As artists struggle to make themselves known in a sea of endless scroll, the digital noise continues to echo against screens. But other creators are deciding to come off the treadmill altogether. KING + COUNTRY traded tour buses and for-backstage dressing rooms for a year of grounded family life in their own backyards and discovered a new cadence. That intentional break brought forth their fifth album, studio album, “Slow Drip,” which proved that a break is a better way to fuel creativity than a road burn out.
This dichotomy between overflowing online and the presence-based approach is the prevailing creative atmosphere in the underground and independent circuits. Artists are breaking the mould from Manchester basement trios wielding heavy trip-hop textures to Romanian heavy metal architects and vocal house royalty, favoring their raw, unhurried musicianship.
1. “world on fire” – for KING + COUNTRY
Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone started KING + COUNTRY, which has become one of the most influential modern Christian pop acts of all time, and has won 4 GRAMMY Awards with a huge international fanbase, delivered through funky instrumentation and vocal harmonies.
Built around sweeping orchestral rhythms and an uplifting guest vocal from Taylor Hill, the track merges cinematic pop scale with organic warmth. The brothers are not interested in fads in algorithmic trends, but instead favor wide dynamic ranges, allowing acoustic instruments to breathe with the driving percussion. This book is an intentional step away from the ‘social media fatigue’ to seek out a sense of resistance to a society that is constantly producing content. They opt for themes of everyday wonder over manufactured urgency and thus provide a timeless reminder of resilience.
Score: 7.8 / 10
2. “Raining Stones” – Digging for Kanky
The alternative trio, made up of Ben Powell, Adam Smith and Kat Brown, hails from Middleton, Manchester and is moody and atmospheric, with a style that draws on downtempo, trip-hop and working class British realism.
Opening with a low bass, the track brings the listener into dusty, damp northern streets with a crisp unpolished drum break. The arrangement also samples from Massive Attack and The Streets, with the emphasis on the deep low-end atmosphere and the uneasy guitar textures over the top of it, instead of digital gloss. It resonates with the mental burden of working-class survival, and provides a contrast to the sanitized perfection of digital culture. The band does not prettify or polish its sound; the room acoustics still capture the raw humanity at the heart of the song.
Score: 7.5 / 10
3. “Control” – HVNDS
Originally from Romania, the heavy metal band HVNDS has gradually established itself as a performer with super explosive live shows and genre-blending studio production, mixing modern metalcore riffs with industrial electronics and nu-metal grooves.
The opening of the first song, “Control,” introduces an unexpected liquid drum and bass groove which then drops right into some heavy down-tuned guitar riffs. The lead singer Iustin leads the way, effortlessly shifting between clean melodies to guttural roars in the mix without sacrificing clarity of lyrics. The track is one of a sense of personal culpability and moral responsibility in a world that offers no escape from it, its physical instrumentation standing in stark contrast to any digital showmanship. The production is very clean and well isolated from high gain distortion, allowing every transient to cut through.
Score: 7.6 / 10
4. “Right Here” – Alison Limerick
British vocal house icon Alison Limerick started out with the 1991 club anthem ‘Where Love Lives’, and built a catalogue of soulful vocals and a decade-plus of dance floor impact over many genres.
Limerick’s energy and feel-good UK garage rhythm is complemented by musical director Gordon Hulbert. It’s a production that eschews over compression in favor of bouncy piano chords, warm sub-bass and crisp hi-hats reminiscent of the golden era of 90s club culture. Her singing is easy and powerful, adding a grown-up emotional depth to the upbeat beat. It is a masterclass in the way that the legacy artists can take into consideration current club language and yet remain completely faithful to their roots.
Score: 7.7 / 10
5. “Labyrinth Of Life” – Qymira
Global multimedia artist Qymira is engaged in the preparation for her next action movie LOTUS, which is set to release in 2015, and at the same time is working on the music side of the film.
The track features large scale orchestral arrangements, with crisp electronica beat production, and a spacious backdrop to tell visual stories. As the track moves from themes of destiny and self-discovery, director Pedring Lopez’s accompanying visual changes seamlessly wade from ancient battlefields to a neon-lit cyberpunk cityscape. The vocal delivery on Qymira is solid and highly theatrical, giving the large soundsystem a solid human touch. This is not a typical “pop” song, but rather an introduction to a longer multimedia story.
Score: 7.4 / 10
