I started a new series at the start of the year, based around my favourite tracks of the month. This is the fifth article in the series, featuring a bunch of different bands/artists that appealed to me in May. There should be something for everyone here, as it’s quite an eclectic list!
Review by Jane Howkins
Picture by Zoë Zohar
Zoë Zohar – Lazy Sun
Zoë Zohar is an artist based in London with a dreamy folk sound to her music, as latest track Lazy Sun displays. It starts out quite slowly, with a lovely acoustic melody melding well with the vocals. The track sounds really beautiful, with the minimalist vibes working in its favour. The tension slowly builds up, and you can really feel the emotion in the vocals as they soar.
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Tim Scott – Magnesium Black
Magnesium Black is a little different to the previous song, being firmly contained within the EDM/dance genre. It’s an instrumental piece created by producer Tim Scott, designed to get you up and dancing to this euphoric song. The track goes through several different movements as it progresses, with the beat staying fairly stable. The little motifs in the background really help to add some variety, changing things up nicely.
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Maddy Carty – Future Daughter
Maddy Carty’s latest release is a slowed down alt-pop song with a slow beat to it, making it a nice change from the slew of fast paced mainstream pop songs usually heard on the radio. Her vocals have a soulful quality to them, being the star of the show on Future Daughter. The lyrics have a fantastic message which is very encouraging, showing another positive aspect of this amazing song.
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Tana – Ritual
Ritual is another pop song, with a dark pop vibe to it. The vocal effects are used brilliantly here, adding a real sense of atmosphere to Tana’s track. The song takes some influence from the hip-hop genre, especially in terms of the beat and the way the vocals are used rhythmically, adding more to the music. There’s a lot going on here, so I recommend listening to it through a few times to fully appreciate everything!
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The Winches – Punch & Judy
The Winches bring things away from the pop vibes of the previous tracks with their folky offering, Punch & Judy. It’s a slow pop-rock song with moments of Americana and folk present within it. The way the vocals build up over the course of the verses works really well, with the strings sounding truly beautiful as they soar over the chorus, alongside the little guitar and banjo frills.
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The Ramble – Partners in Crime
Those more into their hard rock should find themselves enamoured with The Ramble, a band from New Jersey that also borrow from the glam rock and classic rock genres. Partners In Crime features massive riffs, anthemic singalong choruses and a huge sound that will appeal to those into all types of rock music. The chorus is the real stand out here, but the entire track sounds immense.
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The DePatie Melt – The Viking Princess & The Troll King
The uniquely titled The DePatie Melt have created something rather special on The Viking Princess & The Troll King, a blues infused rock song with some retro elements to it. It’s an instrumental tune with a slow beat that is reminiscent of the old school rock and roll scene, with the electric guitar motifs providing the main instrumentation where the vocal line would normally be. It sounds very beautiful, with the guitars changing every so often as the song continues.
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Filip Dahl – Cry Of A Broken Heart
We’ve featured Filip Dahl’s music quite a few times now, so I knew that Cry Of A Broken Heart would sound fantastic before even listening to it. Filip creates epic instrumental rock songs, using his guitar in a beautiful way, with this song being yet another prog rock masterpiece. The main chord sequence used makes it sound very haunting, with a gorgeous piano melody underpinning the lead guitar solos.
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The Parlophonics – Heaven Can Wait
The Parlophonics are another band that we’ve featured before, so I was very excited to hear their track Heaven Can Wait. It’s a soft-rock song with some folk and blues elements – the main melody and chord sequence sound really beautiful at times, especially with the little guitar licks that appear every so often in the background. I also enjoyed the vocals a lot – they sound perfect, especially when mixed with the backing vocals in harmonious style.
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Afmikon – Follow You
Follow You starts off sounding rather ethereal, with Afmikon’s stunning vocals accompanying the lovely piano lines that mark the backbone of this song. The verses are quite slow, with a drop occurring on the chorus, making for a great dynamic change. It’s a pop song with a difference, featuring some immense swirling synths in the background every so often.
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November 2nd – Island
One of the things I loved about Island was how November 2nd have managed to put together so many different genres into one song. It’s definitely a rock song, but there are also elements of pop, electronica and EDM in there, making for one huge song. It’s also very catchy, with some punchy vocals making you want to sing along instantly!
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Kings & Bears – Fade Out
Fade Out is a rock song with a twist – it also borrows heavily from the folk genre, having more of an acoustic rock sound to it. Kings & Bears have made something that sounds truly epic here, featuring a dreamy soundscape that work well with the lush vocals. Backing effects and recorded vocals are used well, giving the music a grand quality.
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The Racket – Why Are You Watching Me?
Rounding this list out in style are The Racket, with their groovy rock song, Why Are You Watching Me? The guitar and bass lines were one of the most impressive things about this song to me, oozing a sense of rock and roll swagger alongside the vocals, which are full of attitude. The song is also rather catchy, appealing to those into their rock, pop and indie music.
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