Listen: Better — Divorce Court

Having appeared on BlackPlastic with his release of 140 back in March, Divorce Court (real name Lynden Williams) is back with the release of his album, Two Hours.

Better is one of Williams’ self-proclaimed favourite tracks from Two Hours, and was at one stage a contender for a single. Instead, it ushers in the album’s launch. Whilst this latest song doesn’t have the distorted synth bass of 140, it revels in the same hazy introspection and sun-drenched production of Divorce Court’s other work. It also has the same sense of personal reflection and vulnerability, Williams sounding like he is wrestling with his own sense of wellbeing.

Check out Better below, and find the album Two Hours on streaming platforms now.

Listen: Eyes Were Blue — Illgorythmz, Seltzr, & T-FINNY

NY-based Illgorythmz is an electronic producer, drummer, audio engineer and visual artist. Taking inspiration from genres as diverse as house, downtempo, techno and future bass, he creates music drawing on his experience across a range of genres and time periods.

Illgorythmz has been working with Seltzr for years, producing electronic music in the studio and performing in a live funk band. They started working on Eyes Were Blue back in October 2022, originally focusing on a lo-fi jazztronica beat with a cut-up vocal sample on top.

The original intent was to release the song earlier this year, but Illgorythmz was reconnected with old friend and singer-songwriter T-Finny when the latter reached out for the first time in a decade. They began working together on T-Finny’s own music before collaborating on Eyes Were Blue, the singer instantly having ideas for a proper vocal.

After a couple of months, and much time in the studio, the trio finally had a vocal that tells the story of a new love experience. The timing proved fortuitous, the onset of summer fitting with the song’s atmosphere perfectly.

With shimmering melodies and woozy, drunken beats, Eyes Were Blue opens with a hazy, sunny feeling to it. The jazzy notes here feel reminiscent of Flying Lotus, whilst the percussion has a Dilla-esque time feel.

As Eyes Were Blue progresses, it is gradually built into a layered, complex slice of electronic funk. T-Finny’s vocals slip and slide beneath one another, as bass notes crack like sunbaked tarmac. This is the kind of music that feels perfect for driving around on a hot day, windows down, sunglasses on… I encourage you to do just that.

Watch: Fool Hardy (I Will Never Forget This Summer) — Sylvan Weekends

Sylvan Weekends, who I wrote about back in February, are back with another slice of nostalgic and youthful pop music.

In February, Young And Freewheeling struck me for its beautiful tension between innocence and excitement at the possibilities afforded by growing up. In contrast, the message in Fool Hardy seems a little more straightforward. The song is a pitch to lose yourself, be present and seize the moment.

Even so, Fool Hardy has depth. The song is written from the perspective of being in the moment, yet reflecting on how the memories will sit, experienced from the future:

“Now, when I feel the sun beating down, I think of all your kisses. I’m really gonna miss this.”

Leveraging their trademark genre-bending style, Sylvan Weekends combine banjo, synths, and unison vocal work to give Fool Hardy its distinctive sound. It is energetic, youthful, and full of heart. The song arrives with a joyous video that sees bandmates Matthew, Freya, and Daniel hanging out in a single room. In the video, they juxtapose the introspection of the song’s verse with a chorus that makes the band flip into a choreographed dance routine.

As noted with Young and Freewheeling, Sylvan Weekends have an affinity for nostalgia, and Fool Hardy is a song that manages to capture the feeling of being nostalgic for a moment whilst it is still happening… This collapsing in of an experience only happens at times that feel so special you can’t help but be somewhat aware of it, even as it is happening.

As a chronic over-thinker, I have certainly had the experience of being almost too aware of the significance of a moment as it happens. Sylvan Weekends’ plea to be fool hardy is a useful reminder to be in the moment.

Listen: Arcade — darkDARK

darkDark are duo Chris James and Genevieve Vincent, who look to combine cinematic synths with contemporary pop. Genevieve is a classically trained composer and producer who has soundtracked movies and TV shows, and written orchestral music. Chris is a composer, mixer, and sound designed who has worked on advertising for Nike, Google, Levi’s and Audi.

Inspired by, and aiming to replicate, the experience of being immersed in a video game, Arcade is a synth piece that conjures visions of light trails and soft focus cinematics.

Beyond leveraging sounds that evoke the feel of video games, Arcade’s lyrics explore the notion of getting lost in a game, falling out of sync with reality. Cinema represents as much of an inspiration for the song as gaming, however, with the likes of Her, Ender’s Game, Ready Player One, and the Black Mirror episode San Junipero all helping inform the song’s lyrics.

Check out the crystalline beauty that is Arcade below:

Watch: Madly — The Blaze

Known for their visual approach to music and storytelling, French cousins and duo The Blaze are back with Madly, from their sophomore album Jungle. The video itself takes centerstage here, depicting a boy having his first experience, losing himself in music collectively.

The song itself has been completely re-cut to sit narratively alongside the story told by the video. With an assertive style and initially confrontational feel, the video shows the main character progressively losing inhibitions, and in the process finding himself. The song here is paired with a poem, which accentuates both the emotion of the music and the narrative.

Madly is an impressive piece – and whilst I didn’t know what to expect going in, I was pleasantly surprised by the twists in its path. I strongly recommend watching on a big screen with decent sound.