immersing itself with the sounds. There’s a warmth to the words she sings, but there’s also a very clear-cut crispness to the quality as well.

Chet Porter preserves the sweet and soothing nature of the original version of “Love Is Alive”, but injects a brilliant and dance-y energy to it.

There’s so much energy to his remix and can’t help but evoke the feeling you get when the afternoon sun gently kisses you from your fingertips to your forehead. It’s radiant and seeps through your body, warming you inside out. “Love Is Alive” really is just one of those “feel good” songs. He preserves the sweet and soothing nature of the original, but injects a brilliant and dance-y energy to it. As the last couple days of the summer slowly wind down, and the world is rapidly approaching the apocalypse, this honestly quite lovely remix of “Love Is Alive” by Chet Porter will remind me that there’s still love worth dancing for out there.

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Check him out on Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, and Instagram!

Another track that I am definitely adding to my (many) playlists dedicated to that kind of music is ‘Catch Me’, by Laxcity and featuring Sherry W. Laxcity is the pseudonym for Zambia-born and UK-based producer Joshua Manasseh Mbewe. Laxcity has been popping into the scene for the past couple years, bringing in fresh tracks all with the same kind of aforementioned vibes that I really dig. To put it quite simply, his tracks are like ice-water: cool and refreshing.  He teamed up with LA-based singer/songwriter Sherry Wang, who is expanding from a mostly acoustic repertoire to more electronic material.

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‘Catch Me’ is dripping with a gentle kind of lust, a kind of lust that’s also kind of sad. The kind when you’re missing someone that used to be right next to you. Sherry W’s vocals combined with the music bring a sort of sensuality to the music. What I really like about her vocals are how there’s an emotive, earthy wholeness to her voice when she sings. I really appreciate is how her voice can be solid, but still be able to maintain a longing sort of tenderness. I’ve had the word mellifluous stuck in my head for the past couple days and I’ve been waiting for a chance to get to use it, and I’m super glad I can use it now: Sherry W truly has a mellifluous voice. Her vocals nestle in with the surrounding soundscape. Both the music and the vocals complement each-other, creating a hypnotic atmosphere.

I said previously that Laxcity’s tracks are like ice-water, and ‘Catch Me’ is no different. The variety of instruments comes together come together in a icy blue sort of way, weaving together seamlessly creating an ambiance that is suspended all around you. The synths and piano make this track all bright and shimmery, like ice water catching the light. I really appreciate a nicely utilized synth, and Laxcity uses them in a really great way. They stretch and curve at frequencies which seep through your brain and make it feel all tingly. The bass frames your heartbeat as it punctuates the sounds staining and bleeding through the air. The track has a really, really dope kind of hypnotic sensuality. There is also really nice little string arrangement that plays the track out that really ups the whole sophistication of the song. I may be super biased to strings because I used to play the violin for quite a bit of time, but I really like a bit of orchestral flair thrown in songs and I think they should be utilized a lot more in electronic music. In “Catch Me”, the strings bring a stormy sort of feeling to the song, and you can feel some kind of emotion brewing under the surface.

‘Catch Me’ is literally added to my playlist right now, and I genuinely think this should be a new addition to all of your playlists as well. Laxcity really has sharpened his craft, and you can tell with the nuanced layers of sound and emotions presented in this track. This is off his upcoming EP, coming up late 2017. It’ll be a much needed refreshing, tall glass of ice water in the firestorm that has been 2017.

Check out Laxcity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Spotify!

Check out Sherry W on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Spotify!

It goes “I don’t play music to write songs, I play music to process feelings”. That statement really resonated with me. Music is the language of emotion, and is able to convey and articulate the subtle nuances of feelings that words themselves can’t quite articulate. This perspective on music as a form of catharsis is truly imbued in Black Belt Eagle Scout’s music, charging it with subtle power.

Black Belt Eagle Scout is the musical project of Katherine Paul, whose identity as a radical indigenous queer feminist shapes the music they create and serves as their fuel to keep pushing forward. Black Belt Eagle Scout just released the lead track “Indians Never Die” for a soon-to-appear record, “Mother of My Children”. It’s gentle, yet powerful; a rose in a hurricane.

“Indians Never Die” is truly a haunting piece. Instrumentally, the song is fairly simple. The song opens up with the music being led by the plucking acoustic guitar chords and a simple beat from what sounds like a wood block. In the middle and at the end of the track, the music swells and comes to the forefront of the track, taking a life of it’s own. A few notes lead the way as the song crescendos, being pulled forward by percussions. There is strength and a poignant fierceness to it.

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Ethereal vocals filter through the music, like wind through some rafters. Paul’s voice is like a ghost: it’s smoky and tender, but there’s still something truly solid behind their words. You know how when you burn things, the outside tends to get black and fine and powdery, but you can still see, deep inside, there’s a cherry-red ember, burning bright and refusing to go out. That’s how I would describe this song. An almost defiant strength radiates through the gentle music, pushing outward. Something powerful is simmering just under the surface, and is just waiting for the moment to rear it’s head. It sounds like it would fit in as a rallying cry kind of song in some sort of Hunger Games-dystopian type movie franchise, but the catch is that the dystopian society is a very real America and it’s treatment of its indigenous people over its (bloody) history. I really like how the song is named “Indians Never Die”, it really fits to the feelings brought out by the song. It’s a refusal to back down in the face of adversity. It’s a refusal to die out despite attempts to wipe an entire nation of people away. 

This song is honestly really great. It’s powerful in the most unexpected way. It’s also super great to see indigenous people get the spotlight (especially in the music industry), and share music that is formulated by their identity. Black Belt Eagle Scout mentioned how music is how they process feelings, and “Indians Never Die” is the result of that.

Check them out on Facebook, or pre-order “Mother of My Children”!

BONUS:
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Several hundred years after the United States dumped British tea into a harbor, the UK and US have forged a deep connection. From teaming up for both World Wars, to the Cold War, and to even now in the 2010’s with both countries voting in pro-racist policies/people ([cough] Trump [cough, cough] Brexit); the countries seem to have a special relationship. Another (and a wonderful) result of this relationship has been alt-pop duo WESLEE.

WESLEE has members from two coasts, with one from New York, and the other from London. This duo has come together in the best way, creating a musical tapestry with electronic and analog sounds. The duo rose to prominence with their haunting track “Gassed” and they’re back again with the chillest, vibeable, most relaxing track “Bathwater”.

WESLEE‘s new single “Bathwater” is decidedly a deep cerulean and a pleasant, fruity kind of sour.

Sometimes when I listen to a song, I try to find a color or a taste to associate it with, because it’s the best way to convey the nonverbal effects a song has on you. “Bathwater” is decidedly a deep cerulean and a pleasant, fruity kind of sour. It’s a combination of smoothness and peacefulness with brightness and vibrancy.

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The track has a toned down introduction, with vocals leading the way with simple chimes paving the way. The verse is framed by a steady beat, with the vocals coming to the forefront. It’s nice and steady, with the lead singer’s voice spreading over it. At the chorus is where the track really works its magic. The backing music flowers and blooms to envelop the vocals. The synths gently dip and fall, much like slipping into a bath. It’s really calming to listen to, while still maintaining a quiet strength to it. The track has a certain warmth to how it sounds, but it’s still really fresh and bright and original. 

The vocals have an almost other-wordly vibe to them. The chorus is sung as a duo, and makes it interesting to hear.  The quality of the vocals can be described almost like quiet bubbles, just floating gently through the air. It’s airy and incorporeal while still having the strength and substance to root the melody into itself.

“Bathwater” is a synthesis of sounds and vocals that comes together in the best way water. There’s a smooth fluidity to the vocals and the music, but there’s also a spritely spring to it. It rolls and flows through your ears and your mind. I want to sink into the ethereal musical landscape presented. WESLEE seems to be a force to be reckoned with that can’t stop making groovy, vibey tracks. Like, wow, the more I listen to this track the more I love it. All I want is just to sink into some “Bathwater”.

Check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube!