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On one of my daily YouTube music trawling expeditions, I came across a stunning artist from France named joanna and the video for her latest French language single, Vénus. I was immediately struck by the ringing beauty of its haunting avant-pop and dramatic yet classy R&B pop, as well as its video’s gothic magnetism. Vénus channels shades of Sevdaliza’s dark contortion and slivers of Rosalia’s vivid pageantry. Unfortunately, especially with my lack of French comprehension, I know very little else about joanna. But a deeper dive did uncover her prior single and video, Oasis, which you can view below in all its moody smoldering splendor.  Vénus is available as a single, here.

#joanna #Oasis #Vénus #music video #French #French artist #French pop #R&B pop #RNB pop #avant-pop #music #song #pop #dark pop

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As always, I’m always incredibly excited to discover alluring new talent from right here in the Bay. CLRX, a Northern California native, makes her charismatic debut with So Clean, drawing comparison to the likes of M.I.A. and MØ with the R&B pop song. Hints of Rihanna and a touch of Sia also surface on the breezy debut. CLRX’s vocally carefree edge is rooted in her free wheeling teenage years spent in the Bay Area, recklessly skating through the Tenderloin and sifting through records at Amoeba. CLRX will be hitting the 2020 festival circuit with the likes of Austin City Limits and SXSW in her sights. 

#CLRX #So Clean #debut #debut single #local talent #local artist #local #R&B pop #RNB pop #pop #R&B #RNB #music #song

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Ayelle must have an unquenchable thirst to bless us endlessly with her exceptional music. We’re fortunate it’s been a welcome year of monthly releases from the Swedish-Iranian songbird based out of the UK. Following her collaboration with Rationale last month comes Unpredictable, the latest in this 12 song, 12 month trajectory. With her latest releases, Ayelle seems to be spreading her plumed wings beyond her earlier sultry winding, seductive blistering ballads. Unpredictable is an airy floater of a pop frolic on which her voice delicately enthralls with poised, silvery beauty. Despite its feather light touch and weightless atmosphere, Unpredictable’s lyrics reveal a tale of cautious penance, gently powdered in poignancy. Unpredictable is a song to twirl around to, free-spirited and uncaged, but to approach matters of the heart with that whimsical disposition has its ramifications, as we well know from our own experiences. Lucky for us, it’s exactly the sort of heart-twinging material that inspires a gorgeous ballad like this one, from always enamoring Ayelle. Stream/download Unpredictable, here.

#Ayelle #Unpredictable #music video #pop #R&B pop #RNB pop #music #song #singer songwriter

[iheartmoosiq]

I absolutely adore Låpsley and the English musician’s soulful brand of alt R&B and electronic art pop. Her debut full length Long Way Home dropped in 2016; we haven’t heard much from her since. I’ve oft wondered whether she was working on new material, and tried to keep a lookout for any news from her, yet somehow I managed to miss out on her glorious return until just a few days ago despite My Love Was Like The Rain arriving a couple weeks ago. Without further ado, let’s take in the magnificent beauty of the shadowy, graceful reflection that is her long awaited new single. There’s no mistaking this song for anything but Låpsley, from her rich sonorous voice to the song’s fluid, spacious electronic production. The music video for My Love Was Like The Rain also entrances with its nod to old school rave aesthetics, as well as road scenes that remind me of Radiohead’s Karma Police and underwater pool shots that remind me of Nirvana’s renowned Nevermind cover art. My Love Was Like The Rain is a glimmering light in the dark, a shadowplay of a delicately entrancing song. And it’s a superb return from an artist we’ve been missing dearly. It’s taken from a forthcoming EP entitled These Elements, out November 22nd. Pre-save/pre-order, here.

#Låpsley #Lapsley #My Love Was Like The Rain #art pop #electronic pop #indietronica #electronic #electronica #electro pop #avant-pop #music #soulful art pop #ambient pop #alt R&B #alt RNB #song

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Usually, the thought of it being almost Monday tends to bring on the end-of-weekend blues, but San Diego’s almost monday counteracts those sentiments and more with their lively debut, an utterly irresistible slice of disco pop named ‘broken people’, complemented by a flashy chic music video. Its visuals, built around the credo of not caring what others think, being yourself, having fun, and dancing like nobody’s watching, are a nod to Risky Business and The Truman Show. I can’t help but dance like nobody’s watching, even while glued to my seat in the office, to these newcomers’ soulful melodies and the shimmering vibrancy of their debut. Stream/download broken people, here.

#almost monday #broken people #music video #debut #debut single #pop #disco pop #indie pop #indie music #dance pop #indie #music #song #funk #funk pop #disco funk #band

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24 year old Los Angeles pop artist Ryan Nealon has been turning heads all year long with both his independently released originals and his covers. In fact, they’ve collectively garnered almost 160K streams in 2019. Sleepwalking, his latest single, a collaboration with Los Angeles songwriter Bret Paddok, features additional guest vocals by Kylie Rothfield as well as production by Zack Djurich (Kanye West, NAS, Teyana Taylor). It’s quickly entrapped our ears with its sooty marching drive and smooth crooning, which reflect the deep potency of anthems from the likes of Morgxn and Cobi, plus some of the volatile robustness of Bishop Briggs. You can also stream the single via Spotify, here.

#Ryan Nealon #Sleepwalking #Kylie Rothfield #pop #music #soulful pop #song #singer songwriter

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It’s near impossible not to melt to Ásgeir. The Icelandic musician’s smooth voice is like a serene lake on a snowy winter day, and his sentimentally stirring folktronica songs never fail to tug gently on our heart strings. It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Ásgeir Trausti, but he’s back and in fine form on gorgeous Youth, our first preview off a forthcoming album due out next year on One Little Indian. Ásgeir, who had the biggest selling debut album by a home grown artist at just 20 years old and the winner of 4 Icelandic Music Awards (as well as a prestigious Nordic Music Prize nomination) takes my breath away with this cinematic sprawling, misty pining new song. Stream/download Youth, here. A tour next year brings him back to San Francisco with a headlining show at the Great American Music Hall on March 9th!

#Ásgeir #Asgeir #Youth #music #music video #folktronica #folk #indietronica #indie #indie music #song

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We were quite fond of Los Angeles’ Wildcat! Wildcat! a few years ago, even hitting up their sets when they toured to San Francisco, including their headline show at Popscene and when they opened for Alt-J at Popscene. But the group has gone silent for a number of years now, and we couldn’t help but wonder what its members have been up to. As it turns out, bandmates Michael Wilson and Jesse Carmichael have embarked on a new endeavor named Kid Nobody, and their first single proves these fellows are no “nobodies” in the scene. ‘ms. stress’ is our first taste from Kid Nobody’s debut EP out in early 2020. On it, a glistening electronic backdrop swaddles sleek glossy vocals to intoxicating effect, like syrupy sonic molasses. Kid Noboy's Jesse Carmichael explains: “ms. stress is written from the perspective of a person stuck in an abusive relationship. There’s always a ‘should I stay or should I go’ nature but your inner dialogue gets more distorted the messier the relationship gets and the longer you're in it. Jealousy and trust issues are common causes and/or symptoms of toxic relationships ('oh my jealousy guy, I don't believe it, no I don't believe it') and have a history of leading to affairs or broken commitments…hence the song title (ms. stress = mistress)." You can grab the debut or stream via alternate digital services, here.

#Kid Nobody #Wildcat! Wildcat! #ms. stress #debut #debut single #electronic pop #electro pop #indie pop #indie electro #indie electronic #alt pop #alternative pop #alt #alternative #music #indie #song

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Los Angeles based Cody Randall is no doubt one to watch in the R&B pop scene. After signing to tastemaker label Hometown Records, Randall has unleashed his latest single, Good To Me, a moody simmering ballad on which he worked with producer Nick Lee (Baby Jake, Bipolar Sunshine). Good To Me fuses the hip hop infused drawl of Post Malone with the aching introspection of Cautious Clay. Cody Randall moved to LA three years ago after he was kicked out of the UK after living there for four years while studying in Liverpool. Good To Me is his knee-jerk reaction to feeling unwelcome in a place you once called home. “I write music because I’m obsessed with the idea of it and what it does for myself and other people in the right moments," Cody says on his creative process. "This little world I get to create in my head and share with this new internet culture that connects in a really powerful way." For another gander at this up-and-comer’s music, check out earlier this year’s This One Is Ours below. 

#Cody Randall #Good To Me #This One Is Ours #R&B pop #RNB pop #R&B #RNB #pop #hip hop #music #song #singer songwriter

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Los Angeles’ TWIN XL has drummed up quite a lot of critical acclaim this last year with their alt pop, and they’re sure to continue their momentum now that they’ve released their latest single Messy. The supergroup of sorts, consisting of ex-The Summer Set members Stephen & John Gomez plus Nekocat’s Cameron Walker-Wright, self-produced and wrote their latest earwormy gem alongside Little Hurt (Colin Dieden, former lead of The Mowgli’s). Messy’s driving cadence, which evokes twenty one pilots, is melded with an infectious pop allure reminiscent of Lovelytheband. The group shares: "'Messy' is about being caught in a cycle of anxiety and disrepair and ultimately trying to get better not only for yourself but also for the people who mean the most to you." TWIN XL is on tour right now, and they’ll be supporting Fitz and the Tantrums on their massive tour early next year, too. Check out all tour dates, including a stop at August Hall here in San Francisco on November 26th, here. Stream/download Messy, here.

#TWIN XL #Messy #alt pop #alternative pop #alt #alternative #music #band #song

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Melbourne’s Kult Kyss is utterly captivating on their new single Be Cool, which comes as no surprise to us considering our persistent penchant for the pair’s dark, edgy electronica and electropop over the last few years. Be Cool, the latest in their string of hypnotic singles, explores the spaces that form between people in love, and the desire to reconnect, repair and rectify things with one another. The song is about the need to be close with someone and provide a source of comfort, freedom and relief; an oasis. Driving beats and a slightly acidic contour pull us in deep into this utterly immersive anthem, which was co-produced alongside Cam Bluff (Amy Shark, Allday, Illy). Kult Kyss states: "In creating the track we wanted to strike a sonic balance between the modern and retrospective sounds of UK house music, drawing influences from artists like Jamie XX and Bicep, with throwbacks to the synthesised trance throbs of the ‘90s." Stream/download Be Cool, here.

#Kult Kyss #Be Cool #electronic #electronica #future pop #electronic pop #electro pop #electropop #house #acidic #trance #music #song #deep house #electro

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There’s a menacing, haunting edge to Sassy 009′s dark hypnotic electronic pop that I can’t help but love, as I learned a few months ago when I was first introduced to her via Thrasher. The Norwegian project, once a three piece but now a solo endeavor from Sunniva Lindgaard, is readying the release of her KILL SASSY 009 EP on November 22nd via LUFT. On the heels of Thrasher comes new single Are You Still A Lover, another deeply mesmeric left-field electronica and pop piece that oozes ethereal mystique. Lindgaard states: "I've always been a very seeking person when it comes finding meaning and asking questions to our existence as humans, and in this song ask such a banal question as 'Are you still a lover when you're gone?' I guess you could ask, 'Gone, in what way?' and I simply have no answer to this question, other than; There are a lot of things I still don't understand." Listen to SASSY 009 on Spotify, here.

#Sassy 009 #Are You Still A Lover #electronic #electronica #electronic pop #electro pop #electropop #experimental #avant-garde #music #song

[iheartmoosiq]

Back in late March, not long after I returned from my yearly pilgrimage to SXSW, I made sure to make my way over the Rickshaw Stop early enough to catch Haiku Hands opening from Japan’s CHAI, both of whom had just played SXSW to rave reviews. I was so delighted by the Australian electronic trio’s frisky energy, stage antics, and contagiously peppy tunes that I found myself pining for a Haiku Hands and Diplo collaboration. I felt the two would go together quite well. Fast forward to November and guess what’s just been announced? Haiku Hands is now signed to Mad Decent, Diplo’s label! They’ll be releasing their debut album on Mad Decent next year, and they’ve shared their first single, a feisty, spicy wallop named Onset, featuring Mad Zach. If anyone can make us work up a sweat, it’s this group and their dexterous lyrical flows and danceable beats. Onset’s glitchy quivering production is on point, courtesy of Mad Zach.  

About the new single, Haiku Hands' Claire Nakazawa says, "Onset is the kind of track that you can listen to while walking down the street and feel like you own it. To me it's a power track, about owning your power, sharing and enjoying it. Classic rap braggadocious with a conscious tip. Feeling the good vibes and not sweating the small stuff. The beat references classic genres. Mad Zach's musical knowledge shines through as he incorporates sounds and elements from old school 80's & 90's hip hop, rave and electro and combines them with contemporary, new school electronic production. The result being a fresh, nostalgic, head banging track that you've never heard before. Onset is colourful, wild and rude. Get into it." If you ever get the chance to catch Haiku Hands, do it. I promise it’ll be a wild night of exuberant fun. Stream/download Onset, here.

#Haiku Hands #Mad Zach #Diplo #Mad Decent #Onset #electronic #electronica #electronic pop #electropop #electro pop #music #song #dance #dance pop #pop

[iheartmoosiq]

La Roux and her well loved classic hits have practically become indie/synthpop legend in the 21st century, so when Elly Jackson blesses us with new music and a forthcoming new album, we celebrate. Supervision, her third album, arrives February 7th via her own label Supercolour Records. Our first taste of the record is International Women Of Leisure, a fantastic dose of La Roux’s signature slick, peppy hooks and cosmopolitan vibes. A colorful music video directed by Nova Dando is a fitting accompaniment for the single. I eagerly picked up tickets for her tour earlier today. She’ll grace the Regency Center in San Francisco with her presence on March 23rd. Pre-save or pre-order Supervision, here.

#La Roux #International Women Of Leisure #Elly Jackson #synthpop #new wave #indie #indie music #dance pop #indie pop #music #song #music video #Supervision

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Our favorite “freak folk” sisters CocoRosie are back! Sierra and Bianca Casady have announced their 7th studio album Put The Shine On, to be released March 6th next year via Marathon Artists. It’s the follow up to their 2015 album Heartache City, and it’ll be accompanied by their one-of-a-kind live shows in the EU and UK next spring. Accompanying this welcome news is visceral single Smash My Head and its Bianca directed music video. There’s nothing quite like a new CocoRosie song to marvel at, in all its experimental quirkiness and boundary pushing eccentricity. The sisters say: "For us, our song ‘Smash My Head' is a running-on-fire cry from the teenage heart, an inner scream we never dared to let out. The song climaxes in an exaltation, an expression of ecstatic death. It journeys from a hard-knock desert childhood scene to a transcendent cosmic passing to another realm.” Pre-order Put The Shine On, here.

#CocoRosie #Smash My Head #freak folk #experimental #music #song #avant-garde #left-fied #music video #Bianca Casady #Sierra Casady

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Due to certain events and certain misfortunes recently, I haven’t been to as many shows as usual. But there’s one that I’m making sure I don’t miss out on this week, and that’s FKA twigs tomorrow night at the Fox Theatre in Oakland. It’s the second night of two that she’s performing here on tour. I’m ready for a spectacle for both eyes and ears and have all the love and respect in the world for Tahliah Barnett, who as you likely know if you’re a fan, fought through some critical physical ailments to continue dazzling us as the sensational performer, musician, and dancer that she is. The tour of course, is in conjunction with release of FKA twigs new album MAGDALENE, off which we’ve heard a bevy of amazing songs in the last few months. Cellophane and her pole dancing routine for the song is jaw droppingly beautiful. Holy Terrain featuring Future is more of a Rosalia-esque hip hop infused treat. And ‘home with you’ with its artistic visuals sends chills through my very soul each and everytime I take in its billowing splendor. ‘sad day’ is our new taste from MAGDALENE. It’s a gorgeously enchanting ballad that very much reminds me of Kate Bush’s more contemporary releases, but with hypnotic production shards. No doubt MAGDALENE is going to be an immense spectrum of sound considering the diversity of all we’ve heard from it so far. And it drops THIS Friday! Magdalene, which was produced by venerated music man Nicolas Jaar, can be pre-ordered, here. 

#FKA twigs #Tahliah Barnett #sad days #MAGDALENE #Fox Theater Oakland #music #song #Fox Theatre #avant-pop #electronic #pop #art pop #musician #sad day

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I’m a huge fan of Mackenzie Scott’s project TORRES. The American singer songwriter’s lyrics are always raw and affecting, while her blend of alt rock and sometimes folk-tinged indie tends to dramatically mesmerize and intensely stir, sometimes with a snarling bite, and sometimes with a tasteful jab. So I was eager to dive into her latest single, which appropriately dropped right ahead of Halloween since it’s named Good Scare. The song, more of the tasteful jab type than the snarling bite type, is the lead single and opening track from TORRES’ newly announced album Silver Tongue, which will be released via Merge on January 31st next year. Good Scare sits somewhere between her 2015 album Sprinter (still my favorite) and her 2017 album Three Futures with its smooth melodious lilt and lush electronic atmosphere, which also feels a bit St. Vincent like at times. TORRES is currently on a short tour on the East Coast, and she’ll be headed across the Atlantic next March. Hopefully, a more extensive North American tour will be announced for 2020, too. Pre-order Silver Tongue, here.

#TORRES #Good Scare #Mackenzie Scott #singer songwriter #art pop #indie rock #indie pop #music #song #indie #alt #alternative #alt rock #alternative rock