Listen: Trippin - Sara Jackson-Holman

Sarah Jackson-Holman is a American singer-songwriter based in LA. With music that has appeared in shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Riverdale and Orange Is The New Black amongst others, she is back following a three-year hiatus and ready to release not just one, but two new EPs across different genres. First up is Candy, and this will be followed by the distinctively titled Beep Beep Bitch.

Tippin is lifted from the Candy EP, and is described as a surrender the the free falling obsession of new love. There is a distinctive sound here that combines the slow, methodical feel of 70s rock - a dark, Fleetwood Mac feeling that combines with electronic production to create something that sounds reminiscent of Chromatics.

The song gracefully unfolds, wrapping itself arms around you gradually, starting gently yet ultimately feeling a little bit suffocating... It captures that feeling of a love that just won’t let you go.

Trippin by Sara Jacksonn-Holman, released 13 March 2020

Watch: This Is Not A Band - Carré

This Is Not A Band starts on a nine, and only further cranks things up from there. It’s been a while since I’ve heard something as hard and electronic as this and felt so instantly grabbed... The track layers together the kind of dark bass line that reminds me of Jilted Generation era Prodigy but combines it with elements of French touch - the techno flourishes of Daft Punk and the distortion-heavy sound of Justice. The result was that before the track even got going, I found myself dancing on my own in the kitchen one morning.

It’s the build that really makes This Is Not A Band shine though. As the song hits it’s mid-point, the vocals begin to deliver the kind of punky assertions we expect from Soulwax and LCD Soundsystem. And it just keeps going, aggressively layering noise upon noise until, suddenly, it just stops... And I instantly go back and start it all again.

Carré means square, but can also be translated to playing tight, or on point, a term that definitely feels relevant here. The trio are French, but are based in LA, and started out in 2019 with the focus on two drummers being a statement, and a calling card. Their focus in on creating music that tries to avoid preoccupation with form and structure, and instead embrace a surrealist view of the world, inspired by geometrical shapes and patterns. The band lay out their philosophy:

“There’s something about not getting attached to the form, when you step back and disengage yourself from the form, you become in touch with something more pure and spiritual, while remaining in the square.”

Check out This Is Not A Band below:

Listen: 18 - NEIMY

Some two-years post her appearance on Jubël’s acclaimed track, Dancing In The Moonlight, Swedish indie pop musician NEIMY is back with new single 18.

18 is a nostalgic song that looks to capture the experience of first becoming aware of being an adult, as NEIMY explains:

”My song 18 is about looking back at that innocent time when you were in the beginning of being an adult. How you might look back and realize that you still were so little and fragile but felt like you ruled the world. I hope and wish that the listener remembers a special time when they were younger and hopefully relate and feel the vibes of that sweet innocent time.”

The song itself was put together with collaborators and co-writers Eric Wictor and Erik Petterson as the trio experimented with a series of soft piano chords and stories of their teenage years. The resulting song is a introspective walk through your memories, wrapped up in warm, dreamlike melodies and a crisp layer of production.

Listen: Ghost - NOPRISM

Ghost arrives gleaming with polished surfaces whilst dark analogue bass rebounds around the insides of your head. Hi-fi synth stabs drench you in dreams of retro futurism whilst raw brass gives this an earthy, human feel. It’s all capped off with a darkly delivered vocal that gives Ghost a crisp, soulful feeling.

But overall, the lasting effect here is one of pop… This is pure, unashamed, electronic pop. And it’s glorious.

Depicting the lingering, haunting memory of something you can’t have, Ghost is about being stopped in your tracks when you least expect it. It’s also the kind of song that makes me want to dance through pain, and I know we all feel enough of that right now.

Hailing from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north of England, NOPRISM are a duo who came from a background in noise-guitar bands who now make nu wave electronic music. Deeply indebted to the likes of Prince, New Order, Talking Heads and Chaka Khan, whilst building in modern influences that include Justice and Todd Terje, NOPRISM ultimately make unpretentious good old pop music.

Check out Ghost below, and look for it on streaming platforms from 13 April:

Listen: Heart Is Broken - This Boy

Debut album Year One will be released later this spring, but the overall theme woven through the album is that of the force of everyday habits that can have both a liberating and limiting effect. When viewed from a distance, the role of pattern and schedule can make each day feel very similar.

Heart Is Broken is the debut single from This Boy, and starts in the mould of an alternative R&B joint - falsetto vocals and dark projection create a sense of isolation on a song that depicts the feeling of hurt that comes at the point our hearts snap. Yet this is high concept pop... In time, the song transforms into a transcendent piece as a huge choral refrain kicks in, an angelic moment that feels like it captures the feeling of salvation that comes as a heart becomes as broken as it can be, and the process of healing begins.

Moments of true heartbreak are tragic and immensely painful, yet they also represent the moment when the repair can start. Musically, Heart Is Broken represents a sound quite unlike anything I’ve heard before. Give it a listen and wait for the healing to begin.