LISTEN: Amaroun – ‘Alive’

Having received acclaim from the likes of BBC 6Music and The Line Of Best Fit, upcoming artist Amaroun’s second single, ‘Alive’, featuring Mansa, is a banger that uplifts.

In the very first strains of the tune, Amaroun’s propulsive vocals chant “I feel alive!”, whilst later, they sing about letting go and persevering through storms and fears; celebrating every moment in life. Set to glitchy and trippy clave-like rhythms, ‘Alive’ creates a majestic soundscape, pulsing with simple bass drum hits, before Mansa sends us out of the song with a rap on his own come-up. A stirring, uplifting accompaniment to these strange times.

Amaroun is a project by producer and songwriter Jay Brown. They have worked with Charlie Andrew (Alt-J/London Grammar/Marika Hackman) and collaborate with Charles Watson, Benin City, Francobollo, Boris Labant and Adam Betts.

 

‘Alive’ is out now. Listen on Spotify.

Aisha Kasmir
@aisha_vocal

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Video Premiere: Saachi Sen – ‘Flaunt’

Having charmed us with the twinkling musicality of previous single ‘Dark’, as well as playing to a crowd of 10,000 people at last year’s London Pride, Mumbai-born Londoner Saachi Sen has now returned to grace our ears with her brand new single.

Filled with beautifully lilting melodies and plenty of sunny vibes, ‘Flaunt’ flows with Sen’s rich, honey-sweet vocals as she sings with a shimmering heartfelt emotion. A “cute pop song about having a trophy boyfriend”, it’s just an utterly uplifting and totally charming offering, oozing a gentle soothing splendour; a perfect antidote to these uncertain times.

Of the track, Sen explains:

“I feel like there are many songs from a male perspective that focus on getting an attractive female partner and then being able to brag about it. I’ve rarely come across similar songs from a woman’s point of view – and there’s a wider stereotype that women approach relationships in an emotional and dramatic way. Flaunt challenges that. Ultimately I just wrote how I was feeling, and ended up with something light-hearted, playfully superficial and totally drama-free.”

Watch the home-made live video for ‘Flaunt’ now:

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Temples Of Youth – ‘Suburbia’

From The Kinks to David Lynch, Arcade Fire and Hanif Kureishi – the space between the city and the country has been occupying creative minds almost since its creation, with its blend of comfort and conformity, its security and secrets, kept behind double-glazing. Now it’s the turn of Winchester-based duo Temples Of Youth to turn their gaze on ‘Suburbia’, with pretty good timing, given that we’re almost all stuck in our residences right now.  

Where previous TOY releases have hewed more towards dream pop – such as last year’s ‘Rose Tinted’, or the chillwave/synthpop of 2017’s self-titled EP -, ‘Suburbia’ has the feel of stylised, passionate rock-pop with its Cult style guitar openings, straight out of the Billy Duffy playbook, and underlying synth chords. That drive doesn’t let up, either, in the minor key vocal harmonies by members Jo and Paul, or the song’s structure, with its two lyrical verses followed by a choppy riff middle eight, that falls away and lets the track finish with synths that rise like the start of a new day. 

Lyrically, the song is deceptively simple, with most lines containing monosyllables but evoking a story rich with mystery and emotion: “Meet me in suburbia / A place to live / A place to hide… Now there’s no turning back.”

Perhaps what’s most impressive here, as with all TOY releases, is that despite the band’s DIY ethos, ‘Suburbia’ sounds the equal in its production to anything you’re likely to hear threatening the charts. With a new EP due to be recorded at some point later this year, pandemic-permitting, it seems inevitable that Temples of Youth will be heard in homes up and down the land, before too long.

 

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

 

 

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LISTEN: Emerson – ‘A Longing And Needing’

‘A Longing And Needing’ is the first single from new North London artist Emerson, whose creative spirit is inspired by poetry and rooted in collaboration. Emerson works closely with producers, choreographers, photographers, videographers and artists to bridge the worlds of art and pop together. The single features her soulful vocals against expressive electronic beats, which do not overpower the song.

It has a slow, soft start, introducing a breezy vocal, implying that this is a love song, but it isn’t… “God knows I tried, you didn’t see her lies, it’s plain to see that the Devil has meddled between you and me.” The song is about two friends who have betrayed her trust, and how she deals with the feelings. These range from nostalgia – “I like to think to think that you think of me”, to passionate and confused, where the tempo is increased and some distortion creeps into the sound. The song ends with a self-imposed acceptance, “It’s fine,” but it also draws you in and leaves you wondering if acceptance is the better half of loneliness, and if the ‘friend’ ever cared.

A very promising start from this innovative artist, and I look forward to hearing more.

Listen to ‘A Longing And Needing’ on Spotify now :

 

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

Photo Credit: Jemima Marriott

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