These LITM Pop Picks are introspective, nostalgic, and calming; coming to you from artists like Mia Salazar, Solar Flare Alert, YLLOW, and more!
1. Mia Salazar – Mantas (Acto 1: La Muerte)
Mia Salazar’s Mantas (Acto 1: La Muerte) is hushed and haunting, capturing a feeling between intensity and restraint. The track lives in the tension between the two – a constant pushing and pulling between wanting to let go completely, yet fearing what may happen after. Mia Salazar delivers the song with caution, reflecting the feeling of being stuck between two opposing forces, unable to dig your way out. This resignation is beautifully captured in the accompanying music video, layering a close-up of her snow-speckled face with barely-there images of transition and nature, creating a mood of conflict and contemplation. Check it out here!
2. Solar Flare Alert – The Way You Move
When you first listen to Solar Flare Alert’s The Way You Move, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a hit from a bygone era. With a sound that feels like it’s just stepped out of the midst of disco, the song seamlessly steps from Italian to English and back, transporting you to another universe entirely. It’s endlessly catchy, and though it may sound simple at first, the song keeps unveiling new layers and harmonies that keep you engaged throughout. The kind of song that you can easily imagine grooving to at an open-air party, it’ll stay in your head for a while! Listen here.
3. YLLOW – More To Life
YLLOW is an EDM producer from Prague, on a mission to “infuse emotion into every beat,” and More To Life is the perfect illustration of that. It’s clean and modern as it combines soft yet confident vocals and a reflective mood with energetic drops reminiscent of classic mid-2010s EDM. It’s the type of song that could perfectly soundtrack both your late-night listening session as well as midday motivational ones, and creates an atmosphere that is at once personal yet looking outwards, keeping it accessible to a majority of listeners. This is overall a polished and enjoyable listen – give More To Life a listen here!
4. Grygo – Human
Grygo’s first and latest release, Human, is atmospheric and introspective. From its opening moments, it clearly prioritised creating an immersive mood over delivering the kind of impact that hits you all at once, and this leads to a listen that keeps you engaged with the track for a lot longer than otherwise. With this track, Grygo invites you to approach the track with open arms so you can “strip back the noise and remember what it feels like to be truly human”, a sentiment that’s all too often nowhere to be found in our current world. Listen to Human here!
5. Aran Sheehy – There is a Mermaid using the Computer
Aran Sheehy and Blakkheart’s There is a Mermaid using the Computer grabs you from the title alone, and upon listening, you’ll find that giving this track your attention is well worth it. With nostalgic, retro Windows computer visuals fused delightfully with psychedelic, almost hallucinatory images of rippling water and underwater life, the accompanying music video complements the song’s sound perfectly: nostalgic ‘90s-esque pop fused with dreamy, ethereal psychedelic vocals and textures. There is a Mermaid using the Computer also beautifully builds a cheeky narrative through lyrics and visuals (“Micháel does not believe me when I say that this damage is as a result of marine life activity within the house”, for one). Watch here!
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