STOP EVERYTHING: Slow Dance- Photocomfort

Photocomfort sounds like a band carved straight from Scandinavian icefloats, all chilly harmonies and impressively precise production; every element in latest song Slowdance, is perfectly placed to ensure the contrast between controlled, compact verse and delicately blooming chorus is thrown into stark relief. But they actually hail from Boston, Massachusetts so maybe it’s just raw talent and 3 pairs of excellent ears for sublime electropop. Equally impressive is previous single Not Love; frontwoman Justine Bowe stretches her wonderfully expressive vocals across slapping, stormy beats courtesy of bandmates Gabe Goodman and Will Radin.  Photocomfort possess a spark that’s obvious to even a casual listener and these guys have already supported Glass Animals, MS MR and earned a prestigious play on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 show. Basically: they’re not to be sniffed at.

Follow @Photocomfort on Twitter now. 

STOP EVERYTHING: Seventeen & Outlaws- Alessia Cara

Right now we’re blessed to be living in an epoch that prizes standout pop tracks- yes the charts might be playing the same old Waze & Odyssey boring bass beats but on the internet it’s clever lyricism paired with an infectious melody that is really ruling the roost. Taylor Swift, for all her faults, can write a bloody good pop song. Carly Rae Jepsen too has recently been heralded for her ability to pen euphoric earworms that also carry emotional heft. Pop is no longer dismissed as fluffy fare- it’s a serious, thinkpiece prompting business. And now we have Alessia Cara, newly minted 18 year old and already responsible for one of the biggest buzz tracks of the year with Here, her painfully accurate depiction of 90% of the house parties you’ve ever attended. It wasn’t a fluke.

STOP EVERYTHING: Pleas- Moses Sumney

Moses Sumney is a fascinating individual; on one hand he’s blessed with a clearly extraordinary talent, producing consistently stellar cuts of music that defy categorization. He bumps shoulders with the creme de la creme of the indie world and counts creative luminaries such as Solange (check out their incredible rendition of Young, Gifted and Black here) and Lianne La Havas among his best friends. Yet his Twitter feed is filled with stories and statements that are relatable to your average, run-of-the-mill 25 year old; a lack of funds, a disappointing love life, Ubers that take an eternity. It’s an interesting juxtaposition and one that makes you root for Sumney further- he’s surprisingly grounded for someone who’s scheduled to play the Hollywood Bowl with Erykah Badu and St Vincent this Sunday. Don’t be fooled by his self-effacement though- latest drop Pleas soon reminds you of why he’s destined for soaring success. Layered arpeggios float alongside trembling, tilting vocals, delicate as spun sugar. Sumney possess a instantly identifiable voice that lends gravity to anything he sings and the result is a re-imagining of what modern folk can be. Stunning.

Follow @MosesSumney on Twitter now. 

STOP EVERYTHING: Karachi- Eli Prince & Wes Yanks (OG Horse)/Gold- Louki

The most thrilling musical discoveries come when you’re completely unprepared- for instance, about 40 clicks deep into an internet hole with no sign of surfacing anytime soon. Something catches your attention: an arresting graphic, an engaging bio, an intriguingly titled song and suddenly you’ve been spat out onto Soundcloud and your tinny laptop speakers are blaring a track so unpredictably brilliant that when it finishes you realise your heart is pumping as if you’d actually risen from bed today and done more exercise than the 30 second walk to the bathroom.

Credit Instagram for the introduction to OG Horse, a hip hop collective comprising about 6 individuals, from Birmingham, UK but boasting production, wordplay and vocal charisma so assured that they seem to have rolled straight out of an established rap capital like Atlanta, GA. Here’s the thing about the British hip hop ‘scene’- grime undoubtedly dominates the conversation and other facets of the genre have been massively overlooked as a result. Rap in Britain has always felt like it brings far less variety to the table than our transatlantic cousins; I have several theories on why but that treat can be saved for a self-indulgent thinkpiece. What’s important here is the freshness and striking originality that marks OG Horse out as cut from a different cloth, evidenced on songs like Karachi, a collab between members Eli Prince and Wes Yanks. 

STOP EVERYTHING: Have Mercy- Eryn Allen Kane

Eryn Allen Kane belongs to Detroit by birth but her decision to up sticks to Chicago is one that’s paid dividends. Already she’s managed to hook up with some of the Windy City’s hottest exports, most recently bagging a feature on the much lauded Towkio/Chance The Rapper joint Heaven Only Knows. Now Kane’s dropped a stunning solo track Have Mercy, built solely on an acapella foundation of harmonies that recall the sparse melody of James Vincent McMorrow’s Cavalier. An absence of typical production allows Eryn’s not-so-secret weapon to shine through: her voice is a glorious golden instrument, powerful and passionate. When Kane lets rip, it is startling to behold, her notes either spiraling towards the heavens in fluttering runs or whacking the listener right between the eyes with the force and purity of their delivery. The Social Experiment and their affiliates seem to be on a gospel kick right now but with Have Mercy Kane has claimed the crown, managing to harness that elusive soul-stirring quality that lifts a song from ‘rousing’ to ‘unmissable’. There’s a reason she counts The Purple One among her disciples and with a few more releases like this, we’re betting the church of Kane is on route to save a lot more sinners.

Check out visuals for Have Mercy here and follow @ErynAllenKane on Twitter now.