ArPlayggio: From Déjà-Vu Soul To Psyberpunk Crunk, Here Are Your Tracks Of The Month
Introducing ArPlayggio. You ready for some new music? (Credit: Various sources)
It’s time to push play on new releases from the Singaporean music scene – welcome to ArPlayggio. Rounding up this month, we have singles that delve on the mystery of déjà vu, lurk in the shadows of industrial electronica, and even explore a ‘psyberpunk’ metropolis in a not-so-distant future. This is a track attack that’s ready to strike.
Muto has dropped a new album (Credit: Muto’s Bandcamp page)
Muto – Slither
Muto Masashi flaunts an industrial temperament in his latest string of productions, fresh off his Maniac Noise EP out on Jakarta’s Akamady Records. “Slither” contrasts with the warmth of his selections as an Ice Cream Sundays resident DJ, offering a texture that’s desolate and sinister while still luring with its mechanical, austere groove of snapping snares and nailing hats. Still, glimmers of radiance pierce through the bleakness via electronic hums that ebb and flow.
aeriqah’s new debut album was produced by Tim De Cotta (Credit: Sameh Wahba)
aeriqah – Déjà Vu
The illusive mystery of déjà vu – trying to put your finger on a sensation that feels fleeting yet familiar. Soulful singer-songwriter, aeriqah, addresses this phenomenon in the focus track of her debut album, All We Have. The intimate and sparse arrangement, produced by Tim De Cotta, mirrors the vague transience of the composition’s title, leaving ample space for aeriqah’s mellifluous vocals to spin her captivating tale. She treads carefully while manoeuvring through her thoughts, adamant about not bursting the bubble of this wondrous yet unexplainable emotion.
Feez. has been releasing material via HVT Entertainment, affiliated with Zendyll (Credit: @cptzharf)
Feez. – Tipu Lagi
The fame-destined r&b artiste goes retro in this bilingual release. Feez. conveys the grim woes of being taken for granted in this piece that’s dripping in nostalgia – think ’80s echoing snares and funk-hued bass licks – first conceptualised by Feez. and Dan Rafaael and subsequently refined by RIIDEM and PravOnTheLoose. The powerhouse vocalist sounds in peak form here as well, mirroring the professional standards of contemporary pop acts like The Weeknd and Chris Brown.
There’s another Shye EP on the way (Credit: Shye)
Shye – walk away
Despite sky-rocketing towards household name status, Shye still retains the no-frills nature of her bedroom pop sound. She brandishes this DIY aesthetic with a wispy indie-pop bop constructed with bulbous basslines and muted guitar trails, while highlighting her filter-coated vocals that touch on the courage to cut off negative relationships. “walk away” tip-toes towards the release of her upcoming EP, idk it’s complicated.
O$P$ tease their Geylang Crunk animated music film album (Credit: O$P$)
O$P$ Feat. Zadon – 不跟流行 (AKA Don't Follow Trends)
The Geylang Crunk vision continues to evolve like a beast untethered. An offered glimpse from the radical duo of O$P$ – also part of Metamo Industries – “不跟流行” is part of the upcoming Geylang Crunk immersive album that forms the ‘psyberpunk’ soundtrack of a virtual reality metropolis dubbed Neo-Santana in the year 2065. Along with the incendiary, bilingual, verbal deluge of rapper, Zadon, the single exudes a tough-as-nails demeanour with its urban-splashed beats and strident, sci-fi synths.
MYRNE goes mellow this time around (Credit: Jared Rezel
MYRNE – Secrets
Singapore’s renowned electronic export cooks up another floor sizzler. On the Astralwerks-released “Secrets”, the polished producer opts for a deeper approach for its sound palette, painting a serene sonic vista with cruising beats, forlorn falsetto vocals and a soothing, stuttering synth hook that soars. A tender yet mighty drop from MYRNE.
Xingfoo&Roy recently threw a launch show for their new album (Credit: Vivien Koh)
Xingfoo&Roy – “Nervous Laughter”
Never underestimate the impact of a three-piece unit like Xingoo&Roy. The emo-inclined trio work with what they have to produce a rambunctious gush of adrenaline that’s wild enough to summon a storm. Off their new Green Around the Gills album, “Nervous Laughter” gets the last laugh with anthemic gang yells, nimble guitarwork and beefy drumwork; a sound recipe for fist-raising mayhem with an abundance of heart.
