Watch: So Long (L'Étranger Remix) by MKSTN

Having previously appeared on BlackPlastic a few times, over ten years ago, L’Étranger is back with a disco-infused remix of Toronto producer MKSTN’s So Long.

UK producer L’Étranger leverages the ethereal and wisp-like vocals of MKTSN’s chillwave / dreampop original but pairs them with a lively French Touch bass pattern and crisp synths. The result is blue, Mediterranean warmth, compared to the original’s more Pacific feel.

L’Étranger applies his touch delicately here, and the result retains the organic, earthy aesthetic of the original. The remix is intended to take the ‘slow burn melancholy’ of the original version and shift it to the ‘exact moment the sun dips behind the city skyline’. It hints at the promise of the evening to come, but retaining an air of cool reserve, taking inspiration from early Kitsuné Maison compilations and Braxe & Falke, blog house but with a little extra romance.

Overall, I found this remix of So Long emotive and atmospheric, nostalgic and yet fresh. Check it out below.

Watch: Something In Common by Kendra Morris

Opening with a nervous sounding Wurlitzer refrain and a guitar melody that carefully strolls through its duration, Something In Common is the new single from Kendra Morris. Originally appearing on BlackPlastic all the way back in 2014, Morris' latest release comes from the forthcoming ‘board game concept album’, Next, the song represents its most introspect moment.

Initially constructed with little more than those two elements, guitar and Wurlitzer, together with Morris’ brutally emotive vocal, the song was written in an afternoon on guitar and using a looped sample. Later, when in the Portage Lounge studio in Loveland, Ohio, Morris’ full band helped lay down what you hear here. The Wurlitzer was laid down in full by Monti Miramonti, classic nylon string guitar by Supremo ‘Premo’ Massiv, and they are pulled together with a looped drum machine. Despite its simplicity, these four elements come together to create a song with significant depth.

The depth in the song’s sound really stems from its message, which deals with the nature of humanity, our strength of emotion, and predisposition for conflict. The result feels weary, tired and slightly fearful. Explaining the song’s inspiration, Kendra says:

‘There is all this conflict in our humanity, both internal and external. We kill each other over our differences, or we destroy ourselves emotionally. We spend so much time fighting these battles, but in the end…. There are no winners or losers. In the end, we’re all the same: dust in the ground.’

Check out the lyric video for Something In Common below, and look out for the album, Next, which ties characters, including Kendra’s band, to a vintage board game ‘in the spirit of Milton Bradley’s finest retro dice-rolling moments’. Stepping through the block-to-block journey of the game, Next deals in a ‘mosaic of corals, creams, and pale lilac tiles’, with even that description evoking a surprisingly tactile feeling. The album is due out via Karma Chief on 19 September 2025.

Watch: No Reasons by Low Girl

Last featured on BlackPlastic with their 2023 release, Pockets, a song about trying to bury recurring emotions, UK four-piece Low Girl are back with their new single No Reasons. The new single, which comes from and ahead of Low Girls’ forthcoming debut album, Is It Too Late To Freak Out?, is a more upbeat affair than Pockets. This reflects more immediately dramatic source material, but brings a reflective mindset to conflict.

The song depicts a break-up with an angry-yet-playful aesthetic. Keys gently lay out a melody, the rhythm of which is echoed in the arrival of a solid kick drum. The combination gives the overall song a propulsive sense of momentum. Guitar adds a layer of gravelly texture, with Sarah Cosgrove’s vocal acting as an anchor around which the instrumentation orbits.

It is in the song’s closing minute that things really come alive, with synths, overdubbed vocals and clattering drums fully embracing the song’s darkness, before the whole thing comes to an abrupt stop. It’s a little like the last time you speak to an ex-partner — knowable in its inevitability, and yet the exact moment it happens is challenging to anticipate, and comes as a shock. The quiet once No Reasons ends is all the more notable.

Describing the song and its inspiration, Cosgrove said:

‘This was about an exceptionally messy, yet also weirdly empowering breakup. There was a lot of back and forth in the aftermath, and it seemed impossible to have a conversation that didn’t turn into an argument. As we spent more time apart, I began to feel more like myself. This newfound independence, however, came with a strong sense of indignation. There were so many things I’d normalised and accepted over the years that in hindsight felt really unfair. She probably felt the same, as neither of us had been perfect, but I came to realise I had little say in that relationship. Whilst this is an angry song, it has to be said that I really struggle with anger and usually avoid it at all costs. I’ve learnt that some anger is healthy, and it’s important for your self-esteem to stand up for yourself. I’m still finding a balance — some days it’s too much and some days too little. I guess this song is a little step towards an equilibrium!’

Check out the video for No Reasons below, and look out for the album Is It Too Late To Freak Out?, out via AWAL on 22 October 2025.

Watch: Shapeshifting On A Saturday Night by Avery Cochrane

‘She drinks gin martinis, wears ping thong bikinis,’ must be one of the most striking opening lines I’ve heard this year. Punctuated with sassy 80s synths and crisp electronic production, Avery Cochrane’s Shapeshifting On A Saturday Night is a firework of a record.

Throughout its three-and-a-half-minute duration, Shapeshifting… sees Cochrane depicting the manic behaviour of someone determined to keep their real self hidden, as she describes:

‘This song is about not having a strong or prideful sense of self, so you instead morph into whatever you think people want from you, especially in the context of a night out with friends who you suspect don’t truly understand the real you (because you’ve never let them see it!!)’

Hailing from Seattle, Avery’s talent is in her ability to leverage unfiltered human experience and emotion within classic pop format. The result, as heard on Shapeshifting On A Saturday Night, sees big catchy hooks meet a depth of storytelling in a way that is cinematic and infectious. This is the rare example of a song where the verse is just as strong as the chorus, but the song’s biggest moments still see Cochrane shift things up a gear, creating something anthemic. All that glitzy energy is difficult to resist, and yet you can’t help but notice it is analogous to the shapeshifting Avery sings about, and she is just giving us what she knows we want. It is what Avery is singing about that is ultimately revealing, and gives the song its enduring energy.

Listen: Skyline by Kabrio & Billy Otto

Sometimes songs take a little while to worm their way into your mind, but just occasionally they hit you face on, and you instantly just feel them. Skyline is very much the latter — a song that basks in instant v.i.b.e.s., its wonderful synth chords hitting your gut with a beautiful sloppiness, as vocals playfully circle. The result is a sense of being transported somewhere warm and welcoming.

The instantaneous feeling of Skyline reflects its creation, which was organic and seemed to happen of its own accord. The song started as a collaboration between French producer Vantage and Australian artist Billy Otto, with the core melody established in a Tokyo studio. The song then evolved in Switzerland, with Kabrio taking over production duties, giving the song its sense of warmth and movement. Production duo Kabrio are made up of Patrick (formerly known as Aerotiqué) and Peter, who, inspired by 80s disco, house and electronic music, started working together in 2019. Otto then proceeded to contribute additional components whilst travelling the world, between shows and time in the studio. The result is the tropical feeling track we get here.

The result is just the kind of gorgeously breathless electronic music I can’t resist. It’s beach cocktails, poolside afternoons, and nights spent watching the sunset. The layered vocals give the whole piece a lovely dreamlike quality, and the spoken bridge creates a heady dose of nostalgia. My only criticism is of its brevity. Skyline leaves us, after an all too brief two-minutes-and-forty-five seconds, wishing the night could go on.