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.
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.