Nathan Sykes – Kiss Me Quick

We were lucky enough to be treated to an early preview of Nathan Sykes’ solo material earlier this year and, we have to say, we were pretty impressed. Ditching the radio fodder of The Wanted, the singer has progressed to a more mature sound. His debut single ‘Kiss Me Quick’ might seem a bit similar to Justin Timberlake’s last couple of albums, but Sykes just about manages to pull it off with his ridiculously good vocal and sense of self. Also, here’s a male popstar not playing a bloody acoustic guitar of singing a ballad, so we’ll take it in any way we can.

Adam Lambert – ‘Another Lonely Night’ 

Adam Lambert wowed us with his latest single ‘Ghosttown’, a house-y pop track full of pulsing beats and unconventional production. Now Lambert is prepping for the release of his third studio album, ‘The Original High’, and has been dropping tracks left right and centre. One such song is ‘Another Lonely Night’, a rather melancholic song dressed up as a jaunty bop. The bouncing synths are sort of ridiculous, but Lambert manages to control it all with his equally ridiculous voice. While we’re still not sure where to place him, Adam Lambert’s album is shaping up to be one hell of a pop record.

Awa – Obvious

Swedish popstar Awa released her debut single over 18 months ago. However, things went pretty quiet quickly, and it seemed that Awa had disappeared. Luckily the singer has returned with her new song ‘Obvious’. Co-written with Scandipop stalwart Marlene, the song is obviously influenced by house music, but, luckily, isn’t boring. Instead Awa brings a tender melancholia to the song. As with all new artists, there’s room for growth, but there’s loads to be excited about here.

Kita Alexander – ‘My Own Way’

Born in Brisbane, Kita Alexander moved to Sydney aged just 18. Now a year older, the singer has just released her latest song ‘My Own Way’, a summery track reminiscent of HAIM and Fleetwood Mac. Full of pronounced bass and sparky percussion, the song has a really joyous chorus that highlights the complexities of letting go. The accompanying video is comprised of home footage of friends and family surfing and skateboarding. Here’s what Kita has to say about the whole thing: “Whenever I was traveling and thought about home I used to look through the footage me and my friends took and it made me feel closer to them… I can now take these moments wherever I go.”  Just lovely.

Little Mix – ‘Black Magic’

After what feels like forever, Little Mix are finally back with a proper summer bop. While new music was meant to surface last year, it seems that there might have been some sorting out behind the scenes to get their third album up to scratch. Regardless, ‘Black Magic’ is a comeback single and a half. With 80s influenced guitars, chanting “heys!” and some properly amazing harmonies, the song bouncy and carefree. Likewise, the chorus has some of the best lyrics so far this year, with the girls singing, “take a sip from my secret potion, I’ll make you fall in love.” It might not be as adventurous as their previous material, but we’re certain this is the song to propel Little Mix into Girls Aloud territory.

Gabrielle Aplin – ‘Light Up The Dark’

Gabrielle Aplin might seem like an odd addition here given that her debut album was a bit too MOR for our usual liking. However, ‘Light Up The Dark’ has a certain ballsiness to it that we weren’t quite expecting. Whether it’s the frantic chorus, the distorted guitars or the 70s style production that’s got us interested we’re not sure. Apparently this is just a ‘buzz’ track before the proper single comes later this summer, but if it’s a progression on this we’re interested.

Tom Aspaul – ‘Revelation’ [Mix Tape]

Now, this might be seen as cheating given that this isn’t just a single track but actually nine in one, but when music’s this good it’s hard not to get carried away and bend a few rules. We’ve written about singer-songwriter Tom Aspaul before on the Wonderlist, and now he’s only gone and dropped our favourite ‘mixtape’ of the last 12 months. The tropical influenced production, that’s quickly becoming Aspaul’s signature sound, is deliciously scattered around the 23-minute clip, which includes production credits from Grades, Starsmith, Jakwob and Giraffage. Our personal favourite moment is the title track ‘Revolution’, which really sees Aspaul taking his songwriting to another level. Likewise, the influences from Janet, J-Lo and Brandy give us the perfect throwback teas. Given that the sun is finally out, the ‘Revelation’ mixtape is the perfect accompaniment to summer’s evenings and days lounging in the park – simply sublime. Now we just want a copy to download…

Cash + David – ‘X’

We’re pretty into electro-pop duo Cash + David’s latest song ‘X’, a blend of obtuse production, whirly synths and soft female vocals. Comprised of Liz Lawrence (David), and Tim Ross (Cash), the pair have recently signed to Columbia records and if ‘X’ is anything to go by, this pair have a seriously bright future. Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of moody female-fronted synth-pop? Exactly…