dark pop – Queen City Sounds and Art

Saint Kitten’s Moody Yet Liberating “Stay” is a Song About Casting Off the Comforts of Familiarity and Misplaced Nostalgia and Pursing the Fulfillment of Your Dreams

Saint Kitten’s “Stay” begins murky and creeping with a spare and resonant bass line accenting her vocal lines that seem to be about taking an assessment about a place and a life one is leaving for new opportunities and and the life you want rather than the one you have settled a bit into even when as it doesn’t serve your dreams. The song addresses the way comfort in familiarity can have a seductive effect on your mind coaxing you into a world and life you already know. The past can be a mixed influence as something that shapes us and perhaps puts a limit on our potential if we let it. The lens of nostalgia can cause us to view situations and experiences more romantically than is warranted. The song itself picks up pace and the fogginess of reverie clears and the words become simpler and repeat as though pushing through the tendrils of one’s old life to something perhaps uncertain but with more potential to fulfill dreams buried or smudged over by habit, routine and self-imposed sense of tradition. At turns minimalist and moody and orchestral the song doesn’t bear immediate comparisons to other artists but fans of late 90s Einstürzende Neubauten and Jenny Hval may appreciate the tones and moods of the song. Listen to “Stay” on YouTube and follow Saint Kitten at the links below.

saintkitten.com

Saint Kitten on Facebook

Saint Kitten on TikTok

Saint Kitten on Instagram

Madrid Exit’s Dark R&B Pop Single “July” (ft. Delachute) is Like Deep Mood Music For an Elevated Found Footage Horror Film

Delachute and Madrid Exit (L-R), photo by Orhan Aydin

The music video for Madrid Exit’s “July” (featuring Delachute, courtesy videographer Orhan Aydin) is a little like watching a strange found footage horror short. The song itself his ethereal and hazy yet beat driven. A human figure (Madrid Exit) is in the first part of the video and when he walks off screen we see another with some kind of white mask and what looks like a baseball bat (this is Delachute in the usual garb). Both are walking along a path flanked by lush greenery and the song with elements of background drone and slow, heavy processed percussion is simultaneously haunting and soothing. Think pop music for a Curry Baker film. Watch the video for “July” on YouTube and follow Madrid Exit at the links below. Look out for his debut album out in Fall 2026.

Madrid Exit on Instagram

Sara Diana’s Lushly Rendered “Is That Blood?” is a Dark Dream Pop Song About Passion and Trust

“Is That Blood?” begins with a spare but urgent piano line before Sara Diana’s strong and soulful vocals come in with a brooding backdrop of cycling low end and a minimalistic beats. The song seems to be about a romance that is deep and caught up in a mutual acceptance of aspects of those involved that they feel the need to keep secret or hidden from most people for fear of judgment. In the song’s orchestral arrangements the songwriter perfectly places the emotional beats of the song. Fans of the early music of Lorde will find something resonant here but in a darker dream pop vein yet both artists seem to draw upon inspiration from modern R&B production. Listen to “Is That Blood?” on Spotify and follow Sara Diana at the links provided.