“You don’t know me and I like it. I could be anything I wanted.”
Just 16 years old, with her whole life in front of her, Memphis based songwriter Laura Lang is making music wise beyond her years. The aforementioned lyric from her new single Black Sedan rings with the wonder and youth and teenage adaptability. Nothing you do has to define you, and theres’s so much mystery left to uncover. Black Sedan brings its own perplexities. It’s a cinematic journey in song, starting with the simple makings of plucked ukulele and Laura’s strong vocals. Like our young lives, it builds. The arrangement becomes more complicated, the melodic offerings become more unexpected, and the end is absolute rock and roll chaos.
“Drive away without saying goodbye. Here I’ll stay wondering why.” Those first letdowns are dramatic. They get easier as life goes on, but those early rejections always sting you. They’ll all be paradigms in time, and Laura seems to know it. She sings with the confidence and energy of a girl on fire.
Besides the solid songwriting and impressive vocal performance, the execution front to back is pro standard. The mix is crisp and clean, and every production layer makes sense. It all serves to lift the song at its core, with atmosphere that leads it into the indie pop world. Laura offers Lana Del Rey, Fiona Apple, and Car Seat Headrest as influences. You can definitely hear CSR’s influence in the rocking outro. With solid songwriting and clever lyricism, she connects with Del Rey, Apple, and more. The future looks bright for this emerging star.
Black Sedan is professional progress in action. Lang admits she wanted a punchier, edgier sound than her first record. The new single was produced by Colin Pastore and Jake Finch.
Enjoy Black Sedan now on our Best New Indie Playlist
Get caught in the dark groovy design of Far and Away, the new single from ROFOROFO. At its core the infectious vibe is held down by a dirty acoustic guitar, bouncy drums and a raw believable vocal. The presentation of the instruments and how they accentuate the tonal palette brings authentic charm. The tinged rim hits from the snare and buzzing vibration from the raging acoustic performance give Far and Away a unique sonic presence.
In tandem with the musical design, the voice breaks with rasp of a travelled troubadour who knows how to give his all to a performance. Ripe with soul, the choral backing vocals are the closing invitation to this Church of musical truth.
Getting it however and whenever they can, the duo of Tommy Baldu & Ómar Guðjónsson have had to overcome an ocean between them to keep the project going. One in Iceland and the other in Germany, they collaborate in studios on both sides of the Atlantic. The new single is going to be released on their upcoming album ROFOROFO 2.
Far and Away brings elements known to indie rock, trip hop, and acoustic soul. The groovy beat beneath the minimalistic ingredients of an acoustic and bass has its roots in classic 90s projects like Beck, G Love, and Matthew Sweet. Altered with ROFOROFO’s dark songwriting and indie sensibility, it could draw comparisons to recent releases by Mondo Cozmo, and could even please fans of acts like Nathaniel Rateliff. The aforementioned acts are merely a roadmap to where this might fit in. What drew us to Roforofo was their originality and ambiguity. It’s accessible and faintly familiar but still totally fresh. The singer has his own style, and he wears it well.
Enjoy Far and Away now on our Best New Indie Playlist
Zen Garden is serene. The new single from Carey Clayton and Little Kruta is exquisite pop. This is the big imaginative orchestrated sound dreamt by Phil Spector and Brian Wilson and evolved through the dark dissonant songwriting of Radiohead and their inspired contemporaries. Make no mistake, Zen Garden is singular in affect, the aforementioned references only lay a framework of collateral influence.
The duo seem to have strategically marked their collective creative well, pin pointing all of their better attributes that make sense together. Clayton’s haunting melodic sensibility paired with Kristine Kruta’s epic cinematic swells and soaring choral layers. Unorthodox hybrid percussion, pumping bass rumbling beneath the crisp percussive textures of bouncing strings. The combination is both entrancing and exhilarating. The large swings and exotic harmonic presence is exciting.
This is the music you hear in your head that never makes it to paper. Masterful and brilliant, it navigates swiftly between accessibility and exclusivity. It would be appropriate to hear it embraced by a mix format orchestra concert. We wouldn’t call it Classical, but it is an elite display of orchestration in pop.
Clayton is abstract, dark, and beautiful. He should be embraced by fans of Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors, James Blake and other associated acts. Both Clayton and Kruta have been involved in some big projects. Their talent is verified. Zen Garden is the first single from a collaborative EP that deserves a serious listen.
Journey through Zen Garden now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
The magnificent MOLTENO shines with Moonlight. The new single is a catchy dreamy pivot for the sometimes dark and ethereal songwriter. Propelled by a driving bass, the artist colors the soundscape with glimmering synths and cosmic samples. There’s a subtle hint of synthwave in how it references the classic retro sound, but its still more indie pop with just a semblance of 80s to connect the dots.
A sweet soothing listen, it’s her trademark vocal that makes Moonlight special. MOLTENO is a master of catchy melodies and captivating hooks. The verse section unfolds like an indie pop lullaby, Moonlight is meant to keep you feeling good. With an upbeat tempo and montage aesthetic, it’s a solid addition to any workout mix, or even a pumped up dance floor classic.
Moonlight is an exciting expansion to the artists illustrious growing musical catalog. Collectively her music displays a unique eclecticism with shades of dark pop, trip hop, and indie pop. She gives everything her own unique melodic touch. In that way she draws similarities to diverse artists like Goldfrapp, Santigold, and Sharon Van Etten. But Moonlight as a single has a lot in common with the recent resurgence of Kate Bush. An experimental artist and a fantastic producer in her own right, MOLTENO belongs with the best in the biz.
Enjoy Moonlight now on our Best New Indie Playlist
The Wild Is Calling 