This LITM Pop Picks list brings you mesmeric tunes from the synth pop, alt pop and electronica genres! Featuring artists - Moon Construction Kit, Vela Jones, Jay Saint James, DALE and Zukrassverliebt.
1. Moon Construction Kit - Down the West Coast
If you put northern lights, twinkling stars and late-night journeys together, it would sound like ‘Down the West Coast’. Moon Construction Kit’s latest track feels like the slow unwinding of notes, where, as a listener, you take slower and slower breaths and ease into each passage as simmering synth notes come from underneath and have you surf at the top, where glistening overtones pass by. The instrumentation is mesmeric, using soft, shuffling drum beats and synths spanning different wavelengths and textures, while the vocals take you through dreamy terrain with soothing lyrics. This is a song you can turn to if you’re in the mood to unwind or drown the outside noise.
2. Vela Jones - Star Light Star Bright
Another song that gives you ‘stellar’ imagery is AI artist Vela Jones’ ‘Star Light Star Bright’. The song is a mix of soothing and peppy, with soft, cushiony beats and bubbly synths in the forefront, and a mix of crunchy mid-tones, while underneath, a drifty synth bassline anchors the song as a whole. The vocals echo the soft, shimmery nature of the undercurrent synths with a glassy timbre, singing smooth, lucid notes. It is a good song to immerse yourself in if you’re looking for a futuristic, dream-pop aesthetic with a jelly-like texture and twinkling-lights imagery.
3. Jay Saint James - She’s The Pope
Alt-pop artist Jay Saint James just dropped ‘She’s The Pope,’ a track with soothing music but with lyrics that cut. The track features anxiety-drowning instrumentation, with gentle taps of piano chords and drums alongside a cinematic underbed of synth strings, each taking on different tonal shapes as the lyrics sing, “if bitchin’ was religion, she’s the pope.” The vocals take on a raw, unfiltered personality where you don’t just hear the different vocal textures, but you also feel the intensity with each word sung and truly feel the singer’s emotion. The song is a bit reminiscent of Billy Joel’s ‘Vienna’, but with a modern and darker sound. Listen here -
4. DALE - Speed of Light
If you’re looking for funky electronica tracks with punchy synths and crisp, cinematic soundwaves, DALE’s ‘Speed of Light’ is a great candidate. The song perfectly balances the right amount of serotonin with adrenaline, keeping a gentler pace in the verses, followed by a livelier pulse during the chorus. The vocals are smooth with a sleek polish, blending seamlessly with the instrumentation. Underneath, the overall music warps and swirls throughout with a blend of laser-light imagery and vibrant synths, changing patterns and textures throughout the course of the song, drawing the listener in with its drifty, atmospheric soundscape. Listen here -
5. Zukrassverliebt - In My Heart
Another synth-pop track from this list that could potentially put you in a flow state is ‘In My Heart’, a song that’s about romance with a dreamy, electronica aesthetic. The song pulls you in with soft, echoey instrumentation and vocals, as the mix fills the air with a soft atmospheric haze, giving that lucid, giddy feeling of a slow, hypnotic takeover. The composition feels pristine and fresh, with gentle, shimmery synths drooping down from above, giving soft splashes of colour, while running notes pop up in between, giving the arrangement a lift. The vocals blend in and out of the synth layers like soft swirls, drifting the listener from one end of the song to the other. Check it out here -
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