New Music From The Inbox – Monday Edition! (Sep 19, 2022): STR4TA, Shintaro Sakamoto, Italia 90, and more!
Every week, we’re sent dozens if not hundreds of promotional emails from agents, PR firms, and hopeful artists containing the latest releases from around the world. From the biggest superstars to the ambitious self-starters we comb through it all to highlight to you what we’ve been digging, the tunes that caught our eye, and the recommended selections that make the notifications worth it. This is New Music From The Inbox! (Short on time? Listen to this article in playlist form!)
Artist: STR4TA
Song: ‘Turn Me Around’
Album/EP: STR4TASFEAR
Welcome to the temple of bass. This new-school funk tune goes absolutely wild in the lower register – its melodic, virtuosic bass guitar runs completely and utterly amok amongst syncopated drums, blossoming guileless synths, and a cleansing vocal performance. STR4TA don’t mess around with their liquid groove.
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Artist: Shintaro Sakamoto
Song: ‘One Day’
Album/EP: Like A Fable
An adorably genuine duet, sharply rhythmic chording, and a smattering array of lofi guitar backing makes for a simple and bright tune in ‘One Day’. Shintaro Sakamoto carries a nonchalance and charm reminiscent of Mac DeMarco, albeit with a bit more shiny pep in his DIY step.
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Artist: Italia 90
Song: ‘Leisure Activities’
Album/EP: Living Human Treasure
Voluminously layered instrumentals stack and squeal atop each other in the anxious and amorphous ‘Leisure Activities’. A creeping tension edges onward, eventually crescendoing in a noise rock climax wherein the source of each scream becomes difficult to parse out. Italia 90 really eases you in with the thrumming bass and energetic drums before letting hell, and at some points all melody, loose.
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Artist: The Labrit Project
Song: ‘Way Down’
Album/EP: Single
A grounded and woven roots performance is elevated by Randolph Matthews’ haunting vocals in ‘Way Down’, from his new collaboration The Labrit Project with London-based instrumentalist Muca. The pair’s delivery is meditatively sublime, and unshackles brilliantly in the intense percussive culmination.
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Artist: Tungz
Song: ‘Always’
Album/EP: Single
You don’t want to slap the nostalgic label on any ole tune featuring shimmering keys and punchy drum production, but Tungz beg the question with their self-proclaimed 80s ABBA/synthfunk-inspired ‘Always’. The Bristol band pull it off in mellifluous fashion with their smooth crooning and glittering melodic instrumentals.
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