Eeek – Los Angeles’ Kotomi doesn’t want to do a solo, she just wants to be John and Yoko. Pure gold, this track taken from her debut Over Our Heads that just came out. Kotomi might ring a bell, lending her vocals and production skills more than once to fellow super-producer Germany Germany. Now, this track below, Vocode You really is just that. And over the course of the six tracks on her debut album, Kotomi effortlessly shows off a whole range of her talents. From the piano-driven synth ballad to the an almost indie-pop’ish 80s love song. Over Our Heads is out for free and with lines like that Yoko one a release you shouldn’t miss, grab it.
Summer is heeeeere – and Swedish American uber-duo FEWS dropped another hot one. The Zoo is all about those hot summer nights when the sun went down but the heat remains and it’s pressing right in your face. Grab a cold Cider but not the sweet one and hit play.
This one is massive. Champions League surfaced on Team Poule’s radar some time last year and the Parisian duo has been a constant source of rising heart rates since. They were nice enough to share their excellent song Ebiza for the 12th compilation of this website, still up for grabs here. So now, time has come, the duo released their debut EP also titled Ebiza last week via 25 Years and Running. And oh my, four songs that just make you want to dance slash give you this feeling that only walking down Pigalle with a drink in your hand manages to achieve.
Flaco, This Could Be Real, Ebiza and My Hero are easily among the best songs that crossed Team Poule’s headquarters this year. Attached below is Flaco, the tropical opener. Get the EP on vinyl, limited edition.
Now this one has been a constant in Team Poule’s personal playlist for a long time. Berlin’s three-piece JYLDA released a fantastic EP earlier this year, a beautiful mix of sort of 80s electro and modern dream pop topped with strong vocals. Attached is Brainchild, the melodic opener of their self-titled debut EP, one of their quieter songs. Hard picking one out of the five, as they really work well with each other. The EP is out on bandcamp.
Happiness in three minutes and forty seconds is this synth-loaded banger by Copenhagen’s Night Sports. The Danish pop machine is trying to be marketed as the “demonic Rick Astley” but Team Poule feels like this is a bit more sizzling that good ol’ Rick. Also Night Sports aka Caspar used to play in an ensemble that supported The Drums on gigs across the old continent, so maybe this is more like a demonic Jonathan Pierce kind of thing. Attached is Substance, the first of a few singles to follow. Proper.
This guy, My Heart The Brave just released one of the best debuts that crossed our little desks here at Poule d’Or headquarters this year slash ever. And we had been warned. My Heart The Brave, the solo project of Copenhagen-native Caspar, had already shared a brilliant electro pop banger titled Keep Me From It for the 12th Poule d’Or compilation back in January, but this great self-titled six-track-EP is from beyond, from a different place. A 30-minute beauty, produced to perfection. Because on top of being great electronic pop with [tweetable alt=”@myheartthebrave: piano-leads that are miles deep and drum lines that put a smile on your face, via @pouledor”]piano-leads that are miles deep and drum lines that put a smile on your face[/tweetable], it sounds absolutely fantastic.
This is no coincidence of course, Caspar spent most of his time in the studio with other bands, producing, mixing, mastering with The Eclectic Moniker, Hymns from Nineveh and Jetsi Kain just to drop a few names. The hours obviously led to a very fine set of ears and a clear sense of beat. His debut really sounds unlike anything else.
Exhibit A, the track Meditation Two off his debut is attached below. Glad that Caspar had a few moments to sit down, digitally, with Team Poule and tell us a little bit more about My Heart The Brave, long nights in the studio and his gig at Roskilde Rising, tomorrow July 1st.
Where are you right now?
At home, staying up waay too late as usual!
Having mostly produced and mixed for other bands in the past, what made you want to change sides, sort of?
I’ve made music since I was a child, but there were a number of years where I was focused on my education as a classical pianist, and didn’t really take an interest to writing music myself. Both things, I find, really need your full attention. When I wanted to get back into doing my own stuff, I sort of stumbled into producing and mixing for others by chance, and since then, people kept asking. I’ve had a lot of great experiences working with bands and continue to enjoy it. But it sort of feels like a return to something that I’ve always done for as long as I can remember.
