#riiki

LUMP, aka Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay, have shared new cut 'Climb Every Wall' as a second taster of their upcoming album Animal. 'Climb Every Wall' follows LUMP's title-track 'Animal' that arrived last month, and is accompanied by a video shot and edited by Tamsin Topolski and Mora Laming. [via Line Of Best Fit]

Danish-Welsh pop star Drew Sycamore has released her long-awaited second studio album, Sycamore. Speaking of the lead single, ‘Jungle’, Drew Sycamore says: “'Jungle' is made under a violet sky where I found myself in a particularly melancholy nostalgic mood. I was in love and not in love at the same time and everything felt so overwhelming. Life has a funny way of sorting itself out and I guess the emotion that came out in ‘Jungle’ was this feeling of a backwards fall of a cliff into the deep sea. I had to just float and surrender to things unfolding by themselves.” Created with the young, talented director, Andreas Landgaard, Drew Sycamore cloned herself to make a story of self-love. Drew explains: “I went to the lab with Andreas and created the embryos so we could grow them ready for shooting the video. Luckily they all behaved on set. Who knows, if I am in fact the original Drewor if I am just an oblivious clone? Ha! I did however love Andreas’ idea of creating a visual context of what self-love could look like and he insisted that it was pure. But I often find my own rendition being of a more self-preserving nature –the pure and naive life as well as the greedy and manipulating. The more I run from who I am the more I become exactly what I’m running from. But I am many different aspects and personalities and accepting all of them for what they are and loving them instead of kicking them and gagging them makes me feellike I am in a forward motion and in the end shedding the old and going into the new. Make sense? Love is love and love is also letting go of the past.”

Laced with a sultry saxophone line, the jazz-infused single from San Francisco’s Samantha Margret is a dreamy pop single. It’s a playful single that combines old school with modern to create a slice of sophisticated jazz-pop. Margret’s vocals are elegantly layered upon the almost-seductive soundscape, with each spoken word communicating power. Showcasing old Hollywood glamour, Margret’s ode to the roaring 20s sees her dazzle in a glimmering world of empowerment. Underscored with a key message that you can find joy within yourself, the single reminds us that we are in fact the party and builds a visual around that “party for one” concept that we all so love. “This video was my first time working with another woman on set. Exxy is a friend of mine and a super talented artist and director. She focused on getting me into the right vibe instead of the right pose. I’m a music maker, and, usually, video shoots are uncomfortable for me. Play trigger pad and sing on stage? Sure! But, lip-sync in front of a camera? No thanks. Exxy’s creative vision made the video feel like art instead of content though. Plus, I got to make all those mannequins out of paper maché in my mom’s garage. They’re lining the stairs, creeping my dad out.” [via LOCK]

Achieving breakout success with her breezy 2019 track 'High Heights', Aotearoa electronic pop artist RIIKI's star doesn't look to be dimming anytime soon with the release of a dazed new video for her latest single 'In The Moment'. Helmed by directorial maestro Connor Pritchard and created with the support of NZ On Air, RIIKI opens up a portal to altered zones and considers the notion of life in a loop in the hyperreal clip — delivering an eye-contact high with neon soaked vector graphics and psychedelic cybernetic imagery enmeshed with hazy club visuals. RIIKI revealed her original concept for the video: “When I came to Connor with my ideas, I told him I really wanted to create a different type of world which represents the feeling of ‘how I’ was feeling like I was in a different type of world that felt foreign at the time of writing the song. I wanted to play with the concept of myself almost being ‘lost’ and trying to escape everything and everyone who is fully in the moment. The journey of the video (in my head from start to finish) was me trying to escape the chaos of people and environments which are embracing ‘being in the moment’”. [via Under The Radar]

Hayley Kiyoko has unveiled dreamy new single 'Chance' to coincide with the start of Pride Month. Kiyoko says of the new release, "'Chance' is a song based on those moments when I denied my true feelings for someone out of fear of rejection, and therefore didn't allow someone to take a chance on me. I hope this song empowers people to push past their own self-doubt and realise how worthy they are of love." She adds of the video, "I'm always starved for hopeful queer stories onscreen, and I really wanted to direct a narrative that focused on the happier 'honeymoon' phase of a relationship, to show what can happen if we take a chance on ourselves and have that love reciprocated. The video is meant to portray those first few weeks, months, or even years when you are utterly head over heels in love with each other. I directed the video on 16mm film, alongside an incredible team of badass women - from the director of photography to the editor, and the producers. I am so grateful for the entire crew who helped bring this vision to life as well as to our incredible lead actress, Alexandra Shipp. I hope 'Chance' sparks the hope that anyone can and will find the love they deserve." [via Line Of Best Fit]

Rebel pop force Viji has shared her new single 'Suck It'. The song is a call to action, and features as the title track on her incoming EP. Out on July 9, it's a potent five tracker, one that blends together 21st century pop with raw punk and grunge elements. 'Suck It' distills this brew into a potent elixir, a short and snappy manifesto from someone who plays by no rules but her own. She says: “‘Suck It' was super fun to write. It’s such a short and compact song, I think I finished it the same day I started. I was revisiting an old relationship from years ago. What seemed world ending then is now passé, so the vibe is very playful and nostalgic. Fave quote ‘you like hurting me, I like sleeping with your friends suuuuck iiiit!’” Hugh Mulher directs the video, and it's like “something out of a fever dream,” she comments. “There’s even animation on it. Demons and infernal energy drinks!” [via Clash]

Katy For Kings is on the move. A potent pop force who is scarcely out of her teens, the Essex talent has gathered a huge online following. But then, with raw talent like this, perhaps that's to be expected. Since she first heard Taylor Swift as a 14 year old - and taught herself to play guitar shortly afterwards - Katy has had her mind set on one thing, and one thing only. A hugely ambitious alt-pop voice, she's a star on TikTok, with Katy For Kings often being compared to American breakout star Olivia Rodrigo. The Chelmsford artist is leaving room to evolve, however, and her new single 'Impersonator' finds Katy For Kings occupying fresh space. Dulcet and delicious, 'Impersonator' has a real melodic flair, while the twist and turns of the lyric suggest a feverishly inventive pop mind. A young artist speaking her truth, 'Impersonator' comes equipped with a colourful new video. [via Clash]

Molly Burch returns with wonderful new song 'Heart Of Gold'. The songwriter's new album Romantic Images arrives on July 23, a scintillating indie pop set that is produced by the songwriting duo behind Tennis. New single 'Heart Of Gold' ripples with confidence, the melodies sharpened and the lyric distilled. A potent offering from a talent in bloom, 'Heart Of Gold' is the sound of Molly Burch hitting her stride. The track comes equipped with an adorable video, featuring Molly and some farmyard pets. [via Clash]

Frances Forever, the project of Boston-based musician Frances Garrett, had a big TIkTok hit last year with 'Space Girl.' Now they’re signed to Mom+Pop, who are releasing a new EP called Paranoia Party later this year. Frances Forever is releasing the title track from that EP, a theatrically twee number that builds up to a pounding conclusion. Here’s Garrett on the track: "I wrote the song after actually going to a party and realizing I didn’t know anyone there and I just didn’t feel like myself. It was just like strangers all around me. That’s why [I wrote] the line ‘my minds going 50, my body’s going heavy’ – feeling like I can’t move and my mind’s racing, just a sense of anxiety surrounding that. Then you’re in a room surrounded by strangers and all the weird unfamiliar smells and disassociating a lot." [via Stereogum]

London-based artist Zoee is set to release her debut album Flaw Flower on June 25 via Illegal Data. Zoee is sharing her new single and video 'Evening Primrose', which is taken from the record.  Zoee offered an insight into the track, saying "This a nighttime song, with metaphors of flowers blooming in the dark and the healing power of the Evening Primrose flower. It’s also about throwing up in a Carhartt bag on a night train after being dumped and the mania that ensues." On the visuals, Zoee said "The video is directed by Daniele d’Ingeo who always brings my lyrics to life with such thoughtful and playful ideas. Dani had dressed up for a Zoom party during lockdown, which then inspired the cardboard cut-out concept for the video. We enlisted painter Coralie Burke to create these surreal nighttime scenes of London -  a rat in the headlights, a chorus of stoned, opera singing evening primrose flowers, some terrified moths. It feels so fulfilling to collaborate with other artists who tune-in to the concept but also add their own spin on the world you create in a song." Director Daniele d'Ingeo added "I find it very interesting to explore the relationship between digital art and the craft that inspires it. The video is influenced by both contemporary instagram filters and the cutouts used in traditional theatre sets - the original form."

Concocting a potent sonic assault that recalls the foreboding darkness of Black Sabbath, Savages’ monochrome post-punk, and the dirty breathlessness of Bleach-era Nirvana, Manchester’s Witch Fever create a confrontational racket that takes no prisoners. The doom punk quartet share new single ‘Reincarnate', an anthem of post-breakup independence, set to Sabbath-esque graveyard noise, alongside a seductive video that explores womxn’s desires and fetishes. “We’re not here to say, ‘This is what you need to do with your life’, we just want to make angry music and make sure we don’t take any shit from people who give us shit,” says singer Amy. “There’s a big emphasis on female empowerment and female anger,” adds bassist Alex on the message raging behind the band’s music - “It’s about celebrating yourself and self-expression. Not being stifled and held back. There’s something about playing heavier music that feels so empowering,” says guitarist Alisha. “We all have completely different music tastes and inspirations, but that’s what makes our sound so unique.” "It’s important for us to do things our own way and represent ourselves as we wish, regardless of outside opinion,” adds drummer Annabelle. “We represent an honest voice about breaking out of the indoctrination in our society and all oppressive institutions.”

SPELLLING, the project of Bay Area-based artist Chrystia Cabral has shared the title track from her dazzling forthcoming album, The Turning Wheel, which is set for release on June 25 via Sacred Bones. "'Turning Wheel' is a bittersweet anthem about the desire for the pure and simple moments in time to last forever. I fantasize about a realm of peace, gentleness and ecstasy, like a pristine wilderness that evades the conditions, demands and decay of the human world and its pursuits" Cabral explains. "I’m the type of personality and artist that yearns for deep reclusion and repose, and oftentimes I struggle to make choices. I frequently feel immobilized by the structures and regiments of being a modern world citizen. I sing about these personal tensions through ‘The Turning Wheel’ and also speak to the larger theme of the album: the cosmic wheel of life. The song, like the album as a whole, ponders: when does reality stop circling around itself? When if ever will we reach a divine, angelic state that transcends the turning wheel?"

LA-based indie-pop artist, Jenna Kyle announces her debut EP, Ojos, will arrive on September 3 and she shares the first single from the project, 'Tell Me,' along with a new video. 'Tell Me' is a capstone of Kyle's experience of trying on different personas and processes and the video explores the way people present themselves to the world. Kyle co-produced the new single with BAILE (Anjunadeep) and Grant Zubritsky (Verite, Nick Murphy) mostly remotely in their respective Brooklyn studios. Jenna Kyle says: “'Tell Me' represents rejecting this idea of taking a bunch of feedback from everyone else around you about what you should do. After several projects ‘failed’ and I was working with somebody who always had to have the final say, I finally asked myself, “How is this guy trying to tell me what to do when he hates his own life?” At that point, I started really re-focusing on what I wanted to say, and my personal growth which led to this explorational dance video that pushed my boundaries of comfort in my own skin. In hindsight, the process of this song and video actually forced me to look at my need for external validation, which was what the initial concept was asking of me all along. I hope people come away from this song and project feeling like ‘If Jenna can do it, so can I.” The accompanying music video emerged as an exploration with director Jay Harwood, art director Gina Schiappacasse and choreographer Cesar Brodermann. Kyle strikes somewhat contorted poses in a rotating lineup of wearable art pieces, masks, and headpieces by Brooklyn staple artists including PJ Linden and Max Steiner, nodding to the Tik-Tok and Instagram obsession culture we’re all trapped in, as she sings ironically “Tell me what to wear, tell me what to think, tell me what to feel inside.”

Out now from LA’s Niia: ‘Macaroni Salad’ is slick, funky pop with a decadent video that’s Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’, with a hell of a lot more bare bottoms. [via Loud Women]

Baby Queen has announced plans for new mixtape The Yearbook. The pop rebel's latest document, the collection was pieced during over our various lockdowns, and represents her broadest statement yet. Out on September 13 it's led by a brand new piledriver single. Baby Queen links with MAY-A on 'American Dream', a blistering slice of alt-pop action that smashes home its point. Baby Queen explains... "This song compares a childlike infatuation with the idea of the American dream, which in hindsight is a bit of a fallacy, but there were people that did get to experience it and reach the prosperity they'd heard about. I'm really into manifestation - not in a spiritual way, just in a very practical sense. I think if you put all your energy into something by talking about it all the time or thinking about it, the course of your life will naturally bend towards that thing. This song is me manifesting my dream to be with a certain person. It's essentially a song about a childlike crush you are cheeky enough to plan out inside your own head." While MAY-A adds: "This song is super fun to be a part of. Bella and I were talking online for a bit about music. I was a big fan of her song 'Want Me', so I feel really psyched that she wanted to bring me on to this track. It's a fun one to sing!" [via Clash]

Wolf Alice’s highly-anticipated follow-up to 2017’s Vision Of A Life is finally here. Titled Blue Weekend, the album had been slowly unraveling with a wide range of singles, some explosive and bombastic like 'Smile' and others slow and thoughtful like 'The Last Man On Earth.' This new single 'How Can I Make It OK?' doesn’t really fit into either category. It’s brooding and synthy, but it gradually builds into a rewarding dancey anthem within the last minute. It captures the dynamic nature of the record, which is sure to be a vibrant listen-through.  [via Stereogum]

Like the best things in life, Betsy's new slow-burning single is all about her "unhealthy obsession." And with a title like 'Sugar Daddy,' it's clear the Welsh musician — whose voice beautifully bellows like Cher after hitting a joint — is tackling love through the lens of complicated emotion. Where most songs about a fixed romantic relationship see the singer falling to their knees for any crumb of coin, the title track off Betsy's new EP is actually centered on the opposite: real "endless" love — the kind filled with cinematic dates and that silly little thing called trust. "There ain't enough money/ In the whole damn world/ For me to turn him down," she sings in that signature low vibrato, before repeating on the post-chorus, "Maybe you're the one/ Maybe you're the one." However, in the 'Sugar Daddy' music video Betsy paints a comedic picture that deepens and distorts the track's optimistic message. She plays a tragic, housewife-type character getting her makeup done — and armpits waxed — in a vintage dressing room. Just like the ups and downs of a love affair, this transformation process isn't easy and, ultimately, leads to a look that screams small town pageant queen versus ravenous raccoon. Complete with a middle finger to cap off her statement, perhaps Betsy's "sugar daddy love" isn't as aspirational as her lyrics suggest. "When you listen to the track you feel that it's about everything being rosey, so I wanted to show the flip side in the video," Betsy tells PAPER. "The video all started with Carmen, the director, saying, 'Do you really believe in the one?' I don't. From there, the idea of showing the ever changing tides of a relationship was conceived." [via PAPER]

Viral favorite singer Fousheé released her debut album Time Machine this week, along with the cheeky video for 'My Slime.' The self-directed video finds Fousheé and the goon of her dreams robbing a bank, going on the run, and forced to split up when he finally gets caught. The incongruity between them — him with his gold grill and ski mask and her with her whimsical schoolgirl look — makes for a lot of comedy as she plays the lovestruck Harley Quinn to her beau’s blinged-out Joker. Even the bank tellers are smitten with their romance — although, Fousheé’s poor trigger discipline makes me want to gnaw off my own fingers. [via PTown Media]

Melbourne singer-songwriter Mia Wray has released a playful new single, ‘Needs’, midway through her sold-out Australian tour. ‘Needs’ was produced by Rob Amoruso, who also worked with Wray on her previous single ‘Never Gonna Be the Same’. It marks her third solo single overall, with her debut ‘Work For Me’ being released in September of 2020. Wray has also shared an accompanying music video for the new single, directed by Gilda Jones and Giulia Giannini McGauran. Watch the video for ‘Needs’ below: In a press statement, Wray explained the song was initially written a year ago. “I was just sitting at the piano, and this really fun melody came out [with] the words ‘honey, take it down’,” she said. “I just thought [about] how good it would feel to sing a song about getting even in the bedroom. I had never written a song about sex before, and so I wanted to make it fun. I just wanted to write a song for the people who have been unsatisfied because their partner didn’t care or just didn’t take the time to work out what they like.” [via NME]

Riiki’s sipping an English breakfast tea she insists I don’t pay for, talking about launching a pop career in the peak of a global pandemic. While it’s an understandably daunting prospect for any young artist, Riiki’s focused on the positives. “We're going to see a lot of artists people may not have heard of,” she says of the increased focus on New Zealand music - no international popstar is playing here soon unless they want to quarantine in a Hamilton Novotel for two weeks. “But that's really cool,” she adds, “because there's so much talent here.”

One such talent is herself. Riiki launched her solo project last year, making mellow pop that makes you want to exist in a perpetual summer. Last year’s High Heights is a bass-driven bop that showcases her knack for infectious melodies, and was inspired by watching seagulls fight over a chip. Her latest single, “Share Your Luv”, hears her honey-glazed voice sing about monsters lurking in the dark and someone not caring enough. The track’s undeniable groove makes even that subject matter sound fun.

Riiki may be new, but the Wellingtonian has been honing a collection of skills since roughly the time she could walk. She can sing and dance and act. She plays piano, produces, and caught the performance bug when her parents convinced her to enter a talent competition in a mall. She had a stint in an indie rock band during high school, but the decision to go solo came while gaining a music degree at Wellington’s Massey University. When a friend and fellow student asked her to play a showcase three weeks away, she swiftly pulled together a set, a backing band, and the all-important popstar name. “I’m not going to advertise myself as Raquel Abolins-Reid,” she laughs. “So long.”

On an icy Wellington day sliced with horizontal rain, we sat down with Riiki to chat about stanning Beyoncé, getting sweaty in a mosh and writing music in the car.

Ones To Watch: So you got your start in shopping malls?

RIIKI: Ohhh, you've been digging. (Laughs)

I did a little Google.

Yeah, I started doing mall competitions when I was about eight years old. Mum and dad were like, 'Go on stage with your brother, it'll be so cute.’ So we entered this talent search in Porirua mall, and did it every year, all the way through primary school. Then I was like, ‘Noo, I'm too old Mum! I don't want to do this!’

Did you win?

I remember getting to the finals of things, but never won.

Their loss. So that kick started everything?

I think it kick started loving to perform. I've always been into the performing arts. I started dancing from a young age, about four years old. It's weird ‘cause when you're young you don't know what you love more, but dancing was my main thing growing up. Then I tapped into the singing world, and was like, 'Oh my god I love this too.' Then I started acting, and was all - Productions! Shows!

All the things! What dance did you do?

I went to a couple of dance schools, started doing jazz and ballet. And then at intermediate I started a new dance school with my best friends doing hip hop.

When did you decide to give music a proper go?

I did the band thing in high school. We made indie rock, which is funny because people are like, 'you don't make that now,' and I'm like, 'Noooo.' But writing as an individual artist probably only started second to last year of school. And then I kind of didn't want to do anything else. But I had heaps of mates who did comms, or law, and go to Dunedin [university], and I was like no no no... Not for me.

Weren't keen on going down and drinking ten kegs?

No… I kind of went through a stage of being like, is it dumb to do [music]... Not dumb, but in my head I was like, I feel like i should be doing something that I know is gonna get me a certain job.

Yeah, there can be an unspoken pressure to finish school, then get a degree, then go and get a normal job. Which is dumb in itself. Was choosing music a hard decision?

I only made it hard on myself. My family and my friends were like, just do it. I probably scared myself a bit. But I couldn’t can't imagine myself sitting in an office, or doing anything else. So I was like, I'm going to do it.

What'd you grow up listening to?

I love Beyoncé, she was my main childhood person. And still is - but when I was young I had all her merch and everything, it was crazy. I was like - you dance, you sing, you act. That's the dream.

Triple threat.

But it's really changed, because I have two older siblings and one of them is really into the whole hip hop scene, and my other one is really alternative, and into the rock scene. And mum loved jazz, dad loved funk. So there's a lot of different influences I've been around. Also, I think a big part of it is actually dancing my whole life, and being really involved with the hip hop world there. And now it's a big mush of everything. I don't know, it's so hard. I could pull out Spotify...

Who was your most listened to Spotify artist last year?

Ooo, Toro y Moi. I love Toro y Moi. I think James Blake was second.

Pop music’s so broad these days, and encompasses so many genres.  Do you feel like that's more of a thing you can do now - that there's less of a pressure to be more conventionally ‘pop’?

Genre blending is almost becoming a bit more trendy now, and I love that. Just make whatever the fuck you want. But I think sometimes there's maybe a bit of pressure, especially in the pop world. Something about this whole commercial music thing, and this whole making money thing... I don't really know how I feel about it. I only really want to do music stuff if the forefront is having fun and creating what I like to create. And if the other stuff comes, then that's awesome.

How do you go about writing songs? Do you start with lyrics or melodies, or just humming away in the shower?

Sometimes my ideas come to me when I'm driving, and I'm like no no no, focus on driving. Mums already told me off about it. But I think a lot of the time, I'm inspired by an emotion, then go straight to writing the instrumental first before lyrics. I kind of treat it like a diary. I don't go in with the intention of like, ‘Ok, I'm going to write a song today.’ I'm like, ‘Ok, I  feel this, let's go write a song.’ Get it out.

How was lockdown for you, have you been writing stuff?

I mean, no one would know, because I’ve only released three songs and haven't done a whole lot of performing yet, but I have got quite a big collection of tracks I've been working on. I'd like to put an EP out. And shows, now that we can.

You're going to be one of the first artists to be performing in live venues! Safely!

It's crazy, people will be able to mosh and stuff.

We can get sweaty and touch a human.

It's exciting.

Are we going to get dancing in your live shows? Tight choreography?

(squeals)

Please say yes.

It's funny because on the D-low i'm like, that'd be sick. But on the outside I'm like, nah girl. I'd turn up to my first gig and start doing it and everyone would be like, ‘Who is this girl?!’ That would be a dream eventually. But for now we'll just get to know people.

What’s on your music bucket list?

I think a lot of my main bucket list things are collaborations with people.

Who's your number one?

I’d love to work with Toro y Moi. Really random, because our music’s so different, so I don't know if it would ever happen. Same with Tom Misch. And I have a major girl crush on Dua Lipa. She's so hot. I think an opening slot for someone like her would be fun.

Bring Dua to New Zealand.

She was supposed to come! There are so many people who were supposed to come.

Do you think that there’s more eyes on NZ music now the rest of the world’s basically shut off?

100%, I'm really excited about it.

Who’re your local Ones To Watch then?

RIIKI’s latest single, “Share Your Luv,” expresses a sentiment that is much in demand. And while the lyrics may have been meant more specifically, I think the buoyancy of the song, that baseline especially, serves this time succinctly. If you need more jump in your step, a trampoline of righteous conviction for your day, this is the song for you.

As a heart flutters in front of your love interest, RIIKI aka Raquel Abolins-Reid, provides an oscillating vocal that sculpts over the track: one moment longing, one moment encouraging, always hopeful. Her voice hints at much wider capabilities than the song calls for, but I suspect we will be hearing much more from RIIKI, both in performance and output.

Stream “Share Your Luv” below: