December 14, 2023

The electro-pop oddity shares the tunes that kept his world spinning in 2023.

Having dropped three singles this year: post-punk-meets-sci-fi bop ‘Crave’ a delicious spin on The Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ and the ethereal ‘Young Love’, it’s safe to say the Atlas Franklin Alexander has been swaying in and out of our earholes over the past 12 months.

His post-modern approach to pop music sees him take us on trip through immersive soundscapes, less concerned with big choruses than the overall energy and melody of a piece. Don’t fret though – he has no shortage of inescapably catchy chorsues that will linger in you head for weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zcBd6HGJvc

‘Young Love’ is the perfect example of that. With verses buoyed by vocoder-soaked vocals, the up-tempo track draws us in before the hookiest pre-chorus you’ll hear this year, before hitting us with the title lines and sending us into deep euphoric ecstasy.

But what of the music that’s floated Atlas’ boat this year? What’s been turning him on and fuelling this hot streak of releases? We asked him those burning questions and got the below answers from the man himself:

Fourtet ‘Three Drums’

I’ve been on the Fourtet train for quite a while now. This track is perfect to listen to whilst traversing into alternate realities and parallel dimensions. Back in 2022 also the collab with Fred again, Fourtet and Skrillex ‘Baby again..’ was and still is one of my favourite songs. But 2023, ‘Three drums’ is killer, it isn’t such a banger but its just an absolute vibe. Zero vocals just vibrational bliss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGaKVLFNWzs

SZA – ‘Kill Bill’

The video to this song is off its gutz, SZA has so many smoking hot songs but this one in particular makes me want to take all my clothes off and run around a shopping mall. The title of the track automatically made me like it before I even heard it as Kill Bill the film is one of my favs of all time. Bloody fantastic song, vocal melody directly from the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSRcC626prw

Noname – ‘Namesake’

Repetitive bass line from the depths of hell, live drums, this song is such a jam. It’s like the perfect piece of toast with heaps of butter and just enough Vegemite to soothe the soul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zowHZSiqO8w

Troy Sivan – ‘One Of Your Girls’

Ok ok ok, I remember seeing Troy on youtube ages and ages ago and I wasn’t a fan at all. But man oh man the new tracks he has been putting out are absolutely next level. This song in particular, the vocoder vocals in the chorus are nutz, I love messing around with vocoder with my own vocals when I record my stuff so I was so so so obsessed with this song when I first heard it. The music video is giving massive George Michael vibes too. I <3 George.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhGl8McrOHo&pp=ygUcdHJveWUgc2l2YW4gb25lIG9mIHlvdXIgZ2lybA%3D%3D

5) Kelela ‘Contact’

Kelela kinda reminds me of Sabrina Claudio who I’m 100% in love with. So I think with that info in mind it makes perfect sense that I would also loose my mind over Kelela. ‘Contact’ is such a jam such a vibe, bloody grouse as.