Music Monday: Pop Edition

Welcome to Music Monday! Every week you can find an article highlighting everything music from genres, undiscovered artists, album reviews, and music festival wrap ups. This week we’re focusing on the genre of pop, but I’m going to shake things up a bit. When you think of the word “pop,” what artists come to mind? Katy Perry? Arianna Grande? DNCE? I bet the words “indie,” “electronic,” or “alternative” don’t really mesh with your vision of pop artists, but I’m here to broaden your music horizons. Let me introduce you to three of my favorite artists on the charts right now.

Purity Ring:

Consisting of Canadian duo Megan James (vocals) and Corin Roddick (instrumentals), Purity Ring is a clear example of the advancement of traditional pop music. Enchanting vocals and rhythmic beats combine to put a distinctive spin on electro pop music. Their most recent album released in 2015, “Another Eternity,” has been praised for songs such as “Begin Again” and “Bodyache” while “Shrines,” released in 2012, features “Fineshrine” and “Obedear.” Purity Ring has performed globally and has appeared at music festivals such as Coachella and Treasure Island Music Festival coming up in October. Having witnessed Purity Ring at Coachella, I highly recommend seeing them live.

BØRNS:

BØRNS (Garrett Borns) is an American singer/songwriter who grew up in Michigan and now resides in Los Angeles, California. His tracks radiate beams of sunshine vibes to his listeners. Dreamy vocals paired with danceable instrumentals makes for colorfully produced indie pop music with a hint of electro pop thrown in the mix. His most recent album is titled “Dopamine” and was released in 2015. Some of my favorite tracks off this album include “Electric Love” and “Past Lives,” where you can really appreciate BØRNS’ incredible vocals, sung with his whole heart and soul. He is currently on tour with The Lumineers and will be making stops in Berkeley and Santa Ana so make sure to catch him before time runs out! I guarantee that he will not disappoint.

RÜFÜS DU SOL:

Originally from Sydney, Australia, RÜFÜS DU SOL, is made up of guitarist Tyrone Lindquist, keyboardist Jon George, & drummer James Hunt. Most well known for their sound mixing on traditional pop, this group brings indie, electronic, and alternative sounds into their music. While listening to tracks like “You Were Right” off their latest album “Bloom,” “Sundream,” and “Modest Life” off of their 2013 release “Atlas,” it’s hard not to grasp a sense of free spirit as your ears are graced with dreamy instrumentals that mesh perfectly with soft spoken vocals that roll off the tongue and into your soul. If you’re looking for some music to blast while on a road trip, this is the group for you. I have yet to see RÜFÜS DU SOL live, but when they come back to Southern California, you better believe that I’ll be first in line.

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