Phantogram are back with the gloomy bounce of new single “Black Out Days”. Still long on hip hop influence (the track’s main whirring/sinister vocal loop is quite clever) as well as Sarah Barthel’s all-go singing, “Black Out Days” subtly and adeptly modernizes Phantogram’s sound while maintaining the quality of writing and arrangement that the NY-based duo has earned their dough on thusfar.
Phantogram 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.5
Songstress Neon Hitch returns with a dope as f, ska horns-driven must listen cover of Mike Will Made It’s “We Can’t Stop”. Tfw… la da di da di we like to party.
Neon Hitch 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
“Peer Pressure” is the lead single from Kiwi duo Jupiter Project’s debut “Zeus” EP. Infinitely catchy and emphatically in the “feel good record” category, the especially strong nu disco of “Peer Pressure” is a very pleasant surprise from the New Zealand duo. “Zeus” is due Friday (9/13)
Jupiter Project 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Active Child, one of indie music’s biggest success stories of 2011 built in great part because of the strength of his “Playing House” single and You Are All That I See LP, unveils a new sound with the Mikky Ekko-featuring “Subtle”. The beats are beefed up and more muscular, the vocals fuller, the prevailing sound of the track starker and definitely influenced by current trends in mainstream & major indie hip hop and pop (Clams Casino, A$AP Rocky, etc). “Subtle” is taken from Active Child’s upcoming “Rapor” EP for Vagrant that’s coming out October 22.
Active Child 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
2013 darlings London Grammar turn in a sublime lights down low re-imaging of La Roux’s breakout hit “In For The Kill” for Radio 1’s Live Lounge. A+. Stunning.
London Grammar 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
“All We Can” is new from Brighton UK artist Yumi and the Weather. The deeper tones of Yumi’s (real name Ruby Taylor) vocal as well as her melodic choices work quite well w/ “All We Can”‘s mid-tempo bounce. That, and the track’s nice blend of accessory instrumentals; including deep-in-the-verb XX-style guitars and kinetic horn lines. We’re into it Look for an EP also titled “All We Can” from Yumi and the Weather on 10/21.
Yumi and the Weather (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
“Cry No More” is the debut track from London-based Vaults. “Cry No More” built initially on a neat interplay of a repeated bells figure and a simple bit of piano chords morphs a bit in sound and theme in its later half as synth swells move in and out the mix to expand and contract tension. Well done.
Vaults (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
