Primer Round And Round Starting with a grimy, robotic synth line, Round And Round quickly establishes itself as a song of contrasts. Post-intro, the crunchy electronic sounds are swapped for soft instrumentation and slow drums, LA-based musician Primer’s angelic vocals introducing a serene atmosphere. Round And Round is at its best, however, when it brings the robotic and angelic together, in the chorus. The analogue-sounding synths give the song concrete foundations upon which the vocals have the room to explore. The resulting song has the hallmarks of the glam-rock-channeling work of Goldfr ..read more

Just A Leo Change Your Life Just A Leo are a duo who look to create a sense of nostalgia, with an electronic DIY aesthetic from their bedroom studio. With Kalliope providing vocals, and Andie on drums and bass, the pair share keys and production duties, as they fuse elements of dance, synth and electronic pop, soul, and house. On new single Change Your Life, Just A Leo have created a deep, synth-led piece of pop music. The song is a tribute to the experience of embarking on life-changing actions and decisions. Inspired by the pair’s planned move from Australia to Europe, the song was created ..read more

Derek Simpson Wonka Opening with warm, analogue keys and gentle guitars, Wonka feels like the warm afternoon California sun falling through a window, resting on my skin. That west coast sound reflects Derek Simpson’s journey, as an artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who moved from Boston to the music scene of Long Beach in LA. The sound employed by Simpson on Wonka has a beautiful subtlety and richness. With an ever so slightly cracked vocal style creating a sense of emotional authenticity, Derek’s performance slips between a standard register and a falsetto performance, like someone ..read more

Thavoron Body Based in Seattle, Thavoron is a Cambodian American musician who creates queer pop whilst channeling the intimacy and inventiveness of the likes of Frank Ocean, Faye Webster and Bon Iver. Growing up, Thavoron felt underrepresented within the music industry, and now hopes to create a sense of community and visibility for queer Southeast Asian Americans within music. Talking about the experience, Thavoron says, ‘Being surrounded by people I couldn’t fully relate to resorted to me locking myself up in my bedroom to just write to try and make sense of all my differences as a person ..read more

Jakke Reckoning Having originally establishing is career in alternative rock, Jakke gradually found his creativity transcended genre classifications. He began making dance music and evolving as a DJ, blending live instrumentation and electronic elements together to move audiences. On his latest single, Reckoning, Jakke continues to experiment across genres, fusing the confessional potential of the singer-songwriter format with the emotional resonance of electronic music. Created with the fans of Lane 8 and Chris Martin’s Coldplay in mind, the song looks to wrestle with the negative consequenc ..read more

Kacey FiField Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. With a gently strummed guitar introduction, Left Behind sees Kacey Fifield’s vocals take centre-stage from the song’s beginning. The vocal initially hooks you in, the earnest delivery exposing a trusting sense of vulnerability. It is the pulsing bass and racing melodies that kick in, approximately a quarter into the song’s duration, that set the song’s pace, however. The song creates the feeling of running to keep up, like a sprint down a hill that will only end when you either fall over, or reach th ..read more

Holly Wild Cuts Me Up Opening with Holly’s own bluesy, smoky vocals, and a lilting, strummed guitar, Cuts Me Up gives the impression of a certain timidity. That is shattered, however, as the song hits its first chorus, an earth-shaking bass-drop underlining Wild’s delivery. The result is a song that feels both coy, and knowing. As Holly sings about living with the aftermath of a relationship turned sour, she appears to be both heartbroken, and completely in control. She sings about being cut up, and yet, notably, admits ‘I know I was the one with the knife’. Born and raised in a musical famil ..read more

Nieri Every Feeling Having appeared twice on BlackPlastic last year, Italian-born, LA-based electronic music artist Nieri is back with new song Every Feeling. Starting with an understated intimacy, the record sees Nieri’s vocal set against a simple-yet-effective synth pattern. As it proceeds, however, Every Feeling builds towards a kind of gospel crescendo. Overdubbed vocal harmonies shimmer with a heavenly layer of reverb as the bass and drums gradually lift Nieri’s vocal performance. By the bridge preceding the final chorus, the song has a buoyancy that reflects the song’s personal, inspira ..read more

Dream Say Feels Like Home Hailing from Boston, Dream Say are an electro-pop outfit drawing inspiration from modern both modern acts like Chvrches and MGMT, as well as Prefab Sprout. There is clearly something in the water right now because all three have recently been cited by artists I’ve covered. Or perhaps that’s just my taste showing. Having connected on Craigslist in late 2023, duo Zach Balder and Sebastian Badon quickly got to work, releasing their first two singles in just a few months. With Balder providing vocals, keys and sax, and Badon guitar, drums and production, the pair create ..read more

future.exboyfriend Take My Picture Take My Picture is the first collaborative effort from future.exboyfriend and previous BlackPlastic featured artist Bad Heather. Here together, the pair channel a sleazy, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. _Take My Picture_is partly riffing on the sounds of LCD Soundsystem and MGMT, but with an extra dose of modernist pop. Beyond collaborators, Bad Heather and future.exboyfriend are friends and room-mates. Together, they were inspired to make Take My Picture based on their ‘shared experiences and candid talks about the music industry's competitive edge and local sce ..read more