A few weeks ago, Canadian singer-songwriter Haley Blais released "Small Foreign Faction," a single that is so well-crafted both musically and lyrically that it'll definitely put this new artist on your radar. It's a beautiful and intriguing ode to what happens when you take a reflective and honest look at who you are and what you're doing. "I never wanted anything / And I never got it," Haley repeats in the chorus. While these words are sung with ease, we can't help but wonder how Haley feels about these epiphanies. The song evolves musically, starting off with just Haley's voice, an electric guitar and a faint hi-hat, and then slowly builds up a to full band enveloped by synths and harmonies that are so in the pocket. Mixed with both light and heavy thoughts and motifs, Haley makes us realize that it's more than just okay to be exactly where you are right now, and so while "Small Foreign Faction" is a song about Haley, it easily seems like it could be about you or me. 

Swedish-based Greta and Raimond come together for the creative endeavor DUETS AND STUFF, to make indie "music, art, video and so on" (as stated on their Facebook). Their debut single, "Serve Somebody" is sweet and pop-y without being overly saccharine. It's easy, breezy and light, giving just the right amount of brightness to get our senses tingling. If this song is any indication of what's to come, we'll definitely be keeping an eye out for this new Swedish duo.

We're into Helena Deland. So when she released her most recent track, "Take it All", we took a listen without a moment's notice. Darker than her previous productions, Deland gets broody on "Take it All". Minimal, yet haunting beats draw out the mercurial and unforeseeable nature of love. Deland questions how much we give when we fall, and in turn, how much the other person takes. "It isn't easy / it isn't easy," she repeats, her voice descending unpredictably as she comes to these realizations. With such a wide range of talent in just two songs, we're itching to hear more.  

Swedish singer-songwriter Sarah Klang let out a chillingly beautiful single called "Mind" last month. With its slow-tempo and simplicity, the listener is able to enter the dark and lonely world that she creates within her soothingly sultry voice and her melancholy lyrics. "Mind" speaks to the difficulty of constantly having that special someone on your mind and how much harder that becomes when you're loving them from far away. The repetition of the words "He's on mind / He's on mind / All of the time / All of time," create the personal and introspective effect of feeling as if you hear the constant loop of the thoughts of him that play in Sarah's head. Take a listen and see how in the most effortless and humble way, "Mind" bears the make-up of a classic.

“Shift” by electronic artist and producer Henry Green is a sonic plunge into the unknown. With his breathy vocals always on top of a light ambient beat, Green pulls us in and out of the track, keeping us on edge one moment while throwing us over the cliff in the next. It is in this action of falling that he sings about throughout the track where the production truly shines; where the music captures us and holds us in a moment of stasis during the lapse of verse. His debut album Shift comes out March 30, and I expect we will be seeing much more of this Bristol-based artist in the months to come.

A jack of all trades, Benjamin Lazar Davis is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, arranger, composer and producer. In fewer words, Davis is a well-rounded musician. Widely known for being a member of the band Cuddle Magic and for his collaborative albums with other reputable artists, Davis is flying solo with the release of his debut (solo) album, NOTHING MATTERS, set to drop May 4th.

The first single off the album, “A Love Song Seven Ways,” is an indie-pop reverie. A soliloquy of sorts, David paints falling in love as a refuge of hope in a tattered, less-than-ideal world. His voice is soothing and sweet, and makes us feel like all will be okay. 

"Echo," the newest single from French-American dream-pop artist Sydney Wayser aka CLARA-NOVA is one of those songs containing the words that you didn't know you needed to hear. "Echo" speaks to the fact that when past ghosts come back, you must resolve to stay true to yourself and fight. Having her own share of struggles and changes such as moving across the country after experiencing the damage of Hurricane Sandy while also moving away from her roots as a singer-songwriter to a more electronic pop artist, we can believe Sydney knows what she's talking about when she says, "Don't forget who you are / Don't dissolve / Don't deny it." With trippy synths and Wayser's ebbing voice dynamically increasing with each beckon of bravery, "Echo" is the modern day anthem that isn't trying to be in your face, but rather in your head and maybe even your heart.

Nandi Rose Plunkett, known for her rise in electro-pop as Half Waif, has been thinking deeply about the space within learning to love and being alone on her latest single, “Keep It Out”. The first song on her impending release, Lavender, drips with the delicate recognition of the jostling tides of a relationship. Plunkett’s vocal crescendos through a sea of synth waves, pulling in and out of a space that is pushed by the pulse of a rattling drum pad. She sings, “We seek to settle / We make a home / It’s fun for a little / But soon it’s old,” detailing the decay that occurs inside a relationship and ultimately within ourselves. However, the song grows in such a way that resonates a glimmer of promise, almost as if the whole song is aware that the darkness of disrepair will end, and give way to new light.

As the snow builds up around much of the country and winter seems to be never-ending, “Giants” from Sure Sure’s debut self-titled LP, brings us right into the perfect summer day. This infectious single starts off with an inviting guitar and drum riff that leads into this think piece on not taking your time for granted. Though Sure Sure has been around since 2014, this pure L.A. pop group didn’t hit the indie consciousness until the last few years as they received praise from acts like Grizzly Bear and Rostam. The ensemble is currently on their first national tour supporting Hippo Campus and with an album full of indie-pop gems and fun dance tracks, this is one opener you won’t want to miss.

REFS is back at it again with another single, "Bound to Lose." We've come to expect a solo drop from Zachary Lipkins, but we're never sure when, where, or how it will drop; which, (again), makes these releases all the more anticipatory. With "Bound to Lose", REFS dives into the passiveness that's a consequence of our fast-paced, day-to-day lifestyles. The lyrics, "So I would rather feel numb / than think about what we've done / stuck in a broken rocket," capture the detachment present in many of our own interactions — not because we want to be like this, but because it's easier in the moment. And yet, this song still makes us want to get up off the couch and groove. REFS has an artful way of juxtaposing electric beats with down-to-earth lyrics, sneaking in some serious nuggets of knowledge and giving us more than we expected (in just over three minutes).