Listen: You & Me by Retro Kid

Retro Kid is the musical pseudonym of producer Jake Juba. Based out of Copenhagen, Retro Kid constructs tastefully arranged pieces of electronic music, blending ambience and hints of pop to create abstract-yet-emotive sound collages.

In his latest single, You & Me, Juba has made a dedication to his girlfriend, Gry, and the challenges they experience as new parents. In the face of the multitude of practical paper cuts that come with being a parent, the song is a reminder of the bonds that connect the couple, and their new family.

As a song, You & Me is centred on a simplistic melodic refrain, the sort of thing a parent may hum to a newborn, in fact. Around that melody, Jake leverages the trademark Retro Kid sound to construct layers of textural detail. Synths bubble, hi-hats splash and cut-up vocals tumble, like the snatches of thoughts as you go about the messy experience of loving and parenting.

You & Me is taken from Retro Kids’ forthcoming EP, IYKYK (Right?), which itself is set for release in November. As Jake describes in his own words, “The EP explores the journey into my 30s, capturing the real-life transitions of becoming a dad, buying a house, and even mowing the lawn”. If you know, you know…

Listen: Never Loved Somebody by Kylie Rothfield

Hailing from the US, Kylie Rothfield signed her first publishing deal back in 2015. Since then, she has been making music and touring, with Never Loved Somebody representing her latest release.

On her new single, Rothfield depicts a relationship tinged with a sour sense of apathy as she sings of loving someone incapable of reciprocating her emotional investment. Kylie’s vocal is undeniably the start of the show here, as she transitions from intimate narratives in the song’s verse to a rousing crescendo of a chorus. Where the performance is heartfelt and hurt in Never Loved Somebody’s quieter moments, Rothfield drives her message with a sense of self-assurance as things build.

Beyond Rothfield’s impassioned vocals, Never Loved Somebody is surrounded by deftly performed and carefully produced instrumentation, creating a rich and timeless aesthetic. This is particularly the case in the song’s final minute, where Rothfield’s delivery flies above a bridge that basks in a more rock-oriented sound, before descending into a final round of that rousing chorus.

Overall, Never Loved Somebody is nothing less than a powerhouse of a performance — emotive, dramatic, and yet intimate.

Listen: We’re The Only by Sasha & The Bear

Following on from their celluloid-soaked epic, Something You Said, from September last year, duo Sasha & The Bear are back with new single We’re The Only.

Last time we checked in with Sasha & The Bear, the pair had been brought back together despite being divided by geography. With Dov having moved to Tel Aviv, the death of his mother brought him even closer to Sasha, and the duo started making music again, meeting in Scandinavia and, later, Madrid, to do so. Since then, they have come together in the Netherlands to record their second EP, 7.5 Years, which is scheduled to be released later this year.

Where Something You Said basked in a synth-heavy, cinematic vibe, We’re The Only has a more open and organic sound. The aesthetic has hints of Foals to it, math rock guitars combined with a steady kick drum as reverb heavy vocals evoke a sense of loneliness and space. The sound is like a holiday gone wrong, the space, and time, that should be restorative suddenly becoming lonely and alienating.

The song’s lyrics depict the breakdown of a relationship between two people deeply in love. Faced with the recognition that the relationship they had is over and a sense of disbelief at what happened, yet unsure as to what it was that didn’t work. As Sasha & The Bear let the experience roll around inside their sound, the A437zDJEHf3k_gFrBG__ result is restrained and simple, yet deeply moving.

Watch: Moves by Roman Around

Having recently graced BlackPlastic.co.uk with his presence already in 2024 and, before that, in 2022, Roman Around (real name Roman Rivera) is back with another slice of beautiful, artful pop.

Where The Thanks was a luxuriously lackadaisical performance, Moves moves with excitement. Percussion slaps like flip-flops running down the sidewalk, the fizzy energy of late-night summer fireworks and evenings on beaches.

There is a deliberate nostalgic feel to Moves, as Roman Around looks to explore and encapsulate pivotal moments from their youth. Having lost their best friend at a young age, Rivera went on to witness those around them getting into difficult situations, and becoming parents too soon. Describing his former years, Roman says:

‘These experiences pushed me to surround myself with positive influences. My boundaries with love have been continually tested, such as being unable to contact my brother, watching old friends struggle with addiction, and being abruptly cut off by friends without explanation.’

The need to find some positivity comes through strongly on Moves, as it races along with a sense of ramshackle determination. This is both the hope and terror of being young — at the mercy of things beyond your control, yet with the advantage of time on your side.

Listen: From A Chiringuito by OK Doomer

Despite basking in the kind of widescreen production stylings more commonly found among artists of the American Midwest and West Coast, OK Doomer is the musical pseudonym of South London born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lou Doyle. Following on from debut single Rivers Cuomo, named after the Weezer lead singer, OK Doomer is back with his new single, From A Chiringuito.

Recorded across London and Hamburg by Tonmeister Hannes Plattmeier, From A Chiringuito is designed to ‘unfold like a time-lapse’. Opening with a softly repeating piano chord, the song unfurls beneath Doyle’s earthy vocal. Scattered percussion creeps, like plants pushing through cracking tarmac, testing for weakness. Guitars come to the fore, before receding once more, and Doyle sings of dilapidated houses and satan.

The whole piece feels like a natural step forward from Rivers Cuomo, which was atmospheric rather than cinematic. The resulting evolution, here on From A Chiringuito, lands the listener somewhere between Thom Yorke, Stufjan Stevens and Bon Iver. It’s a tantalising vision of where OK Doomer might go, given the breadth of a full album.