NEW MUSIC: Marnie - Reckless

Most female solo singers, particularly the British kind, are seemingly afraid of coming across anything less than sultry, mysterious and painfully alternative. And quite honestly they tend to blend together into one self-conscious mess. But then, occasionally, there are singers like London's Marnie who simply command attention and have no desire to fit in with the snooty nosed female crooners of 2014.

Marnie's debut single "Reckless" is an exhilarating drum and bass/pop crossover; her sound is both polished to perfection and simultaneously deliciously rough around the edges. Her young soulful voice both shimmers with emotion and stings like a bee, and the gritty bass drones and breakneck beats add depth what is essentially a perfect rebel-pop song at heart. "I want to run away" she triumphantly and effortlessly declares in the song's chorus, as the song's crushing beats and bass fight mercilessly to keep up.

"Reckless" is available for free download from her SoundCloud page.

FOR FANS OF: Katy B, Ayah Marar



- Joe Copplestone, 19.07.14

NEW MUSIC: The Wild Wild - Alright

Judging by the success of The 1975, us Brits clearly have no problem with 80s pop rock, hair metal or glam rock influences in modern indie, and newcomers The Wild Wild take advantage of this fact wildly. 

"Alright" is an M83 sized chunk of synth-drenched rock melodrama, with sentiment-soaked pads and collosal Killers-sized hooks set to bring a fist pumping singalong to many a student union or drunken festival tent.

The band's eponymous debut EP, The Wild Wild, is out now on iTunes.

FOR FANS OF: The Killers, The 1975, M83

- Joe Copplestone, 7.4.14

NEW MUSIC: Suvi - Find You

The latest in the long line of impressive female solo artists to hail from Sweden is Stockholm's Suvi, whose debut single "Find You" introduces her fragile but commanding voice. 

Suvi's feathery purrs sail regally over a brass heavy modern trip pop bonanza that her homeland peers MØ and Marlene wouldn't turn their noses up at. With the UK and US success of said singers, surely a 'Diplo x Suvi' collaboration isn't far off?

FOR FANS OF: MØ, Charli XCX, Marlene

- Joe Copplestone, 7.5.14

NEW MUSIC: Charlie Barclay Webb - Get To Know Me

With his white boy swagger and Frankmusik-esque melodramatic vocal, Charlie Barclay Webb clearly has commercial success on his mind, but when it drives him to hooks and beats this epic and infectious, it's to be applauded and recognized. A grimey dubstep throb and trappy beat contrast CBW's silky tone and impressive range, and the commanding, almost regal chorus of "get to know me" makes it clear we have no choice in the matter. I expect to hear this guy on Radio 1 alarmingly soon.

FOR FANS OF: Alex Clare, Daley, Frankmusik

- Joe Copplestone, 16.04.14

NEW MUSIC: Autowrong - We Are Decay

Something a little 'odd'ictive for you today. Autowrong are from the midlands and that's all they're letting on, but their debut track "We are Decay" shows us a complex mix of electronica, alternative pop and house. A gritty vocal sample dances over foreboding basslines and a steady house beat, before a feathery female vocalist hiccups her way along a stream-of-consciousness vocal line. Unusual but strangely addictive, it's unsure what to expect next from these guys, but whatever it is is bound to be another riveting hybrid of sounds.

Follow Autowrong on SoundCloud below.

FOR FANS OF: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Röyksopp, Bonobo 

- Joe Copplestone, 4.4.14

NEW MUSIC: Rubee Rayne - Breathe

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. 

Rubee Rayne has 3 hypnotic gems available for free download on her SoundCloud, which you should snap up soon before "Breathe" finds itself A-listed on Radio 1.

FOR FANS OF: Jhene Aiko, Banks, FKA Twigs

- Joe Copplestone, 6.2.14

NEW MUSIC: Shift K3y - Touch

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. 

The garage revival has been gradually working its way through the dance underground's deep house obsession of 2013, but most of it has been afraid to place a toe firmly in the late 90s/early 00s nostalgia pool, the majority opting to follow in Disclosure's footsteps and offer flavours of garage without recalling too much of this shamelessly cheesy period in music. 

Why "Touch" works is that it brings back everything that was good about garage in the first place, including the features that Disclosure et al have been too credible to - the sugary sweet male vocal, gloriously sung by the producer himself (a fact which makes me very happy indeed), a 130+ bpm, and a set of simplistic, hollow yet instantly memorable lyrics, which accompany a melody so catchy that their vacuousness can be forgiven, celebrated even. 

If Clean Bandit turned back the clock to the sunkissed post-garage/chilled-house days of 2002/3, Shift K3y has bravely turned the hands even further back to 1999, channelling the spirit of Artful Dodger. Need another reason why this is so great? This was a time when unknown producers and acts would top the charts out of the blue, purely because of a shamelessly catchy tune, so please let's see "Touch" become the second breakthrough #1 of the year and let's see some hard work pay off.

FOR FANS OF: Artful Dodger, Kove, DEVolution

- Joe Copplestone, 3.2.14

NEW MUSIC: Marlene - Stay Awake

It's no secret that the Scandinavians produce top notch pop music, but one thing that often eludes them is, alongside all the addictive melodies and sharp synth work, producing anything genuinely vulnerable and emotional. That's often why it's so well constructed - Scandinavian pop prides itself of its musical merit and production above sounding human. 

The voice of Sweden's Marlene however, manages to channel the aches and pains of American popstar JoJo on latest single "Stay Awake". Her voice breaks and hiccups not in a traditionally quirky European pop way, but in a way that suggests that she has listened to a lot of over-emoting US pop singers. With the melodramatic synthpop/R&B hybrid "Stay Awake", Marlene manages to find the happy medium between the perfectly crafted pop songs of her homeland, and a delivery which suggests she has desires to reach a commercially minded audience worldwide, not just a niche European one.

FOR FANS OF: MØ, JoJo, LIZ (Mad Decent)

- Joe Copplestone, 29.01.14

NEW MUSIC: Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne - Rather Be

Clean Bandit are what I call a truly great pop act. They manage to appeal to the trendy crowd with their deep house credibility (the Gorgon City collaboration in particular helped them there) whilst still managing to avoid genres and maintain a level of musical freshness and creativity that lacks in so many modern acts.

"Rather Be" isn't chart-oriented enough to be considered straight up pop and isn't deep and dancey enough to be considered house. If anything it recalls a time in the early 00s, when disco-meets-ibiza chillout was the dancefloor filling sound du jour, and easy going house-lite tunes like Milky's "Just The Way You Are" and DB Boulevard's "Point Of View" were crossing over from the underground to the charts.  However, whilst these decade-old songs lack 'edge' compared to the sharp bass-heavy crossover tunes we hear on the radio in 2014, Clean Bandit manage to bring some energy and back bone to the sound they throw back to. In the process they succeed in combining the best of house in 2004 with the best of house in 2014. 

Their trademark string quartet intro gives way to perky raindrop synths and a life affirming piano house chorus, sung with gusto by Jess Glynne. No doubt it's the remixes that will make it to the clubs (particularly the ultra cool garage take from All About She), but the emotional peak that the original version reaches is definitely the place I'd rather be.

FOR FANS OF: Mausi, Disclosure, Tensnake

NEW MUSIC: Peter Thomas ft. Betty Who - All Of You

It's no secret that we love Betty Who here at GivePopAChance. A young woman with 4 solo tracks to her name, 2 of which appearing in our Top 10 of 2013, 1 of which ("Somebody Loves You") hitting our top spot by a country mile. So imagine our delight when as 2014 hits, Betty Who is once again dominating our iPods with the glorious "All Of You", a tale of volatile but passionate young love, on par with both "Somebody Loves You" and "High Society".

Of course, this is not a Betty Who solo gig, so most of the credit must go to LA producer Peter Thomas, whose goliath Madeon-esque production exudes as much effortless joy as Betty's song. It's a match made in EDM heaven. 

You can download a lower quality version of the song for free from SoundCloud below, but for anyone really wanted to appreciate this track the way it was meant to be heard, you can download a high quality version on iTunes now. No brainer.

FOR FANS OF: Madeon, The Knocks, Lenno

- Joe Copplestone, 8/1/14

#Popdar - Dornik, Syron

DORNIK - REBOUND

After Dornik floored us with his slow burning but instantly memorable debut track "Something About You" 5 months ago, the emotive R&B singer, surprisingly from London (his lush Michael Jackson pastiche has LA written all over it), returns with a track at the other end of the emotional spectrum. Whilst "Something About You" wallowed in its own loved-up bliss and infectious joy, "Rebound" is comparatively intense and even neurotic. Dornik's vocal is jittery and breathy, as drums pound and a low bass and simmering pads fill the atmosphere with doubt and dread. But make no bones about it - it's just as gorgeous and instantly loveable as "Something About You". 

If Dornik keeps up this quality, he could well see a rise to fame not dissimilar to that of once fellow bedroom producer The Weeknd. The Weeknd's doing stadium headline shows now, and there's no question that Dornik's music belongs there too.

"Rebound" is forthcoming on PMR Records.

FOR FANS OF: Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Michael Jackson

SYRON - COLOUR ME IN

Yet to make a truly flooring impact with any of her output, Syron has until now opted to ride with vibes at the expense of really making an impression as a solo artist. I say "until now" because new single "Colour Me In" is the first track where the young London singer really sounds like she's putting in the overtime. Having already proved her credentials as a potential dance diva on Tensnake's guilty pleasure 90s-throwback "Mainline" last year, "Colour Me In" lies somewhere between that track and Chris Malinchak's "So Good To Me". It sounds a lot like Katy B, but there's a vulnerability and breathlessness to Syron's vocal on "Colour Me In" that Katy B has never quite managed to exude (quite frankly because we all know you don't fuck with Katy B).

No release date as of yet, but you can follow Syron on SoundCloud below.

FOR FANS OF: Katy B, Bondax, Jessie Ware

- Joe Copplestone, 4/12/13

@GivePopAChance

#EatSleepRaveBlog - Lostchild, Kove, DJ Fresh

LOSTCHILD - DO WHAT U WANT

Lostchild might well be clinging onto the bright pink pigtails of Artpop-mania with his debut solo track, a misty-eyed deep house number based around Lady Gaga's latest single, but this is no mere remix. The UK producer heavily drugs Lady Gaga's gigantic "Do What U Want", whisks it away through woodblock-bassed tribal house TEED-itory, before setting it free amidst a whirlwind of whoosing synth pads and woozy stoner-vocals.

Follow Lostchild and download "Do What U Want" for free from SoundCloud below.

BASTILLE - OF THE NIGHT (KOVE REMIX)

With last month's spectacular Measures EP, 22-year old London producer Kove proved himself almost overnight as a frontrunner in both up and coming UK Garage ("Love For You", "Lose You") and Drum & Bass ("Night Thought", "Searching"). His mix of Bastille's "Rhythm of the Night" tribute makes the club classic's revival complete, with a sledgehammer piano hook and throbbing bass drop so hard it flips your stomach. Truly, the rhythm of the night.

Bastille Of The Night EP, featuring Kove's remix, is out November 17.

DJ FRESH VS JAY FAY FEAT. MS DYNAMITE - DIBBY DIBBY SOUND

For anyone who thought that the surprising Diplo collaboration "Earthquake" was just an experimentation for the commercial D&B juggernaut, "Dibby Dibby Sound" proves that DJ Fresh may be on a more long-term underground trip. "Dibby Dibby" was a track by Moombahton producer Jay Fay released earlier this year, and much as he did with Diplo and "Earthquake", DJ Fresh has once again slapped his big name and a credible feature artist on the top with the hope of getting a lesser known genre into the mainstream.

On the one hand you could call this *new* DJ Fresh a David Guetta of the underground (little than a big brand to take the glory from other's work), BUT on the other, it's exciting that Moombahton, long assumed dead, might get a chance at the big time that it never did first time round. 

If you have three hands you could use the third to argue that this is merely Moombahton-adjacent (and you'd be right), but we'd probably just be distracted by your three hands. 

It's out February 7, so let's hope we're not all sick of it by then.

- Joe Copplestone, 15/11/13

@GivePopAChance

#EatSleepRaveBlog - MDNGHT, Fire The Mob, H.O.T. Box

MDNGHT - INTO THE NIGHT
Finding the perfect middle ground between deep house and atmospheric R&B, two of the biggest sounds of the year, Manchester based act MDNGHT's "Into The Night" has enough passion and groove to appeal to fans of multiple trends and genres. And what a vocal. Weeknd eat your broken heart out.

The equally impressive debut EP, Into The Night, is out now on MUK Records.



FIRE THE MOB - CALM ME DOWN
Breathing a little life into the second of Katy B's disappointingly average 2013 singles, London's Fire The Mob, signed to Downing Street Records, take the vocal of "5AM" and drags it further down into a more realistic 5am post-clubbing state, with eerie samples fluttering around a menacing deep house bassline.

The single is available as a free download from Fire The Mob's Soundcloud below.



H.O.T.BOX - TIL I GET MY WAY
Something a bit less 5am and more 11pm here, Downing Street Records' H.O.T.BOX's funky future garage anthem "Til I Get My Way" has a touch of Zinc and Rinse fm about it, and has "summer of 2014" written all over it. Make it happen.

There's no release information yet, but you can follow H.O.T.BOX on Twitter @IAmHotBOX and Soundcloud below.

#POPDAR - YOUTH, Lulu James, LIZ

YOUTH - LOW

Camouflage Records

In the wake of Lorde's inexplicable but pleasing worldwide success, twee indie acts with a taste for Hip Hop beats is a market suddenly wide open for newcomers. Mysterious London duo YOUTH match a glitchy Trap beat with a powerful vocal that twangs like Paloma Faith's on their debut release "Low", and there's no reason they can't take this market by storm.

YOUTH's sleek collaboration with dreamy garage producer Kilter, "Hold Me", is out on November 8, and their debut EP is forthcoming on Camouflage Records.

FOR FANS OF: Lorde, Elli Ingram, Purity Ring



LIZ - STOP ME COLD

LIZ's logo

90s R&B and Garage is more popular now than it was in the actual 90s, and Mad Decent's unexpected but brilliant signing LIZ is gradually paving her way to the top of the pastiche heap, even if only for unashamed authenticity. The Californian singer's new single "Stop Me Cold" could be a 1999 Destiny's Child or Janet Jackson single, boasting a click and pop garage beat and breathlessly choppy vocal oozing pure sugar.

"Stop Me Cold" is available for free download from LIZ's Facebook page.

FOR FANS OF: TLC, Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson



LULU JAMES - SWEETEST THING

Lulu James

Though it was squelchy house number "Closer" that first broke London singer Lulu James through to radio, Lulu sounds most at home amidst the sultry electro R&B vibes of new single "Sweetest Thing". With the track essentially built around quirky vocal hooks, gorgeously slight underwater pads and a sparse Bondax-esque beat, Lulu vibes out, letting her thick jazzy voice merge subtly with the liquid sounds around it.

The Sweetest Thing EP is out now on iTunes.

FOR FANS OF: Charli XCX, MØ, MS MR

- Joe Copplestone, 7/11/13

@GivePopAChance