Best in Pop - Hot New Releases - June 2024
This month’s edition of Best in Pop features; an indie pop song with colossal reverb drenched pads (think, Wildest Dreams levels); a song that has the warmth of early 2000s pop/rock; a song that has dark fairytale like lyrics; a song with dreampop elements, that already sounds like a classic, a song that has Beach Boys’ like harmonies with a psychedelic instrumental flair running throughout, and more!
Featuring i.V KiNG, Natalie Shay, Ella Galvin, Rosalie James, Heather Mae, Raylee Forest, Kal Mara and Naked Family.
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ISLAND - Rosalie James, Storefront Church
This opens with a dreampop soaked soundscape with some folk elements; a soundscape that invokes the all-consuming sensation of being someone, (or of being somewhere) completely deserted. The lyrics open with “I was an island/ Out in the sun” the song being about being a parent when you are very young, just out of childhood yourself. I don’t think an introduction to a song has ever invoked such a core, vivid reflection of what the song’s subject matter is about, quite like this does.
This has the feel and impact of a classic - it is utterly beautiful and also kind of devastating, the string section is absolutely divine, as are the vocals from LA based artist Storefront Church. It sounds like the feeling that accompanies looking at a sun drenched polaroid of a memory, this stayed with me well after listening to it, this will really, really, make you feel something.
Connect with Rosalie James
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Easier That Way - Kal Mara
Taken from the album CATALYST (all tracks being written and produced by the artist), Easier That Way envelops you in a lavish, organic tapestry of sounds that will simultaneously induce the blissful feeling of being alone in your room surrounded by house plants, and also the feeling of being surrounded by the sounds of nature.
The lyric now the flowers are blooming in Antarctica is just gorgeous - this song is hypnotic, with so much imagination and creativity present in the sound selections and production - I absolutely love the trippy album visuals also.
Connect with Kal Mara
Spotify / Instagram
Tumbado en la hierba al sol - Naked Family
I came across this on my weekly search through the pop section of Bandcamp, and it is taken from the group's new album La Vuelta. Tumbado en la hierba al sol opens with strings, (in a style that is reminiscent of The Beatles’ psychedelic era) before diving into a lavish, Beach Boys style harmony, sprinkled with rock elements.
This is so fun and unique - I recommend the whole album.
Connect with Naked Family
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The Way It Goes - Ella Galvin
This new song from NY based artist Ella Galvin is a seriously good fusion of pop and rock, with a bit of early 2000s warmth running throughout. The vocal melody in this is catchy in the way only the very best of pop songs are; it has the vibe of a song that could have been in one of your favorite TV shows from the early 2000s (set in New York, of course).
On the song the artist says “The Way It Goes’ is a song about going back and forth between wanting to see your ex and not wanting to reopen those wounds again and risk being disappointed.”
Connect with Ella Galvin
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I’m Enough (I’m Not Enough Version) - i.V KiNG
The vocals in this are achingly beautiful, the song itself raw and haunting, in the way some memories can be. The lush harmonies and vocals are set against a minimal guitar backdrop; making the lyrics hit even harder. This draws you in immediately.
Connect with i.V KiNG
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Doing Well - Natalie Shay
Taken from CHAMPAGNE; Natalie’s new six-track EP; this is melancholic indie-pop with goosebump-inducing, reverb soaked textures. This feels like it plays at sunset; the luxurious pop pads drenching this with a nostalgic quality, before bursting into the hook, which hits you with a wave of euphoria, tinged with a dash of longing.
Connect with Natalie Shay
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Kissing Girls - Heather Mae
The opening of this song has a bit of a musical theater vibe that I absolutely love, building anticipation and drawing you into the world in which the song takes place; a beat comes in hypnotizing you even further; then, a melting, shimmering lake of glittering pop ascends over you, consuming you. The vocals in this are blissful, this production is flawless ( this co-produced by Mae and Lollies), you need to listen to this.
On the song the artist confides, “growing up in church and the evangelical movement, the only representation of LGBTQ+ people that I was familiar with were the kids who got kicked out for being queer. Even though my first crush was on a girl, I hid the truth of what that meant to protect myself from losing my entire community. This is why visibility is profoundly important to me.”
Connect with Heather Mae
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter
Let Them Out - Raylee Forest
Taken from the new EP My World; this has dark fairytale lyrics that are woven over a bed of experimental pop, and intense metal; I can guarantee that you have never heard anything like this before.
This is a song to turn on when you get home from a hard day; and allow yourself to just unleash.
Connect with Raylee Forest
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter
Spotify Playlist
About Eimear O Sullivan
Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)
Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com
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