Listen: Guestlist by Bulgarian Cartrader

Bulgarian Cartrader, or BCT for short, is the musical persona of Sofia-born singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Daniel Stoyanov.

In his first year as Bulgarian Cartrader, Stoyanov has made appearances on stages and at festivals across France, the US, Bulgaria, Austria, and Germany. Ahead of his first European headline tour, and as a prelude to a forthcoming EP that is scheduled for February 2024, BCT is unveiling his latest single, Guestlist.

Self-produced, and mixed by the Grammy-nominated Stephen Sedgwick, who has worked with Gorillaz, Lana Del Rey, and with Amy Winehouse, Guestlist glistens with a distinctive energy. With the kind of experimental-yet-glamorous drama that reminds me of alt-indie-R&B of Jai Paul, Guestlist is built around the interplay between a simple synth refrain and classical guitar. Fluid drums and rapid hi-hats give the sound a modern feel, as Stoyanov belts out a clearly personal vocal about his experience of guest-listing music industry professionals.

The resulting song is a little staggering – the creative briefly on display during Guestlist’s short two-and-a-half-minute duration is impressive. Bulgarian Cartrader has engineered a distinctive sound, accessible and yet wholly his own, and in doing so, hints at the potential for great talent for the future.

Listen: Fun At Parties by The Dying Seconds

With an eclectic and expansive sound that draws inspiration from artists as diverse as Phil Spector, Animal Collective, Warp Records, and Radiohead’s Kid A-period, The Dying Seconds have just unveiled their latest single Fun At Parties.

Blending conventional instrumentation like a Fender Rhodes together with granular synthesisers, there is a flavour here of the kind of nostalgic futurism popularised by Arcade Fire and Grizzly Bear. This is something described in the release accompanying Fun At Parties as classic pop songwriting, but depicted through the lens of a less hopeful time.

On Fun At Parties, The Dying Seconds slowly layer together elements to create a beautiful, rousing feeling of dream-like possibility. Following a brief interlude, the song’s closing minute breaks into the kind of sprint that you can’t help but join in with… A dramatic, inspiring conclusion to a song that feels more epic than its short duration would suggest. Check it out below:

Listen: Paradiso by Echo Thrills

Echo Thrills is the musical outlet for Stockholm native Oskar Jennefors, who takes inspiration from a variety of genres, including soul, disco, and psychedelic rock. With debut single In A Dream picking up over 100,000 streams in the first two months of release, Echo Thrills has just unveiled debut EP, Destination Utopia, and alongside it the new track Paradiso.

Paradiso rides an easy, laid-back groove, crisp synth tones combining with lively bass notes to create something that brings together breezy summer vibes with a distinctive Nordic sense of cool. The song depicts an idealistic utopia — a nightclub where people are free to lose themselves in music and the exuberance of their surroundings. Describing the song, Jennefors says:

“For me, this track, in a way, goes full circle when it comes to my personal musical development. With a background as a house music producer and DJ when I was in my early 20s, it felt natural to go back to the roots on this song. Combining the old school house sound with lo-fi elements, soul, and psychedelia, I felt that I found a sound that really encapsulates the genres that inspire me.”

By leveraging retro late-nineties dance but combining them with a fresh aesthetic, Echo Thrills successfully creates something that feels familiar yet fresh. Check out Paradiso below, and the EP, Destination Utopia, here.

Listen: Nightlife by Morning Silk

With big slow drum beats and gentle falsetto vocals, Morning Silk’s Nightlife feels like it picks up where Tame Impala left off… Hip-hop’s percussive influence meets psychedelic instrumentation as Morning Silk takes us on a stroll through the strangeness that is New York City at night.

The musical project of Frank Corr, Morning Silk first emerged in the NYC music scene, writing and producing a number of artists, including Middle Part, and a personal favourite of mine, Anna Shoemaker. Having unveiled his eponymous debut EP in late 2022, Morning Silk is set to release his second EP, Dark City Silence, later this year.

Nightlife looks to evoke the city of New York’s energy, whilst at the same time depicting the transient connections and sense of isolation that can exist within the city. The chunky, synth-heavy sound employed by Corr conjures images of high-rise buildings and steam tumbling out of drains, the mystery, hope, and excitement of New York in my ears as I play it on repeat.

Watch: We Can’t Keep Running Away by Nathaniel Paul

With tight-but-muted drum beats and a melodic bass line, Nathaniel Paul’s We Can’t Keep Running Away has a crisp, cool, introspective feel to it. Paul’s vocal takes sits at the centre of the song’s production, jangly guitars gently floating in the background.

As We Can’t Keep Running Away moves towards its conclusion, Nathaniel’s overdubbed vocals are further embellished with individual pieces of instrumentation that begin to create additional harmonies. The layering applied to the closing run through of the chorus is subtlety beautiful, providing a sense of gentle resolve to Paul’s assertion that “We can’t just keep running away.”

In creating his latest song, Nathaniel Paul was looking to create the sound of a full band with synth pop overtones. Whilst writing the song, he was thinking about death, and how that really helps put the mistakes we make into perspective, as he describes:

“Don't be afraid of the mistakes we make — life is short and sweet as it is. So be bold, keep living, loving, and believing that tomorrow will be better than today.”