NUMBER 1
MEG SMITH - F*ck Friday
New York City, United States
Meg Smith is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and guitar player. Her well-produced pop music stands out due to her sweet and soft singing voice delivering sassy lyrics. The distortion-heavy and aggressive backing also provide a great juxtaposition to her voice. The clean and punchy kit does a great job of providing a rhythmic drive to the track. Her main lyrical idea reflects thoughts of being considered ‘only a one-night stand’ on a Friday night and is delivered with a lot of energy and layered with crowd vocals. The song's production fits really well into the pop-punk-inspired pop music we’ve been seeing a lot over the past year. To hear this easy choice for number one hit the link below.
NUMBER 2
NICK KANDLER - Kill You Slowly
Los Angeles, United States
LA based Nick Kandler has released his latest track ‘Kill You Slowly’. As an artist and producer Nick’s goal is to release ‘euphoric music’ and this track definitely fits the bill. The track kicks off with a long and flowing reverb applied to a plucked guitar. His whispery voice hits gorgeous high notes while delivering lyrics about wishing you were good enough for someone and leaving a better impression on them. The reversed and reverb-applied vocal sample takes you to a reflective bridge. The trap style drums and distorted guitar lines amp up the overall optimistic feel of the track
NUMBER 3
CISCO GUERRERO - Puerto Grande
Rimini, Italy
I was so excited to hear some reggaeton this week as it's truly one of my favorite genres. Inspired by Latin music icons Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin Italy-based Cisco Guerrero is a musician, composer, producer, and singer. His latest release ‘Puerto Grande’ is a sultry summer hit with the recognisable reggaeton drums and Spanish-style guitar lines. Cisco’s vocal is warm and bright and the full extent of it is heard in the adlibs added to the final chorus. When translated, the track's themes were focused on ‘coming from the heart’. A distorted guitar solo is played in the bridge alongside a deep synth bass line. To be taken away to a night in Spain hit the link below.
NUMBER 4
MOLTENO - Moonlight
London, United Kingdom
Molenteno’s goal is to release dreamy music by ‘blending the real with the surreal’ and ‘Moonlight’ is definitely that. London-based Molenteno is a vocalist, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Moonlight’s backing has an 80s Blondie influence with the pumping drum machine and synth bass line. The vocal delivery is captivatingly haunting, her sweet and airy voice is blended well with the tech-heavy instrumental. It is also used as a sample, which is reversed and placed throughout the track which helps to build anticipation when going into the song’s verses. The lyrics are sweet and descriptive and are about traveling by moonlight to people’s hearts.
NUMBER 5
SOFI MERONE - Love You Right Back So Hard
Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki-based Sofi Merone is a homegrown and homemade popstar. Her latest release ‘Love You Right Back So Hard’ is a tech-heavy upbeat pop track about loving someone special and the anxieties and feelings that come with that. Syncopated synth lines start the track off, while other synth lines build up in different timbres to make up the track's texture. Extra percussion elements are added to the track to push the rhythmic drive. It then dissolves into a production-filled breakdown full of glitch effects and samples. The overall major harmony gives the song its sweet pop feel and enhances the mood set by the lyrics.
NUMBER 6
R3LIKS - Eternity
Cannock, United Kingdom
‘Eternity’ is produced by R3LIKES, the alias for Cannock-based producer Adam Furnmage. His influences range from electronic music pioneers such as Deadmau5 to influential trip-hop artists such as Massive Attack combining together to make R3LIKS a unique sound. This track has every characteristic to make it an Ibiza classic, from the strong dance 4 on the floor drums to even the filtering taking place on the vocals to create a DJ-like edit, making it very easy to play during their sets. The vocals fit well with the house genre of the track as they’re short yet catchy phrases and parts are cut into samples that are used in the chorus as extended percussion. This song is a must in all house playlists.
NUMBER 7
FELICIANO - The Bounceback
Rincón, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico-based Feliciano has released the laid-back summer anthem ‘The Bounceback’. The track is full of cascading synth lines which are paired with a punchy drum machine kit. The major synth harmony coincides with the track's upbeat and positive vibe. The vocal delivery is deep and smooth, and its natural warmth is a strong contrast to the techy instrumental. The synths lines build up in different sounds and effects to create a sonically interesting backing. The synth solo in the bridge is full of scales and arpeggios and brings a fresh wave of life into the track before the fade-out ending. Lyrically themes contemplate a view that a certain someone would nearly be the death of the singer and how to bounce back from that. Surprisingly these thoughts are explored in an optimistic and upbeat manner.
NUMBER 8
Simesky+Fritch - Such Imperfection
Swansea & Belgium
Belgium and Swansea-based duo Simesky+Fritch work together to make music that moves across boundaries and decades while combining the genres of retro neon nu-wave and cool indie. This track has similarities to iconic 1980s bands such as Adam and the Ants and The Cure. This is achieved through the track’s synth baseline and punchy drum machine kit and coal delivery making the track is exciting to listen to. The vocals are bright and well produced and are wide-panned to capture the listener’s interest. Intricate guitar solo lines add to the breaks in which there are no vocals. Lyrically the song explores ideas of perfect mistakes and messes, and how if anything these are to be desired.
NUMBER 9
GIADA VALENTI - Il Respiro
Las Vegas, United States
Giada Valenti is a Venice-born singer and songwriter based in Las Vegas. The popular live singer has sung in many famous venues across America including Carnegie Hall and the Smith Centre. ‘Il Respiro’ is a gorgeous mid-tempo pop track sung in Italian. Lyrically the song compares love to water and explores how essential it is and the strong feelings that inevitably accompany it. The Spanish guitar lines and soft adlibs capture your attention from the start. Giada’s silky voice is joined with multi-tracked backing vocals. The track is driven by different timbre synthlines and a punchy drum machine kit. To hear this Italian dream follow the link below.
NUMBER 10
BRENDAN BRADLEY - Reprogram Me (Workshop Cast Recording, Non-Player Character The Musical)
Los Angeles, United States
Brendan Bradley is a multi-award-winning actor and creator and Non-Player Character The Musical is his latest musical endeavor. ‘Reprogram Me’ lyrically is full of video game terminology which is used to help describe ideas of being your true self. It kicks off with a full string-like synth pad and glistening synth lines. The small melodic themes come together to create a track full of life and brightness. The backing is full of heavy synths which match the technology-themed lyrics. The vocal delivery is punchy and powerful and ensures the lyrics are delivered with passion. My only wish is that this piece was longer as it grows in texture and sound and really captivates you. Needless to say I’m excited to hear the rest of the musical and I’m convinced it willl become one of my favourites.
WHO'S YA FAVOURITE CHART - DANCE & POP - 22/07/2022 - VOTE HERE
MEG SMITH - F*ck Friday
NICK KANDLER - Kill You Slowly
CISCO GUERRERO - Puerto Grande
MOLTENO - Moonlight
You can vote for more than one answer.