Song reviews

Locking it to the loop again are Thandii but the wistful femininity of the vocals neatly counterpoints the sterility of the rhythm track and duly turns their song “Tides” into something deeper, darker yet still coffee shop friendly.

“Take My Soul” is the kind of song that seems possessed by a moody mysticism with the understated approach taken by Pinero|Serene exerting a greater control of your attention than you might otherwise have expected.

Sounding like a throwback to the better times at the end of the urban funk era does Rhymes no harm at all and, with the polished sensuality of Summer Dennis stealing hearts out front, their song “Storm” makes for a tasty musical snack.

Giving those old analogue synth sounds another spin round the block are Cutrone with their song “Summerland” exuding both the eighties post-romantic vibe and stylised laconicism. It might well be bleak, but the song is not without a certain poetic appeal.

Taking their song “Wrong Hands” for a walk on the wistful side of the street are Norwegian band Secret Treehouse yet there is more to this song than indie pop pretensions as the insistent beat easily takes the pretty female vocals all the way to the bridge.

Old school in a good way, Plants show himself to be more than capable of infusing his song “Fervent Demise” with such good old fashioned attributes like hook and melody. Throw in a guitar solo – as he does – and it’s FM radio all the way.

Looping the retro vibe in with copious amounts of modern technology works out pretty well for Pink Roses and their song “Westside” manages to hold their low key mood in gear all the way until the sand fades into the sunset.

There is always room in my playlist for more Nordic electropop and Fushia justify their place by squeezing in enough ironic reflections from modern music to make “Gold” wryly amusing in an anti-fashion statement kind of way.

The Dollyrots might well be haunted by the ghosts of pop punk yet does that really matter when they give us a song so energetic and upbeat as “In Your Face”? Not really, for this is song that will make the sun shine. Trust me on that.

Style is something that comes easily to pretty Parisian electro popsters Niki Niki and, with musical minimalism and wistful female vocals added to the mix, “Pretty Sunny Funny Walk” quickly becomes the coolest song you’ve heard this week.

Locked to the electropop beat with a determination that transcends the trend, “Like U” provides Sweden’s Hannah Smallbone with a suitable platform to highlight her sharp edged lyrics whilst ticking the style boxes necessary for airplay.

You can’t go far wrong with an upbeat pop song. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it. No surprise, therefore, that “I Just Think You’re Cute” by Australian band Scarlet Drive is a song that makes my day. I feel the need to sing along and so will you.