Welcome to Weekly Round-Up No. 17! This week we review debut releases by Kasablanka, Bad Mannequins, Mikah Wilson, Jesse Morgan Young and Drinker. Enjoy the music!

Kasablanka – Windowshaker

New Belgian band Kasablanka bring us a catchy and summery first single with “Windowshaker”. The vocals have a cool nonchalance and adds to the relax sound of the sound. Fresh indiepop.

Bad Mannequins – Buzz Killer Skinny Gene

Bad Mannequins deliver pure rock n’ roll with guitar riffs and pounding drums. “Buzz Killer Skinny Gene” sounds like a combination of classic punkers Ramones and garage rockers The Strokes: raw, energetic and yet playful. Tightly produced garage rock with tongue in cheek lyrics. Their debut EP is set for release early June.

Mikah Wilson – Sweet Jules

What a delightful pop song! On his debut “Sweet Jules”, newcomer Mikah Wilson combines ’60s harmonies with jangly pop. The song sounds fresh and is incredibly well-produced. Pure sunshine pop from Los Angeles, USA.

Jesse Morgan Young – Dark Night (Blue Lights)

Dark electropop by ex-member of synthpop band BAATHHAUS Jesse Morgan Young. Just like his former band, his solo project has a heavy synthpop sound. But it is much darker, and far more hypnotic. Think of Depeche Mode and Soft Cell, combined with deep 90s bleep techno. The song evokes smokey, hardly-lit dancefloors, which we find very pleasant!

Drinker – Which Way Is South

Drinker is a project by composer Ariel Loh and musician Aaron Mendelsohn. On their debut song “Which Way Is South” the duo combines slow electropop with lush soundscapes, creating a cinematic atmosphere. Very beautiful and intriguing.