Easter is a time for a pinch of emotional clarity and bold songwriting, from probably my favourite genre; alt-pop. Today’s collection has vulnerability, a sense of scale, cinematic ballads and rhythm-led statements. Get the Easter eggs out and enjoy these stunners ❤️🔥
Lilia Asha – Gaslighted
Lilia Asha delivers a striking, emotionally mature pop ballad with the best kind of cinematic storytelling
Gaslighted unfolds carefully with a slow-burning intensity, built around delicate piano lines and sweeping cello that give the track a cinematic weight. The vocal is the standout here, and it’s front and centre, carrying a raw, immediate sense of emotional conflict. It’s genuinely beautiful
Lilia Asha is a UK and Shanghai-based songwriter whose work draws on a global upbringing, and this release marks a confident step forward in both scope and maturity. Her writing leans into themes of betrayal and self-reflection, delivered with clarity and control beyond her years. Very, very excited to hear more from this artist.
Lena & van Dorst – Astray
Lena & van Dorst carefully craft an ambitiously layered pop banger with organic tension
Astray moves in a cinematic world, moving between restrained verses and fuller, textured arrangements, with percussion, bass and strings creating a detailed sonic landscape. Rhythmic breathing, and other production flourishes, lead the track to a unique, compelling and unexpected place that I love.
Lena & van Dorst, based in Rotterdam, present a collaboration shaped by diverse musical backgrounds, merging classical influence with contemporary pop and rock elements. This release highlights their ability to balance technical precision with personal storytelling. It’s brilliant.
Alana Balagot (feat. Trans Chorus of Los Angeles) – You Can’t Erase Us
Alana Balagot serves up a powerful, choir-led pop statement with the power of collective equality at its heart
You Can’t Erase Us is powerfully driven by layered choral arrangements and a progression that gives the track a genuine sense of unity and resolve. The production serves the song brilliantly, allowing the voices to carry its important message, that everyone should hear.
Alana Balagot is a Los Angeles-based composer and producer whose work spans music and multimedia, and this release stands as both a protest and a celebration of community. Written in response to real-world events, it foregrounds visibility, history and resilience. We love it.
Onisco – Stupid Song
Onisco shapes a stunning minimal electro-pop track that reflects on time, love and memory
Stupid Song blends airy synth lines with a steady electronic pulse. And when combined with a wonderfully intimate vocal, it adds up to a clean, spacious sound that supports its introspective tone. I love the synth work in this, and the minimal arrangement is great.
Onisco is an independent electro-pop project focused on creative freedom and artistic openness, and this release captures that ethos through its unfiltered approach. Themes of fleeting connection and emotional change run through the writing, giving the track a quiet sense of depth. Alt-pop doesn’t get much better than this.
50mething – Back where we began.
50mething delivers a raw, home-crafted pop statement with a wonderful genre-spanning palette
Back where we began. brings together a kind of alt-indie patchwork of sounds, genuinely keeping you guessing as to what direction the song will take. I love the honesty in the vocal, and it’s unpolished in a really nice deliberate way. It’s a quirky sound world, and I’m all for it.
50mething is an independent artist building a catalogue outside traditional pathways, and this release reflects that freedom in both structure and tone. Drawing on lived experience and a wide range of influences, the track leans into themes of reflection and forward motion, marking another step in a steadily unfolding body of work. I’d love to hear a whole album of this, it’s fantastic.