These Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s Del Osei-Owusu this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

Another fab set of faves this week, thanks again everyone for submitting! If you want to be featured on my Islington Radio show please send an audio file with a bio here and I’ll check it out!

On with the reviews.

It’s rainy today, so I’m going to consoling myself with a cuppa.

So, tea – hot? Yes.
Headphones charged? Si.
Keys in the ignition? Hai.

Four lit and in the green.

Let’s go.

BALLOON TWISTER – The Boy In The Bagging Area

This track combines electronic drums with acoustic ones and that’s what caught my ear initially – especially the seamless switch in the intro! The synth sounds are beautifully arranged, with a touch of atmospheric reverb and delay. This is a great combination of blips and blops with the makings of a great pop song and a bit of a swing to it! There are great production values on this. It made me sit up on first listening to it and has a nice warmth to it. 

My favourite part of the song is the vocal. It really sits on top of the track and keeps it focused, especially on the harmonies. It kind of reminds me of a song that could easily have been a hit in the 80s. 

Awesome! 

According to the Bandcamp bio:

‘Based in Oxford and Kalkan Balloon Twister has collaborated with diverse talents such as Berry, Betsy, Field5 Pedrov_Dog and Lester Vargo (The Trons, Police State) to create and produce music to briefly linger on and throw away. Luckily [it’s] all digital so it won’t make a mess.’

I like that last part.

Bandcamp| IInstagram

DIVIDE THE SUN – Before And After Language

This starts off with synth bells that have a really cool tone to them. This has an 80s synth vibe to it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a dusty old Roland D-50 hidden deep in the writer’s DNA somewhere. *Sniffs the air* Yeah. I’m about 60 percent sure.

This is another song with top notch vocal arrangements. There are oohs but there are also parts sung in the lower register of the range, and it’s definitely pleasing to the ear. You don’t know where you are and get lost within it. I love that ethereal vibe. 

Divide The Sun are an act from London, Wigan and LA. 

They describe their sound as being ‘experimental music in a less experimental era, combining emotion with logic, through a Markov blanket’.

What’s a Markov blanket??

Enquiring minds need to know!

Twitter | Instagram

EMILY MERCER – The Bottle

This is the new single from Emily Mercer and it shows off multiple skills here! I love the way it starts off gently with piano and guitar and then comes in with drums and bass on a mid-tempo track. I also like the chord progression on this, Gmaj Dmin Fmaj. It switches in the pre-chorus so that the key it’s in is in Cmaj. Very clever arranging!

Emily got in touch with me because her drummer plays for The Deep Blue, a group that I’ve already fallen in love with. Love their music and the fact that we are now linked this way!

This song was my track of the day a few days ago for my own blog.

So excuse me if I give it a teeny tiny little upgrade here….

Yep.

Track of the week.

Emily is an artist from Manchester. Her sound has been described as a hybrid of Tori Amos and Florence + The Machine, though she is heavily influenced by art pop artists such as Fiona Apple and Kate Bush.

Twitter |Instagram| Facebook |Youtube | Bandcamp

HEALTHY JUNKIES – Desire

This starts off with a fantastic guitar tone. It really grabs your attention! There’s great musicianship at work here, especially where the mandolin-like effect comes in at the intro. This has a Middle Eastern melodic influence to it in the verse. My favourite part of the song is at 1:41 in the chorus. The vocals in this section in the higher range compelled me to want to sing that higher note – I am by no means a singer, but I love to try! 

Listen out for the guitar solo from 3:44, and the bass run at 4:20 which signals an almost double time sped up section – it isn’t but it changes the whole feel of the song.

At 5:27 this is an epic rock track that was needed!

Healthy Junkies are from London and describe themselves as ‘DIY and hungry’. 

I like that. 

Official ||Facebook|Twitter|Youtube

HYPER SYNC – Longing

This next track is a bit of a soundscape. It starts off with a waltz pattern being played on the high end of a piano. It then gives way into a hip hop style pattern with arpeggiated synths, but interwoven into this is some dialogue which I’m guessing is from a film. This is a pretty chilled out track. I’m wondering if the hissing and clicking at the beginning is coming from actual tape? If so, that’s really cool! This has a warmth in the audio that makes you feel like you’re back in the age of analogue. The choir ahhs that are introduced and fading in and out add more depth to the track, and make me want to listen to Hyper Sync’s work even more. This is a great introduction to them!

I can’t find anything more out on Hyper Sync other than that they’re a producer and musician from the UK. They have an impressive catalogue on Bandcamp.

That’s Bandcamp Friday sorted!

Oh, and they are my one to watch.

Youtube | Bandcamp

LIA RYE – All Of The Time

This song starts out on a low simmer with a guitar riff keeping it simple, under which hi-hats and cymbals provide the percussive hits, but then it launches full pelt from 0:27 to a pre chorus that I like because of the way it builds anticipation.

This is definitely not your run of the mill indie rock track!

Lots of stops and stops that keep you on your toes – Lia Rye’s vocals cut through the wall of sound too, so lots of respect to her for this!

Oh, and I have to call out the two string bass solo at 2:24. It’s really short but things like that take songs to another level!

According to Soundcloud:

‘Lia Rye is a 20-year-old alternative rock artist based in Leeds. Her melodic vocals, insightful storytelling and blasting riffs captivate listeners and audiences alike. Having released her debut single Novacaine at age 15, Rye has plenty of “ambition to burn”.’

Official|Instagram|Youtube

LONELY GHXST – Ghst

This is a lovely acoustic number drenched in reverb on the vocals. This has such a darkness both in the lyrics and the overall song. I love when the drums come in. The analogue feel to that rim shot is perfect! 

The lyrics have a supernatural theme to them which is probably unintentional, because it’s actually about the power of love and the fear of losing it. Whatever form that takes the track is haunting (no pun intended), and the atmospheric production really adds to that. 

Well done Lonely Ghxst!

Lonely Ghxst is an artist and musician from London who’s already got some love from Chris Hawkins over at 6 Music, who describes him as ‘a new act to fall in love with’. 

Yeah, I can see that. 

Instagram |Facebook|Twitter |Youtube| Bandcamp

RETROPXSSY – AlI The Things

Retropxssy is back with a banger of a track! This is smooth R&B with her flow on top, and it just works. The bars come thick and fast with a little sting too, but she also shows her vocal dexterity – I love her singing on the hook. The beat is based around two chords, and it’s having an effect on me. I had to go to the piano for this one just to jam over it. This is so simple! 

It’s retro, which alludes to Retropxssy’s name – it’s got a slight psychedelic feel to it too, like a real underground obscure record waiting to be discovered. As a virtual crate digger this track makes me smile! 

I love the tape stop at the end. It’s a perfect way to finish off instead of a classic fade out! 

Retropxssy has been on my radar for quite a while. I have featured her on my show and I’m a bit of a fan. 

I also like her bio: 

‘An active figure in the London punk rap scene, Retropxssy explores womanhood in the middle of the moshpit.’

This is definitely not for the moshpit – this one’s for a blues club in New York where Retropxssy has time travelled Back To The Future style to show the kids what the future’s going to be. 

Chef’s kiss!

Instagram|Youtube|Twitter| Bandcamp

THE IV – I Am The Moon, You Are The Sun

To Norway we go with this next one, and we are presented with a really driving bass and drums – kick, snare and toms for the most part. For me the lyrics are a retrospective look at a relationship that’s run its course, and how the writer is seeing it for what it was. 

I am the moon, you are the sun

But in order to be someone

I need to shine on my own

And this whole time

I thought you had a star of your own

But the light came from within you

all along

It’s about stepping out on your own and letting the other person know that they’re not at fault and the light they need is within. 

According to the Bandcamp bio: 

’The IV is Ingvild Nærum’s introspective exploration of a more and more absurd world. The music is powered by driving bass riffs, staccato drumming and spacious guitars, with carefully curated lyrics.’

Instagram| Facebook|Bandcamp

VOID VAMPIRES – Breathe In, Breathe Out

Lyrically this reminds me of the soundbites that you get from the sponsored ads on social media to help you with mental health. There are a lot of them, and in a world that’s going to hell in a handbasket I can understand why they’re important. Sometimes we have to shut out the background noise!

This is essentially a look at social media habits today. It’s pretty accurate really, isn’t it? 

The lines are repeated almost like a mantra, and emulate the noise that comes through social media. TikTok and Instagram in particular come under fire, with their use of mental health apps and misinformation in its various forms. To break it up, they add references to apps that help you to breathe. 

The monotone of the vocals adds to this feeling of everything being robotic, all over an indie rock instrumental. All in all, a great track to close the Faves on! 

Void Vampires are from London; they are Kunwar Singh and Jessie Jayne. They pose the question on Bandcamp: ‘Is modern life sucking you dry?’ 

Well, they want you to listen up.

Linktree|Instagram|Facebook|Youtube|Bandcamp