Welcome to Poptastic Confessions! This blog is dedicated to glorious, unashamed alternative pop music! We hope to share new music with you that you might not have heard before because it is usually overlooked by the masses. Of course, we'll always encourage you to buy the music legally to support the artists. Enjoy! —Davearama, editor of Poptastic Confessions
Happy Halloween! Parralox is back with their second single in two months. The new single is "Goodbye Berlin" and it is from their album Genesis. Last month, we featured the previous single "Tears Of Faith" featuring Jane Badler.
Singer Johanna Gervin takes the lead on "Goodbye Berlin." You might remember that she took the lead on "Electric Nights", which was #1 in our Top 100 Songs of 2017. "Goodbye Berlin" also features backing vocals by Jane Badler, Louise Love, and John von Ahlen. It is dark synthpop delight that is about written about a bad experience John had while in Berlin. The music video features Johanna and John walking around isolating places at night. We've added it to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube ...
"Goodbye Berlin" was written and produced by John von Ahlen. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! It even comes with a great remix package! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify. You'll also hear "Tear Of Faith" there as well as songs from their album Holiday '22.
Army Of Lovers have released their 4th new song in as many weeks. The new song is called "Bring Your Love." This follows the previous three songs: "Love Is Blue" featuring Olya Polyakova, "Sexodus", and "Romanism." All of these songs are on their forthcoming album called Sexodus.
"Bring Your Love" is probably the most normal sounding of all of the songs they have released so far. It is very much a standard pop song. It features Alexander on all three verses with Jean-Pierre having the Middle 8 rap. Sadly, Dominika has no solo bits. As usual, the chorus is full of session singers. We've added the official audio to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube ...
They also performed it a second time (probably because it was recorded for TV) and in this take Dominika gets one of the hosts to dance with them ...
"Bring Your Love" was written by Alexander Bard, Dominika Pecynski, Jean-Pierre Barda, and Anders Wollbeck, who also produced the track. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify. You'll also hear "Love Is Blue", "Sexodus", and "Romanism" there.
Cheers then,
—Davearama
P.S. Please follow Army Of Lovers and Poptastic Confessions on social media …
Pop legends Duran Duran have released the third single from their upcoming Halloween-themed album Danse Macabre. The new song is called "Psycho Killer" and it is a remake of the Talking Heads 1977 classic. It features Victoria De Angelis from the group Maneskin on backing vocals and bass guitar along with Duran Duran member John Taylor.
"Psycho Killer" is pretty faithful to the Talking Heads original, but Duran Duran have brought it into 2023 with a bang. It is a fun mid-tempo pop song. There is a cool video visualizer for the song, but it does repeat a lot. We've added it to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube.
"Psycho Killer" was written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth. It was produced by Joshua Blair. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify. You'll also hear their song "Dance Macabre" and "Black Moonlight" there.
Cheers then, —Davearama
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Swedish artist Flora Summers has released her third single this year. We aren't sure we are over her fabulous single "Sweet Summer Feels", but we are excited to have more music from Flora. Her first solo single this year was "Obsessions."
"Little While Longer" is an easy-going dreamy pop song. Flora does a great job of taking us on an emotional journey and we are enjoying the ride. The melody is quite lovely and Flora's vocal delivery is spot on. The video shows Flora walking around NYC and it has a very nostalgic feel to it. We've added the video visualizer to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube ...
On Friday, Army Of Lovers released their third track in 3 weeks time! This new song is called "Romanism." This follows their previous singled "Love In Blue" with Olya Polyakova and "Sexodus." All three songs are from the group's forthcoming 5th album called Sexodus.
"Romanism" starts off with an unknown female singer before the session singers come in for a very culturally curious chorus. Jean-Pierre takes the lead on the verses while the music sounds very Indian. Could this be inspired by Bollywood? It is a very interesting song. We've added the official audio to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube.
"Romanism" was written by Alexander Bard, Dominika Pecynski, Jean-Pierre Barda, and Anders Wollbeck, who also produced the track. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify. You'll also hear "Love Is Blue" and "Sexodus" there.
Cheers then,
—Davearama
P.S. Please follow Army Of Lovers and Poptastic Confessions on social media …
UK artist and former singer of The Saturdays Vanessa White is back with a new solo song called "Boy 4 Life." It's been awhile since we've heard from Vanessa so it is nice to have her back.
"Boy 4 Life" is a fun trip-hop pop song. It is about being in love and being happy. The music will have you moving in no time. Are there 2 choruses? Maybe. We love it. Our only complaint is that the song is too short as it clocks in at 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The music video is quite adorable. Just goes to show that you don't need a big budget to make an interesting and fun video that you will want to watch again and again. We've added it to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube.
"Boy 4 Life" was written by Vanessa White, Billy Blond, and Redshank, who also produced the track. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.
Something Kinda Funny,
—Albert Green
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Vanessa White Facebook (It doesn't look active since 2017) Instagram
Pop legends Bananarama have surprised fans with a brand new song out today called "Feel The Love." WOOO! They have also revealed a new compilation album called Glorious due on 8th March, 2024.
Although the single artwork is a somewhat confusing departure to having a photo of the duo, we're delighted to report that the song itself is REALLY good! At least the album cover for Glorious has a new photo of Keren and Sara ...
"Feel The Love" has that modern Bananarama sound, which they seem to have perfected over the last 4 albums. It has a similar vibe to their 2012 single "Now Or Never" and is very anthemic and radio-friendly.
"Feel The Love" is a bit of a trance dream pop affair. The lyrics seem to be aimed at giving advice to believe in yourself and look around and see all of the wonderful things life has to offer. Bananarama can definitely write some lovely melodies. We've added the video visualizer to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube.
The new compilation Glorious has another new song on it called "Supernova." Hopefully we will get that song as a new single in the New Year. In the meantime, Bananarama have just announced a show at the Palladium in London on 3rd April, 2024.
"Feel The Love" was written by Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward, and Ian Masterson, who produced the track. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.
Cheers then,
—Davearama & Normski
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Just in time for Halloween, The B-52s singer Kate Pierson is out with a new song called "Every Day Is Halloween."
"Every Day Is Halloween" is definitely one you want to add to your Halloween playlist. It has some spooky backing vocals and a nice melody. Kate gives a great vocal performance, as always. Check out the music video here ...
"Every Day Is Halloween" was written by Kate Pierson, Sia Furler, and Samuel Dixon, who also produced the song.It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.
Love, Truth & Honesty,
—Sausi O'Sullivan
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On Friday, Army Of Lovers released the second new track called "Sexodus" and it from their forthcoming album with the same name. You might remember last week, we featured their other new song called "Love Is Blue" featuring Olya Polyakova. Apparently, they are releasing a new song every Friday until the album is released on November 24.
"Sexodus" is so typical Army Of Lovers. Dominika starts off the verses and then Jean-Pierre comes in before the chorus of session singers. As always, this is pure CAMP! It's nice to hear them bring out new music that fits in so well with their back catalogue. We've added the official audio to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube.
"Sexodus" was written by Alexander Bard, Dominika Pecynski, Jean-Pierre Barda, and Anders Wollbeck, who also produced the track. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify. You'll also hear "Love Is Blue" there.
Cheers then,
—Davearama
P.S. Please follow Army Of Lovers and Poptastic Confessions on social media …
The independent Dutch trio The 004 have released their debut album We Are. We have featured The 004 many times in Poptastic Confessions over the years, so when they asked us for a track-by-track review, we said yes. We admire their enthusiasm and their spirit of making their dreams come true, having stayed together for 20 years.
The 004 are: Mike, Kelly, and Janet
The album starts off with the somber “About Us”, which was their single back in January. It’s a decent song about heartbreak with a downbeat summery vibe. Kelly and Janet’s vocals particularly shine in this song. The first track usually sets the tone for the album, so we are expecting lots of melancholy songs.
The second track is “Home.” It was the second single this year. We had meant to review it, but it got lost in the list, so we are happy to hear it now. It is another slow song about heartbreak. It is emotional and heartfelt, and definitely one of the lyrical highlights of the album. The handclap moment toward the end of the song gives it quite an anthemic feel. We quite like it.
“Give Me One Chance” picks up the tempo ever so slightly. This feels like a slow R&B-flavored track and the vibe is slightly reminiscent of “No More You” by the Sugababes, who The 004 have named as an influence. The melody is good and their harmonies demonstrate the hard work they have done.
“No Match” finally picks up the pace with some beats. This moody breakup song has some attitude and keeps the R&B vibe going. Mike’s vocals shine here.
The current single is “Can’t Let You Go” and it has a nice melody. We think this was on their 2018 EP Memories, but that EP has disappeared from streaming platforms so we can't be certain. The overall theme running through this album is somber heartbreak, which continues here. The tempo picks up a little in the bridge and chorus which is a welcome change of pace.
We reviewed “Standing” in 2019 and we had described it as somber, but within the context of this album it is actually one of the faster songs. It definitely has a more radio-friendly feel than some of the earlier tracks. This was taken from their EP titled Personal.
“Nothing I Can’t Achieve” is an uptempo track filled with positivity and certainly the most upbeat moment on the album. The track was initially released in 2020 and the video was filmed during the pandemic with help from their fans.
“Little Bench” starts off almost as a rap song, with Janet getting her moment to shine. This seems to be a different version of the song to what they originally released back in 2016. It’s a sentimental song about the group’s enduring friendship over the years.
“I Hate This Part” is not to be confused with The 004’s infamous Pussycat Dolls cover, which they recorded early on when there were 4 people in the group (there was a video made with an unforgettable moment involving Janet and sand!). It’s a surprise to hear an original song with the same title instead. Feels like a bit of a shame that their cover wasn’t included on their first album, but we can understand why they chose an original song instead. This is quite a strong song and vocals are very well done, especially on the chorus.
The album suitably ends with “Thank You”, which is a nice uptempo song about gratitude with a catchy chorus. It does feel like this album is a gift to the fans who have followed The 004 throughout their career and it's a touching close to the album.
Overall, the album has quite a somber feel, which is an interesting choice for their debut album. Most of the songs are slow-to-midtempo, but the production values are good and they have clearly worked hard on their lyrics and harmonies. We think our favourite song of theirs is "Song For Me" from back in 2018 on their Memories EP. It would have been nice to have an updated version here, too. It’s great that after all these years The 004 finally have their first album under their belts, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.
Their album We Are is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today. Stream it here on Spotify ...
Never give up on the good times,
—The Poptastic Confessions Collective
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Great news! Sweden's camptastic Army Of Lovers are back with a new single called "Love Is Blue" featuring It is the first single from their forthcoming album called Sexodus. We last heard from the band 9 years ago in 2014 with their last single "People Are Lonely" with Gravitonas. You might remember ten years ago, they had 2 placements in our Top 21 Songs of 2013: "Rockin' The Ride" (#9) and "Signed On My Tattoo" (#18) with Gravitonas.
"Love Is Blue" is classic Army Of Lovers territory ... a dramatic melody .. the high camp factor, the ABBA-esque keyboards, the chorus of sessions singers. We were not familiar with Olya Polyakova, but she is a Ukrainian singer (Оля Полякова) and her vocals are amazing here. We've added the official audio to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube ...
"Love Is Blue" was written by Alexander Bard, Dominika Pecynski, Jean-Pierre Barda, and Anders Hansson, who also produced the track. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.
Cheers then,
—Davearama
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It has been over 10 years since we last heard from The Amplifetes. They are back with a new song called "Spin It." We last featured them in February 2013 with a song called "You/Me/Evolution." We also quite liked their 2011 song "Blinded By The Moonlight."
"Spin It" is a fun upbeat pop pop song. It definitely has a strong dance beat with a great chorus. We are digging this. We would like to welcome the band back! We've added the official audio to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube ...
"Spin It" was written by Henrik Jorback, Henrik Korpi, Peter Ågren, and Tommy Spaanheden. It was produced by The Amplifetes. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.
Cheers then,
—Davearama
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Sweden's fabulous duo Rikky Disco are back with another instant classic. The new song is called "Set Me Free" and it was done with disco producer Yam Who?
"Set Me Free" is a disco delight. It is fun and funky with horny horns! Fanacy's vocals soar though the atmosphere with this one. There is a lot going on and a lot to love. You will want to listen again as soon as it is over. It is really great. We've added the official audio to our 2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on YouTube ...
"Set Me Free" was written by Andy Williams, Christian Jonson, and Fanny Ulrika Wahlqvist. It was produced by Rikky Disco and Yam Who? It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! We've added it to our2023 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.
Cheers then,
—Davearama
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