Tove Lo – Sunshine Kitty (Stockholm, Sweden)
Whether you've heard of Tove Lo from her Top 40 hits or her unabashedly explicit pop, it's undeniable how satisfying her grounded and uncensored brand of pop feels. So while she mixes dark radio pop with often radio-unfriendly subject-matter, Tove Lo proves that telling a real story is much more important. Rather than serving as a simple breakup anthem through its endlessly addictive pop, "Glad He's Gone" supports friends away from toxic people and creates a warmth in its chords to make this feeling all the more enveloping. Alternatively, in the Latin swing of "Bad as the Boys," Tove Lo reflects on how partners can cut you deeply no matter what gender they are. However it's the reflection on how heartbreak can actually get more difficult with age that really presents the most interesting point of the track. There's an effortlessly intoxicating feeling to "Sweettalk My Heart" too that pushes past all the other seductive qualities of the song, and creates a power ballad that just makes you want to move whether my sheer groove or the sensual subject matter it dissects. True to her best writing, "Really Don't Like You" skewers the darker side of going to parties, as you hear a tale of bitterness, attempts to move on and how easily a mood can be broken all between the synth lines.
Pine – Pine (Ottawa)
While they'd already crafted an album worth of deep and moving alt-pop previously, Pine dive right into something darker on their latest release. With a kind of heavy and wet sound, "Within You" tumbles like an overture, signalling the kind of double-edged emotion to come on the record. That's why it's so satisfying to hear the bright but pained tones of "Lusk" as every glowing chord plays against the more punchy melodies and distortion to create a fierce song. The bass hits hardest on "Sunder" as a kind of post-punk tenacity rips out to counter-play Pine's usually soft tones with power. However it's the more open writing of something like "Maladroit" that allows the group to really hit the hardest, as their already biting verses land into some of the best choruses of the year.
Chastity Belt – Chastity Belt (Seattle, Washington)
There was this indistinguishable charm to Chastity Belt's prior LP that set expectations at a new high for their material. And while this new release isn't the same infectious indie-pop, there' s a new emotional maturity that would've overpowered that anyways. Regardless of any idea of their sound, "Ann's Jam" sees "Chastity Belt" blends a sense of gloom with newfound hope, in an understated mix of hooks that grow brighter as the song itself moves forward. The more low-key energy of the record persists on "Effort," while Chastity Belt's penchant for lush details starts playing out in strings and layers of guitar-work the band only touched on in the past. They do hit a heavyhearted pop stride on "It Takes Time" however, creating a mix of feedback and drum layering that makes you want to dance as much as reflect. They hit one of their rare driving beats however on "Drown," as the band's melancholy seems to truly overtake this album, no matter how many fierce riffs try to shake up the emotion of the piece.
Marie-Clo – Red Flag (Lefaivre/Ottawa)
As a mélange of traditional French-pop, Québecois folk and modern wonder of gritty and smooth production, Marie-Clo holds nothing back on her latest track. "Red Flag" lashes out from the start with a sprawling guitar energy, leaving room all around for creeping noise and synths. With rollicking beats giving a kick and double-down attitude to her unhinged harmonies, the song builds momentum fast and with unforgiving force. And when it releases into its soaring choruses it's really hard to not sing along and get lost in its sense of unbridled passion. Plus, it's really fun to see the duality of bilingualism used in such a triumphant song like this, as much Canadian pop tends to stray away from that kind of language bridging.
Bat For Lashes – Lost Girls (London, U.K.)
As she constantly drifts through genre and era in her writing, Natasha Khan (aka Bat For Lashes) slips into the '80s in her latest work. While this aesthetic is definitely heavily treaded ground these days, Khan's writing is so raw and beautiful that you'll seldom think about it. Neon and a sense of love rings out through the shining synths of "Kids in the Dark," as Khan belts out an them to youth, and pushes that feeling on every end of her compositions. Her dive through more exotic folk music in recent years is instantly noticeable on the hooks abd beats of "Feel For You" as Khan rips into a track that's endlessly danceable but otherworldly at the same time. In the smoke of "Jasmine" the drums and keys tap in to the most of the retro tones, but it's range of vocal dynamics and the overall effects they're laden with that pushes this into a sound all of its own. It's really like Khan stepped into a time machine and flipped on some modern production on "So Good" as you feel like you've been listening to it for years but the energy is all new.
