ARK IDENTITY entered the scene with the psychedelic dream pop debut single, “Eyes,” on May 22nd. Now, Noah Mroueh is returning with a second taste of the project via the nostalgic and wistful new indie pop song, “Atmosphere.”
“‘Atmosphere’ symbolizes a wish to escape from the constant changes and pressures of life,” explains Mroueh. “The atmosphere serves as a metaphor for a place of freedom and detachment from society.”
The laidback and melancholic track fuses psychedelic flourishes with articulate bass and melodic guitar, providing a meditative backdrop for Mroueh’s vocals.
Vikki Minor (FKA “velours”) is an award-nominated neo-90s alt-pop artist proudly from Saskatoon, SK, and now partially based in Toronto, ON. She’s earned nominations for awards like Rock/Pop Artist of the Year at the SaskMusic Awards three years in a row and Pop Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Minor‘s music is a seamless blend of synth-pop and alternative rock, with powerful vocals and a rock star edge noted by wide-ranging audiences, news outlets, and fellow musicians.
Produced by L.A.’s Zack Burke and mixed by Dean Maher, “COOL” is Minor‘s 90s-referencing, unabashedly fun-loving new single that lists all of the cool things about a person she’s crushing on from afar. It combines a rock edge with its guitar and vocal growls, and an excitedly catchy chorus. If you listen closely, you can hear Minor talk to her crush about his vinyl collection and the potential thrift store date the pair could go on.
The sublime album is the culmination of years of hard work, with many a life-defining experience woven throughout. There’s a sense of growth and expansion, intimacy and space, inevitability, vulnerability, and quite a bit of existentialism. It’s part 90s Art-Pop revivalism, part Lilith Fair, part freak Folk, and yet completely, utterly Ofri.
“For fans of Regina Spektor and Drug Dealer.”
Sara Glaidous – Triple J
Ofri burst onto the scene earlier this year with the release of her debut single ‘Body’, which was the first offering from her new debut album. She then quickly followed up with the release of singles ‘Painting By Numbers’ and ‘Candy’, giving fans a taste of her brand of chamber folk.
After almost half a decade of incubation, Ofri is now ready to unveil her debut album to the world.
‘That Heavy Magnetism’ is available on all major online stores and streaming services.
The Motion Epic is a synth-pop trio with a heartland rock twist that transports listeners to another place and time. Guided by Pat DiMeo‘s powerhouse vocals and Aaron “Mister the Kid” Henry‘s electrifying guitar, with Nick “Kalimocho” Colbert on keys and drums, they deliver a sound that’s both nostalgically familiar and undeniably fresh.
Their track, “Heartbreakers,” was heavily inspired by a certain type of 80’s top 40 “party” bop – à la “Sussudio,” “Dancing on the Ceiling,” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” But The Motion Epic are a rock band, no matter how hard they try not to be, so inevitably the huge drums and driven guitars came out to play, and in the end what we had was something that captures the most fun and extreme aspects of ‘80s music across its most memorable genres – synth-pop, glam rock, and John Hughes montages. Picture Michael Jackson and Phil Collins collaborating in the studio. That’s what “Heartbreakers” is.
