Listen: Are You Ever? — Eliza Elliott

Created by NY-based independent singer and songwriter Eliza Elliott, Are You Ever? is a heartfelt piece of alt-folk with a textured aesthetic. Filtered drums hit like heartbeats as Elliott quietly pours her heart out, depicting a tale of love that doesn’t quite catch.

In Are You Ever?’s chorus, Elliott sings about two people unable to love one another in quite the right way. As the main vocal sings the hook, “Are you ever gonna let her, find the right way to be close to you?”, there is a faint echo in the background, repeating the lines back. The sound evokes two individuals trying their hardest to communicate with one another, but unable to be heard over their own boundaries and barriers.

The verses hint at it, but the closing bridge makes clear that what initially sounded like a depiction of relationship disfunction from a third-party perspective is actually autobiographical. From the middle of the song’s forth-minute, Are You Ever? becomes utterly heartbreaking, Elliott singing:

“You’re not God’s favorite, but you’re mine. I think about you all the time. And all the rocks we collected — did you throw them back? “Haven’t cried for you in a month, I got so scared I used them up. And all the rocks we collected — did you throw them back?”

As processed vocals and synths build in the song’s conclusion, I found myself getting goosebumps over the naked grief Elliott manages to evoke. The feelings of loss, and fear over someone discarding monuments to love, hits hard.

Watch: Grace’s Gospel — Grace Kay

Having been born and grown up in Los Angeles, Grace Kay studied at an all-girls high school, and has spent much of her career pursuing her desire to empower other women.

Upon graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in acting, Grace appeared in a number of short films and miniseries. Those appearances help instil the importance of storytelling in Kay’s work, which now forms a fundamental part of her approach to songwriting. With a sound that draws on synth-pop and layered, textured vocals, Grace Kay’s music will likely appeal to fans of MUNA and Caroline Polachek.

Having previously appeared on BlackPlastic.co.uk with her song Here, Kay is back with Grace’s Gospel, the title track from her debut LP, released today. On that release, this song closes out the album as a dedication to her niece. Chugging bass gives the song an energised, 80s energy, whilst crisp drums and soaring vocals create a transcendent, worldly aesthetic. The result is uplifting, refreshing and celebratory. Check it out below:

Listen: I Look At You (It’s Over) — Shears

Shears is the musical pseudonym of Edinburgh-based musician Becca Shearing. Following on from her 2021 debut EP, Mind In Decline, and last year’s sophomore release Superhues, Shears has been working on music in her home studio.

I Look At You (It’s Over) is the result of quiet, focused work in that studio. Entirely written, produced and mixed by Shears, Becca uses the song as a vehicle to bring together her love of pop and an appreciation of drum and bass production aesthetics. The result sees Shearing deliver a soaring, emotive vocal atop of rolling drums and deep, sub-bass. The song hits a magnificent stride in the final minute, layered vocals creating a building sense of momentum.

Whilst Shears’ new song sounds like it is about a person, the break-up being depicted is actually about Shearing’s relationship with her phone:

“If I’m on social media too long, my head feels cloudy and less clear, my creativity is sapped, and ultimately, I just get really down. And it’s designed to draw you in and keep you there for as long as possible. So, I try to limit my usage or make sure I’m going on social media to do something specific. When I get outside and spend time with people, that’s when I’m relaxed and happy and the melodies come back into my head.”

Songs that use a romantic relationship as an analogy for something else are relatively common, but I love the juxtaposition here. The relationship we have with our phones _is_ a notoriously intimate one, and the somewhat irritated personification leveraged by Shears on I Look At You (It’s Over) feels surprising yet true.

Listen: Rated X — Nieri

Following on from his glorious track, Where Would You Drive?, LA-based musician Nieri is back with another slice of fresh electro-influenced pop.

Rated X sees Nieri dive into sensual territory, realising sexual pleasure through dedicating himself to a single person. Through that dedication, you can truly understand and stimulate someone’s desires. The X in Rated X subverts expectations, substituting explicit for exclusive. In a description that is in itself somewhat alluring, Nieri says:

“In this song, I wanted to celebrate the profound connection that emerges through physical intimacy. Specifically, the joy of feeling appreciated and accepted in a long-term relationship, while also embracing the exciting exploration of each other's bodies in various ways.”

More playful than Where would You Drive?, but still delivering a powerful message, Rated X sees Nieri perform a verse as a rap and has a crunchy acid-tinged sound to it. Crisp synths combine with body-shot beats to create something sexually charged and infectious. Check it out below:

Listen: Give Into You — Yuraa

Give Into You is a song in which we submit to falling into another person, emotions in free fall, in the belief, or hope, that someone will catch us.

The song starts with soft synth notes, and a vocal that, cutely, commences with the line, “This is how it started”. Hollow bass tones, chunky beats and clipped melodies evoke dizzying emotions in this electronic slab of dream pop.

The vocal on Give Into You acts as its anchor, but as emotionally charged as the hushed performance is, it is the surrounding instrumentation that provides the emotional colour. In particular, there is a growing crescendo of sparkling synth keys that get progressively louder during the song’s third-minute, and they feel like the starry-eyed experience of growing increasingly close to another person.

Describing the song, Yuraa say:

“Give Into You is about that moment when you finally allow yourself to fall for someone. It's about the joy and tenderness behind the very beginnings of love. It’s about acknowledging the fears that make you hesitant, and letting them go.”

Yuraa are an electronic duo making music for hopeless romantics, leveraging breakbeat and house styling to create emotive music. Check out the wonderful Give Into You below: