First things first, in no way is this representative of all the hardworking SG musicians that we know and love — and trust us, there are many. Let’s just say, this happens to just be a round-up of the recent music releases that we’re excited about, the stuff that might get you excited too. Be prepared, it’s quite a journey.
1. “Confetti” — THELIONCITYBOY, feat. SonaOne
First up, one from veteran rapper and musician, THELIONCITYBOY. His latest release, out for two weeks already, is a track titled “Confetti”, one that starts with a hypnotic riff, but later becomes a solid, catchy tune that aptly shows off his also very apt collaboration with Malaysian rapper SonaOne. Plus, this just happens to come with a freestyle over Big Sean’s “Dark Paradise” track, something that he put together in his studio.
Other than that, he’s also working on his upcoming album, which is dropping end of this year, and we heard there’ll be a more than a couple of exciting collabs on it. Charlie Lim. Gentle Bones. Benjamin Kheng of The Sam Willows. Gotta say, we’re excited just listing them out.
On top of that piece of news, we’re treated to a series of behind-the-scenes videos that offers an interesting and genuine, even realistic, view of his music-making journey — the 4-part episode, called “Paradise”, is “filmed as a behind-the-scenes look into my paradise – life in the lion city”, basically a promising premise already. Watch Part 1 here:
2. “Some They Lie” — Narelle
In other news, we’ve also got a track from Narelle Kheng, one she suddenly dropped earlier this month, which we only found out after seeing a highly cryptic photo she posted on Instagram. It’s a first solo single for the singer, also 1/4 of the popular The Sam Willows, and a vibe that feels very different from the more upbeat, radio-friendly tunes of her band. More to come? We hope so.
3. “I’ll Be Waiting” — Disco Hue
Since we’re talking about radio-friendly hits, here’s a music video by synth-pop band Disco Hue, from their debut EP, Arcade. It’s a kitschy video that recalls 80s video games and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, all wrapped up in a song that’s bound to get you moving first, then stuck in your head hours later.
4. “Kaleidoscope” — Cosmic Child
It’s apt that they’ve got one of our familiar playgrounds on the cover of their untitled album, because the “duvet pop” band sounds very nostalgic indeed, with dreamy ethereal vocals layered over lo-fi guitars. Basically, shoegaze music that they describe as “lotsa reverb and fuzz” along with “funny guitar noises”. It’s refreshing that the band does away with fancy words, preferring to let their music speak for itself, and safe to say, their music takes us on a hazy trip, back to happier times, but somehow laced with a tinge of melancholy as well.
5. “Komorebi” — Bennett Bay
If you’re looking for something more soul-tugging, we’ve got this track here. The musician’s inspired by “pastoral imagery and everyday experiences”, and it’s telling here in a quiet, soothing and contemplative piece that you’d wanna drift off to sleep to — only for the best reasons though.
