It’s HAIM, so you know it’s awesome. The sultry layered pop of “Falling”, which was produced by the hot hand of Ariel Rechtshaid (he co-produced Usher’s “Climax”, Alex Clare’s The Lateness of the Hour, Sky Ferreira’s “Everything Is Embarrassing”, etc) is the title track on the LA-based band’s forthcoming EP of the same name. Consider us in love.
HAIM 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Brooklyn via our home state of Ohio (Cincinnati) five piece Wild Leaves earn high marks for their ably executed folk pop on new track “Wind & Rain”. The perfect for a Sunday evening slow dance “Wind & Rain” is excerpted from Wild Leaves’ debut EP which you can pre-order here is set for a March 26th release.
Wild Leaves – Wind & RainWild Leaves 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Flume’s victory lap (our man already went to #1 in his native Australia) in the rest of the anglophonic world begins February 18th in the UK when his fantastic debut sees a release through Trangressive (The LP will be released in the U.S. on Mom & Pop the next day). The standout “Left Alone” gets an effective, floor-of-the-club friendly (and no less alluring) remix from UK producer Bobby Tank.
Bobby Tank 
(Facebook)
Flume 
(Facebook) (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
Deptford Goth is a solo project from British born Daniel Woolhouse. “UNION” is a dreamy, electronic track. It’s reminiscent of a more opulent “Holy Other” with a heavy base line that floats beneath ethereal synths. Woolhouse’s lyrics are powerful under the equally powerful music. The lyrics are oddly feel-good and sad all at once: “Making up, lovers on their own tonight, need to see how it’s done so I can change inside.” The song evokes a certain feeling of longing, a nostalgia so to speak, as the verse “I belong with everyone, everyone I’ve ever known.” echoes repeatedly through the song.
A full length album, Life After Defo, is scheduled to be released March 18th. How exciting is that?! By Phoebe Anne Severin
Depford Goth 
: (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
D.C. band on the rapid rise Brett (“Kate Moss” and “Confidence”) lace up a 90’s synth music-infused (we’re picturing Ross from Friends doing a nod w/ his Walkman) pop montage on “Visions”. The new track is part of the Rap Songs x Visions EP out on iTunes and Beatport via dFm February 26th. The EP will also include a remix of “Rap Songs” by Them Jeans. Be sure to keep on eye out for Brett performing in the D.C. area as well as in Austin this year during SXSW.
Rating 8.5
Suicide Squeeze artist Julianna Barwick steps into a more ambient piano-driven lane with return track “Pacing”. The combination of Barwick’s own looped vocal, the swirling synth atmospheres, and the track’s simple repeated piano lead create a sonic envelope/wave/coil that is both infinitely dense and infinitely sublime. “Pacing” is the A-side to an upcoming 7″ due March 5th on the aforementioned Suicide Squeeze.
Julianna Barwick (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Sky Ferreira’s smash “Everything Is Embarrasing” has conquered iPods & Spotify playlists the world over, from your sister, to your brother, to your mom and grandma, everybody’s can find everything to be a little embarrassing at times. UK producer MK gets tapped for the official remix; taking the original on a smoothly sultry trip to the late night Tropics (a pretty cool place to go, we must say).
DJ MK (Twitter)
Rating 8.0426594
Late last year, we first clued you into to the beautifully ethereal pop sounds of Lovelier Other and their track “Leave This Behind”. While new track “Hidden Shelters” isn’t quite as immediately accessible as “Leave This Behind”, the new track is no less (if not more) beautiful. Many many lesser artists have tried to take the magic transportive soundscapes of bands like Sigur Ros (really there’s no “like” in this description, as there’s really nobody like them) and apply more traditional pop song structures to them with varying (usually tedious) results. Lovelier Other’s music is a truly outstanding realization of a long sought for sound that deserves your attention. Spin “Hidden Shelters” below.
Lovelier Other 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1020324
UK upstart John Newman, whom you may recognize from his recent hit collaborations with electronic act Rudimental, brings his soul-driven vocal stylings and expert songwriting skills (our man co-wrote both Rudimental hit tracks “Feel the Love” and “Not Giving In”) on the very good visceral pop of “Try”. Is “Try” the stuff of a Alex Clare-esque breakout for John Newman? Stay tuned.
John Newman – Try (Demo Version)John Newman (Facebook)
Rating 8.0
The Stockholm-based Josefina Sanner delivers a “Swedish surprise” with the exceptional pop track, “Do You Remember”. Outfitted chorus to verse with the sharpest hooks and crispest melodies, (and a cool guitar figure throughout much of the track that’ll feel like you’re in the middle of some sort of really cool Nordic sled race scene) “Do You Remember” is built for maximum quality and re-listenability. Already a critical darling in Sweden, Sanner is set to release more English language song this year and it’s not unreasonable to think she’ll conquer that linguistic sphere as well.
Josefina Sanner – Do You RememberJosefina Sanner 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Aussie exports Them Swoops connect the stellar melodic dots with second single “Too Fast For Love”. The order for the track is choice indie rock melody, choice indie rock melody, and more choice indie rock melody, as the Oz band fires tuneful salvo after tuneful salvo on “Too Fast For Love”. If you’re in Australia (or just visiting!), look out for the band to be touring the country later this month.
Them Swoops (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
SF garage kids Burnt Ones drop off an ace bit of fuzz pop on “Fountain of Youth”, which is sampled here from the band’s forthcoming sophomore LP You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Burnt Ones (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
