Taste Test, Edition #15: London King, Simen Mitlid, WizG & more

Welcome to Taste Test, a review wrangling of SubmitHub-only gemstones.

“Half the Wolf I Know” by London King

Mental illness not only afflicts the emotional and psychological spheres, but it seeps into every bone in your body. Electro-pop singer London King surveys her own fiery hellscape and promises herself, especially as a woman in the patriarchy, that she’s worthy of a throne built of bedazzled gemstones and heavenly bliss. With “Half the Wolf I Know,” sampling her forthcoming EP, out later this year, King suits up for the battlefield and brandishes industrial theatrics for a moment of clarity and teary vulnerability. “I’ll be back / I’ll arise upon my feet / ‘Cause you know I think I’m a freak,” she spits venom as a way to cleanse her heart. By the time the flames vanish in puff of smoke, she remains as a true warrior.

“Saturdays” by Simen Mitlid

Velvety and cool, Simen Mitlid’s voice floats as fairy dust in a gentle jet stream and seems to render the listener nearly at the mercy of his charm. Hailing out of Norway, the tunesmith adheres to traditional folk music, placing himself at the center of a firestorm of songcraft. But it is his phrasing and reedy timber that serves to strike at the heart and evoke bittersweet memories. “Saturdays” is a lazy and practically fragile, yet brawny and magical, brew, which pulses and warms up in the veins and allows for greater understanding. “You call me to say things are different / But I’m still the same,” he sings, a restlessness freezing him in place as the world marches on. He’s lovesick and torn between staying put and finally moving on.

“Back to You” by WizG featuring Mechi Pieretti

The club floor is a stage, smeared with glitter and gummy beats. WizG, made of Kostas Garcia and Josh Wizan, wriggle underneath the penetrating effervescence of rainbow-hued stage lights and beckon the audience to steal away for a momentary escape from the world. Fire and brimstone rain down upon their shoulders, but they are unphased by the heat. Instead, they turn the sweltering atmosphere into a sonic blast of atomic energy. On “Back to You,” the producing duo enlist the super sweet vocals of Mechi Pieretti, who whirls in a hearty mix of euphoric confetti and supple lighting. The club banger builds into a frenzy, and we are unknowingly delivered from all of our everyday problems.

“Love for Days” by Mimoza

Mimoza comes cheek-to-cheek with the unknown on her latest single “Love for Days,” teetering on the edge of glory only unpolluted innocence can allow. She’s trotted the globe and various cultures in her life, drawing such life-affirming experiences into her being, but it has taken that one special individual to propel her to the next phase of her existence. “If you fall fast, I’ll fall back / And love you all the way,” she warbles into a crisp linen of electronica and pop. She tangoes with the beat, which bends as a ballerina around the synthetic and organic, and soon, she, too, shall wholly surrender to the magical touch of love.

“Easier to Go” by Five Letter Word

Women are commanding the conversation in powerful ways these days. From Amanda Shires to Lucie Silvas and now a three-piece named Five Letter Word, stories of womanhood, navigating troubled waters and throbbing heartache are taking centerstage and in many cases, for the first time ever. Leigh Jones(vocals, guitar, percussion), Clara Baker (vocals, fiddle, guitar) and Audra Nemir (vocals, bass) gather around the soft campfire glow to regale a tale of insurmountable doubt and unsettling angst. “Every attempted goodbye turns into hello / If your lovin’ weren’t so good, it would be easier to go,” Jones tries to wrestle away from a bedeviling lover, whose hold over her must be magic, but she just can’t. The performance is both plainspoken and unshakable, making the listener to question the very nature of such blurred lines.

“This Time” by Jayden featuring Celine Farach and Matluck

Fantasy and reality collide on the dance floor and explode into a state of intoxicating euphoria, the senses reaching an apex of sensitivity. Jayden, under the guise of an adorably fluffy panda bear, invites the listener along for a dive-bar joyride of prime pop confectionary. Along with Matluck and Celine Farach on lead vocals, “This Time” is a rave lasting beyond the sunrise’s sweet kiss. It’s a stolen rain-doused embrace after the buzz of last call rubs off, and it’s the first caress of true love nipping at your heartstrings. “Oh, long as my heart keeps beating / I’ll find my way up to the sky,” Farach and Matluck sing in unison, entangling their voices within an enveloping blanket of sound. You’ve never felt more alive than you have right here in this very moment.

“Indiana” by Saddlemen

Emotions can be hard to wrangle. But Brooklyn pub-rock trio of Mando, Paul and Skitch Saddlemen lasso up a heartfelt confessional with the earth-baked ditty “Indiana,” complete with a dusty guitar solo and a booming lead vocal. The b-side to 2018’s “Thinking About the Weekend,” the new cut chugs along like a steam locomotive, owed in large part to the band’s free-rolling guitar and percussion work. It’s a smokey meditation that sees three strapping fellows really opening their hearts and employing the sting of bourbon as a gateway to express their true feelings buried beneath a tough-guy exterior. “Sun don’t go down til 10 / And we ain’t done talking yet,” they draw you closer and you soon realize warmth is discover in really being honest.

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