Watch: Harmony by Tonia

Combining candid lyrics with fuzzy instrumentation, Liverpool-based artist Tonia has just unveiled her latest single, Harmony. With a sound that leverages melodic harmonies (of course), whilst embracing traditional instrumentation, the result is a bright and authentic take on modern pop music.

With punchy, reverb-heavy drums, and muted, low-slung bass, Harmony displays a kind of sonic high dynamic range… Stacked vocals, piano keys and grungy guitars all ring out at once, yet exist in enough individual space to allow you to pick them out. The crisp, playful drum pattern that forms the brief bridge out of the chorus at the 35-second mark is a moment of energising joy. As the song progresses, it playfully slips between tones, a quiet drawl, a chugging workhorse, a rowdy collision. Harmony is an ambulance of ideas casually slammed together in a single, two-and-a-bit-minute record.

Already garnering support from Spotify, Apple Music, and BBC Radio, Tonia’s latest single sees her poised for further breakthrough success. As she goes through stages of anger and confusion, Tonia ultimately lands in a space of acceptance, having used the Harmony to unpack a friendship in break-up.

Listen: Older Sister by Lenn

Hailing from Hertfordshire in the UK, Lenn grew up in a small town surrounded solely by Christian music. It was only in her teenage years that she began to discover the variety of music out there. This relatively late exposure to popular music has led to her drawing her primary inspiration from contemporary musicians, including Bon Iver, James Blake, Banks, SZA, and FKA Twigs, rather than more historical ones. The result is a musical style that is crisply modern, yet emotionally deep.

Now based in Bristol, and having performed as vocalist on a sold-out UK tour for Icarus, Lenn went on to release her debut EP last year, garnering coverage from BBC Introducing. That attention her EP, Waist Deep, received has at times left Lenn searching for direction and clarity. Here on new single Older Sister, Lenn reflects on what life would have been like with someone from whom to seek counsel.

With warm synths, subtle use of found sounds and reflective lyrics, Older Sister is a nostalgic, introspective record. Low-end bass gives the song a steadying foundation, just as Lenn looks for something to ground herself against. The resulting song is both mature, a modern, electronic folkiness on display, whilst also youthful and vulnerable in its searching, open uncertainty.

Listen: Dramatic by Dirt Flirt

The solo project of London-based multi-instrumentalist Kit Eaton-Kent, Dirt Flirt is a creator of alt pop with an emotive, vulnerable edge. With a focus on exploring both queer themes, the lyrics are reflective and the hooks infectious.

Dirt Flirt’s new single, Dramatic, opens with a propulsive beat and gently processed vocals, conjuring a sound that feels urgent and insistent as Kit begins to unpack her feelings of being your ‘own worst enemy’. As the song swings into its chorus, the instrumentation loosens up, taking on an almost post-modern rock sound, akin to the pumped-up-electronic-stadium sound of Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers.

The vocal hook in the chorus is where Dramatic shines brightest. A raw and self-deprecating swagger hitting as Dirt Flirt knowingly sings, ‘Not to be dramatic, feels like I’m running into traffic’. Rather than potentially being alienated, the honesty here only pulls me further in. The experience of needing to work on yourself is likely familiar to most of us, and her determined processing of her own emotions becomes an inclusive, shared experience.

Listen: Kiss Me Like You Miss Her by Adult Leisure

Formed in Bristol out of the ashes of the bands Moon Club, Aztecs, and Towers, Adult Leisure came together through the lockdown, with a desire to make something.

Inspired to create a fresh take on a new generation of melodic alt-indie, the group have refine their sound into what you hear on their new single, Kiss Me Like You Miss Her. The song reverberates with an earnest, bright aesthetic. Likened to The Police, there is a similarity in how Adult Leisure bring together elements of punk, rock and jazz touches with a pop sensibility. Kiss Me Like You Miss Her also reminds me of The Waterboys, for the hollow boom of its percussion, brass flourishes and poetic lyrics.

It feels unusually fresh to hear music created like this today. Recorded with Ollie Searle at Humm Studios, Kiss Me Like You Miss Her was mastered by John Webber, who has previously worked with David Bowie and Duran Duran, and it shows. I find the overall sound lively, artistic and just, well, different. I often find myself wishing for music that pushes conventional instrumentation and synths into a bigger, more hi-fidelity direction and, on that front, Adult Leisure deliver.

As a song, Kiss Me Like You Miss Her is a reaction to the state of Britain, prior to this year’s election, as the band discuss:

‘It's easy to get blindsided and almost complacent with music that tackles social commentary. However, we've all had, or still have, ongoing experiences of the damage austerity has caused. We wanted our chance to express that anger. We saw a way to create a story drawn from personal and everyday experiences. Life still isn't good, and our way of dealing with it is through music - this is our petulance and frustration in a song.

‘Having to choose between eating a hot meal or putting £10 on the gas meter takes its toll. We've seen it up close in recent memory. It's so important for these subjects to remain in conversation.

Check out Kiss Me Like You Miss Her below:

Watch: Slow Down by Animal Scream

Hailing from Pittsburgh, Animal Scream are duo Chad Monticue, who provides vocals and various instrumentation, and Josh Sickels, on drums and percussion. Both share production duties as they create a dark psych-pop sound that draws on influences as diverse as David Lynch, MF Doom and 60s reggae. The result is cinematic and deeply atmospheric.

Here on Slow Down, Animal Scream have created a thick weave of melodic, slowly picked guitars, layered vocals and dubby bass notes. The result has hints of Foals’ cinematic math rock, channeling Afrobeat and highlife stylings to create a sound that is modern and experimental, yet organic and earthy.

As Slow Down’s many components slip into my ears and slide through my mind, the experience is psychedelic and calming, despite the hint of darkness that pervades Animal Scream’s sound. Check it out below: