This edition of LITM Pop Picks brings to you stunning pop-rock tracks, 90s pop influenced track, electro-pop tracks, and more. The list features artists Frank Joshua, The Shrubs, Lauren Eve, and more.
Frank Joshua - Glass
Characterised by a beautiful balance of restraint and flow, ‘Glass’ by Frank Joshua will demand your patient attention in a world that leans increasingly towards instant gratification. The instrumentation is built on light guitar playing, shimmering percussion, and feathery synths, and leans towards a tone that at once feels light and theatrical. There is a gentle, quiet grandness that colours the sound of the track. There is a gradual build that is slow and unhurried in manner, adding layers one by one, allowing you to settle into the soundscape of the track. Joshua’s rich vocals add great depth and vulnerability to the track. With lovely textures and lovelier ideas being captured, this song is a sure must-listen.
The Shrubs - Let Us In
A hypnotic soundscape taking ground from the very first second of the track, ‘Let Us In’ by The Shrubs is situated within a sweet spot of a retro psych rock sound and modern pop elements. The instrumentation is generously drenched in reverb, which significantly adds to the hypnotic, psychedelic effect that the song aims at. Smooth and swirling guitars, sharp drum patterns that move between fast paced and slow paced characterise the sound of the track. The song has a song that can in parts be likened to the sound of the Blue Öyster Cult, owing to similar psych rock textures.
Lauren Eve - You Friend
Bringing back the pop sound of the 90s, ‘You Friend’ by Lauren Eve will have you daydreaming about that special someone. The instrumentation doesn’t try to be subtle with regards to high-emotion and the resulting grandness and theatricality. The song brings together pop elements and jazz elements, creating lovely textures that land as an absolute sensory delight. The layering of vocals give a beautiful flow and lightness to the track, and Eve’s harmonisations are simply stunning. The lyrics capture that moment in love, where you realise that this person feels like they could be more than a boyfriend or a girlfriend; that this could be something truly real and lasting.
Inebaro - Alike
With paradoxically shimmering and glitching beats opening up the track, ‘Alike’ by Inebaro captures the exhaustion and frustration that comes with an overload of uncertainties in life. The instrumentation is shaped by electro-pop sound, with sharp, distinctly formed beats coming together to create a uniquely coherent sound that comes through at times as hypnotic and at times as floaty and light. Dense, sharp textures make the basis of the track and the vocals are echoey, giving the impression of distance. This feeling of distance mirrors the exhaustion that comes with the continuous and grappling with uncertainties. This song, in the current fast paced yet largely unsure world, becomes all the more relevant.
Marie Franc - Fabric
A haunting, ethereal soundscape paving the path for the track, ‘Fabric’ by Marie Franc will see you helplessly drowning into its beautifully crafted sonic textures. The song relies on an echoey sound to ground its dark pop-rock, alternative rock sound. The instrumentation emerges from a wonderful interplay of restraint and release, with sections of the song coming through as unexpectedly soft and slow while other sections come through as brimming with a raw, gritty energy. Lyrically the song delves into the idea of coming through and out of a testing period in life with a new reflection and new viewpoint on life, resulting in an acceptance of all the things that lie beyond our control.
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