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THIS WEEK’S POP BOPS

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This week’s pop hides sharp minds behind bright surfaces. Warm, melodic and easy on the ear, but with real wit and feeling working away underneath. These are songs that go down smooth and then quietly give you something to think about.

Ferdinand Rennie – You Wrote Hallelujah

“You Wrote Hallelujah” is a brilliant, thoughtful pop song from Ferdinand Rennie, a rare single that brilliantly captures songwriting itself as its subject.

This is a song about songs. Rather than another love lyric, “You Wrote Hallelujah” turns its attention to where writers draw their material, weaving together the stories behind two famous works and the guilt and faith tangled up in them. Built on a strong vocal and an arrangement that gives the words room to breathe, it ends up in a wonderful, emotional track. It turns out as reflective without ever turning dry, and if you like a great track with a big vocal, this is definitely your track.

Ferdinand Rennie is an Austrian-born singer based on the west coast of Scotland, with a career spanning three decades. He has appeared on Austrian and German television, taken leading roles in musicals including Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar, sung in Monte Carlo before Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, and performed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2022. An impressive musical CV, but it’s this single which is the genuine standout. Check it out below, you won’t regret it.

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Stefan B. Pieksma – Rationalize This

Stefan B. Pieksma serves up a gorgeous piece of 60s-scented psychedelic pop with a wickedly sharp mind underneath.

This is a song that grins while it skewers you. A warm analogue soundscape does the heavy lifting, harpsichord, a bouncy bassline, lush vocal harmonies and spinning tape loops all conjuring the golden age of psychedelic pop. The melody is very infectious, but the lyrics turn a cold eye on human self-deception. Those mental gymnastics people perform to justify questionable decisions, from petty workplace delusions to outright moral cop-outs. I love the concept, and the contrast between the message and the sweet sound really works.

Stefan B. Pieksma records from the subarctic town of Boden in northern Sweden under the genre-defying art project Pieces of Pix. His background is anything but typical: a Swedish Armed Forces officer and former Balkan peacekeeper in the early 1990s, he channels decades of observing global conflict and human nature into biting satirical songwriting. Not your typical route into making bangers, but whatever works, and they feel sharpened by that worldly perspective. A compelling single.

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Sef Fah – Escondida Do Sol

“Escondida Do Sol” is a stunning Portuguese-language reverie from Sef Fah, a warm, unhurried tribute to seventies Brazilian song at its most tender.

Sef Fah’s new single is a song built for slow evenings. Sung in Portuguese, it draws directly on the spirit of seventies Brazilian music. I love the warm, gentle vibes, and it’s very easy to groove along to. But there’s a bittersweet idea at its heart, that love is the sun, and with it the loss and darkness that follow when the light goes. It’s a lovely concept, and the mood honours it beautifully without ever turning heavy. Lounge-soft and quietly romantic, it feels like a track made to drift out of an open window at dusk.

Sef Fah is a London-based songwriter whose whole project is a stand against the homogenisation of music, writing across multiple languages and drawing on cultures spanning Europe, Asia and the Arabic world. Its great to hear that ambition in the music, and interesting that “Escondida Do Sol” began life as a French composition before becoming this Portuguese release. A songwriter who dreams openly of one day working with Seu Jorge, Sef Fah treats linguistic diversity as central to the work rather than a novelty. It’s a fantastic, smooth single and you should definitely check it out below.

Kelesha Martin – Fly My Way

Kelesha Martin’s new single “Fly My Way” is lovely dose of cinematic orchestral pop that soars sky high

This is pop with a composer’s hand behind it. Melodic violin, background vocals and a flute kept delicately below the lead build slowly toward a powerful outro. There’s skill in the arrangement here, and I love the kind of timeless pop quality to this which almost has a soundtrack-ready quality. The standout is definitely Martin’s vocal; gently floating upon the musical foundation, and swelling with a patient, uplifting momentum that earns its emotional payoff by the time it lifts off.

Kelesha Martin is a musician and songwriter from Galt, California, with a Minor in Music and years of experience as a classroom teacher, music educator and choir director. She grew up in Oakland studying flute under renowned flutist Elena Duran, and “Fly My Way” began twenty years ago as a song called Butterfly. It was recorded at Studio 132 in Oakland with arranger Peter Xiong, violinist Darcy Lynn Ford and producer B.Z. Lewis, closing a two-decade creative loop back in the city where she first learned her instrument. An impressive story, but the best thing here is the song itself, it’s genuinely beautiful and we’re excited to hear more this year.

Deptford Sound Collective – Broke

Broke” is a brilliant modern protest song from Deptford Sound Collective, channelling 1960s solidarity into an urgent, big-hearted anthem for the overworked.

This is pop with a picket sign in its hand. The track speaks directly to the millions working two or three jobs and still struggling to get by. I know the feeling lads, and this one skillfully turns that plight into a rallying cry rather than a lament. Musically it reaches for the spirit of 60s protest songs, a bold statement of love over hate that really lands. There’s a whole bounce to the whole thing though, keeping things anthemic and communal so the message lands as hope rather than despair. An important message, and musically it really lands.

Deptford Sound Collective are a London group made up of diverse musicians, artists and community activists from Deptford in South East London. The string of singles we’ve heard from them this year has been impressive, and only seems to be gathering momentum. It’s music rooted in solidarity, championing those facing challenges to their civil liberties and building songs designed to gather the crowd. We need more music in this ilk these days. Let’s hope Deptford Sound Collective keep this run of form going into the second half of the year, because this one’s great.

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Gamal turns expectation on its head with “A Ring For Kiki”

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Gamal has already built a name as a wildly versatile producer, with over 25 million streams and a sound that moves freely through R&B, pop, hip-hop, rap, indie and alternative spaces. Now stepping out with his debut single “A Ring For Kiki”, he brings that same curiosity into something more personal and direct. With years of creative work already behind him and support from names like Billboard and Complex, Gamal is shaping a lane of his own, one built on vulnerability, connection and a refusal to be boxed in.

We were super pleased when we got to send a few questions his way…

“A Ring For Kiki” feels wonderfully stripped back and intimate. What made you decide that this story should focus on the guitar?

The reason, like many artistic decisions is subconscious and unconscious at all once. Growing up every guitar hero of mine had an instrumental song, “the song” that was secretly a fan favorite, “Dee” by Randy Rhodes, “Eruption” by Eddie Van Halen, “Lenny” by Stevie Ray Vaughn and the list goes on. I’ve always wanted that – a song that leaves a trace of voice on the instrument in ways words can’t. 


Last year I got engaged and something in me changed, knowing I have my person for life, it gave me the confidence to put out myself as myself for once.

The only question was – what? 

“A Ring for Kiki” started as a riff I would play late at night, something I would always come back to – it calmed me down, it sounded like what our first date felt like. I showed the song to my best friend Alex in passing. He heard it and instantly said “This should be your first song”. At first it sounded strange – and then it made perfect sense, a return to form, not image to uphold, no vocals to perfect, just me and my guitar – how it all started. My fiancé always wanted me to write a song for her – well I’ll do her one better haha.

You’ve built a reputation as a producer working across so many genres. Was it refreshing to step away from big production and let simplicity do the talking?

Yes, very much. I’m always in search for the “feeling”.

When you can close your eyes and your thoughts get replaced with sounds. It was refreshing have one singular track in the logic session and making that fill the room.

Your music often explores relationships and personal growth. Is this song drawn from a real moment, or did the idea come from somewhere else?

Many real moments and some I imagine. Growth comes in waves, I try to document all of the waves in sound.

Playing the guitar has always been a safe place for me and I trust it in a very primitive way.

That riff always brought me back to a beautiful place – so I hope it can do the same from someone else. That’s all I can ask for .

People know you for your versatility, but this track shows a much quieter side. Do you think this is the direction fans can expect more of, or are you going with the flow?

At this point I’ve accepted the fact that part of my versatility is my indecision on genre’s I like and if I have anything to say in them. In a world where AI and loops allow a producer to be anything – it’s more important than ever to have conviction in your decisions – it’s arguably the only thing a computer can’t do for us.

This song was a decision, in music, perception and love.

At a young age, you’ve already achieved so much as a producer and artist. When you look ahead, what kind of musician do you hope people see you as in five years’ time?

That is debatable but thank you haha. I hope people see me / or my music as a quiet room in a loud party.

The room where you take a second to gather yourself, get away from the noise and think / feel … or not think / feel. 



I hope young musicians and producers get inspired to pick up an instrument and learn to express themselves with it. There is an entire world of expression in your hands if you do. I hope this song can be “the song” for me.

Well, we’re really excited to follow Gamal’s progress.

Check him out on Instagram below.

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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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THIS WEEK’S INDIE POP BOPS

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This week’s indie pop is all bright surfaces with something going on underneath. Big hooks carry songs about sudden romance, quiet domestic devotion, harder truths dressed up to dance, and a straight shot of disco joy. Pop that knows happiness is a craft.

De Fans – Nights Machine

“Nights Machine” is a gorgeous disco-pop rush from De Fans, a feel-good dancefloor filler ready for your next Friday night, with all the retro magic intact.

De Fans latest banger is built for movement. Infectious rhythms and bright melodic hooks drive a track that pulls classic dancefloor energy into crisp modern production, the kind of song that warms up a room within seconds. Strong female vocals ride the groove while a nostalgic glow hangs over everything, all glitterball shimmer and forward momentum. It never overthinks its mission, which is simply to make you move, and that easy confidence is exactly why it works. Pure uplift, designed to send a little retro joy, and we’re 100% here for it.

De Fans is a Germany-based disco-pop project created and produced by däh De, working out of Bonn. The project lives at the meeting point of classic disco, synth-pop and feel-good dance music, building each release around catchy melodies and uplifting dancefloor vibes. “Nights Machine” has already drawn warm responses from international curators, and it fits a clear creative mission: keeping the spirit of timeless disco alive while dressing it in a contemporary sheen. It’s on our party playlist, and we hope there’s more disco bangers like this coming soon. A great single.

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Seb Turner-Moore – Spin, Stop, GO!

“Spin, Stop, GO!” is a gorgeous shot of summer indie-pop from Seb Turner-Moore, bright and alive enough to lift every playlist it lands on.

Seb Turner-Moore’s latest banger is the sound of a song trying to make you grin. It is bright, energetic and warm, the kind of melodic indie-pop that captures the giddy rush of a sudden spark between two people. The hooks land fast and the production keeps everything bouncy, never letting the energy dip below a sprint. Musically, this is crisply produced indie pop that’s got a lovely open-hearted and joyful vibe that’s very, very difficult to resist.

Seb Turner-Moore is an indie-pop songwriter originally from the south east of England who has since lived in London and now Switzerland, folding each move into his writing. Across a decade of producing and writing he has picked up multiple BBC Introducing plays, and we’re not surprised at all. This single opens a new chapter centred on romance and attraction, and we’re definitely along for the ride. A brilliant pop moment this June.

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The domi – Tiny Light

The domi serve up brilliant, warm-hearted indie-pop in ‘Tiny Light’, the kind of uplifting but compelling indie that you need this year

The dom’s latest single genuinely glows. Warm guitars and a memorable melody carry a clear message of resilience and hope, and the song sits in that lovely space between indie pop, dream pop and melodic pop rock without ever feeling caught between them. There is a lift to the whole arrangement, a sense of something brightening as it goes, that makes the hopeful sentiment land as earned rather than easy. There’s a great groove here, and I love the vocals, the sort of track built to soundtrack the moment things finally start looking up.

The domi is the project of independent French artist, songwriter and producer Dominique Lemaire, based just outside Paris in Arcueil. He writes, plays and produces everything himself, drawing on Metronomy, Phoenix and Tame Impala for that blend of guitar warmth and melodic precision. He keeps his instrumentals available for sync, which fits the cinematic, mood-led quality of his writing. “Tiny Light” fits into our world beautifully, and it’s a great single. More of this please, Dominique.

Remik Erikson – Nacho

“Nacho” is a gorgeous, genuinely charming oddball of a love song from Remik Erikson, proof that devotion can sound this warm and this fun.

Remik Erikson’s new single is a love song with an unlikely muse. Built from the small domestic moment of watching his wife make nachos, the track turns ordinary devotion into something warm, playful and surprisingly tender. Erikson keeps the production light, by his own account careful not to overspice it, and that restraint lets the affection do the talking. It is the rare song that finds real feeling in the mundane, taking a kitchen scene most people would overlook and making it sound romantic.

Remik Erikson is a Windsor-based artist who started writing music for his own wedding song, and that origin runs right through his work: he builds songs from genuine lived moments rather than abstractions. Working from his basement studio, he favours a raw, honest approach over polish, finding melody in everyday life and the people in it. “Nacho” is a perfect distillation of that, an artist turning the most domestic of evenings into a song with real heart. It’s bags of fun, so check it out below.

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THIS WEEK’S R&B BOPS

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This week’s R&B is soul music with a purpose. Songs about healing after heartbreak, rising through grief, telling the hard truth and burning away an old self: warm vocals and smooth production carrying real emotional weight, the kind that stays with you.

Kay Soul – Anybody Out There

“Anybody Out There” is a gorgeous piece of neo-soul from Kay Soul, an stunningly intimate opener that turns hard-won vulnerability into something powerful and strong

Kay Soul’s latest banger is soul that leads with the heart. Warm, vintage-leaning R&B production frames a vocal that sits close and unguarded, and the whole track carries the softer, more feminine tone Kay Soul has described as the woman in me. We love it. Especially cos it’s soul that moves without hurrying, serving up the vibe rather than searching for a big showpiece moment, If you’re looking for that real gospel warmth, then look no further. It’s the beautiful sound of an artist telling the truth gently and meaning every word.

Kay Soul is an Atlanta-based singer-songwriter raised on the southside of Chicago by her grandparents, who blends vintage R&B, gospel and hip-hop, citing Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and Lauryn Hill. A member of the Recording Academy who mentors younger creators, she has a wall of honours behind her, including a 2025 R&B Song of the Year win for “Corinthians Love.” Impressive stuff, but it’s this song that’s the standout moment. Enjoy it below.

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Maukele Soul – Still We Rise

“Still We Rise” is a stunning, uplifting soul anthem from Maukele Soul, a song of hope that we can’t get enough of

This is a song built to lift you up. Expressive vocals and warm instrumentation ride a dynamic arrangement that builds in intensity, so the uplift feels earned rather than declared, growing as the track goes. It balances that rising energy against a reflective, almost prayerful atmosphere, holding space for grief and setback before it reaches for renewal. It’s got the warmest heart, and I love how it’s written for people navigating loss, uncertainty and hard transitions. The message of hope is well-needed these days, and Maukele Soul land that message beautifully.

Maukele Soul is a healing music collective from Honolulu, serving as the music outreach arm of Aloha Center, a nonprofit dedicated to healing and community building. Bringing together songwriters, vocalists and producers around a shared mission, they draw on Maverick City Music, Mali Music, Lauren Daigle and Kirk Franklin to blend gospel, inspirational R&B and contemporary soul. “Still We Rise” is the title track and lead single from their debut EP, and we’ll definitely be checking it out, because this one’s a great – and important – single. Check it our below.

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Keesha Blair – Truth Always Shows Its Face

“Truth Always Shows Its Face” is a superb slice of intimate neo-soul from Keesha Blair, a smooth, reflective song about the freedom in honesty.

Keesha Blair’s new single works in close-up. Smooth, reflective production keeps everything intimate, the arrangement hushed enough that every word registers, and the mood stays contemplative from start to finish. It circles around a single idea, the moment honesty stops being painful and becomes a kind of release. I love that idea, and the song’s put together to do the feeling justice. Calm, searching and quietly resolved, it’s a compelling single.

Keesha Blair is a Woodbridge-based songwriter, music creator and custom music director working under the banner Divine Purpose Music, where her focus lands on healing, boundaries, truth and emotional restoration. Her role centres on songwriting, concept and creative direction, building message-led songs for listeners moving through deep inner work and back toward their own voice and peace. “Truth Always Shows Its Face” is a clear distillation of that mission, and we’d expect it to do very well. A great tune.

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Prience Moore – I Should’ve Let You Go

“I Should’ve Let You Go” is a brilliant, aching retro-soul ballad from Prience Moore, a heartbreak song that puts the feeling before everything else.

Prience Moore’s latest single is is a ballad that refuses to let production get in the way of pain. Built around a restrained retro-soul feel with an 80s warmth, it keeps everything in service of the vocal and the hurt behind it, never letting the arrangement overpower the message. Its lo-fi production really works, and the strings and piano interlude-bridge opens things up in an emotional way. Delivered with raw conviction, it captures the specific ache of knowing too late that you should have walked away, and it lands very, very hard.

Prience Moore is a Seattle-based artist working in alternative indie R&B and retro soul, drawing on Babyface and George Michael for his blend of soulful melody and story-driven writing. “I Should’ve Let You Go” came out of a deeply personal situation and was recorded at Unlimitedtalents Studio with Micheal Miller, who crafted that favourite piano bridge live in the session. Moore describes the track as the essential cornerstone of his musical identity, and family reactions to its raw delivery have confirmed how directly the pain reads. A great single.

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THIS WEEK’S INDIE ROCK BOPS

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This week’s indie rock runs on tension and release. These are songs that brood and then erupt, full of friction and restless energy, trading easy comfort for something sharper. Loud or quiet, every one of them is chasing the moment things finally break open.

The Lunar Keys – Everything

The Lunar Key’s serve up a brilliant, big-swinging alt-rock anthem, with a stadium-sized chorus and an uneasy heart beating under it.

The Lunar Keys’ lates single sounds like a high and warns you about the comedown in the same breath. It’s great. All Surging guitars and a chorus built for a festival field give it obvious muscle, but the writing pulls the other way, picking at the modern compulsion to chase everything at once until it tips into burnout. The band let the euphoria and the anxiety run side by side rather than resolving them, so the track keeps its edge even at full volume. Anthemic on the surface, slightly rattled underneath, and all the sharper for it.

The Lunar Keys are a Guildford four-piece who attach a charitable pledge to everything they release, from planting hundreds of trees in return for airplay to donations for Shelter and Mind. This single is their second outing with Grammy-winning producer Brendan Dekora, whose credits take in Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters and Muse. Their run so far speaks for itself: more than 600,000 streams, support from over 400 radio stations, and five different songs picked as BBC Introducing Track of the Day. Impressive numbers, but it’s the banger itself which is the highlight. An essential rock indie track this month.

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Oscillatina – Humble-Link!

“Humble-Link!” is a gorgeous bit of genre-hopping art rock from Oscillatina, proof that a wonderful vision can hold a mix of styles together beautifully

This is indie rock with a restless imagination. Built on a pop sensibility but happy to wander, the track threads garage, post-punk, new wave and surf textures through its runtime without ever feeling like a patchwork. There is a whole lot of lo-fi warmth to it, a homemade charge that keeps the talking heads or devo-esque cleverness grounded, and the songwriting stays catchy even as it twists. It’s beautifully recorded, and i’m left wondering what a humble-link is, but that mystique only adds to the appeal.

Oscillatina is the project of Mexican-American artist Bradley Wilkinson, formed in Seattle in 2024 and now based in South Texas. He fully self-funded the album, hand-painted its cover on a four-foot canvas, and brought in Grammy-nominated producer Garrett Reynolds, an engineer for Sleater-Kinney and longtime assistant to Phil Ek. The record features players from Monsterwatch and Country Lips, and KEXP has spun “Humble-Link!” on its local show Audioasis. Impressive stuff, but it’s this banger that really stands out. It’s fantastic, and it deserves to do very well.

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Lorraine – I Feel It

“I Feel It” is one of the best comeback singles you’ll hear this year, a synth-driven rush from Lorraine that genuinely gives you the feelshasn’t aged a single day.

Lorraine are a guitar-band with songwriting dressed in an electronic sheen. Sleek synths and a taut, insistent pulse drive it forward, but there is real rock backbone underneath, the melody muscular enough to carry the weight the production piles on. This is beautifully put together, and s with a slightly melancholic, after-hours swagger. And musically, it’s the best kind of synth pop that sounds radio radio without ever sounding cold. Two decades on from when it first charted, the strangest thing about it is how current it feels, a song with the confidence of a hit that simply refuses to sit still or show its age.

Lorraine are a Bergen band whose backstory is remarkable: this single reached number 28 on the UK chart twenty years ago, drew praise from Pet Shop Boys, and made them one of very few Norwegian acts to break the UK Top 30. Their album Pop Noir, with cover art by Peter Saville, was shelved and passed into legend as a lost record fans kept asking after online. Having finally won back the rights, the band put it out in 2026, and we’re very, very glad for it because it’s an absolute banger. Essential listen this month.

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The Fiends – Sonder

“Sonder” is a superb piece of post-punk-tinged indie rock from The Fiends, the sound of a band who clearly built it to soar live

This is a track that knows how to swing between extremes. Layered guitars and driving rhythms move it from brooding introspection into explosive, anthemic peaks, with shoegaze-tinged atmosphere blurring the edges of the bigger moments. The vocals carry real emotional charge, never coasting, and the whole thing balances grit against melody so neither wins outright. Whoever produced this did an absolute banger of a job, it manages to me noisy, spiky and smooth at the same time. The performance is a genuine zinger too. It’s all coiled energy waiting for the chorus to let it loose.

The Fiends are a four-piece alt-indie band from Swansea, South Wales, formed in 2020 and steadily sharpening their sound across the Mazel Tov and Lazarus EPs. They have built a serious live reputation, selling out hometown shows and supporting Peter Hook & The Light, The Snuts and The Lottery Winners. In March 2025 they took their first trip to the US, playing SXSW in Austin, New Colossus in New York, and shows in Los Angeles. It’s an impressive list, but it’s this song which is the genuine standout; it’s brilliant and we’ve got a close eye on these guys.

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Blake Rave – Drive Me Crazy

“Drive Me Crazy” is a gloriously catchy 80s-tinged rocker from Blake Rave, a glossy hook with a bitter story buried under the shine.

This is a track that smuggles its sting inside a grin. On the surface it is a bright, guitar-forward 80s throwback, rhythmic and immediate, built to bounce off its chorus. Underneath, the upbeat love song is really a settling of scores: a sour relationship with an early music company that began like a fairytale and curdled. I love the groove on this, it’s almost Fine Young Cannibals at times, and I love that gap between the sunny sound and the unhappy subject. It’s a cool single, and the brightness as defiance keeps me returning to it. Shout out to the synth work too, very cool.

Blake Rave usually works in introspective, melody-led writing, which makes this glossy 80s detour a deliberate step into a louder alter ego. The track was cut at WWWStudios in Ash Vale, a Victorian-era chapel converted into a modern studio, with producer Dan Weeks at the desk. Wrapping real personal history inside a deliberately upbeat throwback is a smart move, letting Rave keep his honest streak intact while clearly having a lot of fun. More of this please Mr Rave, it’s great.

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THIS WEEK’S ROCK BOPS

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This week’s rock has something on its mind. Dystopian dread, misinformation, the cost of ambition and a heartbreak drowned at the bar: these are songs that hit hard and mean it, trading empty bombast for riffs with a reason to exist.

JFK Blue – Restless City

“Restless City” is a superb slab of classic blues rock from JFK Blue, a slow-burning dystopian anthem that reaches deep into your heart

JFK Blue’s latest banger is rock that trusts the groove over the flash. Built on a full six-piece sound with organic, played-in-a-room warmth, “Restless City” rides a classic rock and blues swagger toward something genuinely ominous, its dark undercurrent drawn from headlines and endless scrolling. It is not musically complex by design, and that is its strength: the hook serves up the vibe slowly, gaining weight each time round. Guest vocals from blues rock singer Rebecca Downes add a wonderful richness to the sound, giving the track a smoky, widescreen edge that makes it even better.

JFK Blue are a London six-piece led by singer-songwriter and lead guitarist Stef, making their return with their first new material since 2019. The song was sparked by a weekend re-reading Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, capped off with a speeding ticket the next morning, a collision Stef sums up as Orwell meets Blade Runner. Recorded at Bonafide Studios in Muswell Hill with producer Brian, it is the debut single from their forthcoming second album. Its a banger, and I’d very much like to see it live. An essential listen this month.

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Terminal Fear – Quicksand

“Quicksand” is a brilliant, hard-hitting rap-rock statement from Terminal Fear, the sound of a band with something urgent to say and the muscle to say it.

This one comes out swinging. Snappy, groove-laden rock riffs lock into a classic hip-hop feel wrapped in a rock framework, and the whole thing carries the coiled tension of a message that refuses to be ignored. It captures that sinking feeling of knowing the truth and struggling to make it heard, the frustration built right into the propulsive push of the track. Musically, there’s such a groove that it makes you sit up and listen, the delivery stays taut throughout, and it lands as a song designed to grab you by the collar rather than merely soundtrack the room. I love the guitar on this, it moves things along in style.

Terminal Fear are a Winchester four-piece made up of Skip, Stu, Rumm and Twiggy, players who have been building their chemistry together over several years. Their sound fuses the funk-rock elasticity of Red Hot Chili Peppers with the political fire of Rage Against the Machine, filtered through a shared love of hip hop. “Quicksand” arrives in both standard and radio-edit versions, and takes aim at how divisive narratives get painted onto shared symbols by unseen forces rather than by ordinary people. An essential track this month.

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Richard Green – Purpose and Price

“Purpose and Price” is a stunning genre-melting rock track from Richard Green, an aggressive, ambitious piece that doesn’t shy away from the important questions. Or the groove.

Richard Green serves up rock built from many moving parts. Funky grooves, rock energy, electronic textures and hip-hop rhythms all fold together, underpinned by subtle blues and jazz shading, and the fusion never feels like a novelty. There is an intentional aggression driving it, a hard edge that matches the weight of its subject: the human cost of ambition, the idea of selling your soul to succeed. That tension gives the track real propulsion, the sound heading forward in all the best ways. I love the boldness here, and it’s an ambitious piece that wears its philosophical streak in style.

Richard Green is an Italian guitarist and composer based in Milan, whose sound was shaped by eleven years spent in London, where he earned his music degree. He is defined above all by his versatility: since his 2020 debut Dark Horses he has moved between electronic experiments and a neoclassical trilogy for piano and string quartet, collaborating with pianist Irene Veneziano and the Archimia quartet. “Purpose and Price” was inspired by a line of television dialogue asking how much success costs you, and very excitingly, precedes a forthcoming EP. We’re eagerly awaiting more from Richard, as this single is fantastic.

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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.

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THIS WEEK’S ALT – POP BOPS

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This week’s alt pop finds the light in difficult places. Cyclical heartbreak turned into something euphoric, the marks people leave behind, and a quiet act of reclaiming your own time. Three writers making pop that thinks as hard as it feels.

Anna Thoresen – GROUNDHOG DAY

“GROUNDHOG DAY” is a stunning piece of experimental dark-pop from Anna Thoresen, a song that turns a spiral into something genuinely euphoric.

Anna Thoresen’s new single is dark-pop that refuses to stay small. Built on unconventional chord progressions that mirror the disorienting loop of repeated heartbreak, the track moves with a cinematic ambition, dark subject matter set against production that swells toward something close to euphoric. It’s a lovely sound world to dive into, produced like a dream, and manages to be kinda experimental without losing its grip on melody. The hook is a banger, I love Anna’s vocal and overall the whole thing is a compelling listen that finds its moment in a unique way.

Anna Thoresen is a Los Angeles artist who wrote, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered this entirely in her home studio during an isolating stretch, drawing on The Cranberries, The Smashing Pumpkins and No Doubt. She calls the song her death march, a track born from personal and professional disappointment that she says has since grown much bigger than her as listeners connect with it. This is great, and one of our favourite singles in the last couple of months.

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maryann connolly – Etched In Love

maryann connolly serves up a gorgeous, tender alt-pop ballad that’s one of the most affecting songs you’ll hear this summer

This is a song about the traces people leave behind. Sitting in that warm space where alternative pop meets soft rock, it carries its central idea gently: the marks that stay with us long after someone is gone. The arrangement stays unfussy, letting a clear vocal and an easy melody do the emotional work rather than reaching for a big dramatic swell. I love the driving rhythms here, and the chorus really soars here. Definitely lighters in the when it hits.

maryann connolly is a 25-year-old actress, model and singer based in Cape Coral, Florida, who has performed at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks and makes monthly trips to Nashville to perform. She is pursuing her ambition as a pop artist across a genuinely multidisciplinary career, moving between the runway, the stage and the studio. “Etched In Love” reflects that same emotional directness, an aspiring pop singer channelling personal feeling into a beautiful track. We love this single, and will be keeping an eye on maryann connolly.

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Ornnala – Au diable

“Au diable” is a superb debut from Ornnala, a genuine breath of fresh air for French-language pop and a groovy. liberating listen.

This is a song that chooses tenderness over noise. Carried by a soft, assured acoustic melody, “Au diable” celebrates freedom and gentleness. It follows a woman who finally decides to slow down and reconnect with herself amid the invisible weight of domestic obligation. As well as a great concept, there’s a kind of 90s elegance to how it builds, almost orchestral pop with touches of early madonna, french pop and a whole lot of vibe. Sincere and unhurried, it turns a small private decision to step back into something genuinely uplifting.

Ornnala is a French singer-songwriter from Manosque whose world blends francophone chanson, lyrical influences and orchestral pop. Conservatory-trained, she has developed a sensitive approach to voice and interpretation, deepened by experience on stage, in cinema and in musical theatre. Born between two cultures, she draws on that dual heritage for writing that feels both intimate and universal. “Au diable” is her first single, a tribute to the women who hold things together. It’s a great single, and an elegant, sincere opening statement.

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THIS WEEK’S SUMMER BOPS

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This week’s summer selection is all warmth and motion. Sun-soaked rhythms, music that carries the feeling of somewhere far from home, and grooves built to keep a night going long after the heat fades. Press play and let it take you somewhere brighter.

Ïgor – Lisboa Na Cabeça

“Lisboa Na Cabeça” is a gorgeous summer banger from Ïgor, one of the most heartfelt tributes to a home city you’ll hear this year

Ïgor’s new banger is a love letter set to stunning urban production. Moving between Portuguese and English, the track folds introspective storytelling into warm, contemporary hip-hop and R&B, the kind of song that feels like memory and homesickness in equal measure. It carries a real sense of place, Lisbon rendered not as a postcard but as something held close, and the bilingual flow gives it a texture few singles attempt. It’s wonderfully vibey, summery and this just has to be on your summer playlist. It’s a banger.

Ïgor is a Portuguese-born, London-based artist who blends alternative hip-hop, R&B and pop in both his native Portuguese and English. After a serious knee injury sidelined him, he threw himself fully into music, writing and recording entirely on an iPhone XS Max, turning a hard chapter into a creative breakthrough. “Lisboa na Cabeça” has already passed 500,000 views on TikTok, connecting with listeners through its authentic portrayal of Portuguese culture. We’re really excited by Ïgor, and will be keeping an eye on him this year.

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Turtuga collective – Sintura

“Sintura” is a superb Afro House cut from Turtuga collective, the rare DJ track that listeners keep returning to long after the dancefloor empties.

Turtuga collective’s new single is a groove built for the long game. Afro House momentum meets organic percussion and atmospheric textures. And the whole thing breathes in a way that loads of dance really struggles too. It’s not just an absolute vibe, there’s emotional weight under that rhythm. A kind of cinematic quality, so this one works just as well on headphones at home as it does on a packed floor. Hypnotic and warm, it’s produced like a dream and should definitely be on your next road trip playlist.

Turtuga collective is the artist project of Turtuga Productions, an independent company rooted in Curaçao and based in the Netherlands, working under the motto Legacy Over Noise. Rather than chasing trends, they treat each release as a tune for the ages, blending Afro House, Afrobeat and global rhythms into cinematic records meant to connect cultures. It’s nice for the music to come from a conceptual world, and you can hear how “Sintura” is part of a deliberately larger and long term vision. We love the patient, quality-first approach, but mainly, we just love this track. Check it out below, it’s fantastic.

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Teddy Marcelle – Potomanto

“Potomanto” is a brilliant, sun-drenched Afrobeat single from Teddy Marcelle, one of the most effortlessly joyful tracks you’ll hear this summer.

Teddy Marcelle’s lastest single is a song that travels well. Warm Afrobeat rhythms meet a lilting Caribbean bounce, and the whole thing carries the loose, open-hearted feel of music made among friends far from home. The title borrows a Ghanaian word for luggage, and the track runs with that image of carrying love and memories across borders, a ride-or-die companion for the road. It’s produced like a dream, and I love the lightness to the groove. It’s not in a rush, and the vibe is honestly irresistible.

Teddy Marcelle is an artist from South Oropouche in Trinidad and Tobago who works as a cruise ship IT officer, turning his cabin into a mobile studio between voyages. “Potomanto” grew from a spontaneous session aboard ship with a Ghanaian colleague, recorded on just a laptop and interface, its video shot on a phone across Sydney, Melbourne, New Zealand and Mystery Island. Co-founder of the label Ridiyum Limited, he cites WizKid, Asake and Burna Boy, and it is a key track from his forthcoming debut album OriXcel. It’s an absolute summer banger and deserves to be on your summer beach playlist.

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