We’re bringing you 23 of our favourite Singaporean releases from 2023!
Singapore’s music scene is slowly roaring back, and we’re all here for the new life coming back into it. We’re close to turning 5 here at Big Duck, and we’ve seen so many ups and downs along the way: this year, we invested our efforts this year into B-4, a series dedicated to showcasing new talents in a stripped-back formats, while keeping our sights on music from across the border, bringing in shows by Malaysian bands Soft Soft Pillow and Sweetass. After the tornado that’s been the pandemic, we’ve been so glad to see new movements and collectives come to the forefront, and welcome new collaborations and creative forces rightfully returning. From returning indie rockers and beatmakers to quietly brilliant side projects, music continued to bubble under and over the surface in Singapore. To honour that spirit, we’ve compiled 23 picks for a 2023 full of exciting projects. We’re also following this list up with a freshmen class of 2023: ten artists we believe are among the most exciting newcomers injecting fresh sounds into the scene. Here’s to an even greater year of creativity in 2024!
Listen to these albums by clicking on their respective album art.
Contributors: Wayne Lim, Isaac Chiew, JX Soo, Timothy Khoo, Bryan Joel Lim, Chester
23
Hanging Up The Moon
Sugar Free
Indie folk
After the tasteful grooves explored on 2020’s ‘For The Time Being’, Sean Lam treads more contemplative ground on the indie folk project’s fifth effort, exploring past lives and regrets with sombre touch. Yet even amidst the minimalism, the project’s familiar warm, autumnal feel persists, blowing in like a crisp breeze. - JX Soo
Highlight: ‘Happy’
22
beansclub
CARRY ME AWAY
Trance
Usually throwing down hyper-coded hell with their party collective Longkang Ginas and at event series like Ringtone, next-on-the-block producer Beansclub establishes themselves with a luminous debut packed full with zippy trance-tinged cuts and hi-tempo, arp-filled highlights. Mesmerising with glowing synths and endless risers at 180bpm and over, beansclub’s kicks feel fit floors made for both Ridge Racer and nxc ravers alike. - JXS
Highlight: ‘shamsel’
21
Dodgy South
Enemy Spotted
Techno
You can’t really go wrong with some good ol’ hardstyle. On their debut 4-tracker, techno duo Dodgy South cook up an urgent concoction of chipped out textures and blown out kicks that bedrock an anxious sound fronted by Nigel Lopez’s distorted screams, altogether manifesting into an anxious collection of aural nightmares equally fitting for LAN shop battlefield marathons to running down never-ending backrooms hallways. Sounds killer (in multiple ways, perhaps). - JXS
Highlight: ‘4x4 backflip’
20
shazza
chapter one
Pop
shazza introduced herself in a big way this year, and the singer-songwriter’s life-affirming debut full-length had plenty to show for it. Bringing an 11-piece band to showcase the project earlier last September, the record’s loaded front to end with positive pop bops, whether it be the effortless ode to missed chances on ‘Right Person Wrong Time’, to groovy hits of affirmation on ‘Be Kind’ and ‘Pity Party’. Firm and confident, Shareefa Aminah is determinedly establishing herself as a pop name to stay for the near future. - JXS
Highlight: ‘Be Kind’
19
JUN, Elden Zachery and Aaditya Sundar
SOLTU
Soundtrack
Soundtracking an equally intimate and identically-named collection/project by Elden Zachery, the designer and performer’s multi-hyphenate collaborators birth a pastoral collection of filmic compositions that radiate with gentle warmth. Shifting from the IDM beatscapes of previous projects like FRACTALS to a more organic palette, JUN’s delicate production meshes his own graceful key work and Aaditya Sundar’s acoustic guitar explorations with gossamer effect. As their interplay unfolds alongside frolicking natural soundscapes and seashores washing away in the distance, SOLTU’s core feels akin to a warm hearth generating conversations of possibility, tinges of freedom that crackle with embers of communion. (On ‘scraping elbows’, the Haley Heynderickx ‘Bug Collector’ lift only adds to the fireside magic.) - JXS
Highlight: ‘for shore dwellers’
18
Everything Us Alright
Where Did All The People Go
Emo
Morphing from solo acoustic effort to full-fledged trio, the side-project by Woes leader Russell Seow trades in winding instrumental breaks for hardhitting cathartic singalongs in the vein of Worst Party Ever. Packing confessional highlights on cuts like ‘Sleepsong’, while bringing fresh power to formerly gentle songs (‘Never Again’) with the band’s new three-piece configuration, the EP captures post-pandemic anxiety with a collection of relatable emo nuggets. - Chester and JXS
Highlight: ‘Sleepsong’
17
ALICIA DC
LOVERGIRL
Synthpop
Following 2022’s excellent ‘MAYBE’ EP, ‘LOVERGIRL’ sheds its predecessor’s jazz-pop stylings and shy girl-next-door aesthetic of its predecessor for groovy, heartfelt synthpop bangers. Yet even when delivering songs with newfound confidence, ALICIA DC’s signature adorkable charm remains in the lines: “Are you the Wi-Fi? ‘Cause I’m feeling the connection,” she sings on ‘Be Mine’. – Isaac Chiew
Highlight: ‘But I’m No Angel’
16
Constitution
Diminishing Grit
Melodic hardcore
Under collective We The Uncouth, quartet Constitution delivered one of Lion City Hardcore’s most confident and triumphant highlights on their third effort, throwing down a melodic hardcore gem rivalling the likes of Magnitude or Envision. Equally jam-packed with stank-face worthy riffs (‘Take Control’) to majestic, throwback chorus tones (‘And I Rise’), Diminishing Grit served a glorious highlight in what was a seeming banner year for our storied hardcore scene. (On a related note, go check out this beast of a Lion City Hardcore compilation out on Divided We Fall Records!) - JXS and Chester
Highlight: ‘Take Control’
15
Linying
House Mouse
Indie rock
Taking a rawer, guitar-centric approach in contrast to the polished dramatics of her debut full-length There Could Be Wreckage Here, Linying glows with a fantastic collection of sunny indie pop with big drums and guitars driving the way. With effervescent hooks and equally ethereal, sweeping dream pop numbers reminiscent of likes of Jay Som and Japanese Breakfast, Linying comes alive with joyful abandon on these four spirited songs - absolutely electric! - JXS
Highlight: ‘Take Me To Your House’
14
inno
17
Demonstrating prolific range from emoplugg scenes to a smattering of emotional 190bpm+ beatscapes on a personal compilation release last year, teenage net producer inno’s quickly setting himself apart as potentially one of Singapore’s most prodigal upcoming producers. On 17, he continues setting his agenda: an immersive birthday celebration full of woozy collection of speeding breakbeats, lush synths, and fractured piano pieces - a proof of concept in a cinematic electronic sound that seems to herald a new digital sun rising over the horizon. - JXS
Highlight: ‘halcyon’
13
Joy Alexis
Knowing
Synthpop
Accompanying lush beats alongside featuring assists from producers like CERATONE, Joy Alexis demonstrates a matured approach to their brand of sensitive pop, morphing into a sonically detailed electronic sound coloured with stuttering kicks and sensual vocal deliveries (‘Effloresce’). Presenting numbers that mirror experiences of their past few years moving between yearning and finding agency, Knowing affirms both impulses of creative freedom and flux-fighting with style - and some seriously deep grooves. - JXS
Highlight: ‘Effervescent - Behind Beatific Smiles’
12
Intermission
Intermission Party Programme
Post-punk
From the funky strut of “Blood On The Disco Floor” to biting social commentary of “No Pressure”, rising post-punkers Intermission litter their playful accounts of Singaporean life with colourful characters, absurd lyricism and charmingly authentic anecdotes – joyfully varied, their debut full-length delivers a unapologetically Southeast Asian take on post-punk. – IC
Highlight: ‘Enjoy Your Life’
11
Jon and Wei Kai
If You Open A Door
Indie pop
Jon & Wei Kai engineer in their latest collection of jangle duets a unique twin nostalgia at once ‘60s surfer by beat and ‘90s slacker by design, with lyrics as dry as the mix of the twee vocal harmonies floating them. - Bryan Joel Lim
Highlight: ‘Elvis Convention’
10
Woes
Temporal Dimension
Math pop
Revisiting their roots with re-recordings of old favourites (‘The Lake’) and pushing forward with hallmarks inherited from their long-time status as live favourites, mathpoppers Woes return with an effort that develops their signature twinkly, bass-driven style. While their genre hallmarks remain, with their intricate guitar lines reminiscent of Covet and Chon, highlights like ‘Heart Silence’ and ‘Trees’ showcase the band’s sentimental tendencies, with well-crafted lyrics that capture a deep-seated anger, regret and ennui. But above all, Temporal Dimension injects elements of their collective reputation over the past few years, creating an experience packed full of music that “just makes people dance”. As if mirroring the singalongs at their shows as inspiration, the band’s injections of gang vocals and chants (‘I Can’t Explain / BBM’) helps make it an immersive effort mirroring their live synergy, a spirit seemingly captured best by its title track: truly an “all consuming temporal dimension”. - Timothy Khoo
Highlight: ‘Temporal Dimension’
9
Shye
9LIVES
Indie pop
Despite her meteoric rise to success over the past six years, alt-pop wunderkind Shye has never stopped being committed to her DIY roots. After a consistent streak of three projects over the past three years, 9LIVES’ vignettes of heartbreak, longing, and angst charts new territory for the singer-producer. Here, she pairs her emotive hooks with distinctively gritty instrumentals, colouring her expressive coming-of-age stories with a consistent indie rock palette. At times, she toes the line between confident yet vulnerable (“You don’t see all my diamonds the way I can,” she snarls aloof on opener ‘PRINCESS’), while on others she balances crushing self-doubt (“Thrown under the bus, at least it blocks out the sun,” she sings on ‘11:27’). But the hooks hit big whenever they count, whether it be the yearning of alt-rock fan-favourite ‘FLOWER’, or with the comforting lush guitars on ‘SAFE’ Shye establishes herselves. Growing confidently step by step since her 2020 debut “days to morning glory”, the darker maturity of 9LIVES’ songwriting proves to be a big step-up in its newfangled edge and equal sincerity. - IC
Highlight: ‘FLOWER’
8
Namie and the Waves
Undercurrents
Jazz pop
For Namie and the Waves, beauty lies in oceanic tides. Swimming within richly layered, freeform instrumentation, the long-time jazz-pop mainstays return with a seven-track effort befitting its title. Here, each member effortlessly rolls in and out of the spotlight: ‘The Deepest Blue’ opens with delicately skittering keys and siren-like scat before descending into glitchy electronics, while beneath Namie Rasman’s breathy vocals, Lee Ann Gie and Arnold Armastra converse via bright, chiming keys and groovy basslines, with guitarist Andy Chong occasionally worming in for spirited solos. Steady yet fluid, Yap Ting Wei drums up dynamic fills that swell in finger-tapping penultimate track ‘Counting Ships’, before crashing waves lull the listener gently into sleep on the record’s atmospheric closer ‘undercurrent’. Midway, Rasman sums up the record best in ‘Q:’, asking: “Isn't it beautiful / when the light shines through / the cracks in the sky / as the eagle circles / high up above?” Reminiscent of the ocean’s ebb and flow, the five-some capture that same beauty in ‘Undercurrent’s tracks, crafting artful, compact vignettes of love and nature. - Wayne Lim
Highlight: ‘Gone’
7
Subsonic Eye
All Around You
Indie rock
Confidently nonchalant, Nur Wahidah’s signature drawl leads the way on indie rock quintet Subsonic Eye’s fourth record, All Around You. Freshly injecting their folk-minded jangle with post-punk sensibilities, the band swap out their celebration of the natural world in 2021’s Nature of Things for lamentations of young, urban adulthood – critiques of modern activism (“Ticking boxes / Charging laptops / Separating causes from ourselves,” opener ‘Performative’ begins) erupting into ‘Circle’s’ absurdist despair. On other tracks – through head-bobbing ‘J-O-B’, the fuzzy titular refrain of ‘Pick Up The Phone’, the hypnotic earworm ‘Yearning’, or the dueling fretwork of Daniel Borces and Jared Lim on ‘Machine’ – drummer Lucas Tee behind the kit lifts Wahidah’s voice with gentle cymbal washes and steady fills. Through it all, Wahidah points out a precarious beauty in our concrete jungle (“Wildflowers growing in our carparks”), yet maintains a certain futility in our attempts at wrangling it. In All Around You, circular, unending struggles morph into raw, bright anthems, treading that very balance of hope and resignation. - WL
Highlight: ‘Yearning’
6
Kin Leonn
mirror in the gleam
Ambient/progressive electronic
From scoring award-winning films by Anthony Chen to co-creating yeule’s massive softscars, Kin Leonn’s had a big year. That cinematic streak seems to bleed into the ambient savant’s second record on KITCHEN LABEL, which adds doses of mystery into the contemplative spirit first established in his 2018 effort, Commune. While the piano continues as the composer’s starting point – with stark compositions (‘keepsake 01’) and lush, Sakamoto-esque moments (‘arc of love’) leading the way – they’re also openings to greater textural curiosities. On ‘dawn chorus’, delicate arpeggios lead to flourishing beatwork, while patient, pulsating builds lead cathartic swells (‘your spectrum’). Between organic and electronic textures, gossamer details shine through the sonic mist, flickeringly fragile (‘flowers… dripping’) at times with found sound approaches, and on others invoking bleary, Boards of Canada-esque hypnagogia (‘conscious and well’). Serene with an ethereal, narrative quality, Kin’s compositions on mirror in the gleam dance with hyperreal radiance, like daybreak’s rays catching the surfaces of a wintry pond, refusing to settle. - JXS
Highlight: ‘your spectrum’
5
Chok Kerong & Vanessa Fernandez
Spiral
Jazz pop
Teaming up with the buttery croons of Vanessa Fernandez, the jazz bandleader and veteran known for his work across artists including Charlie Lim returns with a career highlight. An impeccably smooth record that gracefully shifts between playful twists and shining moments of improv brilliance, Spiral tucks a load of surprises behind its sleeves - while at turns seizing and sleek on its funk-tinged singles (‘Cry’, ‘Don’t You Walk Away’), the project’s most arresting moments come when Kerong pulls back from the obvious grooves, as his lush improvisations blend seamlessly with Vandetta’s dulcet tones (‘Meditation’) or dazzlingly duel with her breathtaking belting (‘Love Will Let Us Go’). Immaculately balancing virtuosic technicality with irresistible groove and soul, Spiral is a high-water mark for an artist with a career already established and illustrious. - JXS
Highlight: ‘Cry’
4
Blush
Supercrush
Shoegaze
While Blush’s self-titled introduction mostly swallowed itself in a tidal wave of volume, the gazepop quartet get the proportions right on their debut – and the result is pretty dazzling. Though the colossal walls of noise remain on some cuts (just get blown away by ‘Crush’s monolithic opening), Soffi Peters’ smoky melodies underpin the maelstrom on their debut full-length, gently underlining dreamy odes of yearning alongside stronger hooks and more defined sensibilities. No matter the mode – drowning in dreamy organ textures (‘Hide and Seek’), dark, menacing grunge-outs (‘Mandy’), dancey Madchester beats (‘February Again’), Drop Nineteens-esque nectar in octave-riffed indie pop gems (‘All I Wanna Do’, ‘I’ll Take Care of You’), nocturnal, almost Pumpkins-esque sentimentality (‘Floorplan’), or just kinda shredding (‘Supertruck’) – Blush paint bittersweet stories of love’s confusing whirlwind with pulverising strokes of distortion. Through the fuzz, Supercrush’s nine love songs shine starry-eyed and sincere, all with a depressive romantic streak as poignant as its fitting namesake. - JXS
Highlight: ‘Mandy’
3
Spider
Enemy
Grindcore-pilled yeehaw
A furiously heavy meeting of minds between experimental guitar wizard Daniel Seah and former Supersect (etc…) sticksmith Billy Chua, the experimental rock duo’s muscular debut brings the noise with a ton of technicality, blasting through equal parts searing post-hardcore jams and surreal inside jokes and pop culture references – Jay Chou lore, anyone? But behind the hilarity lies brilliantly shouted hooks and a crap ton of meaty grooves that’ll stick around for days, brutal enough to be recognised by Drive of Jehu reverents and dedicated grind disciples alike, and random left-turns bullshitty enough for great bursts of confused laughter. The question that’ll stick above all: if the jam sessions sound so sick, why did Karen never show? - JXS
Highlights: ‘Strain (Will)’
2
stickiness
Warm Day Cold Year
Ambient pop
While usually more dramatically fronting Radiohead-esque indie rockers Oddblood, the intimate solo project of singer-songwriter Su Ying takes refuge in tides of wintering, showcasing a texturally rich brand of synth-tinged, slowcore-adjacent songs equally comparable to Lurkgurl and Lomelda. On Warm Day Cold Year quiet gestures turn into tidal waves of emotion; at times coming as sparse forays (‘I’m Working On It’) and stripped-down acoustic sketches (‘Warm Day’), while on others come tinged with mournful strings (‘Here Goes Nothing’) or quirked out with voice manipulations (‘One Step I Don’t Mind’). But the project’s introspective spirit, confessional in their lo-fi modes speak to a relatable emotion that return again and again, unbounded by season or time. Over the ghostly, unfolding chemtrails of centerpiece ‘Always At a Party’, stickiness invokes wintering’s necessity in a cold world – in the face of defeat and depressive flaws, it’s OK to accept the difficulty of moving. Trying quietly’s alright, even if no one sees. - JXS
Highlight: ‘Always At a Party’
1
Mary Sue & Psychedelic Ensemble.
CACOPHONOUS DIGRESSIONS, A RECORD OF MOMENT IN TIME
Hip-hop
Since his emergence in 2020, Mary Sue has never stopped pushing forward – or in his words, to the point of needing “some new tonsils”. The hard work’s paid off: with his distinct deep-voiced delivery and hypnotic production style powering an ever-growing catalogue, the MC’s productive spirit has won him support from growing corners of community, whether be the Clementi sound or online on the Cloud – and its through that sense of community that the producer-rapper’s found ways through grief, death and many more battles. While this downcast introspection remains, Sue’s more confident than ever before in tackling them.
In a productive year full of collaborations, his highlight tag-team with London-based beat magician Psychedelic Ensemble. finds him latching onto an array of dizzying soundscapes to deliver bars deadset on fighting inertia on every turn. From reminiscing on burned bridges (‘Bob The Builder…’) to battling against depression and past demons (‘I'm Playing Tetris with My Emotions’), he reminds himself to move forward: Musically, he fights this battle of soul-searching with a dizzying array of beatscapes: bolstered by live contributions from keyboardist Daniel Alex Chia and guitarist Kenzo Nagari, he takes on everything from tasteful boom-bap (‘Wowzers’) and glitched-out loops (‘The Plight of Augustus Gloop’, ‘Stop Playing!’) to droned-out melodies on blown out guitars (‘Gremlins’). Concluding a cinematic journey, Sue eventually finds peace on scratch-filled standout ‘Dream Pop on Steroids’, confessing: “continual fatigue making home improvements / digesting all the grief then i swallow down a new on / by now it's just tradition / i don't take it as a competition / just a group of human beings sharing truths and inspirations / spoken meditations.”
For an MC that has proven himself to be one of Singapore’s most consistently prolific, Cacophonous Digressions stands beyond just a diaristic collection, but rather documents a creative spirit operating on all cylinders – with powers of community now inseperable from independent creativity. On this effort, Sue’s consistently brilliant streak continues: “healing through the longitudes and latitudes”. - JXS
Highlight: ‘Dream Pop on Steroids’