#dark pop

On one of my daily YouTube music trawling expeditions, I came across a stunning artist from France named joannaand the video for her latest French language single, Vénus. I was immediately struck by the ringing beauty of its haunting avant-pop and dramatic yet classy R&B pop, as well as its video’s gothic magnetism. Vénus channels shades of Sevdaliza’s dark contortion and slivers of Rosalia’s vivid pageantry. Unfortunately, especially with my lack of French comprehension, I know very little else about joanna. But a deeper dive did uncover her prior single and video, Oasis, which you can view below in all its moody smoldering splendor.  Vénus is available as a single, here.

There Was The Smell Of Grease - Masquer

This neo-progressive track was described as “ethereal goodness, echoey happy that reverberates back a bit sadly”, which, in a nutshell, is the sound of Masquer. Masquer has a unique sound as is almost in an undefinable genre, that could also be depicted as dark pop with a desperate but fragile edge.

LAL - Dead Happiness

Vantage off the ledge

Entering their 20th year as a duo, LAL are bringing their “diasporic electronic” music to Toronto and beyond (VICE). Their new music video for “Dead Happiness” is a visual funhouse shrouding a dark theme. Wearing opalescent makeup and eye-catching costumes, vocalist Rosina Kazi and co. dance to producer Nicholas Murray’s complex soundscape. Kazi denounces the conformity and complacency that she sees around her, longing instead to express herself freely and pursue her own wants and needs. 

In their own words, LAL wants “to give rise to compassion in a world that continually sells us cruelty. We aspire to make room for new ideas and ways of being that are connected to the past, while at the same time dancing with the future.”

Follow LAL on Instagram and Twitter at @lalforest.