Brannen – Tulips
Brannen's 'Tulips' is a gorgeous slice of melodic house, a late-night pulser that rewards patience with real emotional depth.
Twenty years of playing music will teach you when to hold back. Brannen lets 'Tulips' unfold slowly, building from a deep, pulsing groove into something that earns its emotional weight. Warm synths drift over organic percussion while the melodic lines climb and fall with purpose, never rushing toward a payoff that has not been justified. The track sits in that sweet spot between dancefloor functionality and home listening, atmospheric enough to soundtrack a 3am drive but propulsive enough to anchor a DJ set. And the synth work? Genuinely great, as it builds into the song. It's stunning melodic house, immersive and beautifully paced.
Brannen is a Scottish producer and drummer based in Falkirk who has spent over a decade moving through different corners of music. He played drums and sang lead for Another Blurry Photo from 2012 and Thirty Three Connection from 2014, staying with both until 2019. After that he shifted toward electronic production under the alias zildjianpinky, working in that mode until May 2025 when he adopted the Brannen name. His sound now draws from melodic house, progressive house and deeper electronic territory, pulling together influences from Ben Böhmer to Radiohead to Sigur Rós. 'Tulips' marks his debut under this name, with more releases including 'Keep Dancing With Me' on the way. We are very glad to have this artist on our radar. More of this please, lad.
CASPER – HEART ON FIRE
CASPER's 'Heart on Fire' is a thrilling slice of synth pop, fusing stomping percussion and futuristic production into a inventive, glitchy single
Two unfinished demos stitched into one cohesive banger. That is the origin story of 'Heart on Fire', and you can hear the seams in the best way possible. The percussion stomps and chants, nodding hard to mid-2000s pop swagger, while Timbaland-era synths and a thick bassline push the whole thing into something darker and more theatrical. CASPER's vocals shift between a gritty rasp and airy head voice, a deliberate choice that gives the track real texture and unpredictability. Hidden throughout are references to emergency services, drawn from his own life and transformed into something cinematic. The energy never lets up, but it never feels cluttered either. It's groovy as hell, and it's bold synth pop, inventive and fiercely personal.
CASPER works out of a third-floor studio in his mother's house in Anderson, United States, a space where genre rules do not apply and instinct drives everything. He handles all songwriting, arrangement, production, and creative direction himself, building each release as its own distinct world. His influences run through Gwen Stefani and Timbaland, filtered into something that feels entirely his own. There is no formula here, just a studio-focused artist following interesting sounds wherever they lead. Excited to hear where he takes things next, cos this one's on fire.
Animal Souls – Colorful Land (feat. Ella Blame)
Animal Souls serve up a shimmering synth pop gem, pairing luminous production with crystalline vocals for something honestly transportive
This one opens on a wash of analogue synths, warm and wonky. Ella Blame's voice lifts the whole thing skyward, and there's a wonky as fuck approach here. With layers arriving on top of each other, crazy fast basslines, paired with panned vocals and a bit of 8 bit euphoria in there too. The percussive elements are utterly compelling, and there's occasions where it sounds like two songs rather than one. In a good way. There's a bit of classic synthwave in here, but it's not 80s nostagia, it's much better. I'm a big fan of this; an expertly crafted synth curio.
Animal Souls is the project of bassist and producer Michael Fisher, based out of Abbotsford, BC. He's been writing and performing since the late seventies, but it took the pandemic and early retirement from a 27-year career at Live Nation to finally get serious about recording. Since then he's released an LP, an EP, and a string of singles, each one pulling in different players and different sounds depending on what the song asks for. 'Colorful Land' is the first taste of a new LP, The Abyss, due November 2026. I can't wait, cos this is track is great.
Emilie Reid – House of the Silent
Emilie Reid's new single is a magnetic disco-pop gem that announces a serious new talent.
'House of the Silent' kicks off with warm synth textures, some tasty toms, before a live-sounding drum groove takes over. Reid layers disco pulse over retrofuturist shimmer, building something that feels both lovely, brash and just great. Her vocal sits right in the pocket throughout: smoky, controlled, magnetic. The production is quirky and interesting, and there's bags of character here. Not to mention the fastest synth bass line I've heard in yonks. It's nice to hear disco-influenced stuff that's bold and just plain weird. It's your oddball indie disco cousin and tonight, it's really, really working. Probably my favourite single this September.
Emilie Reid is a British-born, LA-based singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who handles everything herself. Her debut album, Leopard ~ Sukha, moved between synth, disco and indie textures, but 'House of the Silent' marks a real leap in ambition. She's only been releasing music for four months, which makes the confidence here all the more striking. Her fanbase is small but growing fast, and on this evidence it's easy to see why. This is genuinely great.
DJ Cards – Back to You
DJ Cards delivers a festival-ready trance anthem with 'Back to You', a euphoric vocal dance single that proves the Philadelphia producer knows exactly how to build a moment.
'Back to You' builds tension from the first bar. Atmospheric synths layer steadily before the drop lands with full force, and the vocal sits perfectly in the mix, warm and clear, carrying the track's emotional core while those synths push things forward. There's real craft in how the melodic elements weave through the production, each synth line given space to breathe without ever losing momentum. 50% of dance music is in the kick and bass; and this one absolutely nails it. I love it when things pull back a touch and there's a 90s wash of strings in the build. Amazing. Euphoric commercial trance, polished and completely irresistible.
DJ Cards is a Philadelphia-based EDM producer, back with us again after 'We Are Here' last week, and he brings a unique perspective to the scene. Outside the studio he works as an attorney and trains in MMA and Muay Thai, a combination that fuels a disciplined, detail-driven approach to his productions. His music has gained traction across global media outlets and radio platforms, building a rapidly growing international audience. Your next big night out, you need this one on. Essential stuff.