Akuma II is a new full length album from NRW Records (short for NewRetroWave.) The album features a few different artists, mainly “Alex” and “Tokyo Rose.” The sound is similar to 80s vaporwave…with a deep, hypnotically intense electronic ambiance and Japanese late night metropolitan vibes. Song titles like Mean Streets, Danger City and Unleashed correlate with the dark tone and “edge of your seat” suspense which permeates the music. It’s a powerful achievement whenever you can compose music which is capable of conveying something without words, and this album does just that. Even if you were just driving around aimlessly late at night while listening to this, Akuma II evokes a sense of mission and urgent purpose. It definitely put me on heightened alert.

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/NewRetroWaveOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/user/NewRetroWave/playlists

Brilliant Jerk is a new single from Greg Hoy & the Boys. Greg is an established artist, (currently operating out of San Francisco) and has had a number of songs appear on shows like “One Tree Hill” and MTV’s “Made.” The music is difficult to classify. It can best be described as soulful rock’n’roll with a hint of punk, containing a sound that falls somewhere between 90’s indie (think artists like Coyote Shivers) and older, classic rock bar bands. Greg’s vocals on this track are loud and boisterous, delivered with attitude and flashes of wit. His voice really displays that classic sassy rock’n’ roll frontman charisma. The video for Brilliant Jerk is exceedingly professional, as good as anything you’d see on MTV (back when they still showed videos anyway.) In fact, I recommend you watch the other videos as well, as they are all studio quality and contain complex narratives (the one for Brilliant Jerk even features a “virtual reality” bit.)

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/greghoyandtheboys/

Sway is a new single from Alden Groves, a popular singer who has gone by many monikers throughout his career. (his most notable one being “Evoke.”) In addition to having a beautiful cover, Sway delivers on the musical front. The song has a peaceful, almost underwater feel to it. The combination of aquatic sounds and hip hop is a rather unique blend, but he makes it work. This song is like you’re listening to a sea shell but with someone rapping in the background. It is both captivating and energizing.Sway has a new age meditative quality but is a lively enough jam that you could bust a move to it. This guy clearly has some experience making dance music. Water has been a thematic element of EDM for a long time, but this is one of the more literal and creative ways I’ve seen it incorporated in the music.

For more info:

https://www.youtube.com/aldengroves
https://aldengroves.bandcamp.com/

Like This is a new single from Chicago based artist, Anthony Vince. It’s an alternative rock jam, featuring some groovin’ guitar sounds and a sparkling beat. The song has kind of a light, late 90’s pop aesthetic to it, mixing elements from various genres. It reminds me a bit of when alternative bands would incorporate a slight poetic hip hop style to their delivery. Despite the song’s rather mellow vibe, the track is action packed from start to finish, with Anthony delivering a tight musical monologue without stopping to come up for air. This is really a nice alternative pop song. The lyrics are catchy, and the background music has a classic, summertime feel.

For more info:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyvince_/?hl=en
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/anthony-vince708

Love Fool is a new EP from artist, Matty Marz. The album relates to the subject of love, captured from various angles (represented distinctly in each song.) The music is very dynamic, with complex beats and a unique structure. At times the songs contain so many musical components pieced together that they feel like art collages. It is essentially a pop album, but I’ve honestly never heard anything quite like this. Matty gets points for bringing creativity and originality to a genre that has largely become formulaic. As a singer, his voice gets the job done, and he performs with a lively charisma, adding his own personal touch and improvisational quirks to his lyrical delivery. This is a more interesting release than I expected, and one has to admire the artist’s genuine expression and his willingness to “lay it all out there.” He wears his heart on his sleeve, and isn’t afraid to show us more than just the good parts.

For more info:

https://song.link/album/i/1475615009
https://www.instagram.com/iammattymarz/
https://www.youtube.com/user/IAmMattyMarz

Fall For Me is a new single from 12 Signs 21 Sounds, the musical project of LGTB artists, Sachi and Sarka. It’s an indie pop song, with some wonderfully clear vocals that don’t have any annoying effects or unnecessary processing. Really just beautifully sang. The song oscillates between meditatively ethereal romantic mood music and vibrantly assertive dance pop. There are some rap/hip hop elements here as well. The music is very dynamic, with the tone and pacing frequently changing. The backing is mostly ambient synths, but a solid beat makes an appearance from time to time. Ultimately the underlying message in this jam is to let your guard down and allow yourself to fall in love. These two hope to release an album in the future. I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t. Just keep going.

For more info:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqQ3iDFCQ9Y

Tell Me is a new single from VAN KING, an artist originally from Toronto (and currently based in London.) The song blends R&B with pop. It’s a little bit more flavorful and hoppin’ than your average R&B jam, demonstrating VAN’s penchant for artistic experimentation. Complementing the slick beat is some light ambient background noise, giving the track an ethereal quality more along the lines of what you’d expect from an EDM song, but it works. VAN definitely has a good sense for timing, managing to stay on point even with this irregular and highly dynamic beat. The catchy chorus takes this song a long way. I found myself singing along to it, which is the mark of a pop song with potential.

For more Info:

https://www.instagram.com/vankingofficial/
https://www.vankingofficial.com/

Late is a new single from artist Anea Michelle. The track combines jazz, soul and R&B but is first and foremost driven by Anea’s stellar vocals. The minimalist mix boldly puts her voice at the forefront, and it pays off. Her vocals are creatively layered in a dreamlike, conversational style. This is almost like a spoken word poetry jam. As the title suggests, this beautiful song is about Anea always being late, though it obviously serves as a metaphor. As best as I can tell, the song is about how she loves being with her significant other, which causes her to be late for everything else. She’s “on time” only when on her way to be with her love. Late was written to celebrate her wedding day, and you can hear wedding bells softly ringing along with the light piano backing. This release has a very unique and memorable narrative on its own, and Anea’s voice manages to carry it to the next level.

For more info:

http://www.aneamichelle.com

Don’t Tell is a new single from Micah Willis, an artist who divides his time between Los Angeles and his hometown, Salt Lake City. Stylewise, this song is within the realm of music from The Weeknd. It’s deep and ambient pop with a heavy dose of emotional expression. You get the idea. The mellow, synth backing works like a dreamlike echo chamber. Occasionally the song shifts to a more bouncy, dancepop oriented jam. What’s amazing is how much musical variety there is in just this one track. It’s like you’re getting 5 songs for the price of one, though it all meshes together rather fluidly. Micah has an impressive voice. This guy can hit highs that would make some opera singers blush. I have to say that this song is incredibly relaxing, but there’s enough energy floatng around in this recording to induce you to dance if the mood was right. Micah is a well established vocalist, with a long list of impressive credits. From a quality standpoint, Don’t Tell is on par with the music of some of the big names Willis has worked with. The only thing preventing this song from hitting the mainstream is that it just hasn’t been seen by the right person yet.

For more info:

https://twitter.com/Iammicahwillis/
https://www.facebook.com/officialmicahwillis/

L’Enfer is an EP from underground French hip hop artist, Sauveur Eloheem. It was originally released in 2017. Some of the songs on this album were produced under the (rather clever) alias of “Bob Snob.” This album has much in common with other releases from Eloheem, fitting snugly within his well established aesthetic, which features wildly creative, unusual and often creepy beats fronted by his casually hypnotic voiceover. The pacing is slow and methodical throughout, creating subtle tension and a sense of impending doom. Interestingly, there’s even an ambient and ethereal song which appears to be a statement against Scientology, J’enc*le la Scientologie (apparently means “Fuck Scientology,” so Eloheem clearly does not have much regard for the authority of Xenu. The most conventional hip hop track is J’suis High, with it’s peppy beat and straightforward delivery, it comes about as close as this artist gets to mainstream friendly material. My favorite jam on this album is probably Cuttlefish Music, which sounds like something from a black magical, sparkling underwater fairy tale. The album’s outro Toast Killers is a crisp English language treat with an unexpected female introduction. I’ve reviewed several of this guy’s albums, and Sauveur Eloheem has got to be the most unique hip hop artist in France right now.

For more info:

https://sauveureloheem.bandcamp.com/album/lenfer