Zella Day is triumphant on “East of Eden”, the follow-up single to break-out “Sweet Ophelia”. The airtight hooks and construction of “EOE” place a perfect matrix around Zella’s star-level vocal performance that ably maneuvers been varying levels dynamics and punch. “East of Eden” is excerpted from Zella’s upcoming self-titled debut EP on our B3SCI Records.
Zella Day 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Nobody beats Stimson. The stylistically adventurous Dallas-based singer latest confection is the synth-pop/soul hybrid “Sugar”. Heavy at the start but chewy and delectable in its R&B-driven chorus middle, “Sugar” finds Mr. Stimson unrelenting in his consistency of delivering the highest quality goods.
Johnny Stimson (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
New favorite Nao teams with A.K. Paul (yes, brother of Jai Paul) for the buzzblog wheelhouse (and quite strong) sound of “So Good”. Taste that Zeitgeist, mmmmmmm.
Nao 
: (Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.5
Brooklyn band Salt Cathedral do well to blend current trends in dance music (including R&B-infused beats and heavy use of syncopated vocal samples) with an indie pop melodic sensibility on the very good “Tease”.
Salt Cathedral 
Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.3
Wildcat! Wildcat! impress on maybe their best single to date with the indie pop perfect “Hero”. Taken from the band’s August-due LP No Moon At All finds the band adeptly pushing their sound into a more spacious, broader frame while maintaining the strong pop songwriting that W!W! have earned their bread on. Spin “Hero” below.
Wildcat! Wildcat! 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
The Great Jessie makes her return with “Tough Love”. Ware, who broke-out in 2012 on the strength of her top-to-bottom strong Devotion LP, maneuvers in a bit less direct space on “Tough Love”. While the impact of Jessie’s great diction and visceral quality is still very much at the forefront with the new song, “Tough Love” the minimal vocal + beats approach from LP 1 is less at the fore. We like the slight turn in sound and are of course excited for what is next in new material from Jessie Ware. “Tough Love” is out August 3rd on PMR.
Jessie Ware 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Bora York, a new husband/wife duo out of the Twin Cities, ably compete in the genre of “impeccably crafted female-led indie pop” with the electric & hook-laden “Let Loose”. Do not sleep.
Bora York 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.5
Turn First-signed artist Laurel (the label also home to Iggy Azalea, Dan Croll & Jack Garratt), is tremendous on newest single “Shells”. The first track since her To The Hills EP release in April, “Shells” the track has its genesis in an acoustic-driven track written when the now 19-year old was 17. Buoyed up by subtle strings and a best of current UK bass beat, “Shells” stands out as a superior effort from Laurel.
Laurel (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
NY-based newcomer EVVY makes her B3SCI debut with the impressive pop of “Got Me Movin”. The follow-up to the great “Haze” and produced by Mickey Valen (AYER, Noosa) & The King, “Got Me Movin” is built on a rudder of airtight hip hop beats and is bolstered by instant & infectious summery synth textures and melodic pop hooks. Enjoy the B3 Premiere of the excellent “Got Me Moving” and look for a new single from EVVY coming in two weeks called “Collide”.
EVVY (Official) (Facebook) (Twitter)
Rating 8.0
“The Big Unknown” is the second track from hotly tipped rhythm pop act Elder Island upcoming self-titled debut EP. Relevant to 2014 in sound while still maintaining a mainly singular style, “The Big Unknown” is a nicely executed combination of genres within the context of an A+ tune. July 28 is the date to know for the Elder Island EP on Four Thieves Records.
Elder Island : (Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.5
The impressive Phoria follow up the great “Undone” with another superlative track with the ethereal and obtuse (and no spaces) “Efforttobreathe”. Phoria’s “Display” EP is out now on X Novo.
Phoria (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
The great DC twosome GEMS continue to keep their output quality at a very high level on new single “Scars”. A bit more direct both melodically and thematically, and operating in a space somewhat more terrestrial (much of the band previous output is quite dreamy), “Scars” succeeds on a number of levels – but maybe most importantly it reveals a band able to jump styles while keeping the writing caliber high. <3 U GEMS.
GEMS 
(Official)
Rating 8.4
