We featured Rachel Bochner’s Ultraviolet that comes off her debut EP, 2 AM. We called it a viby track that would appeal to Lana Del Ray and Billie Eilish fans. Now she dropped a video for the song.

“The 2 AM music video illustrates the first half of the 2 AM EP narrative; that feeling of getting caught up in the rush of it all and slowly having to find yourself on the way down.The upcoming music video for Ultraviolet tells the second half of that story of unexpected attraction and the self discovery that leaning into those feelings leads to” shares Rachel.

The NYC based artist has landed placements on Spotify’s Indie Pop, Fresh Finds, & soda playlist. Give it a watch.

Look out for Rachel Costanzo aka RARIA’s Tried To Love You that comes off her EP ‘Boys Who Broke My Heart’ You love if you like Julia Michaels and Bebe Rexha. It’s well crafted pop that’s a notch above the ocean of beats and toplines.

The Melbourne artist shares “Boys Who Broke My Heart is an EP about the boys who bruised me emotionally and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. The past three years of my life have been such a transformational time. I’ve had my heart broken, questioned everything and had the rug pulled out from under me when I least expected it”

The track picked up support from Spotify and Apple playlists. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Hayden Stanford gives us something a little different with his indie pop track Alone. Fans of dream pop will love this. The Dallas bred artist made a ripple with his debut track La La La 5 year ago but it was big enough to open some doors.

Influenced by Jon Bellion, Marc E. Bassy & Still Woozy, and is currently working on his next with Caleb Turman (Godz,Forever The Sickest Kids)

“I wrote this song a few weeks before graduating collage. That time in your life when nothing is curtain and anything is possible. I was having panic attacks left and right and music is something that grounds me. This song sounds like its about a broken relationship but really it’s about me feeling alone in a big scary world” shares Hayden. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

2020 was a difficult year for artists and 2021 is not looking brighter either, but TikTok was the knight in shining armour that came to the rescue. Kind of.

It’s a great platform for songs, but not for artist branding. Ask a teen what’s their favorite artist and you’ll get silence. Instead they’ll rattle off their favorite songs.

But what about artist payout?

Naomi Pohl, Secretary General of the Musician’s Union says “the problems posed by TikTok are the same problems artists face with streaming in general: artists simply don’t get a fair cut. “It’s great news that artists who have their songs featured on TikTok will be properly licensed, but if the deal has been made with a major label, the already tiny payment will have be filtered through the record label – meaning that ultimately, the artist will only get around 10-15% of the total profit.”

“If you’re an artist, and you go viral on TikTok, it can be very difficult to work out how much you’re being paid, and what the deductions are for.”

Look out for Pink Elefants and the track Sound Of Violence. You’ll like if you love The Weeknd ala alternative pop / synth pop.

“the observer in the song narrates as if they are in some lavish party in the hills. At first the party seems perfect until you look closely and peel back the layers. As the veneer begins to decay we can all start to see the darkness underneath” shares the band.

The Maryland-based duo consists of Finch (Flores) and Illeven (Joshua Matthew). The band name derived from the “Pink Elephants on Parade” sequence in Disney’s Dumbo. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders playlist.