Singer, artist, producer, earworm creator and all-around creative genius Sophia Bel is back this Friday with the release of her spine-tingling second EP – “Princess of the Dead, Vol II”. The story goes that the Canadian pop prodigy reclaimed the name from her childhood bullies, outcasting her for her alternative tastes and black nail polish. Bel got the last laugh though, and to be honest, we think it sounds quite sick.

The project includes the ethereally angst-ridden “You’re Not Real You’re Just A Ghost”, a french-spoken trip-hop wonder by way of “Voyage Astral”, as well as newer beauties, such as the searing rumble-bass banger “Only in My Dreams” or “Paralysis” – a synthwave special underscored by heavy beats and ambient optimism. I believe the correct phrase to describe the whole shebang is ‘all killer – no filler’.

Our current favourite has to be “No More” – a soft fusion of slow vocals over gut-punching breakbeats and cavernous synths, kind of like “Sound of the Underground” if it was a ballad. Speaking on the track, Bel explains: “I wanted to explore the dark emotions that come when learning to assert oneself. The anger, the bittersweet nostalgia of a lost fantasy. The mysterious tones of this song are paired with a drum n’ bass inspired hook that creates an exhilarating rush of intensity.” Long live dark pop, and forever may Bel’s intriguing, club-calling sound reign supreme…