motel void

From Berlin to the US and the UK — spanning experimental electronics, folk, and dreamrock — here’s a new trio of exceptional songs you need to hear.

Snake Orange Cake – Animals

Snake Orange Cake is the project of Berlin-based artist Julia Carlsson — I’ve mentioned her here several times, and it’s always a pleasure to write about a new track from this highly talented musician. Her raw, experimental electronic music often retains a strong sense of melody, which I really enjoy.

In the new track Animals, Carlsson almost seems to be speaking rather than singing, somewhere between vocalization and introspective rap. Yet it’s so catchy that I found snippets running through my head on my way home. And it doesn’t matter at all that most of the track is essentially instrumental – the synth (or perhaps melodica?) is incredibly engaging, providing a light, playful melody. Paired with the captivating video (the visuals are fantastic!), it creates a striking contrast to the darker vocal delivery. Simply excellent.

Horse Radish – Stimulus Response

There’s never too much well-crafted indie folk – and Horse Radish is certainly part of that category. Formed in 2017, the band was initially inspired by Lucinda Williams and John Prine, which is evident in their sound. Yet it doesn’t feel old-fashioned; in fact, it reminds me of artists like Haley Heynderickx.

Now a five-piece band, their instrumentation includes piano, bass, pedal steel, and mandolin. Stimulus Response is the title track of their latest album, and I can’t overstate how much I love the vocal melody here — it’s catchy, full of emotion, and never over-the-top. It’s the kind of song that could have been written in 1965, 2025, or (hopefully) even 2075 — it just works timelessly.

Wholesome Cult – End of Story

British band Wholesome Cult maintain a rather minimal presence online, describing themselves simply as a dreamrock group. From their friendly-looking photos, they seem like the kind of band made up of your next-door friends who don’t take themselves too seriously, yet somehow create really cool, effortless music — the kind of people you’d want to hang out with.

They’ve been busy this year — releasing their second album in August, and now they’re back with a new single, End of Story. The label “dreamrock” is spot-on: the music has a hazy, dreamy tone, and the vocals feel as if they came straight from one of my favorite Slowdive records. At the same time, the guitars occasionally play rock flourishes, creating an interesting genre blend that doesn’t come along very often – giving the track a slightly psychedelic feel, which I love!