The track opens with the lightly cascading melody of piano keys, shadowed by the soft crackle of an old radio. There’s a heavenly undertone laced throughout the track which offers a playful exploration on the true meaning of love - whatever that may be. For Joslyn Daniel, it’s a yearning for normalcy, and a longing for respite from the stresses of contemporary society. ‘Venus-Mars’ is as intelligent as it is catchy, blurring the distinction between fairy-tale and reality, and re-imagining the concept of romance for a 21st century audience.

Life can often have you questioning what you’re doing, or what’s the point, but you can find comfort and solace within Zelha’s latest single ‘What’s The Point?’. Zelha is a half-Belgian and half-Mexican singer based in London. ‘What’s The Point?’ is a song based around debating whether a relationship is worth getting into even though you know it is going to end badly.

LIVSKA is the solo project of Seattle Fix’s former front-woman Liv, bringing together her favourite sounds and allowing for unmediated self-expression. Following the success of her debut track ‘Stone’, which played on multiple radio stations across her native Australia, LIVSKA is back with more dreamy goodness, although under very different circumstances. 

As the second teaser from her upcoming debut EP, Can’t Act My Age, this track wishes for better. Trapped within a casing of electronic energy, Maki takes a brief verse to gather its strength before erupting into a mountainous chorus of unrelenting texture. Immediately overtaking your body, mind and soul through its swirling synths and persistent percussion which burn off the anxiety contained within the precise lyrics.

There’s a nostalgia to baseball hat: a familiarity you can’t quite put your finger on but you’ve no doubt felt before. It’s testament to the musical abilities of the Maryland duo of Harrison Smith and John Sygar, and marks a distinct emotive capacity to their work. ‘LMK’ is a hazy, sun-baked trip through the unsaid potential of a difficult conversation. “Tell me what you want to,” they sing, mapping the emotional parameters of dialogue through old-school instrumental, “let me know you care”. Finding home in the metallic embrace of synth, ‘LMK’ is at once mellow and decadent, and pays euphonic homage to the seemingly discordant musical inspirations of Frank Ocean and the Beach Boys.

The indie-pop four piece are back and mean business with this glittering, sass-infused call to arms to take back control and put yourself first. Something of a motley crew, the Birmingham-born band are the ultimate synthesis of outcasts and underdogs, who when working together creatively, craft an outstandingly tantalising and groove-inspiring sound, with ‘Bite’ being no exception.

Drawing on her own experiences as a woman and taking inspiration from other female pop powerhouses like Rihanna, Lorensa has crafted an unapologetic and unwavering 21st century R&B banger. Her angelic and effortless vocals glide over the track like honey, carrying an understated, but grooving 90s-infused beat. As a young woman paving her own way in the music industry, the artist is no stranger to the struggles of feeling alone and trying to find your own voice and identity in a male-dominated world.

The perfect follow up to their previous single, ’Snow Globe’, this synth ballad swirls through your body. Uniting instruments with lyrics, Reggii riots against the prejudices which exist alongside the creation of art in the most calming fashion. Soothing you to a point of understanding, this track allows the LA-based artist to take centre stage for all but a small snippet of time where a sample from old Hollywood takes control.

Returning back to the seclusion of Rural Vermont during COVID, the band move with almost unattainable momentum; outrunning all elements of overthinking in pursuit of their most reckless desires. Catching its breath amongst teasing moments of silence, the song rewards the listener with infectious guitar riffs and lyrics which rattle through your mind in a way that only the best tracks can muster. 

After a year in isolation, its no wonder that so many of us have become increasingly involved in technology and have fallen victim to the wiles of advertising and social media. The White Lakes are here to help, with ‘This Generation’ serving as the perfect antidote to this affliction. Both lyrically and sonically, the track is laden with energy, motivation and the perfect dose of aggravation to inspire listeners to break out of the perpetual loop of tech and breath in the life around you.

Treating this past year of lockdowns and isolation as a personal reset, singer-songwriter Thomas has poured himself into this track. Both lyrically and sonically, ‘Vultures’ is an emancipation of emotion, feeling like the sonic incarnation of a year of pent up creative expression and energy. Thomas takes no prisoners as he unleashes his frustrations of toxic relationships, critics and negativity, with badass lead guitar, his own gritty, yet melodic vocals and driving, no-nonsense percussion.

‘Like it Should’ is a delectable slice of R&B infused bedroom-pop taken from the artist’s debut EP ‘Dear World’. The listener is eased into the track, first greeted by Small’s dreamy vocals floating above a pared back electro-pop track, before a truly badass trap beat kicks in and launches the track far beyond the walls of the artist’s bedroom.

If one were to describe Milo Gore in two words, it would be “brutally honest”. Taking inspiration from his own past struggles, he bares his soul to his audience, finding resonance in every corner. His is the music that is unashamedly introspective yet also universal – speaking to our shared experiences of personal struggle, the perils of growing up and the desire for understanding. It is a gift to successfully translate messy and often dark emotions into words, and Gore certainly has buckets of it. 

Like eavesdropping on a private conversation, “Front Room” places us smack bang in the middle of friendship-group drama, full of betrayal, regret and disappointment. An incredibly honest and personal track from Northampton-based songwriter PHILCLARKFUL, it is a cathartic expression of a real life situation, remembered and turned into music that is in equal parts visceral and enjoyable to listen to.

The newest single by Singapore-based Australian multi-instrumentalist Latchy – “Foreign Local” – is a track for all of us who feel displaced and alienated in our current up-side-down and highly polarised world. Inspired by a personal experience of being locked out of his native Australia, Latchy captures the pervasive loneliness that comes from such an unexpected separation from home and all the things that make us ‘belong’ to a particular place or people. 

Some of the best days are spent relaxing by the seaside, however, these days can be made even better with the extra addition of Wave Chase. Wave Chase have returned with their excellent new single ‘Sit By The Sea’ and it really is the perfect soundtrack to plug in to with summer just around the corner. Wave Chase met as course mates and formed in 2018. Currently based in Brighton, these guys seem to just keep getting better and better. Having played multiple sold-out headline shows across the South East, you’d imagine by the end of 2021 they will have conquered the whole of England with their Indie anthems.