Listen: Never Right — Sea Glass feat. Yes Kid

With gentle instrumentation, glistening synths, and delicately worn vocals, Never Right shimmers with the feelings of a holiday that failed to meet expectations. The strummed guitars in the bridge give this a loose, Hawaiian feel, and the result is as relaxed as it is introspective.

The first collaboration between Sea Glass and Yes Kid, Never Right is an attempt to convey the feeling of the heart betraying the brain. Occasionally, you want something you ultimately know isn’t right for you, as Sea Glass, real name Jake Muskat, describes:

“I decided to put it down into song, hoping to capture the feeling of nostalgia for someone, some place, or some time that you don’t really want to revisit, yet the sadness of the memory can wrap you like a warm blanket, making it all the more welcome for a brief moment.”

Muskat looked to Yes Kid, aka Yael Kaufman, whose vocal grants the song added humanity:

“I felt the song could use a partner to both present the other side of the story but to bring in the softness that’s inside of everyone, even those that have the ability to hurt you… Yael and I had talked for a couple of years about working together. I am such a huge fan of her voice, so when thinking of who could be my partner on this song, it was such a natural fit and such a relief that she was into it. She added the feminine counterpoint to my verse that sealed the song for me and made this a really special one.

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: