Latchy is quickly making a name for himself in the indie scene, dishing out track after track of sticky, nostalgic-pop magic.
Does the name Latchy ring a bell? You may have caught his single Soda Dream last year. It rocketed to 70,000+ plays on Spotify as well as garnering triple j rotation. Aka, the goals of every Aussie-indie artist right now.
With hooks that never disappoint, I’m beginning to believe that the Singapore-based Australian artist is called Latchy for a reason. His latest single, Foreign Local, is no exception to his signature stuck-in-your-head treatment.
The single opens with some reverb-drenched choir vocals and an ascending organ. Talk about creating anticipation. The soundscape then dramatically shifts to some arpeggioed synth, a hand-clap sample, and Latchy’s pure bari-tenor. His timbre is similar to indie-heavyweight Chet Faker, though Latchy is a little more polished.
You’ll also immediately notice the professional-sounding mix and crisp tones, which can only come as a pleasant introduction to the artist. Then we arrive at the hook. “I feel just like a foreign local”, Latchy confesses, dipping in and out of falsetto. This contradicting yet clever sentiment didn’t come from the artist just because it sounded cool. Latchy recorded the track in Singapore, locked out of Australia during the heat of the 2020 lockdown. “2020 was a tough year for so many people, and I think it left a lot of us feeling very displaced”, he comments.
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Following the hook comes a bass breakdown of Tame Impala calibre. The fat bass tone takes over, while tight drums, percussion, and ambient samples surround the mix. The vocal harmony is a nice touch, too. Lush production continues throughout as the artist builds on the hook with increasing tasty synths and effect-heavy backing vocals.
What’s even more impressive, is that most of the tones found on the track are Latchy’s own handiwork. Not only did he pen and sing the track, but he’s also got his hands involved in the production, multiple instruments, and sampling. If you’re hooked on the track, be sure to catch the artists’ live-streamed shows this month, which can be found here.
Listen to Foreign Local below:
