Enfnts Terribles

1. Caroline Polachek — Sunset

The difference between “Sunset” and the heartbreaking Pang could not be greater. At the same time, it also shows that Caroline Polachek is not left trailing on the spot. The song, which she co-wrote and produced with Sega Bodega, is a late-summer hit, grabbing attention with intriguing instrumentation. Her transcendent vocal lines and revelatory “ooohs” fit perfectly with the rhythmic guitar riffs that give “Sunset” a southern temperament. Caroline Polachek seems intent on reinventing herself on her new project, which only makes us more curious about this bold yet highly successful single.

2. Hyd — Fallen Angel

Hyd could very well be described as a sound designer, working with a lot of big names to tell their stories. “Fallen Angel” was created in collaboration with A.G. Cook, Danny L Harle, and SOPHIE, who tragically died last year. On the track, Hyd once again explores the boundaries of pop music, and the artist pushes those boundaries by choosing intriguing song structures and melodies. “Fallen Angel” is another revelation for fans of the more interesting pop work and shows PC Music’s great influence on the pop world.

3. Ellie Goulding — Let It Die

After leaving us wanting more on her fourth album, Ellie Goulding manages to convince us with her new single “Let It Die”. The song is a very radio-friendly, catchy single that comes across as quite refreshing and offers a counterpoint to all the pop hits currently taking over commercial radio stations. Instead of putting samples or familiar songs in new jackets, she goes for a more original sound that her recognizable voice stages very nicely. “Let It Die” is danceable and does not peg itself to current trends, making the song all the more striking.

4. VERITÉ — love you forever

“Love you forever” is a very melodic and calm song with which VERITÉ says she wants to break your heart. She succeeds by emphasizing the fragility of the lyrics in her voice. VERITÉ alternates slightly lower parts with her leading voice, managing to move you in just over three minutes. “Love You Forever” has a timeless character and embraces melancholy without coming across as forced, making each build-up to the chorus effective over and over again. It is the ideal song to close your eyes for a moment and forget about the world around you.

5. GALE — D Pic

Our love for Latin pop is growing thanks to the new generation of riveting artists. Puerto Rican rising star GALE is already a big star in her country and has her sights set on an international breakthrough. Her new single “D Pic” might help with that as she manages to set an incredibly cool mood by mixing grunge, pop, and rap, among other things. With the song, GALE does away with unwanted pictures in her DMs and reminds us how important consent is. A strong single.

6. creatrx — SUNDAY

In Los Angeles, many emerging artists dream of their big break, and for creatrx that big break may be very close. The rising star in the queer scene knows how to position themselves in the scene with their incomparable rap flow. “SUNDAY” builds steadily in production, making the song increasingly exciting and danceable. The sex-positive anthem plays with the idea of what’s ‘holy’ and encourages a reclamation of sexuality instead of having it weaponized against individuals. Hot!

7. Giift — If You Leave

We have often touched on how inspiring and fascinating we find the Scandinavian music scene, and the 18-year-old Giift lives up to that hype. “If You Leave” is her latest single release of this year and grabs our attention through her moving vocal performance. She clearly seeks peace within herself to write off frustrations, and you can feel it in her music. There is an incredible lot of soul in her music, so each song does not miss its impact. She’s a star to keep an eye on!

8. Sabrina Bellaouel — Trust

After “WDNTBE” was more instrumental, the French-Algerian Sabrina Ballouel goes more for vocals again on “Trust” and so effortlessly charms us. While R&B often remains somewhat monotonous, Sabrina Bellaouel shows otherwise. In just over two minutes, we hear how the song evolves from a sensual R&B track to a transcendent club disc where her vocals are cut up into samples. “Trust” is an incredibly seductive track in which Sabrina Bellaouel puts her full identity and makes us even more curious about her upcoming debut AL HADR (out on March 3rd, 2023).

9. Katie Gregson-MacLeod — complex

TikTok has changed the music industry for good, giving a lot of artists a chance to introduce themselves to a large audience. Scottish Katie Gregson-MacLeod became a real sensation thanks to “complex (demo)” and was soon covered by big artists like Camila Cabello, King Princess, and Madison Beer. She then recorded the song again with Greg Kurstin, who further underlined the emotional nature of the song. The accompanying music video is a fun ode to Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” with Gregson-MacLeod driving through the Scottish countryside. A wonderfully beautiful song that gets us absolutely silent.

10. KTJ & CARLY — Nice Guy But

KTJ & Carly again deploy their greatest strengths very well on the brand-new “Nice Guy But”. Their harmonies are once again real gems on this single, as their voices blend seamlessly together. In the tight pop-rock number, the duo builds up to the chorus again and again, where they deal with a narcissistic heartthrob who thinks he owns the world. There is a lot of spunk in “Nice Guy But”, which only makes this single more infectious.

Picture by Aidan Zamiri