Five exceptional artists for you to get your ears around today. All residing in a gorgeous indie soundscape, these tunes will leave you feeling captivated for the rest of the week!
MARICA – ME AND YOU
A new R&B artist to wrap your ears around, Marcia’s gorgeous vocal tone will leave you weak at the knees. You can really hear some strong influences from Amy Winehouse, Kiana Ledé, and Summer Walker in Marcia’s music that proves she’s got her feet going in the right direction. “Me And You” is a soulful number with a lush contemporary vibe that would sit very easily in today’s charts. A track that could do the rounds and be on anybody’s playlist from across the globe, “Me And You” is relatable and a strong contender when it comes down to music that will make you feel.
Speaking about the new release, Marcia shares: “Me and You’ is about always having that one person you have a deep connection with that you can go to for anything. No matter what happens, you always find each other again somehow. I actually thought I was creating a beautiful love song when I was writing the lyrics for this and then when I listened back I realised I’d written another toxic relationship song instead. Keeping on going back to the same person regardless of everything and of everything they’ve done to you can be quite an unhealthy pattern. Some things are meant to stay broken.“
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MATT MCKNZI – ATLAS
Carving his path into the world of alternative RnB, Matt McKnzi is an artist destined to hit the big time in the music world. Hearing influences from neo-soul and contemporary R&B in his music, there’s a summer vibe to the music that makes me envision sitting next to a pool, bathing in the sunshine with a cocktail in my hand. There’s a slow-burning sensation to the track yet the song is dynamically endearing from the very first note. The second single from his debut EP “Ghost”, it’s a dreamy contemplation about the weight of others’ expectations, where a man grapples with the relentless desire to break free from societal judgments.
Speaking about the release, Matt shares: “In “Atlas,” the listener is invited to a world of drifting emotions, where the music rolls and rises like the tide and the references to Greek mythology create an eerie nostalgia.“
I love how you can interpret this song as you will. We can all relate to society and its horrific judgments sometimes, and Atlas explains that perfectly with the power of a gorgeous voice and a cracking soundscape. “Atlas” is not just a song; it’s a journey through the intricacies of human emotion.
JAIBEE – STAY AWAY
A debut single that commands your attention from the get-go, “Stay Away” is nothing like the title, you won’t be getting enough of the track instead. Jaibee’s dreamy soundscape resolves into a neo-soul groove with a deep undertone of enchantment. Drawing influence from artists such as Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell, Jaibee finds it important to continue the bold and yet delicate storytelling of what it means to be a black woman in America. Musically, the track is like something you’d stick on when you’re in a spiritual mood looking to find that inner peace while the world is feeling to hectic.
“Stay Away” takes us on a journey through love’s beginnings and the push-pull one can find themselves stuck in.”
Jaibee’s vocals are what carries the track further. Armed with a gorgeous tone that could get this artist on a pedestal next to some of the world’s great soul artists, Jaibee is a next-level performer who deserves the world at her feet and I truly believe her music can take her there. Not only a great artist in her own right, Jaibee is someone that you’d feel happy to support her career.
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JUVA -SUN’S OUT
Manchester rapper Juva’s new release is hook-fuelled and a heavy-loaded RnB number that I can’t get out of my head. Armed with a cocktail of musical genres, ‘Sun’s Out‘ is coated with elements of electronic pop, garage, and grime. Sounding in the same vein as artists like The Weeknd and Post Malone, I love the professionalism in the song, you could hear it fitting in quite well next to the greats of RnB in the charts in today’s industry.
Poised with confidence and a thick layer of autotune, it’s polished and even features a good dose of trap in its arrangement. All about partying away, the track is the perfect song to stick on when you’re sat in the winter like I am, waiting for the sun to make an appearance again.
Speaking about the release, Juva shares: “This feel good song is all about those balmy days when you’re out in the summer and the feelings and memories it evokes. You know the ones, enjoying the freedom of being outside in the sun. Feeling energised by those rays and feeling the warmth on your skin. Everyone looking and feeling good whilst the drinks flow, partying into the evening as the light lingers on.“
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POLYVODA – BONFIRE
A genre-fluid group with a gripping new track…what’s not to like? Armed with an energetic flow that gets straight into your bones, the song is blended with modern jazz, hip-hop elements, neo-soul, and funk. Sounding somewhere between the raw roots of Greentea Peng, the rhythm section of Ezra Collective, and the hip-hop vocals of Little Simz, “Bonfire” is everything you’d expect from Polyvoda now.
“In this song, we tried to capture the emotional intensity and complexity of both love and war. We saw a parallel between the ash produced by the bonfire and the ashes left by the war, illustrating the destruction and rebirth inherent in both experiences. As the bonfire generates warmth, love can blossom amidst the chaos of war,” says Kyrylo Chykhradze, one of the group’s founders.
Such a confident move after some pause is undoubtedly intriguing and makes you look forward to the subsequent releases from Polyvoda. If they continue at this pace, this could be one of the significant musical discoveries of the coming years. One of the funkiest songs I’ve heard in ages, this track automatically went onto my playlist… I mean, how could it not? You could easily picture this group playlist on a festival stage in the middle of summer.
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