Listen: One Of These Days by Cadenti

One Of These Days opens with gently played soft keys and melancholic sounding bass tones before being propelled by an industrial sounding drum beat. With a similar retro-futurist aesthetic as Chvrches, with the uplifting stadium feel of the Killers, Cadenti has created a song brimming with romantic, neon urgency.

Cadenti is the musical solo project of UK musician Chris Paul Martin (not that Chris Martin), known for his work with Nottingham group Wolf Club and on the soundtrack to the film Infamous. Check out the single, One Of These Days, below:

Watch: Amsterdam by Iversen

Iversen are a self-described “DIY Synth Pop band”, hailing from south-east London, and here they unveil their new single, Amsterdam.

The song is inspired by a trip to Amsterdam, on which musician and songwriter Josh Iverson accompanied bandmate and co-songwriter Jonathan Royall, on the latter’s stag do. The song looks to capture the experience of getting lost in a foreign place, both in the sense of being alone in an unfamiliar location, but also the sense of internal reflection that comes with that.

The music itself rides a series of warm, introspective synth notes, slow ambient tones shifting in the song’s background as the band gradually piece together poetic vocals, percussion, and guitars. There is a feeling and an aesthetic here that reminds me of John Martyn’s sometimes-maligned but under-appreciated album, Glorious Fool, which, as it happens, also features a song titled Amsterdam. The high-fidelity production employed by Phil Collins on that album reminds me somewhat of the richness Iversen display here. Iversen’s sound, which they say is in part inspired by the sophisticated pop of Prefab Sprout, is undoubtedly more electronic, but has a similar attention to detail.

In addition to being about the introspection brought on by being in a new place, Amsterdam is a tribute to Johnny, as Josh describes:

‘This song is for Jonny — an appreciation of him as a friend and collaborator. So many of our tracks have a poppy, romantic slant to them, and one of the most important things to me are the friends in my life, so I wanted to channel my love for him in this track.’

The song is accompanied by a deliberately lo-fi video, which was filmed, animated, and edited by Josh, jokingly swapping the canals of Amsterdam for the more budget-friendly ones of Hackney. Check it out below:

Listen: Grain by Billy Vena

Having appeared on BlackPlastic.co.uk a number of times before, the extremely talented Billy Venas is back once again, this time with new single Grain.

The latest release from Panama-native, Texas-based musician, Grain doesn’t mess too much with the Vena’s formula. His yearning, Prince-like vocal stylings are here, wrapped up in a familiarly 80s-tinged sound. In contrast to some of his other releases, however, Grain has a slightly slower, soft-focused aesthetic. Warm synths and slow bass notes remind me of some of the finest moments of Blood Orange’s album Cupid Deluxe. Overall, it’s a little like a warm embrace from someone who you know is going to look after you.

Check out Grain below:

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: