Melancholic, dreamy, enigmatic and hauntingly beautiful, Montreal’s APACALDA (also known as Cassandra Angheluta) is creating her own immersive world with a refreshed approach to indie, electronic pop which meets dream wave sounds.
Her brand new single, ‘SSR,’ is a nostalgic and acoustic inflected pop song which uses playfulness to communicate a sadness at its core. Cassandra wrote this song due to finding herself in an intimate relationship devoid of any profundity, which she was misled into.
The song’s music video portrays contrasts of emotion through the playfulness of the bright coloured field versus the spiraling darkness of the dungeon-like space. These images serve to depict the back and forth of wanting to believe something is what it is not, choosing to ignore reality to hold on to an idea that is better suited to our desires.
Introducing Toronto-based alternative rap newcomer DICHOTOMI with their brand new single titled ‘STF 17’. The soulful and infectious lo-fi rap track comes just in time to take over our summer playlists, and is the lead single for dichotomi’s upcoming debut EP that is set for release later this year. ‘STF 17’ is the anticipated follow-up to last year’s fan-favourite ‘plush’, which was a massive radio hit with the likes of CBC Music in Toronto, and Wave Of The Bay in Florida, to mention a few.
Produced by fellow Toronto musician Frizzy Astro, ‘STF 17’ is a catchy melodic rap offering, which sees dichotomi – who wrote the song when they were sick during the pandemic and couldn’t be outside – in a very hopeful mood, as they imagine better times and fantasize about being able to enjoy summertime in Toronto once again. Over lush synth keys and sparse lo-fi instrumentation, dichotomi showcases their infectious flow, clever lyricism, and carefree energy, to great effect.
Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘STF 17’, dichotomi says, “It was the first pandemic winter, and I was really sick… I couldn’t go outside because the weather, and I had no energy or motivation to make life inside more enjoyable because of the mental and physical effects of the pandemic. At a real low point, I started fantasizing about summers in Toronto and told myself that ‘everything will be better in the summer’ – as soon as I said it aloud, I felt compelled to write a song on that theme.
The track quickly took a political lean as I began to ruminate on the social, political, and economic forces that forced me into such a fragile position in the first place. ‘STF 17’ is most definitely a critique of our capitalist society, but with the added goal of offering some levity — allowing us to hope for a more equitable future. Be critical, be angry, be sad, but don’t let the state of this world keep you from turning your face to the sun every chance you get, and tirelessly seek the tiniest moments of joy”.
Highly recommended if you like the sounds of Noname, Tierra Whack or Chance The Rapper, dichotomi is for listeners that like to discover new things every time you listen to a track – they are for fans of lyricism, authenticity and exploring new sounds. Born in Florida and now living in Toronto, dichotomi burst onto the scene in 2019 with resounding music, led by good vibes and wholesome themes that are intended to inspire hope and validate their listeners.
‘STF 17’ was released yesterday across various download/streaming sites. Check out their official animated music video below…
Chicago’s rapper ACERON is back with his second single ‘Wavy’ taking from his soon to be released album, ‘Poise’.
For his latest release – which carries a heavy bass and strong percussions giving it that West Coast feel with a Midwest twist – Aceron taps the legendary godfather of Gangsta Rap Eazy-E’s first son, Lil Eazy-E to add some razor sharps bars. He also calls upon fellow Chicagoan R&B Songstress Gizelle who provides the voice for the silky smooth chorus that ties everything together.
BITE THE BOXER is back with new single, ‘Like A Ghost’, which carries on the same stylistic direction as previous single, Forgotten, which gained press and radio attention across the globe. For this latest offering, the UK producer continues to blend genres that he has previously touched on, such as Alt-pop, Synthwave, Lo-fi and Indie pop to create a unique dreamy and lush soundscape.
Bite The Boxer (AKA Matt Park) often produces his music live on Twitch streams and has this to say of his process: “Writing music live with people watching encourages me to trust my instincts and produce by feel; nobody wants to watch me do fine tuning and tweaks for 2 hours. I try to avoid over-thinking the process. If I can finish a 2.5 hour stream with the bulk of a song finished, and it sounds good then that’s an ideal result.”
‘Like A Ghost’ was released last Friday (3rd June) across all major digital platforms. Check out the music video for the single below:
D DOUBLE E shares his latest single ‘Roll Up’, a laid-back, funk infused Swindle-produced party tune that sees D Double exhibit his unrivalled unique tone and clever wordplay. Referencing everyone from Chabuddy G, Chaka Khan, Christian Louboutin and more, he also shares a classy video shot in the smoking room of a gorgeous mansion featuring a dapper D Double E and other well dressed guests partying till the early hours.
Following his sell out UK Tour end of last year showcasing the best of his 2020 album ‘D.O.N’, the new single is news of his next EP, ‘Bluku! Bluku! 2’. The seven-track follow to his 2011 debut EP ‘Bluku! Bluku!’ due for release on Friday 1st July.
One of the UK’s most celebrated and genre defining artists, in 2020 D Double E shared the invigorated and daring D.O.N. An acronym for Double or Nothing, this incredible 12-track follow up to his 2018 debut solo album Jackuum which has garnered over 12.M streams to date was a star studded affair featuring the likes of Ghetts (‘Where Do We Come From’), Giggs, Kano ‘Tell Me A Ting’, JME, Skrapz, Ms Banks (‘Bedroom Bully’) and Triggz.
With production handled by Splurgeboys, Greatness Jones, Fanatix, Prince Rapid, 1ne, Diamondz and D Double E himself – his first credits as a producer – the project tread on new sonic ground for the grime veteran. Since the release which was widely supported by The FADER, CRACK, Highsnobiety, i-D, The Line of Best Fit, Resident Advisor, Complex, Annie Mac, DJ Target and more, he’s been nominated for Best Grime Act at the 2021 MOBO Awards, put his lyrical magic touch on an advert for Pepsi and continued to collaborated with the likes of Backgroad Gee, Big Zuu and more. Most recently he’s been tapped up again for an iconic Christmas Advert for Camden Hells.
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