The Underground Forest - Volume 32
Welcome to The Underground Forest! This month’s edition features; a song that sounds like an underground hit from the 1990s; a song that could be a dream guide from a surreal A24 movie; a diy song with a luxurious, dreamy shoegaze vibe; a song that sounds like the heavenly pink skies of evening time; a soothing song with 1980s synth pop elements; a song with a dark glamor quality to it and more!
Featuring Party Nails, Magana, Phonseca, Boy Jr, Cole DeGenova, DJ Stepmom, blunnii, Morgana & sacha.
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Dreaming - Magana
Taken from the album DREAMS, we open with a gentle, hypnotic voice asking, “What are you dreaming about?”, which creates the vibe of a surreal A24 movie that is about to sweep you into a pastel, kaleidoscopic dimension.
The warm pads pulsate, the synths shimmer like synapses firing (or machinery blinking, for some reason, it made me think of the shimmering lights of the machinery in the control room in the TV show Maniac).
Dreaming feels alive with imagination; the speaking at the end has the disjointed vibe of dream logic and it works so well; this is magical.
Connect with Magana
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First Responder - Party Nails
Heavenly tape-saturated strings flow at the edges of your ears, the vocals and vocal melody are addictive and captivating.
This has an early 2000s alt-pop vibe to it that I really like (a la Little Boots). My favorite line is “Because I thought that I would die for you/ Now I wouldn’t even tie your shoe” - incredible.
She confides “Without naming names, I was so tired of dropping everything to soothe someone who seemed to always have an emergency. I felt like my loyalty was being taken advantage of. I felt like I needed to take a stand for my own peace. And I wanted there to be a bit of humor in the songwriting as well.”
Connect with Party Nails
Bandcamp / Spotify / Instagram / Website / YouTube
Staring At The Sea - Phonseca
A new release from ambient/electronica/synthpop duo Phonseca, which is comprised of Matthew O’Connor (keys/synth player) and Kristina Sheppard (vocalist).
This is utterly entrancing; opening with gentle, shimmering synths that lull you into a state of hypnotized relaxation; the vocals blend perfectly with electronic backdrop, all blending together to form lush oceanic textures.
Some 1980s synth-pop vibes enter at 00:49, which is a lot of fun.
Connect with Phonseca
Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook / YouTube
I’m Not Pretty - Boy Jr.
Taken from the album I Love Getting Dumped; this new song I’m Not Pretty is a blast of lush shoegaze, with dreamy guitar textures, all of it having a warm analog/lofi quality to it.
The vocals are haunting; this kind of has the quality of an undiscovered LP from a mysterious artist from the 1970s.
Connect with Boy Jr.
Bandcamp / Spotify / Instagram / X / Facebook
Sweet Medicine - Cole DeGenova, DJ Stepmom
This is a lot of fun; analog drum machines with delicious neo-soul/funk vibes, combined with the most mellow, luscious vocals you have heard in your life.
The analog quality of the opening sequence reminds me slightly of Jacob Mann’s Sloth Dream (not in genre, just the vibe), in terms of genre it reminds me slightly of one of my all time favorites, Louis Cole. This is wonderful.
On the track Cole DeGenova says, "The track is a bittersweet ode to the complexities of new love, accompanied by vintage drum machines and warm analog synths. Imagine driving along the Southern Californian coast at sunset with the top rolled down."
Connect with Cole DeGenova
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why do i let you in my head - blunnii
This has a 1990s underground hit vibe to it; and you will become absolutely obsessed with this.
The chorus is an earworm, the layered vocals are mesmerizing. The pads are dark, this feels like it takes place at night time in a crowded city landscape (I could also imagine this in an episode of Daria).
Connect with blunnii
YouTube / Spotify / Instagram
I’ll Cry When I'm Dead - Morgana
The velvet glamor from the artwork weaves its way into the tapestry of the music in this song; the vocals remind me slightly of Imogen Heap, the music hints that it holds a dark secret behind the warm pads and synths, there is an air of mystery at the core of this song, that makes it all the more entrancing.
Connect with Morgana
Spotify / Instagram / X
BROKEN LOVE - sacha
This plays over a pink sunset as the daylight turns to evening; you breathe in the flower scented air around you, as you contemplate life, and remind yourself to be gentler on yourself.
BROKEN LOVE shimmers, it is a song filled with hope. The chorus features some cloud-like, heavenly vocals, this will make you feel so much better and more relaxed.
Connect with sacha
Spotify / Instagram
Spotify Playlist
About Eimear O Sullivan
Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)
Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com
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