Listen: In the Open by Korora feat. Schwarz

Ahead of his forthcoming debut EP, Hopium, German artist Korora has just unveiled his single, In The Open.

Opening with stark tones and the chiming of bells and keys, In The Open brings together a beautiful combination of crisp, clear melodies and warm bass notes. Percussion crunches like frosted leaves as elastic synths slide and twist in on themselves, all of it underpinning layers of vocals that glide across the surface with the aesthetic of polished metal skating across glass. Those vocals come from Berlin musician Schwarz, whose performance is a buoy of humanity, around which the instrumentation swells, and the crisp melodies flow from Korora’s self-built glockenspiel organ.

The overall result is a piece of music that is considered and poised, yet packs emotional depth. Lyrics hint at an apprehensive sense of vulnerability and exposure, where the self is laid bare. Played up close on headphones, there is an almost overwhelming feeling of intimacy and detail to In The Open.

Having already received praise from the likes of Ólafur Arnalds, Korora appears set for great things. The EP Hopium will be one to look out for when it is released.

Listen: Socialites by Moulod feat. Rûn

Haling from Stockholm, Moulod is a musician whose art starts first with words. Constantly processing and working through his experiences, writing lyrics is a way of understanding his reality. The importance of message runs through his latest single, Socialites.

On the song, Moulod teams up with Rûn to create a deep piece of dubby electronic R&B. Mechanical sounding bass kicks as hushed vocals breathe heavily, exploring the notion of public and private identities, and ‘the cost of peace in a status-obsessed world’. The song hums with a dark push-and-pull, between what we want, and what we need.

Overall Moulod has created a cinematic and emotive piece in Socialites, dark, sultry and yet longing for a little tranquility. It surrounds the listener, much like the distractions of our modern world, yet those words push us to look for something deeper.

Listen: Matrimony by Don’t Get Lemon

With stark keys, reverb kissed drums and vocals that invoke an operatic yet clear-eyed aesthetic, the latest single from Don’t Get Lemon channels the feeling of the 80s New Romantics.

Texas trio Don’t Get Lemon appeared on BlackPlastic.co.uk back in 2023 with their similarly retro-inspired Autocratic Gore. The dream pop feel of that song is still present here, but on the new single, Matrimony, some edges have been filed off. Scratchy guitars and Hooky-esque bass lines have been replaced with rounded synth melodies and a warm glow of affection. The result is a song that retains a crisp frisson of the analogue, but basks in the loved-up feeling the lyrics depict.

Matrimony is dedicated to the conflicting sense of love as both something eternal and yet simultaneously fragile. Check it out below:

Listen: No ID BY Softmax

Featured on BlackPlastic, in 2023, with her growling exploration of disconnection and modern communication, Swishers, the Chicago artist has just released her new single, No ID.

With production duties shared between Softmax herself and partner Sam Hudgens, No ID has a similar sound to Swishers, chunky, robotic and dark. Thick, fuzzy guitars come from Cameron Winter collaborator and MGMT guitarist James Richardson, and they provide the skeleton for Softmax’s performance.

A product of the system it portrays, No ID is an exploration of the nature of the music industry. Artists have to seek approval and support from a system that encourages inauthenticity, effectively contributing to a disconnect between artist and audience. This theme extends to the song’s artwork, where Softmax sits on the floor, disengaged, as she is photographed in front of a giant print of an image she herself took on her travels.

Throughout the song, Softmax repeats the refrain, ‘Nothing I do, will ever be good enough for you’, and yet in doing so she has created an infectious, authentic and, frankly, catchy depiction of the actual reality of being a musician.

Watch: Off The Cuff by Glassio

Having appeared on BlackPlastic.co.uk in April 2020, NY-based Irish-Iranian musician Glassio has just unveiled his new single, Off The Cuff.

Opening with a crisp drum beat and a warm, fuzzy guitar melody, Off The Cuff basks in a familiar and intimate performance. Glassio’s vocal sits above layers of tight instrumentation, gently yearning and shot through with September sun. This all gives way to a much bigger sound for the chorus, those vocals pulled taut like elastic, seemingly becoming weightless, in contrast.

That lightness is appropriate with lyrics so concerned with being on one’s feet, and what is on the ground. Glassio invites us to ‘Come see the stress on the ground’, and the song ultimately culminates in the statement ‘…lost without a crutch, help me get my feet back, off the cuff’. For a song seemingly preoccupied with inertia, perhaps that floaty, gravity-free feeling isn’t the ultimate solution either — to move, one needs something to push against. As Off The Cuff enters its fourth minute, it becomes consumed by crunchy guitars, and in their grounded energy, it feels like the push we all require.

Glassio’s new single is full of bright, considered detail. The percussion and drums remind me of the brilliant creativity of MJ Lenderman, but combined with something just a little dream-like. Check it out below, and look out for the forthcoming album, The Imposter, due 25 February 2026, which is itself an exploration of replication and authenticity in an age where reality itself is difficult to pin down.