Fourteen tracks worth putting on your radar this week.
There’s a lot happening in this week’s Radar, from glossy synth-pop and hazy electronica to Dublin alt-rock, Brazilian groove and one very pointed diss track.
Here are the tracks that caught our ears.
King Howe – ‘milo’
All sorts of good electronic sounds are coming out of this little gem. ACT artist King Howe folds indie folk, violin, jazz and experimental production into something that lands pretty close to indie-pop gold.
The Entitled Sons – ‘Epitaph (Not There)’
A beautiful track from UK band The Entitled Sons, made up of four brothers and their dad. They’ve already picked up some seriously enthusiastic praise for their live shows, and ‘Epitaph (Not There)’ makes it pretty easy to see why people are paying attention.
Dreaming of Citra – ‘BMW’
‘BMW’ starts somewhere between carefree indie pop and indie electronica before the guitars come crashing in. This Manchester five-piece are very easy to like.
saintedblu – ‘roses in the rain’
A really nice drop from Australia-based, London-born saintedblu, whose music moves between hip hop, rock and indie. ‘roses in the rain’ leans into the emotional side of things.
KDRC – ‘On& On’
Karun Ramani and Duarte Cotta make music sitting somewhere between the club and a very good house party. ‘On& On’ pulls jazz, R&B, hip hop and electronica into a nice little little melting pot.
Strawberry Parx – ‘Señor’
South London’s Strawberry Parx go straight for colourful new-wave pop on ‘Señor’. Big ’80s synths, and bright hooks – give us more of that.
SMO – ‘White Flag’
A solid drop of indie rock out of Dublin. SMO balance full-tilt alt-rock energy with enough sincerity underneath to give ‘White Flag’ some solid weight.
KEEP YA NOSE OUT – ‘YA DELETED’
Not much ambiguity here: ‘YA DELETED’ is a diss track aimed squarely at the patriarchy, the manosphere and one bloke in particular. Violent, theatrical revenge turned into music, and all the more good for how completely it commits to the bit.
Check it out here via Souncdloud.
Ariane de Souza – ‘Take It Easy’
Brazilian-born, Sydney-based Ariane de Souza brings soul, R&B, funk and Brazilian rhythm together on ‘Take It Easy’. There’s a natural groove to the whole thing, backed by the kind of vocal that is all kinds of effortless.
Rosie Larada – ‘Look My Way’
Former The RedRoom frontwoman Rosie Larada continues stepping out on her own with ‘Look My Way’. The Newcastle upon Tyne singer-songwriter brings together pop, soul and jazz with a very confident hand.
Tableau – ‘Fake Life’
Tableau are looking backwards in the best possible way on ‘Fake Life’. There’s plenty of ’70s and ’80s influence running through it, enough to satiate the hungriest of retro–pop enthusiasts.
Peejmudd – ‘Okay, Breathe’
Vancouver composer Philip Patton gets beautifully atmospheric under his peejmudd moniker. ‘Okay, Breathe’ moves through soft piano, broken beats and waves of reverb.
Body – ‘I’m Still Alive’
Some experimental indie pop from Kelowna, British Columbia, with one foot planted in independent rock and the other wandering somewhere more progressive. ‘I’m Still Alive’ is strange in all the right places.
RAMYA!! – ‘waitin’’
Self-described as “5’2″ but my voice is 6’6″,” RAMYA!! already knows how to write a bio. The music backs it up too: synthy indie-pop-rock, heart-on-your-sleeve writing and all the sweet ingredients of an emerging artist worth keeping an eye on.
Chuck New Indie Music: Happy’s Mixtape a follow. Updated every week with emerging indie, rock and alt artists picked by Happy Mag.
