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Now, with her new single “Grandiose Love,” the opener and title track of her upcoming new album, that door bursts wide open. The song is playful, theatrical, and immediate ; a heady burst of sensuality and self-expression. Built on jam sessions with her band, it pulses with instinct rather than polish, driven by Zoee’s desire to “think big and elaborately” and shake off the urge to hold back. The result is tactile and overflowing, like the poetic world it conjures: one of oversized fruits, outstretched arms, and feelings too big to contain. Even the artwork shows the artist carrying a huge heart, wide open to the world. If “The Wave” cracked open the door, “Grandiose Love” kicks it down. This isn’t just a new sound for Zoee, it’s a declaration of joyful excess and rebirth.

First taste of that world? “The Wave,” the album’s lead single, out now. The song swells with feeling with its crashing percussion, dreamy vocals, and a sound that teeters between softness and intensity. The video is equally evocative, a surreal visual echo of the album’s lush, overflowing world. There’s even a personal touch woven in: a sample from Dancer From The Dance, a novel about the 1970s gay scene in New York that Zoee’s late father gave her.

Grandiose Love is Zoee at her most instinctive and expressive. Born from collaborative jam sessions with her band and shaped in the wake of personal upheaval, the album is a kind of sonic treasure map, layered with mantras, surreal imagery, and bursts of joy and longing. “It was about growing into my confidence and not holding back,” Zoee says.

Last year, London musician Zoee released her debut album Flaw Flower, drawing inspiration from the avant pop of the 80s, modern literature and her own experiences. She has now shared a video for “The Empty Glass,” one of the highlights of the record. “[It] explores how the seasonal rhythm of our lives can summon waves of nostalgia and self-reflection,” Zoee explains. “Sometimes these moments of reflection can bring up difficult memories, so through the song I seek to make peace with the past in order to welcome in the new.”

The pastoral visuals were directed by Italian queer filmmaker and photographer Dani d’Ingeo. “It is a song about love and coming to terms with the past,” adds d’Ingeo. “We began looking into collective healing and rituals and ended up in the magical universe of folklore and paganism. We wanted to transport the viewer into the same oneiric reality Zoee’s work lives in. Working with my extremely talented friend Robert George Sanders was an honour and a dream come true. We sat down in his studio and he let me into his universe of fantastic colourful outfits and ever-powerful nature. We discussed the themes of the song and my ideas of creating a healing ritual through the visuals, and we decided we had to make the shoot feel as genuine and close to an actual ritual as we could. Witchcraft never happens casually.”

Watch the video and revisit Flaw Flower below.

Catch Zoee live at the London’s Paper Dress Vintage on March 31 (more info).

London based avant-pop artist Harriet Zoe Pittard aka Zoee has just shared the second single from her upcoming debut album. Following on the addictive “Microwave,” the anti-romantic ballad “Host” combines “home demo backing vocals with an elaborate baby grand piano solo”.

“‘Host’ describes the disconcertingly replicant-like nature of a once starry-eyed lover who becomes increasingly detached,” she explained. “The video is inspired by The Twilight Zone and was shot on location in a forest close to where I grew up in Berkshire.” Watch the Jacek Zmarz-directed visuals and pre-order the album via Bandcamp below.

After having dropped a few amazing singles here and there since 2016, London-based musician Harriet Zoe Pittard aka Zoee has finally announced the release of her debut album, which she crafted with her long-term musical collaborator Rowan Martin. A mix of hi-fi and lo-fi instrumentation, Flaw Flower draws inspiration from the avant pop of the 80s. It is also an introspective and emotional journey where her real-life phone notes mingle with imagery taken from modern works of literature such as “The Flowering Corpse” by Djuna Barnes, Sylvia Plath‘s “A Winter Ship” and Maggie Nelson‘s “Bluets”.

About the record, she stated:

“I feel like the songs on this album took me deeper into myself, the sad song that I thought was about a boy is still about that but it’s also about loss, about self-determination, about not losing hope, about memory, about domesticity, about detachment, about my dad, about my mum, about change, about feeling incredibly alone, about growing up.”

She has also shared the first single, “Microwave,” which she describes as “a many-sided song about familial dynamics, oppressive domestic settings and the joy found in self validation.” Watch the accompanying video, courtesy of director Daniele d’Ingeo, and pre-order Flaw Flower via Bandcamp below.

Like every year, our team vote for their favourite tracks of the year. You can stream this list, as well as other tracks that were close to entering the top, via our Spotify and Apple Music playlists below. You can also check our Best Albums and Best EPs/Mixtapes of 2020.

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50. Julia-Sophie – “x0x”

49. Blue Hawaii – “Not my Boss!”

48. Zelma Stone – “Fly”

47. Young Ejecta – “Crayon Cactus”

46. Sedona – “Crying On My Own”

45. Zoee – “Rio’s”

44. Prince Innocence – “Angelyne”

43. Laura Groves – “Foolish Games”

42. Cindy Lee – “I Want You To Suffer”

41. Lido Pimienta- “Eso Que Tu Haces”

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40. Jayda G – “Both Of Us”

39. NNAMDÏ – “Perfect In My Mind”

38. Lomelda – “Hannah Sun”

37. Braids – “Young Buck”

36. Against All Logic, Estado Unido, FKA Twigs – “Alucinao”

35. oklou – “unearth me”

34. Kate NV – “Sayonara”

33. Agar Agar – “Nap”

32. Annie – “The Streets Where I Belong”

31. Beadadoobee – “Worth it”

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30. TOPS – “I Feel Alive”

29. Yves Tumor – “Gospel For A New Century”

28. Dua Lipa – “Physical”

27. Cakes da Killa, Proper Villains – “Don Dada”

26. Namasenda – “Wanted”

25. Ultraflex – “Never Forget My Baby”

24. Shamir – “On My Own”

23. Discovery Zone – “Dance II”

22. Couch Prints – “Of Drawing”

21. Nilüfer Yanya – “Crash”

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20. Cindy – “2y & 6m”

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19. Bullion – “We Had A Good Time”

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18. Kelly Lee Owens – “Melt!”

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17. Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song”

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16. Waxahatchee – “Can’t Do Much”

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15. Maria Minerva – “Apology”

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14. Shygirl – “FREAK”

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13. Jónsi, Robyn – “Salt Licorice”

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12. Perfume Genius – “On The Floor”

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11. Ela Minus – “Megapunk”

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10. Romy – “Lifetime”

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9. SAULT – “Wildfires”

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8. Soccer Mommy – “circle the drain”

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7. Eartheater – “Below The Clavicle”

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6. Helena Deland – “Comfort, Edge”

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5. Fiona Apple – “I Want You To Love Me”

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4. Charli XCX – “Forever”

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3. Dehd – “Loner”

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2. Christine and the Queens – “People, I’ve Been Sad”

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1. 070 Shake – “Guilty Conscience”

Zoee, a London-based musician who has worked with producers including Joe Goddard and SOPHIE, has been putting out bittersweet left-field pop singles since 2016. Songs like 2018’s fantastic “Used,” which was released on Plz Make It Ruins, the label of Frank Ocean collaborator Vegyn, showcase her penchant for bubblebum-inspired, swinging beats and vocal theatricals. It had been a couple of years since she graced us with new material, but that’s about to change. Zoee is now set to release her debut album, out early next year on the Bristol-based label Illegal Data.

To build up excitement, Zoee is now releasing another single, “Rio’s,” which is an absolutely gorgeous song built on top of a swaying 6/8 time signature. The pop alchemist is not holding anything back here: from the very beginning we are hit right in the face with a gust of synths and an intense electric guitar lick, the latter effectively working as the song’s emotional peak. For what might be considered a bedroom-pop track, this is as expansive as it gets – think Depression Cherry-era Beach House but made after having spent too much time online. It’s a different direction for Zoee: less aseptic, more visceral. It’s also an absolute gem. “Rio’s” is accompanied by an equally great video – half Baywatch tribute, half Gothic fantasy, it shows Zoee ruminating near a body of water, the song’s lyrics fittingly displayed on a Very Vintage Font. Watch the video premiere below.

All proceeds from the compilation will go to HJL and the UFFC so don’t hesitate to get the track via Bandcamp below.

We’re only 6 months into 2020 and it actually feels that the world as we know it is about to collapse. Who knows what’s coming next? For better or worse, a lot of things are simultaneously happening around us and music has been an essential way to find hope and kill time. In 2020, artists need us more than ever and, in case you did not figure it out while being stuck at home, we also need them. Can you really imagine a lockdown without music? We can’t. As we’re now at the mid-way point of this exceptionally horrible year, it’s time to share with you, like every year, the 30 tracks that have helped us to hold on so far. If you need more to cheer you up, you can also explore our other favourite tracks of 2020 via our Spotify and Apple Music playlists below.

070 Shake – “Guilty Conscience”
Agar Agar – “Nap”
Annie – “American Cars”
Boyish – “AnDroGay”
Caribou – “Never Come Back”
Charli XCX – “forever”
Christine and the Queens – “People, I’ve been sad”
Cindy – “Never Let Me Go”
Cindy Lee – “I Want You To Suffer”
Couch Prints – “Of Drawing”
Discovery Zone – “Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation Melody”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
Fiona Apple – “Shameika”
Geranium – “Separate Life”
Kate NV – “Sayonara”
Magdalena Bay – “Airplane”
Moses Sumney – “Virile”
MOTHERMARY – “Catch Fire”
Perfume Genius – “On The Floor”
Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song”
Planet 1999 – “Party”
SAULT – “Wildfires”
Soccer Mommy – “circle the drain”
TOPS – “Direct Sunlight”
Waxahatchee – “Can’t Do Much”
Yaeji – “When I Grow Up”
Young Ejecta – “Crayon Cactus”
Yves Tumor – “Gospel For A New Century”
Zelma Stone – “Dreamland”
Zoee – “Rio’s”