After lending her light-as-a-feather whispers to London producer Hiatus's atmospheric post dubstep soundscapes, Shura's emotional identity thus far has been hidden behind cryptic musings on life and love. The South London singer's debut single "Touch" shows an altogether more down to earth and human side of her.
Warm pads and comforting R&B beats carry a gorgeous and affecting vocal, as Shura admits "something's changed and I don't know why". The simplicity of the message in "Touch" is a far cry from Hiatus collaborations such as "We Can Be Ghosts Now". Her musings are now worn on her sleeve, heartfelt and honest; "I wanna touch you but there's history, I can't believe that it's been three years" she later murmurs. Her voice, once mysterious and icy, now betrays a vulnerability and a racing heartbeat.
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FOR FANS OF: BANKS, Haim, Jessie Ware
- Joe Copplestone, 11.04.14
Syron's new identity as a raver and party girl is one that suits her girlish hiccup down to a T, in a way that Madonna's early 80s output suited her's. "Three Dreams", much like her glorious Tensnake collaboration "Mainline", has 1992 written all over it; a retro breakbeat coaxes out some long lost dance moves, as do the ravey synth stabs and hands-in-the-air vocal hook.
Betty Who's formula for the perfect pop song lies somewhere between the sugary sweet teeny pop of Katy Perry and the bittersweet outsider-anthems of Robyn. But her secret ingredient, what makes her music so uplifting and life affirming, is something neither Katy or Robyn can quite grasp: Actual FAITH in love.
If any group of music fans could possibly throw any criticism the way of "Rather Be", the spectacularly uplifting piano pop single by Clean Bandit, now in its fourth consecutive week at #1 in the UK charts, then it's the ravers. It was the chirpy All About She garage mix that made it onto many a pre drinking playlist, whilst the tame original stayed good friends with daytime radio.
Rubee Rayne is an anomaly. To look at her tough-nut Brixton image (the girl's from Berkshire btw) you'd picture another Amplify Dot or Ms Dynamite - and there'd be nothing wrong with that. But new single "Breathe" is a pleasant surprise. It's less UK grime, and more US post-R&B, with Rayne's woozy slurred vocals and the lazy ambient synths on "Breathe" (courtesy of quirky UK producer El-Train) coming across like "Take-Care" era Drake. 
If the sudden success of Clean Bandit's "Rather Be" in the UK is anything to go by, then "Touch", the mindblowingly catchy new single by previously musically ambiguous producer Shift K3Y, could well be the next step in a full on garage takeover in 2014. 