This edition of LITM Pop Picks brings you twinkling soundscapes full of glistening synths and soulful passages. Featuring artists - Upon Waking, Philip Seibel, Sam Palladio, Lotta Svart and Yinki Moonrise.
1. Upon Waking – Midnight Detour
Upon Waking’s latest track, ‘Midnight Detour,’ takes you through neon soundscapes and adrenaline-fueled techno beats, creating a blend of mesmeric yet energetic sensory experiences. With an array of synth and beat variations, the song drenches the listener in dense atmospheric layers shaped by sizzling tones and clean, glossy silhouettes. The vibrant, electronica-based layout leaves room for a fun exploration of textures through instruments, vocals, and production, having all layers synergize at points to create trippy shapes. It’s one of those tracks that has your feet speed-walking, building up to light speed—except they’re not on the ground.
2. Philip Seibel – F**k Ai Music
Philip Seibel’s latest song is exactly as it sounds, but with more of a humorous tone rather than an angry jibe. ‘F**k Ai Music’—deliberately spelled with a lowercase ‘i’—is for those folks who don’t just agree with the sentiment and the anti-AI stance, but enjoy the satirical element of human-written lyrics parodying those of a robot trying to sound human. The song, which is only a minute and 47 seconds long, is more of a strong message written in an entertaining way and features all sorts of whimsical tones and funny lyrics. More than a long think-piece about the topic, the song is one of those that already has its audience that shares the same sentiment and passion, complete with the playful addition of brass tones, xylophones, and synth-led fusions.
3. Sam Palladio – Glitter
A song with glistening timbres and glassy textures, ‘Glitter’ takes you through a swirling landscape of soft tones and vocals. The indie-pop song is infused with synth-led melodies that have the listener slowly drift into the silky haze of atmospheric clouds above, carrying the song's shimmery overtones. Below, Palladio’s smooth vocals fill the air with a soft burst of surround sound, sailing over the dense underbed of synth arrangements. The theme of love and loss shines through in a song like ‘Glitter’ with its gentle pacing and delicate unfolding of passages. Listen here:
4. Lotta Svart – Magi
Another song that’s hypnotic to the point of endless drifting is Finnish artist Lotta Svart’s ‘Magi’. It falls under the self-styled label of ‘melodic electro-poetry’, using wildly slippery beats with an off-tempo feel, blending them with velvety long notes. The song is stitched with bright pastel patterns, using a mix of soft and glassy overtones as each note trails off into the skies while the next few are introduced. The result of this swirl of color leaves the listener in a floaty, trance-like state, where you start and end at the same point, not knowing if you drifted off or if you were in the same place the whole time. Listen here:
5. Yinki Moonrise – One Day
London-based artist Yinki Moonrise has just dropped this soothing, atmospheric track that’ll fit right into cozy indie playlists. The track takes you through silky textures with the arrangement of bubbly and soft synths layered atop stringy long tones, giving it a gentle contrast of vibes. The vocals themselves bring a uniquely cushiony timbre that doesn't just suit the song’s vibe and ambiance, but creates that same cozy effect on its own. The instrumentation is peaceful and serene, wrapping the two ends of the soundscape together, containing the atmospheric sheen within the same space. All in all, a solid track! Catch it here:
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