Stop talking about the weather! We’ve got a new topic of conversation for the water cooler. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing; stop. Log on to a chat room, pull out that phone or simply yell from your bedroom window. Whatever it takes to get the word out. These new artists are funky and fresh and will probably soundtrack Laneway 2018.
After a bit of Soundcloud surfing we’ve think we've come up with five new artists, that have quite the knack for crafting great songs.
Chloe Black
London artist Chloe Black may only have one song to her name but in 2 days it’s racked up 30,000 plays. Why? Because it’s a smoking, sultry track that sounds a little like Lana Del Rey, if Del Rey wasn’t afraid to growl a little.
27 Club sets out to be dark and it’s successful in doing so because Black is so committed and naturally gritty. If her Cruella Deville-inspired hairdo doesn’t give it away, the girl's got a little bit of evil in her blood and it doesn wonders. Of course, it’s reckless to spruik an artist after just one song, but something you just know.
The answer to her question re: “27 Club can I get in?” is no, by the way. She’s staying right here.
[soundcloud width="720" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/chloeblackofficial/27-club-chloe-black[/soundcloud]
Feel So Real
According to his Soundcloud Harriet Brown has “descended from the heavens”, so I suppose it’s quite cool that a modern day messiah is so keen on becoming a pop star. Might have made Jesus a few more fans.
All the silliness aside, Harriet Brown who goes by the name of Feel So Real has crafted a pretty impressive EP, New Era, built from lo-fi ‘80s nostalgia and expertly crafted pop-melodies. “Romantic funk”, is the label Brown has attributed to it and he’s spot on. The tracks evoke that same kind of steam that comes from a Prince slow-burner.
The hero of his Soundcloud is New Machines - a synth-heavy, retro cut which has Brown sounding like a more colourful Twin Shadow. It steadily builds but never explicitly, allowing you to lay-back in it and enjoy it for the loved-up gem it is.
Drippin
This producer may just be the most badass producer to ever come from Scandinavia. For the better part of two years Norwegian producer, Drippin, has been crafting hard-line beats of hip-hop influenced, industrial electronica.
Drippin rarely has time for hooks, rather he serves up relentless, abrasive beats that pelt away at your head, cracking the hard exterior. His latest track, Kyoto, sounds like ice dropping on cold aluminum. Its enthrallment comes in its darkness, in the same way that Yeezus makes your skin crawl at times.
Kyoto has been released by experimental New York label, Lit City Trax run by J Cush of electronica super-group (of sorts), Future Brown. While he’s from Scandinavia, all Drippin’s music sounds like the sort that could only have been given birth to in a city bound by masses of concrete and steel.
Liv
It wouldn’t be a week at all really, if we didn’t stumble upon a brilliant female RnB singer from London. 20 year-old singer, Liv is our latest find and boy are we pleased with ourselves. Her debut track, Come A Little Closer, effortlessly blended together elements of hip-hop, RnB and industrial electronica with Liv running alongside it with a whispered, silently fierce vocal.
This week she released the follow-up to that track, Special, and flipped the tempo, showing a completely different side. Special, is a sexy, romantic number peppered with plucked guitars lounge-found beats. She maintains that hushed vocal that we first heard on Come A Little Closer, finding a pocket in between Jessie Ware and Aaliyah.
Her voice may be interesting enough to carry any old song, but it’s an extra perk that the tracks carry some serious melodic weight. They’re not in your face but they’re slender enough to bend around your airwaves and slide right on in.
Flyte
After all the sex, steel and romance we had to finish on something a little more light-hearted. London band Flyte are about as much fun as a bubble tea on a sunny day. They’re in the business of crafting effortlessly catchy, chorus-centred songs.
There’s a healthy amount of hype surrounding this London band and it’s because they have the nostalgic cool to appeal to the underground and also the pop-sensibilities to take hold of a mainstream audience. Their latest track, Light Me Up, is an airy, weightless track that swoops in with a big chorus bolstered by perfect melodies. The great video also perfectly references ‘80s coy, cinema. It shows that the four of them have more than enough charisma to make a Flyte show equal parts intriguing and fun.
They are currently working their way around the UK on a two month tour which will surely get the UK press shouting. And once they start making some noise, Australia will start shouting.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/flyte/flyte-light-me-up[/soundcloud]
