The brilliant Haich is back with “Conversations,” an eerie single that takes shape through a collage of muddled drum tracks, ominous synths, and chopped and skewed vocal samples. The artist’s voice sweeps over us with a muted foreboding. Bubbly keyboard arpeggiates in the periphery. Tensions rise and we’re left with an enthralling three and a half minutes of experimental R&B.
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The NY-based artist Jae Luna’s new EP, “Projected Self”, puts a new spin on vocal-driven glitch pop. “Introit,” the opening track, teases us with Moses Sumney-esque melodies and percussive bursts that creep up on you like a silent tsunami. Powerful yet modest. Well done.
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Dirty Nice’s newest banger is a juicey fusion of alt R&B and electropop. What “Luvin U (feat. Desta French)” lacks in lyrical creativity, it makes up for with sugary washed out instrumentation. The timbre of strings and piano quickly devolves into a prickly, plastic ballad.
Stream the best new songs in emerging music with our Top 12 of the Week playlist
The neo-soul duo Agency has put out “Exponents”, an EP full of experimental and meandering R&B. The fourth track off the release, “is there some other version of my story?,” is full of polyphonies that billow in and out of a brooding dissonance. With the fuzzy organ backing, there’s an undeniable Frank Ocean resemblance. And yet its sound is still fresh—not without its own center of gravity. Stream “Is There Some Other Version of My Story?” from “Exponents” below.
The London producer Haich is back with another kaleidoscopic alt R&B single. In just 4 minutes, the artist layers a sophisticated microcosm of analog synths grinding against sampled vocal harmonies. A high pitched loop arpeggiates, giving voice to a kind of synthetic apprehension. “Peak” is dark, poignant, and gloriously dystopian.
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The Italian musician luliano has debuted “Who Knows,” a single that draws on classical bossa nova just as much as alternative pop and indietronica. Ambling vocals conjure a Thom Yorke with suave complexity. What begins as a lighthearted stroll down the neck of a guitar descends into a dissonant soundscape of locomotive percussion and scatterbrained falsetto. The track is an engrossing marriage between the familiar and experimental.
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Drawing on influences from 90’s era hip-hop, the Swiss duo Conscious Presence has dropped a self-titled album produced entirely on a tape machine, meaning each track was recorded all in a single take. And wow, love and attention is paid to every moment. “Steadfast Stillness (Outrolude)” may be the closing track to the album, but it packs quite a punch of expertly crafted beat-making. What’s wrong with something simple and sweet?
Conrad Clifton is a Brooklyn-based producer that loves to elude categorization. We’re happy to premier his newest single, “Beautiful Tragedy (VIP Remix),” a laidback mingling of downtempo and synthpop with some harder drum and bass to get you gyrating. Static soaked keyboards weave in and out of the foreground with a few simple notes rattling off in the distance. I think I’ll take this track with my morning coffee, please.
The NYC group Been Stellar have unveiled a new hazy rock single. “Everyone Smokes in the City” dips its toes into pop rock, lo-fi indie, and grunge. Compressed vocal harmonies skate over high-speed strumming. We’re trapped inside the spinning head of a 20-something pacing up and down the West Village.
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Litche has just released “Winter,” a single the Australian producer co-wrote with the Sydney-based artist Nrthn. It’s a shadowy pop track that drowns you in a river of faintly warm synths, muted vocals, and crackly ambience. The textures are ambivalent, but the ride is gorgeous.
Sama Dams is an emerging indie group from Portland that’s got an infectious minimalist rock vibe I keep coming back to. We’re honored to be premiering “Western Love” off their upcoming LP, Say It. Take a gander at those vibrato synths, melancholy vocals, and soft tambourine. The track’s tenderness is worth your time.
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Raven King has been hailed as an eerie grunge rock fusion between Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age, but my favorite track off their self-titled release is a bit more subdued. “Armilla” is a dreamy stroll through the woods with babbling creeks, sweetly tender guitar, soft vocal harmonies, and the echoes of sliding metal. It’s a bittersweet collage that both bends and bolster’s the group’s creative sound.
Stream the best new songs in emerging music with our Top 12 of the Week playlist
