Sunday 1 April 2018

MARCH // APRIL

The snow has finished falling and the fridge is full of chocolate. Here are our latest music discoveries.


'HEADS IN THE CLOUDS' - NOËP [EP]



Estonian singer-songwriter and producer NOËP unveiled his debut EP 'Heads In The Clouds' on 22nd March.

'New Heights' is the first track on the EP and perfectly represents the musical direction of the debut record. The track itself is a cleverly produced electro-alt-pop tale of lost love.

Personally, one of my favourite tracks from the EP is 'Cold Medicine' - a soothing electro-tinged pop balled held together by fragmented beats, clicks and pops of emotion. 'Cold Medicine' uses the metaphor of a fever not being treatable with medicine to describe a relationship. 

One thing that is evident from listening to the five track EP is that NOËP is an expert in writing a memorable hook and pairing it with a strong, complimentary beat as well as someone who can successfully experiment with different genres. 

Another notable track on the EP is 'Offside' - a collaboration with British production duo Tough Love.  NOËP's smooth vocal sits on a bed of hypnotic bass-heavy house beats.

The EP ends with an R&B tinged tone on 'TV', experimenting with rap-influenced verses about dealing with fame and taking lessons from Kendrick Lamar:

'Like Kendrick said you better stay humble.'

NOËP has produced a truly interesting debut EP that is well worth a listen. 



MODERN STRANGERS [artist]

Picture Source: @TMStrangers on Twitter

Whilst watching a BBC documentary about how to make the perfect pop song (results inconclusive), I discovered Modern Strangers, a five piece indie-disco band from Kent, UK. The programme featured their song 'Margarita' and I was instantly hooked. With a pop sensibility, soaring synths mixed with funky guitar parts and a simple yet perfectly complimentary vocal - this song oozes summer. 

Upon further investigation, it appears that this summer vibe is a common thread amongst Modern Strangers tracks. 

Ahead of their debut EP release, the band have released  'She's So Cold'.

'She's So Cold' follows the theme in 'Margarita' but with arguably more meaningful lyrics, sung in a clearer tone. Very MGMT-esque. A common theme amongst Modern Strangers tracks is dance-ability - you can imagine a crowd letting go to these songs.

Another notable release is 'Coco Hello', a foot tapping, shoulder swaying, all round feel good track.

''Coco Hello, Up Close But Never Too Personal.
How I Try To Let You Know.
Coco Hello, The Conversation Goes On And On And On And On...'  

Enhanced by quirky percussion, shimmering synths and bright guitars, the chorus of this song will leave you humming for days.

I can imagine this band being incredibly exciting to watch performing live, so be sure to check them out on Soundcloud and follow them on Twitter to make sure you don't miss them in your city!


Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic

Find all the music featured on this blog using our We Want Good Music Blog Spotify Playlist here.