Stream: You by Cicada

Cicada is the musical project of Paris-born brothers Nathan and Elliott. Whilst born in France’s capital, the pair grew up in Provence, in the South of France, and the sun kissed azure coastlines of the region feel like they have infected the warm, hazy Mediterranean vibes of their music.

The pair, now 21 (Nathan) and 24 (Elliott), formed much of their sonic identity whilst on family road trips, a combination of Daft Punk, Justice, Pharrell Williams, and Michael Jackson fuelling their early love of music. In time, alternative hip-hop has influenced their taste, as they found artists including Tyler, The Creator, Kaytranada, Kanye West, and Childish Gambino.

The resulting sound is a tropical, lusty blend of house with pop and disco touches. Here on Cicada’s latest song, You, created in partnership with Noelle Vanyi, the pair wrap swirling melodies around her yearning, cut-up vocal. The lyrics are deliberately left open to interpretation, the You of the song’s title an invitation to the listener to make the song fit their own narrative.

What stands out to me on You is the seamless, crisp way that Cicada have layered together elements in the production. Noelle’s vocal is looped and sliced in interesting ways, without allowing it to disintegrate into pure instrumentation, as shimmering chords create a warm feeling in the listener. Towards the song’s conclusion, tom toms begin to roll, creating a lively, snappy sound that mimics the energy of live instrumentation.

Throughout the entirety of You, bass throbs, echoing string synth melodies, conjuring a sound that feels like it is about to crack beneath the warmth of the sun and the pounding of dancing feet… As we descend into a chilly autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, You has me longing for the warmth of hot sunshine.

Check out the song below, and add it on Spotify here.

Listen: Please Please Please by Jiwon

Born in New York City in 2001, Jiwon was raised against a backdrop of diverse music, his father’s love of bands like The Clash, and his mother’s focus on classical training. Having developed his skills playing the piano, cello, bass guitar, and drums, music became Jiwon’s principal form of self-expression.

Jiwon’s music sees him draw on inspiration as diverse and Lou Reed and Jai Paul, with the latter’s pop experimentation clearly audible on Please Please Please, a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s hit single.

It’s rare that I would choose to feature a cover version of a record that is just a few months old, but what Jiwon does to Carpenter’s original is both transformational and complimentary. Where Sabrina’s original is a lilting country-influenced vehicle for snappy percussion and vocal harmonies, Jiwon creates a version that is soaked in soft-focus instrumentation and dubby, electronic synths. Jiwon’s vocal has a hurt, hollow feel to it, and where Carpenter sounds hopeful that she will escape romantic embarrassment, Jiwon sounds like he has already dealt with more than one dose of it.

Overall, Jiwon takes Sabrina Carpenter’s commercial-yet-intelligent single and turns it into a lesson in art-pop artifice, his throbbing synths and swirling melodies equal to those of Jai Paul and Dev Hynes.

Watch: You Watch Me Break by Brooke & Zone Diem

Building on the dark synth pop that has defined our BRAT summer, lyricist and vocalist Brooke, and producer Zone Diem, are looking to take us straight into BRAT fall.

Hailing from Boston, MA, 20-year-old musician Brooke is now based in Brooklyn, NY. She initially got into music growing up, as a jazz and funk drummer, and started writing, arranging and producing her own music in the 2020 pandemic. 2024 marks a return to releasing music, having spent three years exploring her identity and style, and what it means to be a queer person in a binary word.

Taken from her EP, Away Today, You Watch Me Break basks in glossy, aloof production. Now partnering with producer Zone Diem, Brooke’s performance is underpinned by 808s and arpeggios, coming together to create a sound that sits at the intersection of Charli XCX, Crystal Castles and the Weeknd. The instrumentation creates an atmospheric, cinematic backing for Brooke’s vocals, which tell a modern tale of longing and loneliness. You Watch Me Break feels almost like an invitation, to watch her buckle and shift. It is the sound of being afraid of nothing as much as nothing happening.

Check out You Watch Me Break below, and add it to your streaming platform of choice here.

Listen: I Need To Understand But I Don’t by Foxgluvv

Back with their first release since last year’s Sapphic Subtext, Brighton-based queer pop artist Foxgluvv has just unveiled new single I Need To Understand But I Don’t.

The track brings together crisp electronic pop experimentalism with elements of high-energy. As punchy percussion establishes a propulsive sense of momentum. On I Need To Understand But I Don’t, Foxgluvv’s vocals are reflective, crystalline, and glass-like. Those vocals depict an experience of self-discovery, navigating ‘the complexities of gender identity and the confusion of self-discovery’.

Describing the song, Foxgluvv says:

‘This track is more than just a song to me — it's an anthem for those grappling with societal expectations while on their personal journey, particularly resonating with the LGBTQ+ community. I want people to listen to this song and realise it’s okay not to have all the answers — not knowing where you're going in life, not fully understanding your sexuality or gender identity, or not feeling at home yet. This song leans into that narrative. By not saying a lot, I’m actually saying so much if you really listen — and that’s often how it feels when opening up about sensitive topics. I want people to feel that it’s okay not to have everything figured out yet, the answers will come in time.’

Mirroring the thematic core of the song, Foxgluvv wanted the release, and their return after almost two-years away, to feel personal. As a result, they decided to produce the song themselves, without any assistance. What is impressive is not just how this adds to the story, but how natural and dialled-in the sound is. There is a level of confidence and self-assurance in the sound of I Need To Understand But I Don’t that feels like a step forward for Foxgluvv’s sound.

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…