Searing Essentials for a Summer Playlist
KORINE
Memories are oft-punctuated by sensational attachments; the heat of bonfire on a chilled autumn night, fresh baked bread that rises before an ever-withdrawing sun, the color-splashed blooms of an awakening hemisphere - a self-appointed soundtrack burning through the hottest of sun-soaked days.
The following are the songs that have come to mean a lot to me personally as the heat intensifies and the days grow long - solidified as permanent fixtures attached to the memories of an ever-changing world - I want to project my passion for what I enjoy, as loudly as I can.
Night Hour - Glass Spells
The latest effort of California-based Glass Spells offers a sharp dose of their signature “fuzzy bass, piercing synths and dance beats” while carving out a modern sound that permeates and expands as it progresses simultaneously balanced by notes of post-punk and a nod to coldwave. By design, this song will get bodies moving and blood pumping.
No Wait - Korine
Korine’s “No Wait” draws parallels to New Order classics such as Your Silent Face and Ultraviolence while maintaining their unique mashup of post-punk, new wave, and indie electronic progressions. New Arrangements, featuring “No Wait”, begs to be explored, discovered, and replayed in perpetuity - there’s never been a better opportunity to dive in.
Silver Lines - Alexia Charoud
In “Silver Lines”, London-based, French artist Alexia Charoud escorts the listener through an ambient, electronic voyage contrasted against dreamy pop beats, haunting vocals, and visceral lyrics. This synth-laden track is just one of four stops on the journey that is Charoud’s newly released I-Refrain EP.
Undone - Kontravoid
The title track from Kontravoid’s Undone EP is persistent, unwavering, and unapologetic in the pursuit of percussion, while easing the audience through the pleasantly aggressive beats with soft-spoken, melancholic vocals and piercing synths - a peppering of faint static throughout keeps the individual listener from getting too comfortable, but just enough to keep coming back for more.
Medicine - Night Club
“Medicine”, a bit of a modern-classic offering from the 2012 self-titled EP of the prolific electronic duo, Emily Kavanaugh & Mark Brooks of Night Club, is dark, catchy, and a certified earworm. Melodic beats and thick, syrupy synth will get the room moving - the entrancing vocals and captivating lyrics will ensure that movemeant doesn’t cease.
Call it Safe - Canter
Canter’s “Call it Safe” is an atmospheric and melancholic exploration that is reminiscent of classic cold wave sound cues that begins abruptly with a steady flow of soft synths and pads intertwined with evocative, familiar vocal stylings - it ends just as abruptly as it begins and where the ‘repeat’ function comes home.
Young Again - Kraków Loves Adana
Young Again by Krakow Loves Adana, the Hamburg, Germany based duo of Deniz Çiçek & Robert Heitmann begins simply enough, lulling the listener with soft, inviting synths enveloped by the rich vocals of Deniz Çiçek. As Young Again advances, drums and echoing guitars join the swelling cadre of complimentary sounds, resulting in a truly memorable experience that provides a farewell equivalent to its beginning.
New - You Drive
“Time and time again, breath and count to ten” sets the lyrical and musical precedent that follows in You Drive’s “New”. Every beat, every intonation, every lyric is precise and calculated - as each layer of “New” builds, the listener is simultaneously elevated and pulled deeper into its intimate, dreamy clutches.
Widowers - Replicant
Wasting no time, Replicant’s “Widowers,” from A Taste of Midnight, thrusts the listener into reckoning with “our modern dystopia” by way of fierce beats, intense synth, screaming guitar work, and damning lyrics & vocals; truly fitting of this tumultuous and revolutionary age.
Roses - Mareux
Power is often perceived as strong overbearance, but Mareux’s “Roses” is a perfect demonstration of how such force and will can be harnessed in a measured and impactful method. Throughout the course of “Roses” lo-fi exploration, Aryan Ashtiani’s saturnine, yet passionate vocalizations marry harmoniously with the indelible lyrics, all painted on the backdrop of an imperishable bassline flecked with synthy glitter.
Soak up the sun, feel the heat, and let these songs wash over you. Add them to your playlists. Let them become the connection to your fond summer memories.
Learn more & further explore the works of these fantastic artists :
https://glassspells.bandcamp.com
https://alexiacharoud.bandcamp.com
https://kontravoid.bandcamp.com
https://nightclubband.bandcamp.com
https://cantermusic.bandcamp.com
https://krakowlovesadana.bandcamp.com
https://replicantmusic.bandcamp.com
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Kyle Swenson (@cosmicfade) is an avid enthusiast of synth-focused tunes and an editor at ABSYNTH
