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THIS WEEK’S INDIE FOLK BOPS

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This week’s indie folk trades polish for intimacy. Bedroom tape hiss, quiet defiance, a bit of playful myth and some hard-won warmth: songs recorded close to the bone, where the smallest gestures carry the most weight and honesty does the heavy lifting.

Esteban Obando – Montreal (Feeling it All)

“Montreal (Feeling it All)” is a stunning lo-fi folk gem from Esteban Obando, a single-take confession that turns tape hiss into pure feeling.

This is a song that treats its own imperfections as instruments. Cut in one afternoon straight to cassette, it wraps double-tracked vocals in a bath of spring reverb, a faint drum-machine ticking away beneath like a pulse you half-notice. Nothing here is corrected or tidied, and that’s precisely why it lands: the wobble and warmth of the tape carry as much emotion as the melody does. It’s a lovely atmosphere, a little hazy at the edges, aching in the middle, and all together gone too soon.

Esteban Obando is a Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist with Colombian roots and a Montreal upbringing, who writes, plays, records and produces alone. He tracks everything on a 1990s Tascam Portastudio 424, the same four-track deck Elliott Smith used for Roman Candle, deliberately leaning on its limits to keep his own perfectionism in check. I started recording on a Tascam, but I never managed to get it to sound this amazing. A brilliant single, and I’ll definitely be digging into Esteban’s other work. Beautiful stuff.

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Nellie Feldmann – Turn Down My Shine

“Turn Down My Shine” is a brilliant piece of bedroom-pop folk from Nellie Feldmann, a song that proves a whisper can cut deeper than a shout.

Nellie Feldmann’s new single is a takedown delivered barely above a breath. Close-mic’d vocals and spare acoustic instrumentation sit in a soft, tape-warm glow, and the restraint is the vibe here: instead of raising its voice at the narcissist it addresses, the song lowers it, forcing you to lean in. This could have been a rant, but it turns into something far more unsettling and precise. The chorus here is genuinely brilliant, and it’s a gentle surface with a very sharp edge underneath.

Nellie Feldmann is a Brighton-based singer-songwriter and session musician whose work sits where acoustic indie meets the intimate textures of Generation X-inspired bedroom pop. She wrote “Turn Down My Shine” with Tim Howarth, who also produced and mixed it, chasing a delicate, organic sound that keeps the songwriting front and centre. Guided by an intense musical sensitivity, she moves between introspective melody and raw feeling, landing on something that reads as both nostalgic and unmistakably present-day. It’s a banger this one, make no mistake of it.

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Liz Nash – Livin Like a Local

“Livin Like a Local” is a gorgeous, singalong slice of folk-rock from Liz Nash, warm, witty small-town storytelling with the biggest heart.

Liz Nash’s new single is a sunny, singalong-ready ode to authentic Florida living. Built on a full-band folk-rock sound, it playfully teases out-of-towners while extending a warm, genuine invitation to experience the place like the locals do. And what a vibe it is. There’s real care on show in the instrumentation, a nod to her Paul Simon influences, with Paul Gonzalez on percussion, Oskar Cartaya on bass and John Marsden on electric piano fleshing it out beautifully. It’s the kind of easygoing, good-hearted tune that clearly must work absolutely wonderfully live, apparently the crowds have already rechristened it “Drinkin’ Like a Local.” Sounds good, I’m in.

Liz Nash hails from the quirky little town of Mount Dora, Florida, and is making her way through the music scene one fan at a time. We loved her single “Little Box House”, and this one’s the fourth single from her Florida Songs collection, a set of slice-of-life songs drawn from everyday encounters in her small American town. It was recorded at John’s studio in Orlando with additional tracking in Los Angeles. A lovely, community-minded songwriter, one earlier release even inspired a student-led art project, and this one’s a joy. A charming, warm single that’s a whole lot of fun.

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Michellar – Can’t Get You Out of My Mind

“Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” is a superb, hazy psychedelic-rock trip from Michellar, vintage soundscapes giving voice to an obsession that won’t let go.

Michellar’s new single is an intoxicating slice of psychedelia. Built on swirling, vintage-leaning soundscapes, it gives voice to the kind of uncontrollable, intrusive thoughts that usually stay locked inside. It turnsprivate obsession into something you can actually lose yourself in. It clearly took some work to get right, multiple arrangement edits chasing that perfect psychedelic feel, but the final mix sounds really kind of effortless. A vibe that feels really natural from the very start. Woozy, hypnotic and very, very compelling.

Michellar hails from the vibrant San Francisco music scene, and her story is a genuinely lovely one. She started writing songs at fifteen, then stepped away for a forty-year hiatus, only for the craft to be reignited by a confidence-boosting acceptance into the deYoung Museum Open Call Exhibition in 2023. Since then she’s been unstoppable, releasing an astonishing twenty-two singles in nine months. This track is the first from an upcoming psychedelic album due Spring 2027. Proof it’s never too late, we absolutely love that. Keep going, Michellar, this is great.

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James Crowley – Co-Pilot

“Co-Pilot” is a tension-filled indie-folk banger, delicate questioning colliding with his most ambitious production yet.

James Crowley’s new single captures that giddy, uncertain moment of stepping into new love and not quite knowing what you’re allowed to ask for. It’s great. It pairs delicate, questioning lyricism with his most ambitious music to date, urgent guitar rhythms colliding with subversive but familiar synth textures. Written with Wolf Alice’s Joel Amey, the whole thing thrives on tension, mirroring that push and pull of vulnerability and self-protection. And the chorus? Ooft, that’s great. Urgent, honest and genuinely thrilling.

James Crowley is a London-based songwriter who writes about desire, the relationships that shape us and the messy business of love with a clarity indie folk rarely affords its queer voices. His unfurling vocal harmonies draw on indie and folk traditions while reaching for real pop credibility, sitting comfortably alongside Laura Marling, Big Thief or Bombay Bicycle Club. “Co-Pilot” opens his forthcoming EP Imprint, co-written with Joel Amey and reuniting him with producer Mike Horner after 2024’s BBC Radio 6-championed Play to Win. It’s a banger this one, so we’re fully on board. A distinctive, exciting voice that we’ll be keeping a close eye on.

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THIS WEEK’S INDIE ROCK BOPS

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This week’s indie rock is all grit and conviction. Soulful, bluesy fire on one side, defiant 80s-tinged resilience on the other, these are songs built on real feeling and driving guitars, the kind that hit harder because they mean every word. Turn them up.

Fiona Amaka – Justified

“Justified” is a beauty of a soulful indie-rock single from Fiona Amaka, bluesy vocals and driving guitar carrying a raw story of love and regret.

Fiona Amaka’s new single wears its heart right out in the open. “Justified” digs into love and regret, and it’s the kind of ache that pretty much everyone will recognise. What really makes it land is the intensity, this release deliberately holds onto the emotional atmosphere of her live shows with the Fiona Amaka Band, and you can feel that heat in the recording. Bluesy vocals ride driving rock guitar with a lovely throwback edge, and there’s real conviction in every line. She’s clearly got a great voice, but it’s the restraint and phrasing which makes this one shine. Soulful, honest and genuinely stirring. A cracking single.

Fiona Amaka is a London singer, songwriter and guitarist known for a captivating soulful indie-rock sound that blends bluesy vocals with driving guitar and the odd chill folk-Americana turn. She’s had a prolific run: 2025 singles “No Daylight” and “Cowards and Shadows” tackled betrayal and ghosting head-on, “Honesty (Psalm 139)” added a spiritual thread, and the chirpy “Desert Flower” pulled in plenty of radio play. Her Feb 2026 orchestral-folk “Love that fills my world” drew a whole new audience. Definitely one to watch in 2026.

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Israell – Dice Are Rolling…

“Dice Are Rolling…” is a superb, defiant slice of 80s-tinged alt-rock from Israell, an anthem about beating the odds and staying resilient.

Israell’s new single is a proper shot of defiance. This is the reworked radio remix of “Dice Are Rolling…”, built out with new vocals and additional instrumentation, and it comes charged with real purpose. The song is all about outplaying the game, beating the odds and being your most resilient self as you chase your own ascent, and that message drives every bar. There’s a classic 80s rock backbone under the alt-rock edge, and the whole thing carries a stadium-sized sense of determination. Bold, sincere and built to lift you up. Cracking stuff.

Israell is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Montreal, one of those artists genuinely drawn to bigger themes, human rights and spirituality among them, and determined to convey that vision through his art. He developed a passion for songwriting and acting back in the early nineties, studying theatre and voice, working on a number of films and writing many songs across the years. That theatrical background feeds a real sense of drama and conviction here, and it’s clearly music made with heart and purpose. We’re on board.

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WORKOUT BOP OF THE WEEK

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Radiant, driving and built to turn effort into euphoria: this week’s workout bop is a peak-time house banger made to push you that little bit harder.

Michael Grandel – Eta Carinae

“Eta Carinae” is a superb peak-time house banger from Michael Grandel, all thick driving drums, rave-lift synths and a powerful original vocal built for the floor.

Michael Grandel’s new single is engineered for the exact moment the room goes off. Thick, driving drums and a deep long-tailed kick power it. With the exact type of rave-inspired synths required to send it skyward. Add in a powerful original vocal, and you’ve got a real emotional core to grab onto. Named after a volatile hyper-luminous star system, it’s all about radiance under pressure, turning intensity into pure movement and release. It bridges that 90s house vocal spirit with modern festival-scale production, and honestly it’s exactly the kind of thing I’d want kicking in halfway through a hard session. A proper full-body banger.

Michael Grandel is a Miami-based, NYC-born producer and DJ who blends house, techno and rave-driven club energy with emotional, cinematic songwriting. He comes from a background in software engineering and science, and you can feel that in the work, his artist world draws on movement, physics and the tension between precision and feeling. He produced, mixed and mastered this himself – impressive when the sound world comes across this well – and the vocal topline written specifically for the track. It’s dance music treated as something physical and alive, and it delivers. We’re on board.

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THIS WEEK’S HIP HOP BOPS

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This week’s hip hop shows off the full range of what the genre can do. From joyous, genre-blurring party energy to hard-won, honest storytelling, these are tracks built on rhythm, feeling and something real to say. Turn them up and let them speak.

Johnny Priest – AlgoRitmo

“AlgoRitmo” is a brilliant, genre-hopping party from Johnny Priest, hip-hop beats over cumbia percussion with a bright multilingual vibe at the heart of it.

Johnny Priest’s new single is an absolute riot. And I mean that as the highest praise. It throws hip-hop beats over cumbia percussion, thumping reggae bass under Balkan-style horns, and just about gets away with all of it through sheer joy. The title plays on “algorithm” and “algo ritmo”, a bit of rhythm, and the whole song is about switching off the noise in your head and reconnecting to your body through the beat. And what a beat. Sung in German, English and Spanish, it’s daft, danceable and completely infectious. Party pa ti indeed.

Johnny Priest is a Cologne-based artist who trades the Trinity for trilingualism and a sombrero for a robe, delivering what he cheerfully calls a musical mass. Known for high-energy live shows with his band and the odd tequila miracle, he sings about the sun, fire, food, doing nothing, and the ever-present here and now, all set to wordplay and danceable grooves. He genuinely doesn’t care about genre lines, and that fearlessness is exactly the charm. A joyous, life-affirming bit of fun, more of this please, Johnny.

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Dru Melodics – Skyfall

“Skyfall” is a superb debut from Dru Melodics, reflective UK rap over cinematic production, an honest story of resilience told with real substance.

Dru Melodics’ debut single is the sound of someone writing only what they’ve actually lived. “Skyfall” pairs reflective, clear-eyed lyricism with cinematic UK rap production. And there’s not a manufactured persona anywhere in sight, just honesty. It charts a journey through adversity, recovery and transformation, and rather than wallow it reaches steadily for hope and resilience. That sincerity is what makes it land so hard, you believe every word. It’s the first chapter of his upcoming project No Promises, and as opening statements go, it’s a big one. Powerful stuff.

Dru Melodics is an independent UK songwriter and recording artist from Birmingham, releasing through 1638 Music and creating autobiographical hip-hop rooted firmly in lived experience. Who did promotional work for a community radio station and presented a show at university and lifelong student of music, he channels decades of hard-won perspective into songs about resilience, accountability, identity and hope. He’s not chasing trends or viral moments, he’s building a real body of work that values authenticity and meaningful conversation, and it shows. A distinctive, honest new voice in UK hip-hop, and one we’ll be following closely.

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THIS WEEK’S INDIE POP BOPS

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This week’s indie pop pairs sharp observation with real craft. Bright, hook-led songs that carry more weight than their surfaces let on, thoughtful writing that never forgets to be catchy. Melodies you can hum, ideas you keep turning over afterwards.

Hanna Andréa – Get Off Your Phone

“Get Off Your Phone” is a brilliant, sharp-tongued pop anthem from Hanna Andréa, a nostalgic rush with an important message to us all.

Hanna Andréa’s latest stunner is a song that scolds you and makes you want to dance while it does. Driven by restless, muted guitar and a carefree, Americana-tinged energy, it leans hard into a late-90s and early-2000s pop-rock nostalgia, all bright hooks and coming-of-age lift. It’s loads of fun, and produced brilliantly. The wry, spoken-word refrain lands the point with a grin rather than a lecture. It opens wistful, picturing a shooting star and the places two people used to go, then sharpens into something more distracted. But it all ends up infectious and cinematic, a brilliant singalong that never once feels preachy.

Hanna Andréa is a Norwegian-American artist and a citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, raised partly north of the Arctic Circle and now a student at Princeton. “Get Off Your Phone” was co-written with Michael Biancaniello and others as the lead single from her EP Braveheart. Beyond music, she composed Muse! The Shakespeare Mayhem Musical, which premiered at Lincoln Center and is a featured production at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. That’s an impressive CV, but the real highlight is this single, it’s fantastic. Can’t wait to see what she does next.

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Ana April – Revolution

“Revolution” is a gorgeous, richly textured indie track from Ana April, the rare experimental track that’s both warm and catchy.

Ana April’s lastest single is pop that rewards a close listen. It’s wonderfully delicate, recorded beautifully and has a lovely warm, experimental arrangement. Rich atmospheric textures shift as the song moves, with the track slowly growing into a folk-facing beauty. Beneath the surface is a quiet argument that real change begins within ourselves. Ana’s vocal is the clear standout; compelling, soulful and so immersive. It calls to mind Emilíana Torrini at times, but Ana’s definitely in her own lane though. It’s genuinely brilliant.

Ana April is a Zurich-based artist whose work leans into symbolism, moving between traditional song structure and a more progressive, conceptual approach. In recent years she has developed a parallel focus on stage and exhibition design, and that grounding in dramaturgy now feeds directly into her music, shaping how she balances careful conceptual planning against intuitive, in-the-moment creation. The result is narrative, personal songwriting that’s crafted beautifully. Stunning music, check it out below.

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GISKE – August Came

“August Came” is a stunning slice of jangly guitar pop from GISKE, all Rickenbacker chime and close harmonies with a sunlit, fading-summer ache.

This one just glows. GISKE’s new single is jangly, melodic guitar pop built on Rickenbacker 12-string chime and close harmonies. If like me you love The Byrds, The Smiths or Teenage Fanclub you’ll be grinning from the first bar. Underneath the brightness sits a subtle melancholy, that specific feeling of summer starting to fade, and the balance between the two is lovely. There’s a warmth and a craft here that only comes from people who’ve been writing together in a room. And probably for a very long time. It’s the kind of song that sounds like sunshine and a little bit of heartache all at once. Just lovely.

GISKE is the project of cousins Rune Berg and Alex Rinde, who first started writing together back in 1991 on the tiny Norwegian island of Giske that gives the band its name. They’re best known for their band The Margarets, who scored a gold record and four Top 10 hits in Norway in the 2000s, and are joined here by longtime neighbour Ronnie MAG Larsen. “August Came” is the third single from their album Ten Visits, Ten Songs, due October 2026. More than three decades in and still writing gems like this, wonderful stuff.

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Blake Baker – We Night Owls

“We Night Owls” is an lush piece of introspective indie soft-rock from Blake Baker, a heartfelt ode to everyone who chases their passion after dark.

Blake Baker’s new single is a love letter to the after-hours creative. “We Night Owls” digs into that delicate trade-off between chasing your art in the evening and holding down the day-to-day demands of the working world. Anyone who’s ever burned the candle at both ends will feel it in their bones. Honestly, I feel seen, and love this concept. Recorded with singer-songwriter Billy Lockett at his Northampton studio, it’s rich with instrumental texture and true-to-life storytelling, the sound of an honest artist, sharing most honest. And the chorus is great, it really does resonate.

Blake Baker is a UK singer-songwriter carving out his own space in the indie soft-rock and acoustic landscape with lyrically driven, introspective songs. He strikes a rare balance between heartfelt storytelling and ambitious sonic textures, landing somewhere in the orbit of Paolo Nutini, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender and Bastille. His CV already turns heads, a standout performance at a sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and multiple BBC Introducing plays among the highlights. With 2026 shaping up to be a defining year for him, we’d say keep a close eye on this one.

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THIS WEEK’S DEEP HOUSE BOPS

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This week’s deep house is all late-sun warmth and slow-building release. Rolling grooves, hooks that surface just when you need them, and production that keeps its cool even at full tilt. Music for the golden hour and the long stretch after it.

Zmbya – Wendapi

“Wendapi” is a brilliant, high-energy fusion from Zmbya, the founding statement of a sound genuinely trying to invent its own genre.

This one moves at a relentless 128 BPM. African percussion and Afrobeats sensibility lock into electronic production and cross-cultural vocals, and the fusion is seamless enough that it really does feel like its own thing rather than a mashup. It is euphoric and forward-moving, the rhythms muscular and the energy festival-sized, with South Asian vocal touches widening the palette further. There is intent behind every element here, a track built not just to fill a floor but to stake a claim, and it carries that ambition lightly while still hitting hard.

Zmbya is a Zambian-raised producer based in Atlanta who is explicitly setting out to establish African EDM as a recognised global genre, with “Wendapi” the first in a planned multi-track series. He is no newcomer: his catalogue includes official remixes for Jay Sean and Raveena Mehta on Break The Noise Records. He draws a direct line to how Afro House and Amapiano went from niche to global, and positions this sound as the next step, rooted in heritage and built for the world’s dance floors.

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Mae Collective Music – In Your Eyes

“In Your Eyes” is an excellent debut from Mae Collective Music, a melodic house track with a chorus you’ll be chasing all summer.

This is melodic house with its heart on its sleeve. The best kind of uplifting production building toward a big, banging, memorable chorus, and the whole track rides that feel-good summer energy that the best house always nails. It is built around a single clear feeling, the unspoken chemistry of knowing there is a connection before a word is said. We’ve been there and it really is quite the feeling isn’t it. The result genuinely soars, all polished and immediate, it is the kind of debut that sounds ready-made for a long, warm evening with the speakers outside.

Mae Collective Music is a new project built around a simple guiding idea: making music designed to capture a feeling rather than just a sound, centred on emotion, connection and moments that need no words. “In Your Eyes” is their debut single, a melodic house cut engineered with one eye on lifestyle and summer playlists. It is an assured opening move from a project that clearly knows the emotional register it wants to work in and commits to it fully. A great summer single, and we can’t wait for more.

Ron Morven – Meet Me at Shu Ibiza

“Meet Me at Shu Ibiza” is a gorgeous, sun-drenched deep-house cut from Ron Morven, all elegant beach-club energy and a hook that stays past sunset.

Close your eyes and you’re already there. Ron Morven’s new single is a polished Mediterranean deep-house track inspired by SHU Ibiza and the glow of late-night summer club culture, and it absolutely nails the vibe. A warm groove and elegant beach-club energy carry it, but the hook lands immediately without ever sacrificing the atmosphere, which is a tricky balance to strike. It’s sleek, cinematic and made for a sunset set, the kind of thing that conjures a whole evening from the very first bar. Must admit to very much wanting to hear this one poolside right now. Proper escapism.

Ron Morven is a songwriter, DJ and producer crafting emotional electronic music shaped by atmosphere, movement and melody, blending alternative pop, EDM and folktronica into immersive worlds. Storytelling sits right at the heart of it, a legacy of his background in writing, and every track unfolds beautifully. The name is a pseudonym, and having lived between Italy and the United States, he draws on a wide sweep of cultural influences. He arrives as a 2026 InterContinental Music Awards finalist, and on this evidence that momentum is well earned. A lovely, lovely single.

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DJ Druskin – Sun

“Sun” is a superb shot of tropical deep-house from DJ Druskin, warm, breezy and built to soundtrack the best kind of summer evening.

DJ Druskin’s new single is a step back into tropical vibes for summer, and it’s a lovely, easy-going thing. It sits right where electronic precision meets organic warmth, sun-drenched tropical house textures riding driving rhythms and polished, panoramic sound design. There’s a real breezy confidence to it, the sound of a producer completely at home in this register, and it glides along without ever losing its groove. Warm, atmospheric and effortlessly good-natured, it’s exactly the kind of track you want on as the sun dips and the evening opens up. Proper feel-good stuff.

DJ Druskin is a UK producer and DJ whose identity thrives on contrast, forged in the club scene from Harlow in Essex to the legendary dancefloors of Liverpool’s Mathew Street. His range is genuinely wide, sun-drenched tropical house, atmospheric deep house and euphoric vocal trance on one side, stripped-back indie folk on the other. Whether he’s engineering a mainstage anthem or an intimate acoustic arrangement, the mission stays the same: original soundscapes that resonate on a human level. On this evidence he nails it. More of this please, Druskin.

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THIS WEEK’S POP BOPS

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This week’s pop is proof that a proper tune never goes out of fashion. Whether it’s road-trip soul, a timeless devotion or diary-page confessions, these are songs written with heart and craft, the kind that stick around long after summer fades.

Alex Maes – Continental

Alex Maes’ “Continental” is a gorgeous, sun-soaked slice of soulful indie pop, a summer road-trip stunner about falling in love one highway at a time.

Windows down, volume up, this one’s made for the open road. Alex pairs a soulful, bluesy voice with bright, bubbly pop production, and there’s a proper groove humming away underneath it all. It’s a genuine mood-booster, and I dare you to keep still through that chorus. The whole thing tells the story of driving the country and falling for someone along the way, and it’s just a vibe. If Maggie Rogers or Leon Bridges are your thing, get this in the queue immediately. It’s a winner.

Alex Maes is a musician and producer redefining soulful rock, and her story starts high up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where she cut her teeth on voice, piano and songwriting playing shows across the state. These days she’s based in Los Angeles, performing around the city and writing and producing in her own studio, blending classic soul and rock with a modern edge. Her debut album Maps is on the way and promises to be a bold, genre-blending statement. On this evidence, we’re very much here for it. A fantastic single.

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Chapalu – Come What May

Chapalu deliver a beautiful, elegantly crafted love song, an American Songbook ballad with a Bossa-nova warmth and devotion running right through it.

Here’s a love song that feels lovingly out of step with the times, in the best possible way. Chapalu takes direct inspiration from the American Songbook, “Fly Me To The Moon” among them, and tells a story of total surrender and faithfulness that’s refreshingly unfashionable. A subtle Bossa-nova lilt keeps it warm rather than stuffy, and listen out for those chordal dissonances that resolve so satisfyingly, plus a couple of lovely key changes that keep you on your toes. It’s elegant, romantic and properly well made. The kind of song built to outlast the trends. Beautifully done.

Chapalu is a Drogheda-based songwriter back in the saddle after a twelve-year hiatus, returning with real vigour and a clear vision. Rather than chase the spotlight, Chapalu is all about the craft of the song itself, working with the international players of the Musiversal roster across home studios in Ireland, Spain, Brazil and the USA before final production in the UK. That global spread brings a genuine authenticity, and you can hear it in the Brazilian musicians’ touches especially. Lovely to hear someone this devoted to the tune, and we hope there’s more on the way. It’s great.

For You Brother – My Radio

“My Radio” is a huge, nostalgic anthem from For You Brother, a wonderfully warm slice of classic rock storytelling that reaches for the spirit.

For You Brother’s new single is a love letter to a simpler time, when music felt personal and profound. “My Radio” leans into classic rock and soul, with a touch of gospel storytelling. And rather than chase a polished modern sheen it goes the other way entirely. It was cut at Jon Dash’s Dizzle Land USA studio with the deliberate aim of capturing feeling over perfection, live elements and natural imperfections left intact, as if the studio were an old radio room letting the song breathe. And honestly, you can hear that heart. It’s great.

For You Brother is the project of songwriter John Davis, based in Aiken, South Carolina, and a member of the Grammys, the CMA and the Nashville Songwriters Association. “My Radio”, co-written with Azoghn, is drawn from the wider album Make It Rain On Them, a six-year journey of songwriting and faith exploring hope, redemption and perseverance. It’s music made with real conviction and a clear sense of purpose, and that heart shines through. A warm, uplifting single that we’d love to hear more of. It’s loads of fun.

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THIS WEEK’S R&B BOPS

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This week’s R&B is all warmth and groove. Tender vocals, real chemistry and funk-soaked rhythms carry songs that lift you as much as they move you. Sincere, soulful and built to leave you feeling good long after the last note. Turn them up.

Lil’ Mike – Yah

“Yah” is a gorgeous R&B duet from Lil’ Mike, a wonderfully tender collaboration with Evička born from genuine, spur-of-the-moment chemistry.

Lil’ Mike’s single is a lovely change of pace. This is one of his rare calm tracks, and it really shows his range. It’s a warm, romantic duet, and the chemistry between the two voices is the whole thing here. There’s a lovely backstory too: the track sat as an unfinished 2023 demo until Evička heard it and sent back her own part that very same evening. Music is often great when you don’t mess around, and you just get stuck in. It’s her streaming debut, and what a way to start. Soft, sincere and genuinely heartfelt, this one glows hard.

Lil’ Mike is a France-based rapper and dancer, and “Yah” shows a completely different side to him from the harder material he’s known for. Recorded at Big Lab Music studio, the duet is a testament to organic creative chemistry and the power of a collaboration that just clicks, both artists discovering how seamlessly their voices intertwine. It’s clearly a significant one for both of them, and you can feel why. Lovely stuff, and more in this vibe please. A great single.

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Auswan – Something To Live For

“Something To Live For” is a superb, funk-soaked slice of retro soul from Auswan, all slap bass and bright synths built for your next summer bop

Auswan’s new single is a proper groove machine. Broody and funky in equal measure, it stacks his lead vocal and harmonies on top of punchy slap bass, bright synths and a driving drum groove, and the whole thing just vibes along wonderfully. It really does have it all, a tasty chorus, brilliant vocals and the breakdown? Fantastic. The whole thing builds somewhere beautiful, and the performances do justice to the song. It’s colourful, it’s confident, and it leaves your head bopping long after it ends. Cracking stuff.

Auswan is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and producer raised in New Jersey, who studied jazz performance at Northwestern University on saxophone before moving to Los Angeles. There he’s performed professionally as a saxophonist, vocalist, flautist and bassist, and after diving into the LA funk and R&B scenes he began writing his own music, blending his jazz background with modern R&B and soul. Citing Prince, Cameo and Jamiroquai, he makes funky, danceable, thought-provoking music, and this one absolutely delivers on that promise. Get stuck in below, you will not regret it. A great single.

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THIS WEEK’S POP ROCK BOPS

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This week’s pop rock is all about craft over bombast. Warm harmonies, clever arrangements and a real love of a proper tune run through both tracks, songs that reward a close listen and prove there’s still magic in getting the small details exactly right.

Ho Jo Fro – When Did You Knock?

Ho Jo Fro’s “When Did You Knock?” is a lovely piece of chamber folk-pop: no bass, no drums, just cello, rhythmic knocks and two voices making that absence feel wonderfully full.

“When Did You Knock?” deliberately strips out both bass guitar and drums, replacing the low end with the clear talents of cellist Brianna Tam, whose soundtrack credits give her playing a particular cinematic gravity. The rhythmic pulse comes instead from literal knocking sounds created by vocalist Paul Derringer and guitarist/engineer Tim Ryan, an audible metaphor built directly into the arrangement. Backing vocals from Kleidi Buroz of Caracas add a third voice that underlines the emotional exposure in the lyric: “Watch me dive into your pit of despair. And when I do, will I find you?” The result is a wonderful, quirky piece that really captures a mood wonderfully.

Ho Jo Fro is the recording alter ego of Paul Derringer, formerly Paul R Johnson, based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Derringer is one of four co-hosts of Derringer Discoveries, a global music podcast now in its sixth year, which has shaped his ear for what makes a song worth attention. His collaborators here are spread across California and Venezuela, assembled remotely around a track that required exactly the right hands for each part. We really love this, and I hope there’s more up Ho Jo Fro’s sleeve. A great single.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6tUibFsyRg01ERdcaZd8dz

Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends – Happy People Won’t Hear

“Happy People Won’t Hear” is a gorgeous slice of Beatles-esque power pop joy from Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends

This is a new version of a 2024 single. With parts of the vocals re-recorded and the whole thing remixed and remastered, we’re unsure how it compares to the original. But it’s definitely great. Legendary David Myhr of the Merrymakers co-produces, and he’s responsible for the wonderful Beach Boys-style backing vocals and a quirky little piano part in the coda that I absolutely love. It’s melodic Britpop-tinged power pop done properly, all warm harmonies and craft, with some very tasty drums (played by Andreas Quincy Dahlbäck). A warm-hearted, beautifully produced gem.

Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends is the solo project of Alien Friend, who in another life played guitar and sang in the Swedish band Redmoon. Despite being permanently confused about the band name, we’ve been following along for a while. And honestly? It’s been a joy. Working out of Stockholm, he trades in the kind of melodic, harmony-rich pop rock that owes a clear debt to the Beatles and the Beach Boys. But there’s more that enough here to show how they’re in their own lane too. A great single.

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LO-FI BOP OF THE WEEK

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Cinematic, hushed and quietly hopeful: this week’s lo-fi bop of the week is one of the most affecting debuts to drift into the postbag, a new voice finding its feet across borders and languages.

Amarah – Invisible Light

Amarah’s “Invisible Light” is a gorgeous piece of cinematic atmospheric pop: her first international English-language single, built on intimate vocals and a genuinely human message about finding hope in uncertain times.

“Invisible Light” drifts in on cinematic atmosphere and the softest of vocals. Atmospheric electronic production wraps around an intimate, emotionally direct performance, and rather than chase a trend the song builds its whole identity out of mood and storytelling. It’s great. And carries this genuinely human message about finding hope and direction when things feel uncertain, and honestly, we could all use a bit of that right now. It never once raises its voice, and that restraint is exactly what makes it land. A beautiful thing.

Amarah is a dark pop and atmospheric electronic project from Venice, exploring the space between light and shadow with cinematic production, haunting melodies and intimate vocals. This is a real milestone for her: after releasing music in Italian, “Invisible Light” is her first international English-language single, the opening step of an ambitious new chapter designed to reach listeners beyond borders. It’s a confident, considered debut in a new language, and it’s this emotional honesty that makes it stick. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Amarah, cos this one’s great.

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