This edition of Dark Pop BOPS dives into the shadowed corners of pop’s emotional spectrum. From cinematic tension to poetic grit and electronic introspection, these three artists create soundscapes that glow under the dim light – heavy with feeling, rich with texture, and alive with purpose.
Layla Kaylif – Closer
Layla Kaylif turns longing into light, crafting songs that ache with intelligence and emotional clarity
A collision of poetry and power, Closer is an alt-rock hymn that pulses with both restraint and release. Co-written with Greg Fitzgerald (Shakespeare in Love), the track blends cinematic grandeur with raw humanity, threading strings of heartbreak through a storm of guitars and synths. Kaylif’s voice feels timeless – poised between tenderness and fury, shadow and surrender.
Described by critics as “one of the UK’s most intriguing under-the-radar voices,” she sits comfortably beside Florence + The Machine or Lorde, yet sounds unmistakably her own. Closer is the sound of control meeting chaos – a masterclass in emotional storytelling that lingers long after it fades.
Nico Guzzi – Follow Me Now
“Nico Guzzi merges technology, tension, and tenderness into dark electronic pop that feels cinematic and human.”
Italian composer and multi-disciplinary artist Nico Guzzi offers something that sits between Depeche Mode and a lost sci-fi film score. Follow Me Now glides through noir synths and industrial percussion, carried by Guzzi’s intimate, ghost-like vocal delivery.
Best known for his work in film, literature, and composition, Guzzi’s musical world is one of precision and restraint. Every beat feels deliberate, every lyric suspended in twilight. Follow Me Now is less a song than a slow-burn invitation – one that lures you into its hypnotic orbit and refuses to let go.
Fake Plastic – What Should I Be Scared Of? (Remix)
“Grit, glamour, and a growl of resistance — Fake Plastic make fear sound electric.”
This remix of What Should I Be Scared Of? reimagines their debut single with sharper edges and heavier shadows. It’s garage punk rewritten in neon – distortion humming beneath stadium-sized choruses and poetic introspection. The production bristles with energy, balancing art-school abstraction with raw rock intensity.
The band describe their sound as “written from the heart and cut with grit,” and that ethos defines this remix: dark, driving, and defiantly alive. It’s a reminder that fear isn’t the enemy – apathy is.