Newly arrived artist on the scene Quigley makes quite the impression with just one listen. The LA songstress creates unconventional electropop in the same vein as female vocalists such as Grimes, Empress Of, and Banoffee, with a bit of Purity Ring‘s futurism as well. Her latest single “Lost Again” is a compelling, chimerical confection that will be featured on her forthcoming EP. Written, produced and mixed by Quigley herself, the debut album Initium drops May 8.
As fans of the indie act Carousel, we were delighted to learn that one half of the duo, Jackson Phillips was embarking on a solo project known as Day Wave. The Oakland based artist has already accrued a combined 500,000 plays on Soundcloud over the last year with his first two releases, and the latest single “Drag” follows the same sonic trend as previous efforts with its ruminative, lo-fi surf-pop sound. Introspective lyrics paired with light guitar strums — along with an intrinsic post-punk nature and a hint of shoegaze set his sound apart from the more synth-leaning Carousel. Listen below.
After releasing an array of remixes, LA-based production duo BETABLOCK3R shared their first original track entitled “In My Head” earlier this month. Managed by Martin Kierszenbaum (founder of Cherrytree Records), the indie-electronic group manifests the post-disco era of the ’80s on the single with its plucky bass lines, driving beat and funk guitar. Essentially it’s the perfect nu-disco tune to get your synapses flowing for the weekend, so get it in your head (and ears) by streaming below.
A few weeks back we received a submission from an artist named Prateek Kuhad, a singer-songwriter based out of New Delhi, India. He seems to have a large following there, and listening to his catalog of soothing, breezy folk-pop it’s easy to see why. Stream the heartwarming, Buddy Holly-esque track “Held You Tight” taken from his 2015 debut record In Tokens & Charms below.
With the release of her debut EP Echo last year, NY-based songstress VÉRITÉ has been building a veritable amount of buzz this past year. Her latest cut “Colors,” however, produced by Zach Nicita of MS MR might be our favorite offering yet, as well as the song that should cement her status as one to watch in the synthpop realm.
Speaking to Pop Justice about the track’s origins, VÉRITÉ averred “I had been forwarded the track from my manager and was immediately semi-obsessed with how hard the percussion hit from the start. It’s the first time I had collaborated with Zach and written over a track that was so developed. It definitely challenged me to write strong and dynamically from the start and really strongly solidify a departure from ambient synth pop.”
No doubt that the melismatic tune is the singer’s most complex and colorful track to date. Look out for “Colors” to be released on an upcoming EP. VÉRITÉ will also be embarking on a tour across Europe in May.
S. Carey is playing a couple of Living Room Shows in the District this weekend, and since we’ve never featured him before on CCP we figured now is as good a time as any. The Wisconsin artist S. Carey, short for Sean Carey is best known as the drummer for Justin Vernon‘s Bon Iver, however he also contributed to Sufjan Stevens‘ latest LP Carrie &Lowell. Not surprising, as Carey, Vernon and Stevens all seem to have been cut from the same musical cloth. With a background in classical percussion, Carey crafts mellifluous piano lines and drum rhythms in conjunction with earnest vocals to create gorgeous arrangements and affective melodies.
Carey recently released an EP (called Supermoon) of stripped-back songs from his sophomore LP released last year, Range of Light. Get a taste from the latest LP by streaming “Alpenglow” below, and listen to the beautiful dirge “In The Dirt” from his 2010 debut All We Grow.
Kudos if you managed to catch tickets to Carey’s sold-out stops in DC on April 25 and 26, as they are sure to be an intimate affair. However, if you’re lucky you might be able to still snag tickets to one of his later shows.
Welcome to another Remix Roundup, a semi-biweekly segment in which we over at CCP bring you the latest and greatest mixes currently buzzing around the blogosphere. The first track in this installment comes by way of Jack Ü, aka the powerhouse duo Skrillex and Diplo who recently dropped a surprise LP with some heavy hitting featured artists including Missy Elliott, 2 Chainz, and Justin Beiber. Our favorite collab by far though has to be “To Ü,” which features UK darlings AlunaGeorge. It’s a dynamic, kinetic dance number that accents Aluna’s alluring vocals. Oh — and there’s some dubstep in there too, lest we forget who’s driving this force.
We’ve also been doting on this deep house remix of Seekae‘s “The Worry” from prolific German producer Henrik Schwarz. We dug the album of the same name that Seekae, the electronic outfit from Sydney released last year, and now Schwarz has gone and spun the single into an epic extended edit. Stream this sleek and serpentine rework befitting of the original’s intrigue below.
Last month we shared the ATB remix of Ellie Goulding‘s “Love Me Like You Do,” and shortly thereafter London producer XYconstant went and upped the ante, delivering an even sexier and more progressive rendition. We love the looped vocals and intricate synth work that make this mix stand above the rest. So listen and love it like you do — what are you waiting for?
Well this is an unexpected surprise. Despite the announcement that one half of Crystal Castles, Alice Glass was leaving the band last October, extant member Ethan Kath posted a new track on Soundcloud today called “Frail” — which in true CC fashion is anything but.
With a new vocalist in place on the track (whose vocal gymnastics don’t sound all that dissimilar from Glass’) named Edith, Kath proves that he hasn’t lost his flare for crafting dark and dissonant production ‘scapes. Perhaps the friction between the former duo served as a catalyst for new material? Celebrate the continuance of Crystal Castles in its new form with “Frail” below.
UK trio Until The Ribbon Breaks captured global attention earlier this year with the release of their debut album A Lesson Unlearnt, even supporting top acts like Lorde, Phantogram, and London Grammar on tour. According to a press release, the electronic outfit derives its name from “the days when gifting mixtapes was the definitive romantic gesture . . . That careful ritual of combing through your record collection, choosing a myriad of musical moods and memories for the recipient to imbibe and devour again and again, until the tape wore out – Until The Ribbon Breaks.”
That’s a motion we at CCP can get behind. Fronted by Pete Lawrie-Winfield and backed by James Gordon and Elliot Wall, the three-piece collective UTRB draw inspiration from both music and film. As a former film student, Winfield believes these two art forms are intertwined, which is a philosophy they actually incorporate into their creative process.
Watch the lyric video for the blues-infused single “A Taste of Silver” below.
Purity Ring received plaudits for their second studio album another eternity, released last month via 4AD. Following their futuristic debut Shrines in 2012, the Canadian duo Megan James and Corin Roddick bring a contrasting, softer style to the table on the new album while maintaining their otherworldiness.
Stream standout single “begin again” below, followed by our favorite track “stranger than earth” (only available via Spotify for streaming).
Purity Ring will be playing two sold-out shows at DC’s 9:30 Club May 29, with Braids and Born Gold supporting.
poetry in an empty coke can 