Listen: Close To Never by Magenta Dusk

Magenta Dusk is the musical pseudonym of Nottingham indie electronic producer Ross, who looks to create ‘nostalgic retro compositions, with a stylish modern touch’.

That is an apt description for what we have on Close To Never, where the bouncy, electronic bass, saxophone tones and almost festive bells evoke New Romantic stylings. At the same time, there are modern pop sensibilities on display here, the crisp electronics landing somewhere between Chvrches, and Taylor Swift’s Jack Antonoff assisted sound on Midnights.

The vocals have an angelic soft-focus to them. There is innocence in Close To Never, and whilst Swift is trading in something just a little more naked, what Magenta Dusk creates is both sweet, and affecting.

Listen: In Defense Of Time by Late Guest At The Party

Back on the pages of BlackPlastic after just a month, new single In Defense Of Time follows on from their nervous and insistent single Ramblin’.

Where Ramblin’ was liquid and fast, bristling with a sense of urgency, In Defense Of Time is more contemplative. The same love of analogue electronics, low-end bass and scattered percussion sits at the core of Late Guest At The Party’s sound. The difference here is that the group has employed these elements in service of a slower, more overtly emotional outcome. The song’s chorus is a slow build, bass tones and chords underpinning the central vocal hook, as it establishes the principal line, “I’ve got time, but I’m used to this distance, I’m used to indifference”.

The nature of the song itself reflects the theme of the song, and again, in contrast to Remblin’, In Defense Of Time is clearly unafraid of playing a slower, longer game. The result is as distinctive and catchy, but with an added sense of drama.

The band describe the song as being about past relationships:

‘(In Defense Of Time) is about the feelings of regret and reflection about the connections you have with your past romantic relationships. The bridge section describes the feelings after getting a text from and ex about seeing you out in public and not approaching you then.’

Check it out below:

Watch: Beautiful Everything by Astral Bakers

The video for Astral Bakers’ new single is shot from the inside of a vehicle, on an endlessly panning camera, as the four-piece play the gentle wave that is Beautiful Everything. As they travel through a seemingly unending landscape of fields, hedgerows, and overcast skies, the wistful, melodic thrum of the song feels like the perfect soundtrack to a long journey.

The dream-like feel of Beautiful Everything is purposeful, the band channeling the more upbeat, accessible side of Sonic Youth. Recorded live in the studio, the song also provides a tangible, grounded sense of feeling alive. Alongside Sonic Youth, the dusty and windswept sound of Beautiful Everything reminds me of the gentle sway of Kurt Vile, and the slow motion emotional breakdowns of Sun Kil Moon. The building wall of guitars and percussion gives the song a beautiful feeling I can’t help but get lost in.

Having previously found acclaim with French trio Revolver, Astral Bakers is the new outfit featuring Sage, aka Ambroise Willaume. Together with Theodora, Nico Lockhart, and Zoé Hochberg, the group have each collected over 10-years’ of professional music making experience. Having all collaborated previously, the four are now working together as Astral Bakers, taking inspiration from a pursuit of ‘epiphanies and presence, friendship and purity’. Beautiful Everything is taken from the group’s forthcoming album, The Whole Story, set to be released on 9 February 2024.

Watch: Closer by pecq

Here we are, in 2024, a year that sounds neither like the future, nor the present, and we kick it off with the glitchy electronic pop that is Closer.

pecq is the musical project of duo Nicholas (Nikò) O’Brien and Hannah (Jakes) Jacobs. Vocalist, producer, and songwriter Jakes brings her talents as a classically trained pianist and touring member of Arlo Parks’ live band. Her pursuit of music has been a route to escapism, as well as a path to a sense of identity, as she frequently finds herself impacted by her immune condition. Nikò compliments this with experience working as a producer, multi-instrumentalist and engineer for Cocteau Twins’ vocalist Liz Fraser, among others. Nikò’s aesthetic stems from the psych and prog scene of his French hometown, a commune on the outskirts of Paris, from which the duo derive their name — Le Pecq.

On Closer, pecq have created a restrained piece of electronic pop music. Fuzzy electronic bass tones establish the song’s pulse, overlayed with frequent clattering percussion elements that briefly spark before being clipped harshly back into silence. Jakes’ vocals hover and soar above all this, a wing on the wind, organic sounding and yet filtered and twisted at the same time.

Together, pecq establish a sense of motion and emotion, as Closer gently crawls through me, the tendrils of something winding itself into my mind, before a feeling of release. That creeping sense likely comes from Jakes’ sense of isolation and loneliness, as she describes:

‘Closer is about distance. I’ve been away for most of this year touring. It was so freeing and inspiring to visit places I never thought I’d see, but after a few months I struggled being away from my friends and trying to finish songs with Nikò being in an opposite time zone. I was seeing all these new things, but I couldn’t ever communicate them properly, so they started to feel like a weird dream. So Closer was originally about isolation, but it was finished on the plane trip home so a different mood crept in — getting closer to your besties, coming home full of fresh things to share.’

Check out Closer below.

Watch: Midfall by Kate Schroder

As we slip out the back door of 2023, I feel like someone who has just snuck out of a bad party without saying goodbye, a little relieved to be free. Which is to say that, whilst it won’t register on the scale of 2020, I won’t particularly miss this year.

With that in mind, Kate Schroder’s new single, Midfall, feels like a suitable soundtrack to not just round out 2023, but kick off 2024. The song bristles with an energetic sense of self-reflection, nostalgia, sadness and just a little hope for the future. Describing the Midfall, Kate says:

‘I was inspired to write this song after a string of bad decisions and wrong relationships. Wondering if the attraction to rollercoasters and chaos was a part of me at my core, or just a product of youth?

‘Now, this song has a nostalgic element to me and I also see it as a reflection on all of my past-selves (that often feel like past lives). And trying to accept and love them all.’

The cool synths melodies and Schroder’s vocal in the verse give Midfall a somewhat melancholic opening, which establishes a necessary emotional baseline. In the chorus, bass tones, chunky beats and a soaring vocal performance hint at the acceptance Kate references… Music as a form of healing, exactly the sort of sentiment I carry with me as we enter a new year, the possibilities it holds still unknown.

Here’s to a little balance, and to acceptance.