Electric Feels: Our fave new electronic tunes this week

Whilst the tail-end of every week is pretty heavy release-wise (ever since the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry switched up the standard release day for albums to Friday in the US), this past week has been particularly loaded. On the album side of things, we got long-awaited release from Bon Iver, Mr. Oizo, BANKS, Tycho, Nicholas Jaar, Machinedrum and GTA, in addition to new singles from Lido, Cashmere Cat, Mura Masa, Big Wild, Set Mo and a tonne of others. Although a long weekend may have given you a little more time than usual to catch up on all the new music dropped (if you’re on the eastern side of Australia, that is), it’s easy to accidently skip over a few things and miss out on some low-key stunning tracks that just quite haven’t got the amount of hype and love behind them than some of the other ones. Lucky for you we’ve got your back, with six underrated tracks released in the storm of last week’s hectic electronic music calendar, including cuts from Louis The Child, PON CHO, Röyksopp and more.

Zeds Dead - Stardust feat. Twin Shadow

I always kick off this article with tracks on the more mellow side of the spectrum and although this week is certainly no different, I would never in a hundred years think that a single by Canadian drum and bass lords Zeds Dead would be chill enough to be in this position at the beginning. Ahead of the release of Northern Lights (their debut album – out October 14th), the renowned two-piece have taken their genre-defying reputation to a new level, surprising with a down-tempo new cut Stardust. Highlighting guest vocals from Dominican outfit Twin Shadow, Stardust is a smooth, expansive piece of work which builds throughout its duration – adding elements of guitar, percussion and synth to the airy vocal melodies as the track pushes on. It’s a real curveball from the duo (as much as I hate that term) that’s really confusing their bass-fiending fans but to be honest it works really well for them, opening the Zeds Dead name to a whole new audience (me included) and showing their artistic and creative maturity as they age as an electronic act. That being said, there’s some large-looking collaborations with NGHTMRE and Diplo on the album (and an interesting collaboration with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo) which should be thrilling enough to please the old fans while they’re at it.

Goldielocks - Liquify

Around three years ago, exciting new potential out of Sydney arrived under the name of Goldielocks, armed with his brooding, gradually-expanding debut EP Breathe. Unfortunately, we haven’t really heard from him since (with the exception of a remix or two and 2014’s pensive single Moonbeam), but this all changed this week as he gears up for his long-awaited posthumous release Luminous. Arriving with its teasing first single Liquify, the EP looks set to continue from where Moonbeam left off, thanks to its lead track which charms with a house-infused, atmospheric production that bounds and leaps above striking synth melodies and percussion. Around the halfway mark the track really switches up, taking on a warmer, more experimental sound that is as equally impressive as the first half.

Kult Kyss - Get Up Boy

Pumping up the energy here comes a new electronic duo out of Melbourne producing under the name of Kult Kyss. Their debut single Get Up Boy manages to pack a serious punch with some incredible, futuristic sounds, influenced by ‘the strange beauty of augmented reality’ which they really grasp to create a unique, progressive sound and design. By uniting echoing vocals with a driving, genre-defying production that merges ambient synth with 4x4 bass kicks, Kuly Kyss creates a sound that combines the sound of Booka Shade with the sound design and maturity of electronic acts like Bonobo and early Machinedrum. There’s a few tweaking points needed here and there to make Get Up Boy that little bit more perfect but considering it’s the first single from a newly-arriving duo it’s pretty darn impressive and hey, perfect is overrated anyway.

Röyksopp - Never Ever feat. Susanne Sundfør

Scandinavia seems to have a knack for creating A-grade electro-pop acts, especially when it comes down to The Knife and their little synth-pop siblings Röyksopp. Across the past 16 years, the Norwegian electronic duo have gifted us with seven albums (including 2014’s collaboration album with fellow Scandinavian pop princess Robyn), but they’re not quite done yet, launching their eighth venture with Never Ever, a new track that arrived last month with frequent live and studio collaborator Susanne Sundfør. Covering their classic synth-soaked sounds with a more commercial shading, Röyksopp create a track reminiscent of a radio-friendly Daft Punk (say Random Access Memories, but slightly more retro) that is oozing with energetic fun. The comparisons don’t stop there, with the recently-dropped video clip which even featuring a helmet-wearing musician jamming out on an old synthesizer over some trippy, colourful visuals. Let’s just hope some new work allows the duo to resurrect their world-renowned live shows, which we were lucky enough to score at Big Day Out a few years back.

PON CHO - Frozen feat. Paige IV

Arriving through EMI Music’s new collaboration label Night High Records, Thundamentals producer PON CHO is promising to be one of 2016’s newest rising stars, flying out of the gates with his ripping debut Lonely Walls a few months back. His newest track Frozen sees him re-link with L D R U collaborator and star vocalist Paige IV for an exciting new track, which is luckily not a future-bass re-do of the Disney musical’s soundtrack (which the name could possibly suggest) but instead a synth-dominated triumphant belter that’ll have you screaming at the top of your lungs in your bedroom. Whilst the whole track is pretty grand, the combination of PON CHO and Paige IV shines in the chorus, where Paige’s soaring vocal line is met with an equally captivating beat, blending walls of synth with subtle vocal cuts and quick-firing percussion. It’s a big call, especially so early on, but I truly think PON CHO is an act destined to be one of 2017’s best, but only time will tell.

Louis The Child - Fire feat. Evalyn

From one of 2017's forecasted bests to one of 2016's greatest success stories, Chicagoan duo Louis The Child have hit us time and time again with stellar originals, really boosting off last year with the K. Flay-featuring It’s Strange. Since, they’ve performed everywhere from Coachella to Lollapalooza, linked with acts like Icona Pop and Miike Snow for originals and remixes and hosted tracks on OWSLA but they’re nowhere near done yet. Their newest track Fire sports some similar vibes to their previous work, but it still manages to get the job done easily, combining the empowering guest vocals of Evalyn with a percussion-built beat, which implodes just after the one-minute mark for a simple, yet effective future-bass breakdown. Tipped by Whethan as one of his favourite acts in his feature with us earlier this year, Louis The Child certainly have some work to do to reach the top, but they’re definitely en route. Let’s hope 2017 brings some new stuff from the boys and hopefully, an Australian tour whilst they’re still red-hot.

Related:

Electric Feels #14

Electric Feels #13