In this edition of LITM Pop Picks, witness sonic vibrancy and brilliance from artists Mike and Mandy, amro., PopNorse, Gram? Gram, and ST. NIKLAS.
Mike and Mandy - Cocoon
Performing artists, musicians, and partners in life, Mike and Mandy are a dynamic, talented duo bringing their eclectic influences, lengthy musical experience and captivating chemistry in spectacular soundscapes. Each composition is a road trip through varied genres and evolving musical landscapes. The latest release, Cocoon takes you on a journey into a prismatic, psychedelia-infused, pop world. The music hypnotizes you into a state of reflection and introspection with its lush atmospherics, softly cascading rhythms, and mainly, its dreamy vocals. Synths wash the sonic sky in hazy warm, vibrant melodies. Reverb-soaked guitars illuminate the way with affecting notes. The gentle drums anchor the music to a steady pulse. The vocals, plush and velvety, swirl around and waft delicately, like a sweet scent, slowly guiding you towards bliss, healing, and revelations. Cocoon is simply spell-binding. Listen here!
amro. - places
amro. invites you on an absorbing and invigorating trip through nostalgia, in the latest release places. The song, a bittersweet yet hearty ode to his hometown, holds amidst its energetic, light, and bouncy beats, a sense of melancholia and love for a place that may now only exist in memory. The soundscape is constructed with a synthwave era architecture, blooming synths open up into luminous, towering, blaring synth drones. The pounding, pulsating beats add to the depth and dynamism of the track, propelling it forward with infectious energy. The phantom-like vocals further deepens the sentimentality and emotional depth of the music. The song paints a vivid picture of the ephemerality of experiences, places, things, and how the transient nature of it all, makes life all the more beautiful for it. places is definitely one of those tracks that will make you lose track of time because you were transposed into an evanescent reality. Listen here!
PopNorse - Love like a Tide
PopNorse aka Jammaria MARIE, brings you cosmic, chasmic, captivating worlds, each one as mysterious, magical, and majestic as the other. The latest release Love like a Tide pulls you into a stretching, winding, evolving musical continuum, laden with lush synths, pumping beats, and emotive vocals. Fueled by a sense of love and passion, the music grows from a dark, thrilling fusion of gleaming synths, atmospheric melodies, and sensual singing into a celestial display of richly-textured, cloudy synth melodies, hazy mesmerizing vocals, and weighty pulsing beats. In this immersive nebula of sounds, there are moments of high-energy and beaming radiance as well as passages of calming, tender passion, giving you a taste of the soaring and falling intensity of the romance. Love like a Tide is a pop gem bound to enrapture. Listen here!
Gram? Gram - Kombucha
British indie group Gram? Gram presents a refreshing, effervescing, and addictive sound in their latest release, Kombucha. It is funky, groovy, and energizing in a way that feels new and bold. The soundscape instantly grabs your attention, thanks to the opening bass line, which after a few seconds gets permanently etched in your brain, just because it is so weighty yet slick. Supported by a deftly played, intricate drum rhythm, the song is bound to get you dancing in no time. If all of this hasn’t yet fascinated you, then you are surely in for a treat. Bubbling electronica notes, bright indie pop tones, and the ear-catching vocal textures will definitely make you a fan of the artist. The distortion-tinged, catchy vocal melodies will get you singing along, and the lush harmonies will get you singing louder. It is all fun and funk and fascination. Experience the verve and pep of Kombucha here!
ST. NIKLAS - phone calls from home
Hailing from Northern Europe, Norway, singer-songwriter and producer Niklas Nesset presents his solo musical project ST. NIKLAS, a beautiful mosaic of influences—love for John Hughes movies, ’80s pop culture, and a fascination with analog synths—that will surely stir your soul. The latest release, phone calls from home, makes you plunge into a world teeming with retro synth beams, speeding drums, and lush vocals. Despite the soft melancholia and rumination in the music, the soundscape glows with an invigorating brightness and vibrancy, courtesy of the luxurious, flawless production. Oscillating between moody, vulnerable sections into eruptive, euphoric choruses, the music truly puts on a spectacular show that feels calming yet cathartic, heartbreaking yet healing. phone calls from home is an instant favorite song and there is no resisting it. Listen here!
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