URCHN - COMPOSURE

From the first 10 seconds of URCHN’s debut single “Composure” I was instantly hooked. Soft muted guitar plucks that drive with a sense of urgency. A nervous percussive shaker sound. A brief flutter that reminds me of a baby dinosaur. My early impression was that I was listening to something I hadn’t quite heard before, and it only gets better as the song continues. Making his debut via Casablanca Sunset, URCHN is the solo project of the Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and producer Max Greenhalgh. Max is also notably recognized for his work as the front man in the indie pop act Inspired & The Sleep amongst other projects and musical outlets. Cinematic in feel, with thought-provoking lyrics sung in a haunting half-falsetto, URCHN quickly weaves a web of contemplative discomfort on “Composure”. The thoughtful blend of organic and electronic sonic elements, syncopated rhythms, and vocal affectation come together to make this track one of the most compelling debuts of 2018 thus far.

THE M MACHINE - TALKING MACHINE (WAVEDASH REMIX)

I've got an explorative genre bending remix here from Austin's WAVEDASH. The trio said that The M Machine's "Metropolis EP" was a huge influence for them (they're definitely not the only ones), and the opportunity to do an official remix was a truly exciting prospect: "Remixing ‘Talking Machine’ has not only been fun and inspiring, but has allowed us to move in a different creative direction than what we have showcased with our previous releases. Thank you to Mad Zoo and The M Machine, we're so thankful to be apart of such an amazing release.” Cinematic, jarring, eccentric, all the while mind blowing. Definitely dive into this one. You can listen on Spotify here. 

[PREMIERE] MIELO X IEUAN - PRETTY WHEN U CRY

Ohh I've got a treat for you here from Chi town's Mielo. The recent Iowa University grad has made a name for himself spinning for big crowds across the midwest, while putting up some massive numbers on Soundcloud with his Porter Robinson remix, and a simply delightful original entitled "Surreal". Well today we're absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to premiere his latest single "Pretty When U Cry". This emotionally charged tune has immediately cinematic beginnings with a phone call intro, but quickly dives into dark, murky, and reverby territory with a droning pad and solemn piano underneath ieuan's haunting vocals. The reflective and questioning lyricism perfectly accents the layers of gritty synth work combined with the chorus' longing synth blips. This song could easily stand alone as a great acoustic track which further enhances its effectiveness as a fully produced piece of art. The white noise stabs at the end jolt us back to reality in what seems like a quick 3 minutes and 54 seconds. I was left breathless and was immediately clamoring to hit play a second time. This relatively new producer has hit an emotional nerve with most of his releases and neatly packs this single in with the rest of his budding catalogue. Be on the look out because we feel this train is on the tracks and is quickly picking up speed. You can also nab this new single as a free download here.