Richardine Bartee
Alex Holtti – Bad Guy (Submission)
As most new comediennes and musicians killing the field today, Alex Holtti got his start on Vine and YouTube. With millions of followers under his belt spanning from this country to Europe, the twenty-four-year-old creative decided to buckle down and take advantage of his exposure. Buckling down consisted of writing and producing his material with the aid of a musical collective called ‘Official Music’ until now. Drawing inspiration from Usher and Frank Ocean, his intention to connect with people’s hearts and mind is a fitting ideology. Music fans have grown to love and live with his musical influences.
If you’ve been combing the underground scene as I have, you’d know that Denmark has cultivated some of the world’s best singers. Alex Holtti is one of them. Hear his debut record, out today, ‘Bad Guy’.
UV Rays – Boys (Submission)
In my late twenties to early thirties, men were definitely on my mind. I’d do them how they’d do women; It was great, but something upsetting happened. I started to care about one or two of them. Since they’ve all showed me that they are just boys in men bodies. UV Rays, the Bedroom Art Rock group based in Brooklyn, dropped a song that reminds me of the type of men who haven’t quite grown up. It’s from their upcoming EP, ‘Try and Begin’, out March 1. The single is an uptempo jam that will have you in celebratory spirits about the humans with one Y chromosome and one X chromosomes. Hooray!
Seriously, I love them all, but until I reconcile with the grown-up versions of who I mentioned, or meet someone who is what I want/need, I won’t be as chipper about boys/men as the lead vocalist Adrien DeFontaine appears to be in this song. More importantly, it’s a damned good song. Play it one more time before you move on to the next one.
Bipolar Sunshine – Answers (Submission)
All of us strive for our own identity, but we are all influenced by one or multiple things. When I listen to the track below, I hear the undeniable influence from the Chicago-bred controversial genius Kanye West. Whether we want to credit him for it or not, he gave birth to a plethora of artists like Travis Scott, and more, who sound like this today. Production style, song arrangement, and lyrical and sonic themes. The Manchester, England recording artist Bipolar Sunshine isn’t far from the DNA of that pack. Listen to the hypnotic track ‘Answers’. It’s off of his forthcoming EP.
NDIA – Peach Gloss (Submission)
NDIA’s single ‘Peach Gloss’ could be described as an electro-flourished and melodic love song. Telling us the story of having a risky but mutual crush, the artist gives us a fast-pace beat with smooth, sultry vocals. NDIA’s whisper-tone singing voice is relaxing and a great contrast to the upbeat energy on this track; a popular contrast in new age R&B. If this song is any testament to NDIA’s overall musical styling, it is clear that this artist can’t be classified under just one genre, but on a spectrum. Her versatility seems very apparent. (Brax Chea)
The Drives – Keep Warm (Submission)
How many insomniacs are reading this right now? Do you stay up all night, for the chance, to express how you feel about someone else? In ‘Keep Warm’, the lyrics describe a man who is in love, who loves doing nothing with his significant other. It’s a beautiful story about how he loves. Hear the record below.
