“They Kill” was the first single off Asbest’s first ever album, “Driven“. This Basel-based trio is fronted by singer and guitarist Robyn Trachsel, with Judith Breitinger on bass and Jonas Häne on drums, and what they managed to do was to completely blend post-punk, noise, metal, stoner, post-rock, riot grrrl and we could go on and on like that. Just turn the volume up and enjoy.
While the folk-rock group Black Sea Dahu had quite a hit back in the summer with the single “In Case I Fall for You” (and deservedly so), this one came out just closer the end of 2018 and has this natural beauty that asks rather than fights for your attention. Both songs come off the very new album of Janine Cathrein’s project, called “White Creatures“.
Now there’s no other band like this duo made up of Cyril Y and Cyril B, who mix anything from psych to folk to jazz to spiritural mantras. Their new album is called “Certaine Ruines” and it could be the most mesmerizing thing that came out last year in this part of the world. If you dare meet them face to face, they’re currently touring France and Switzerland.
Cyril Cyril on Facebook, Soundcloud.
Emilie Zoé is a singer-songwriter from Laussane, and late last year she released an incredible, and a very dark album called “The Very Start“. It starts with this intimate yet powerful song and stays like that for the next 35 minutes, accompanied by her drummer Nicolas Pittet. One of the very highlights of 2018.
If the next Bond movie was set in space, this pop banger could be a perfect theme song. With a sci-fi video and powerful chorus, “Supernova” does live up to the title keeping the suspense throughout its three minutes. And that’s just one of the highlights of IKAN HYU’s latest 7-track called “Zebra“. Check it out!
“I don’t need a dick to be a tech-head,” she declares right in the first verse and stays like that for the next five minutes: blatant and unpredictable. When you might thing you have almost taken hold of the song, she switches to Korean language, and then to Chinese, and then back to English. And the music follows this rollercoaster. “There’s music in my head,” she’ll explain later on, “Gotta do what it says”.
With his second album “Lucky Guy“, LTJ actually gave us a whole package of great singer-songwriting, so take this one just as the first taste – his other video “Stay A Little Longer” might be the second. And then you might think about seeing him live as this kind of music works best face-to-face. While he’s actually on the road with this new material, you can also see him live mid-March at the M4Music festival in Zurich, along with a couple of other artists from this list.
They already have a new single/video called “Robert My Robot“, but let’s come back for a moment to this rock monolith that perfectly shows what they mean by calling themselves “synthetic science fiction sound worlds with analogue raging textures”. If you like this kind of tension-release-tension – sometimes without release in between – be sure to check out their new album.
Lord Kesseli & the Drums on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, www.
If Naomi Lareine’s upcoming debut album is one of the most-awaited premieres in Swiss pop right now, that’s thanks to the pair of singles she released last year. First came “Sweet Latina“, back in March, and just a few weeks ago this powerful follow-up. Soulful and fun, it gives another reason to wait for the spring when the EP/LP is expected.
If you take a look at her Soundcloud channel, you’ll see something’s been going on there for four years already. But this official debut single from neo-soul singer Priya Ragu came out only late 2018. This Zürich-based artist with Sri-Lankan roots promises to follow up with a debut album soon, but meanwhile, let’s “Leaf High”.
Priya Ragu on Soundcloud, Instagram, Facebook.
There’s a reason this lively single came out right in the middle of summer, but “We’ll Be Fine” might be even more useful now to give us some hope during short, cold days. For this song, sisters Jasmina and Nabyla Serag, Melvyn Buss and Arci Friede wanted to combine “organic summer melodies” with “reggae guitar licks, Eastern flutes and cosmically minded lyrics – told from the perspective of one of the group’s ex-partners”.
Sirens Of Lesbos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud.
If the duo’s music wasn’t captivating enough, Nora Steiner and Madlaina Pollina also wanted to have your eyes with this video featuring a solo performance of Aiyana De Vree. Funnily enough, it comes from the band’s new album called “Cheers“, released by the invaluable Glitterhouse Records. And if you’d like to see them live (which you should), they’re actually still touring with this new LP. Oh, and there’s quite a follow-up to this video.
Producer Tatum Rush has a whole new EP our there called “Mini Girls“, but “Bahiana”, with the guest appearance Nancy Deleuze, might be the one that will shake you up. Even before you see the video, which was inspired by a religious ceremony they both experienced in Brazil, when “men and women all dressed in white walk into the sea offering roses, champagne and cigarettes to the Goddess of the Sea, begging for her protection”.
Synth/electronic pop duo of Katerina Stoykova and Angelo Repetto, Wolfman came back with a new album “Mad Woman” a few months ago, and it might be the most laid-back release of 2018. Their warm production and airly vocals are well represented in “Heat”, a single which came out right at the end of summer to help us save some of its warmth. And there’s something strangely captivating in the video as well.
Wolfman on Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, www.