Watch: As It Goes by Operator Music Band

As It Goes is a song born out of physical trauma. Whilst working with new producers Mike Bloom (of XL Recordings) and Noah Prebish (of Brooklyn outfit Psymon Spine), Operator Music Band’s Jared Hiller was the victim of an accident. The result saw him fall a terrifying 20 feet through a warehouse skylight, tumbling directly into Rough Trade’s warehouse. What followed was an extended period of recuperation, as Hiller set about recovering from two broken wrists, six broken ribs and fractal fractures that led to permanent hearing loss.

Now mostly back on form, Operator Music Band are back with this new single, As It Goes, a dark and twisted acid house track. With a deep, looping bass line and crisp electronic drums, the new single throbs with the visceral feel of electronic body music. Alien, robotic vocals simmer atop of the song’s techno backing, as the bass and drums come to a rolling boil.

It is in As It Goes’ final third that things really let loose, however. Amidst tweaking acid, a roll of clattering, live percussion lets loose. It’s a thrilling, psychedelic trip with bags of attitude, and I’m here for it. Check it out below:

Watch: I’m Not Alone (I’m Lonely) by Courtney Farren

SF-born, LA-based musician and BlackPlastic regular, Courtney Farren is back again. Her new single, I’m Not Alone (I’m Lonely) follows on from previous releases that include the Rabbit King EP, and its preceding singe, White Rabbit. This new song comes as the lead single from Farren’s debut album, expected to launch in Q2 of 2024.

In contrast to those releases, I’m Not Alone (I’m Lonely) has both a greater sense of polish, the crunchy drums and lo-fi sound of White Rabbit entirely absent. In their place we have a style that evokes long California road trips, with synth melodies, strummed guitars and the occasional drum roll creating a widescreen aesthetic. The way Farren lands this all with such finesse just underlines the versatility of a truly impressive artist.

Beyond the song’s instrumentation and production, what strikes me with I’m Not Alone (I’m Lonely) is just how emotionally confident it is. Courtney steps her way through a verse that sees her paint a picture of growing alienation, as she gradually lays out frustration, and a building sense of disconnection. By the time she hits the chorus, where Farren’s vocal begins to take on a Stevie Nicks-like quality, floating in the wind, she lands the song’s title with such conviction that we are already right there with her: feeling her loneliness and yearning for change, and realisation that it’s on her to make that happen.

Listen: Silent Solitude by Aves featuring Markus Perttula

Aves appeared on BlackPlastic back towards the end of 2023 with their collaboration with Icelandic vocalist, JFDR, on Hunting Points.

Here, on new single Silent Solitude, the Helsinki-based trio are back with another collaboration. This time, vocals come from Finnish singer-songwriter Markus Perttula, whose delicate falsetto glints with a glossy, translucent quality.

Hunting Points was a gentle embrace — heavenly vocals combined with slowly paced melodies to create something calming and beautiful. In contrast, Silent Solitude is a slowly heated slab of crystalline synth pop. Ethereal electronics shimmer gently atop a tightly tight-yet-simple bass and percussion backing, vocal snippets looping as the song slowly carves out its own space in your mind.

It takes a-minute-and-a-half to get to the vocal proper, and by the time Silent Solitude gets there, it has earned your full attention. Much like Hunting Points, this is a mood piece, and it invites you to luxuriate inside the atmosphere it creates. As the song nears its conclusion, it briefly drops into a stuttering, filtered loop, like a cd-player skipping, before giving the floor back to Perttula’s impressive vocal. I can’t help but wish he just got to carry on, indefinitely.

The way Aves create a sense of moment and space is purposeful, as they describe in relation to this song:

‘Being present means embracing the current moment, allowing yourself to disconnect from distractions and fully engage with what's happening now. It involves focusing on what truly matters, letting go of unnecessary worries or minor details that might cloud your perception. Ultimately, it's recognizing that in the grand scheme of things, many of the small stressors or concerns fade away when we prioritize the present and cherish what's essential in our lives.’

Listen: Orange Juice by Alma Leta

Alma Leta is a California-born, New Zealand-raised artist. Having moved to NZ when she was seven, Alma headed back to the US at 20, spending half a year there, living with her father.

Whilst she started writing songs as a child, and took singing lessons through her school years, it was in this period back in the US when Alma got a microphone and starting recording her own music. She has since gone on to work with producer Nik Brinkman on several songs, and Orange Juice is the latest single to come from her forthcoming debut album, Time Of Our Lives.

Alma looks to create music about ‘the complexities of relationships, anxiety, social issues and internal dialogues’, with lyrics being of particular importance, writing ‘in such a way as if motivated to taste the words’.

That mindset reflects a vivid, raw sensibility that exists in Leta’s vocals on Orange Juice, and in particular, in the awkward vulnerability of the song’s chorus. Alma’s lyrics are striking as she sings, ‘Whenever I miss you, I’ll be in my room, dancing naked to your playlist”. The production that surrounds Alma’s vocals is similarly distinctive, gentle melodies hovering like haze in the morning as drums snap crisply.

The song deliberately straddles a feeling of innocence and something more adult, as Leta describes the song as being about first love, experienced as you are becoming an adult:

‘I wanted to harness that feeling of falling in love at the pivotal point of growing up, where you are right on the cusp of change, but hold on to this pure belief that this love can persevere (through) anything.’

Check out Orange Juice below:

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: