Enfnts Terribles

1. Sylvie Kreusch — All Of Me

Belgian fashion goddess Sylvie Kreusch is finally working on the release of her debut album as a solo artist. Together with her previous projects Soldier’s Heart and Warhaus, she gathered the experience to be a hypnotizing performer that keeps you under her spell.

On the brand new track “All Of Me”, we discover a new facet of her voodoo pop with the bass guitar setting the tone throughout the song. Her mantra-like vocal lines still hold this captivating power that gets an extra boost with the saxophone in the climax. Sylvie’s debut album promises to be very spectacular, and we’re very curious to see how it’s all going to turn out.

2. Claire Laffut — Hiroshima

It would be an understatement to say that the French-singing pop girls are doing okay at the moment because they’re currently nailing it! Besides a.o. Angèle or Yseult, we have the gorgeous Claire Laffut. The multi-talented artist has delighted everyone with her first EP Mojo, which includes her hit “Vérité”.

Claire Laffut disappeared for a while, but her comeback single “Hiroshima” indicates that the project she’s worked on will absolutely be worth the wait. The dreaminess of her original EP remains, but she adds a fresh breath of positivity to “Hiroshima”, which gives it even more of a summer vibe.

3. Slayyyter — Over This

We’ve already said it before, and we’ll say it again: Troubled Paradise will be the pop album we’re all craving for. The American pop starlet Slayyyter’s new era has all the potential to win over the whole TikTok community and is exactly embodying the Y2K-era that is experiencing a serious revival.

“Over This” is summarizing all the releases of the Troubled Paradise era at once and somehow still feels new and exciting. The anthemic chorus and the massively overwhelming pop production aren’t a let-down and make us dream of a covid-free world. One where we could witness this song live. Get your vaccines, guys! We want to see Slayyyter live on stage soon …

4. A.G. Cook and Charli XCX — XCXOPLEX

PC Music’s co-founder A.G. Cook just announced his forthcoming remix album Apple vs 7G. The album will feature remixes and edits of songs from Cook’s acclaimed 2020 albums Apple and 7G. It will see features of artists such as Charlie XCX, Hannah Diamond, and Caroline Polacheck. And to announce it, he already released the remix of his first-ever track on the label: “XCXOPLEX” featuring none other than Charli XCX. 

In a powerful rework of “Xxoplex”, taken from Apple, the duo pushes the boundaries of pop once more. While the original track was a work of controlled chaos described by Cook as “the dark, industrial heart of Apple”, the rework adds Charli’s soaring vocal light, bringing the melodies out of the darkness and into the light. 

5. Little Simz and Cleo Sol — Woman

At the age of 27, London’s rap phenomenon Little Simz is already close to being a legend whose music will last for centuries. Her previous record Grey Area has been labeled as a true national treasure and made every important year-end list of best albums of 2019.

Her fourth LP Sometimes I Might Be Introvert has big shoes to fill, but based on her new single “Woman”, a collaboration with Cleo Sol, she will easily succeed in that if the rest of the album keeps up to this standard. There’s so much emotion and storytelling in every song that we just wonder if Little Simz will ever let us down. We doubt it, though …

6. joan — so good

The Arkansas duo joan (Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford) have already released their debut EP portra in 2019, and another EP in 2020 called cloudy. Now the duo is back to make 2021 their year with ‘the wave era’, which will see them dropping two EPs this year. Every first Thursday of the month, joan will be dropping new singles. 

“so good” is their latest single to drop and is “about feeling like you’re meant to be with someone who just walked in the room.” Their trademark alt-pop bops mixed with a hint of ‘90s R&B influences grabbed our attention as well as a place in our Spotify playlist.  

7. Evann McIntosh — NOBODY ELSE

The American Evann McIntosh is only 17 years old, but they already have an acclaimed debut album called MOJO to their name. On top of that, they went viral on TikTok with the lead single “What Dreams Are Made Of”. And now Evann is back to announce their new album Character Development, out August 27, with a new single called “NOBODY ELSE”. 

“NOBODY ELSE” is that old-school feel of a classic love song re-invented by Evann McIntosh with its streaks of jazz and dreamy R&B. The lighthearted music video adds another layer to the love song by showcasing Evann’s lighthearted personality, and it’s just incredibly sweet. We’re definitely marking our calendars for the release of Evann McIntosh’s newest album. 

8. Mimi Bay and Stevan — pick me up

All the way from Sweden comes multi-instrumentalist Mimi Bergman (aka Mimi Bay). She taught herself how to write and record music at the age of 14 before sharing it online, and she’s already garnered a quarter of a million subscribers on her YouTube channel. After previously releasing two singles in 2021 (“no doubt” and “keep it”), she’s now back with her third single (“pick me up”) from her upcoming EP far from home, out June 4. 

“pick me up” is about when circumstances create distance between two people who want to be together. Her lo-fi, Gen-Z spin on age-old quandaries creates a beautiful song that deserves a spot on our list. Add to that the Australian songwriter and producer Stevan, who comes in and adds a great depth to the song, and we are sold!

9. Elphi — Out My Head

Starting out as a DJ, Elphi started writing her own songs and even released her first EP back in June of 2020 called You’re Pretty and I Love You / Sunburst. Her musical influences are Charli XCX, Slayyyter, Hannah Diamond, and the PC Music crew, and we can definitely hear that.

Her newest single, “Out My Head”, is the perfect throwback to those early 2000s music videos with a twist of her futuristic pop. Describing her sound as a mix between the sweet side of pop and dark electronic sounds, Elphi is about to be at the forefront of the Hyperpop scene. Safe to say we’re already fans of hers. 

10. Conan Gray — Astronomy

Over a year ago, Conan Gray appeared on our radar with his amazing first body of work Kid Krow, which helped him gain mainstream success. His songs “Heather” and “Maniac” were all over TikTok and introduced him to a new audience and fans, who immediately fell for his honest pop productions.

“Astronomy” is a gentle and dreamy single that starts very modest but builds up to a beautiful apotheosis. The fragility of the start of the song eventually fades away and becomes something powerful. There are so many beautiful nuances in “Astronomy”, which elevates the listening experience.

11. Alex Porat — dimension

Canadian treasure Alex Porat started her career by posting covers on YouTube, but her desire to conquer the charts with her own songs was already there from the start. Over the past few years, she has released two EPs, but 2021 can be named an important turning point in her young career.

“dimension” is doing honor to its name because the song really adds a new dimension to her usual sound. The bassline is incredibly catchy and will stay in your head for the rest of the week, but the sultry vocals are the absolute icing on the cake.

Pictures by patryderr (Alex Porat) and Ferry van der Nat (Sylvie Kreusch)

Co-written by Mira Van Lierop