Antoin Gibson - Diss Tribute
Antoin Gibson returns with a latest single titled Diss Tribute that refuses easy categorization, fusing intellectual rap with dark pop.
Valkyrie’s Bard - Movement
- English (US)
“Movement,” the latest release from Valkyrie’s Bard, pulses with a quiet intensity that gradually blooms into something far more unsettling and powerful.
Antoin Gibson - Venom Laced Tears
- English (US)
Antoin Gibson returns with “Venom Laced Tears,” a striking collision of synthwave shimmer, pop precision, and brooding dark-wave electronica.
Lekursi - Amarna Letters
- English (US)
Lekursi’s latest track “Amarna Letters” feels less like a song and more like a transmission intercepted from another time, another realm.
Alice Jayne-The High Priestess
Alice Jayne can do a lot with relatively less. A designed minimalist in her musical approach, you’ll hear only what she wants to say with her music. Drifting into the depths of what is possible with electronic and dark pop, there’s always a side of her that hasn’t been seen. This is her latest single, The High Priestess. As her vocals shuffle through the power she possesses, it is clear she isn’t taking the pop route. For instance, the same song in a higher pitch would have had a very different ambient effect. Alice Jayne steers through the low notes, with emphasis on the words with presence. As though it is the epicentre, the instrumentals seem to branch out from her vocals itself. The synth effects allude to her lyrics, quivering with the unfound energy of power. She demands attention with her vocals for the chorus, the digital soundscape receding to an EDM synthscape. The layers she uses ask for the kind of kick only lyrics like those deserve. The production is more than commendable, capturing the prolific lyrics of an artist who crafts the pedestal she will stand on. There is something empowering and equally fearsome about the kind of sound she has. This is what will be her mark on the world of music. I imagined scenes from Girlhood for a powerful track like this. Paving their own way, women who have taken control and won’t settle for anything less than what they are worth. You can listen to Alice in her singles, The Devil and The Hanged Man being some powerful ones. Follow her for more dark pop hits to definitely come your way!
Mesmershade-Echoes of Elegy
Mesmershade excited us with their debut EP, for many reasons. For one, this is a project with a duo that exceeds expectations with the cinematic dark pop they make. The sound is a confluence of cultures, of different sounds and barrier-breaking expression. With Echoes of Elegy, they cement their place in experimental dark pop with a dramatic turn only the biggest music fans can enjoy. For your debut album, you have chosen some themes to explore while putting out your signature sound. How did you arrive on these themes? M. Munigant: I tend to lean towards darker, depressed sounding tones with a bit of discordance thrown in for good measure. I’m sure it affects the topics that Juniper chooses for her lyrics. Juniper Jow: Along those lines, I think our overall theme of lost love came about sort of organically. I guess you could say that part of the reason why I was drawn to Munigant’s songs in the first place is that these were the themes of this season of my life and so the lyrics I wrote became a natural reflection of the emotions I was experiencing in real life. Mesmershade invite you to the fore The EP’s name itself is quite a sombre one. Mesmershade bring their stylish tone to the synth infused globes that you’re subjected to. Moth is the opening single, a whirlpool of melodies and interesting rhythms. Typical, bands take the linear route with dark pop and let the background become a somewhat stale diffusion of the root melody. This band goes several steps ahead. Even in the lyrics of Moth, you can hear the poetic lyrics swirling around the theme. The kind of layering which involves many frequencies might be difficult to execute. Especially songs like The Best That I Could Invent. Which track did you find toughest to execute? M: Of the songs on this EP, I’d probably say “Moth” was the most difficult to put together. It layers four different synths over each other to give it depth, but there is a careful balancing act going on in the track that’s necessary to keep it from becoming a wall of noise. It also has a sneaky time switch in for the chorus, which adds an extra layer of complexity to it. Drawing from the drama We Don’t Have to Wait has a bespoke, Victorian era sound in the kind of scale used. The vocals run in line with the lead, adding emphasis to the kind of sound they would want. It makes the sound darker, a mystique that is metastasized with the melodic push in vocals. Short but extremely strong in the kind of effect it wants to capitalize on, Mesmershade is pushing the envelope actively in their sound. It is heard best in the next single, The Best That I Could Invent. The lead grows on you as the vocals aid the same part. No harmonies, but the punch of the same lead has a profound effect on the listener. An aggressive, pulsating beat is at the helm, and it is the genesis of the tidal waves that carry this track further. You would never expect a sound like this from a dark pop duo, if it was only dark pop. Mesmershade is more, and far deeper than the kind of sound you asked for. Sorrow and its tales The elements in Vicissitude have an industrial fusion in the synth. Is there a genre that particularly inspires Mesmershade? M: The synth in Vicissitude is actually an Oberheim OB-8. It’s my favorite synth to work with. I use it on almost every track. Strangely, a lot of my influences are noisy, mid-90’s screamo and hardcore music mixed with the synth-heavy soundtracks of John Carpenter’s and David Cronenberg’s movies. J: I’d say that for the lyrics and vocals, my singing is influenced by stage musicals, popular music and jazz from the 20th century. The dissolving sounds in Vicissitude echo around the EP now. Though the percussion is far simpler, the tones and lyrics are a capsule of what the word might mean. It means fluctuation, and that’s what the character of the background suggests as well. With We Sleep, you’re in the pawn game of the phasing vocals and simple synth canvas. Some of the best lyrics come together in this track, strong imagery and metaphors drawing out the sound. The EP closes with Death’s Lover. It is the kind of music you would want to close your collection out with. Not only does it cypher on what Mesmershade define as their sound, but writes lyrics that poetically take them to the very top of indie dark pop. Mesmershade is new dark pop As far as inspirations go, which is one artist or project who you idolize, but might be unexpected given your resultant sound? M: Considering how everything sounds, you probably wouldn’t be able to pick out the huge influence that mid-90’s gritty hip-hop production, like something you’d hear from the RZA, has on the songs I write. Possibly you can pick it out of the drums in places, but since we are a totally different genre of music, I don’t think that influence is readily apparent. J: I guess Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton might be one example of something I love that is an unexpected influence. You might be able to hear that influence just a bit in my rhyming patterns, but that’s probably the only noticeable way that it shows up in these songs. What can we expect next from Mesmershade? Will there be a mushrooming into other sounds or fortifying this established one? J: I know we have a few songs coming up that center around a theme of nostalgia. I’d also say that our lyrics are going to continue to use romantic relationships as a metaphor to explore other ideas. M: If you can expect anything, it will be more experimentation, more playing with song structure, and more variety of songs. I don’t think we’ll ever lose the unique sound we have together, but I definitely see it growing and evolving into something greater as we continue to create more songs. It is this ambition of the band that will take them to great heights. This EP would be perfect for Gone Girl (2014). The darker themes, lyrics and instrumental infusions would be great in Fincher’s superb work. Listen to the EP here and follow the group for more to come!
Monica Palmer-We Are All Escaping
Monica Palmer looks at electronica as a mode of expression. With her vividly imaginative style, you can learn a lot from how she performs and understands music. With her debut single Afterwards, she kept her fans on a long wait before what she intended in her full length album. Now, you get to watch that story unfold. This is her debut, We Are All Escaping. Something that looks straight out of the movie Lucy is what is experienced. Her opening single is the intro, and it gives a synth based ripple to begin with. Just to test the depth, wait for the different layers to fall in together. The vocals bleed in with the same intensity of the synths, and it all comes in as one. The flute is what takes away the high frequency, divulging a whole other mystique within. As we progress to Behind Closed Doors, you find yourself ear to ear with another effect. Dissolving into a superb style, it has an ambience that takes you on a meditative journey. When the percussion comes in, you feel like you’re in one of Trent Reznor’s creations. Monica Palmer then takes us to the soothing glass globe of For the Ride. It has a dream pop essence about it, and keeps developing like origami art. It is a superb confluence of overlaps, and prepares you for a rich experience. Vocals and synths are barely discernable after a point, the beats take over. When I Held You the First Time comes next. It is a far more soothing, receded song with a cinematic core. Lovely chord progressions draw you closer, while being the kind of romantic expression that is devoid of lyrics. Monica Palmer uses very bare percussion elements, but still retains the impact. We organically move into Hearts, her next single. It follows the thematic line of the previous one, while having hauntingly impactful flute melodies. The vocals are in the spotlight once again, while reflecting on poetic lyrics. Her attention to detail and sound inflection is particularly incredible. You can see this in Afterwards as well. It pulsates with the climatic energy of a beautiful segue, while buzzing with character. Scars is in sequence, delving into the tempo that might be almost deductive. As an artist, Monica Palmer is using her expression to craft something that she loves in electronica, while having her own signature palette. You’ll hear this in unique songs like Phases of the Moon, describing a melodic spearhead that keeps you rooted to the track. An epic like Lost You Again could be made by no one but Monica, and she ensures she draws you in with the magnetic power of her music. Uniform Conditions and Mommy is Sad close out this fantastic album. Monica Palmer concretizes the belief that the drama is at the core of her songwriting. What you feel flowers from several emotions, she gauges intuitively. This would be perfect in the aforementioned Lucy or something more drama oriented like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as well. You can listen to her debut above and follow her for more brilliant music to come!
Tricia Lo-I'm Ready to Die
Tricia Lo brings us sensational melodies from the island of Ireland. From the Baltic States originally, this singer songwriter is naturally writing mesmerizing melodies that take you away from the instant you press play. Her latest single is no different, if anything, it is one of her bet. This is I’m Ready to Die. Her powerful voice draws you in after the intro part. It sets a secluded image, somewhere in her mind where her conscience speaks. The echoing background adds a lot of drama to her vocals, which blend with the piano lead part. As her voice is so detailed in modulation, it is only fair that you’ll completely lose yourself to the art. The build exudes a false drop, and you’re left waiting in anticipation again. This is where Tricia Lo has her voice commanding over your emotions, with razor cutting detail. The production allows you to truly appreciate what she has written and her overall performance. Like a colour bleeding into a transparent whirlpool, the bridge and second verse bring quite some power along. It is the right kind of bass, for a theme like this and it exudes the same emotion Tricia Lo speaks so eloquently about. Her singles Tell Me Your Secret and Cursed by Your Love are some of my favourites. Her performance is truly spellbinding. This would be perfect in the movie Heart of Stone (2023). It has a very mellow undercurrent, but build suspense all through. Listen to the single here and follow her for more like this!