Approximately 20 percent of the world’s population speaks English, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. That pretty much explains why so many international artists opt to drop songs in the English language, either primarily or secondarily, to capitalise on the market share and reach more potential fans.

So when you get an act like Djinn City, hailing from Russia, there’s an expectation that the lyrics might not necessarily be the most emotionally impactful due to the language barriers. As such, you’ll forgive the band’s latest single Now Or Never for not being a work of lyrical genius in the English tongue.

However, Djinn City is an example of a band that knows the importance of powerful instrumentation and rhythms in swaying international audiences. Now Or Never’s indie vibe is underpinned by a sun-kissed, cheerful indie guitar riff that is almost 90s baggy (think: first album Blur, Charlatans, Soup Dragons) in its euphoric pleasure. The guitar tone is flawless, blending late night euphoria with chilled out bliss for a sound that truly makes an impact.

But this is part of what makes Djinn City’s song so special. This riff is inspired by the pentatonic guitar style popular in Russian Tatar music, which means that this riff of cultural homage inevitably incites cultural appreciation from international listeners. It wouldn’t be surprising if those who heard the infectious riff didn’t subsequently embark on a journey of discovery into the wider Tatar scene. And the single is rich in other cultural references too.

The song closes out with a non-English closing refrain delivered by Russian indie outfit Harajiev Smokes Virginia!, and even the single’s artwork is based on a traditional Tatar instrument. These small inclusions make an otherwise simply enjoyable indie track into one of deep cultural significance, and one worth listening to.

Hudson Taylor has a way of turning the indie-folk genre into a rousing source of heart-warming inspiration and spirit-lifting elation. It’s always been what has made the duo stand out in a saturated scene, and it’s what makes new single Run With Me such a captivating listen.

It’s a much more straightforward affair than we’ve seen from the boys in the past, with everything from the instrumentation and vocal refrains to the peak-trough song style feeling a little bit “as standard”.

Then again, the folk-inspired genre isn’t known for its musical ingenuity as much as its lyrical impact, which is what Hudson Taylor nails on the single. An uplifting, us-against-the-world narrative supercharges musical lifts to make for an anthem in the waiting.

If you’re not yet familiar with Benjamin Jaffe as a solo artist, you might have come across him as one half of folk/americana outfit HoneyHoney, the band that frequents TBS show The Guest Book.

As it turns out, when not in HoneyHoney, Jaffe has quite the penchant for indie-alternative. His latest offering, upcoming single Blooming, showcases this perfectly. While shades of americana do shine through in the mix, the single itself stands more as a five-minute sprawling indie masterclass than anything else. In fact, it’s so well crafted that none would believe that Jaffe hasn’t been active in the indie scene for much of the past decade.

Part of the power of the track is that every line of instrumentation, whether it is the constant march of the drum section or the ascending plucks and flourishes of the guitar, embraces its own groove. Too often, indie artists rely on the rhythm section to provide every sense of rhythm and motion in a track.

Similarly to the work of fellow indie-alternative figure Mac DeMarco, who is arguably the best comparison for Jaffe’s solo stylings, Blooming draws a sense of rhythm from each insrtument individually and gels it together into a delectable cluster of chaos. In this chaos, we find the heart of what makes Blooming so special – its self-fulfilling coherency and collective beauty.

Benjamin Jaffe’s new single Blooming will be released on October 19, 2017.

It’s amazing what you can achieve in three minutes. Altpop artist Vilde, for example, has just dropped a new single — Stimuli  — that in the space of three minutes has developed a new subgenre.

Termed ‘study dance’, the atmospheric and sophisticated yet warm style is a welcome spin on the often cold and almost alien pop feel of many altpop artists. Inspired by the likes of Radiohead and Wild Beasts, the track makes a strangely successful attempt at combining robotic electronica with human emotion.

By this, we mean that its characterised predominately by glitchy electronica drums, warm washes of synths and a unique vocal style that bleeds emotion. This, along with sudden pauses and shifting tempos, offers something wholly new to the altpop experience. Stimuli truly is the start of something new.

Mile Me Deaf has long been synonymous with elongated psychedelic soundscapes and trippy tracks that are deliriously infectious. While the latter is certainly still true, latest single Voyage showcases the band stepping beyond psychedelia and into the realms of indie-dub.

With that said, the track also revisits a key element of MMD’s sound that was under utilised on recent album Alien Age, which is the outfit’s unique flair for crafting sprawling soundscapes that lull along as if taking listeners on a journey. True to the name, Voyage sees the band capture that feeling again as the track lumbers on with a dub-inspired beat, hazily layered vocal melodies and an infectious vocal-led chorus.

This is a new side to MMD, with the guitars predominately muted throughout and offering up a stripped back take on the band. While this does lead to a handful of moments that would likely be better with big guitar sounds – such as the middle eight suspense that delivers a fizzle rather than a drop – it’s difficult to deny the single’s memorability and effectiveness.

Summer is here again and, chances are, you haven’t got a beach body. And the world of advertisement will never, ever let you forget it. In fact, it’ll actively show you how happy you could be if you looked how you’d like to. It’s a shame, isn’t it?

Well, not quite. Because without that feeling, Courtship would never have penned its infectious new single Perfect People. The track is the perfect uplifting anthem for anybody feeling a bit down on their own imperfections — big or small. Fitted with tropical guitar tones, cheerful whistle hooks and a chorus packed with powerful pop melody perfection, it’s exactly what you need to get you over any negative feelings this summer — and you’ll probably be singing it through to Winter.

Not long ago, The Dream Eaters dropped their most recent album, We Are A Curse. Across the ten sprawling folktronic tracks, it’s pretty easy to overlook a few gems. One that everyone should pay particular attention to, however, is Neanderthals.

The track is a lumbering behemoth of folktronic perfection. Pushed forward on a acoustic driven guitar line with a staccato electronic buzz and tumbling drums in the background, the song is one that inspires singalongs with slow burning build and choir-backed rousing chorus.

Yet what is most interesting about the song is that it puts a brand new spin on the age-old songwriting theme of “us against the world”. With this, the angle is less of the narrator versus the masses but rather the narrator above the masses.

Here, the wider society are the neanderthals – unevolved, unsophisticated and unintelligent. It’s a subtle flip that keeps the song’s onwards march feeling fresh and original.

Support the artist! Buy the song here or purchase the full ten-track album here.

It’s been too long since we last got treated to a new slice of electropop glory from XYLØ. Luckily, the wait has been worth it as new track Alive is an unstoppable electropop juggernaut that is a million miles removed from other offerings.

When we first caught wind of XYLØ, we described the outfit’s single LA Love Song as being doom-laden electropop that channeled Lana Del Rey. Alive is very different. The track pulses with a near-EDM energy and every sound is more optimistic and upbeat, essentially bouncing out of the speakers and into your ears with tropical splendour. And the change is perfection.

The vocals still contain their trademark sound of mild disillusionment and the vocal sampling is still expertly used to strengthen hooks, but this still feels fresh and new. The band seems to have a new lease on life and the future is looking very bright.

Since the first notes of Something New, we’ve been big fans of pop-rock outfit Secret Weapons. However, even by these high standards, the band has just exceeded all expectations with new single Ghost.

Inspired by what the band describes as “a horribly traumatic event we both suffered which left us feeling like ghosts in our own bodies”, the track itself is surprisingly upbeat and funky. Taking all the best of the funk-pop movement that has been prominent in recent years, the band blends it with a bed of lulling electronic sounds, inspiring brass horn hooks and its trademark velvety pop vocals.

It’s utterly infectious to the point of irritation and will undoubtedly leave listeners singing it on repeat until the outfit’s album drops in late 2017. Secret Weapons are back and sounding more free and fun than ever before.

Martin Luke Brown is part of a dying breed of artists that embrace the radio silence. After racking up millions of Spotify plays a few months ago, things pretty much dried up from 21him rather suddenly.

After what feels like an eternity, he has returned to the spotlight with new single Into Yellow, a track that channels Frank Ocean into a personal mission statement. Fans tuning in for the soulful upbeat vibes of old will find none of it here; instead, it feels like Brown has used his time away to realign himself with his own expressionism.

There aren’t any sweeping vocals or stomping rhythms as there would be in a standard track. Brown has decided to make his return quiet and unassumingly personal, preferring to create a sensation of expectation and tension for a moment that never comes. Into Yellow is a track that is all about the build and the journey, inviting listeners along for a climactic voyage to heavenly heights.

The instrumentation might lumber slightly and restrain itself, but Brown’s vocal doesn’t share these limitations. It’s as if Brown has had an epiphany and realised that, while many artists can adopt an upbeat style and energetic pop sounds, few can imitate the power of his vocal deliveries or his command of melody. This is central to Into Yellow’s allure, reminding everyone what exactly it is that makes Brown himself so enticing.