There’s nothing quite like the rush of connecting with a great new artist. Music’s increasing DIY culture has left the market saturated with wannabe artists gunning for the big-time, making it that much more difficult for newcomers to breakout. Nonetheless, there are a host of teen musicians worth your streams who are not trying to do anything pretentious or overwhelming. Salnik is one such teenage singer that just has fun with music every day after school. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, he has been making music for 2 years now.
Bursting onto the scene with his 12 track album, entitled “Kittens” the teenage Swede is a young musician to watch. With a voice built for bubblegum pop, Salnik is carving his niche by driving his electronic beats with both playful and ethereal melodies. He gives his music an urban edge by dripping his vocals in auto-tune effects and underlining them with hip-hop, pop and electro rhythms. For the most part, Salnik’s songs never run over 2 minutes, leaving very little space for fillers.
Salnik proves that young people are more creatively powerful than ever, as he rolls out his tracks one by one. From the delicate synth bounce of “Breakfast” and “Improve”, to the silky smooth rhythmic ambience of the title track “Kittens”, the songs retain a pure and grounded aura.
Salnik never sounds like his trying to be something that does not reflect his age, personality or cultural extraction. That youthful authenticity lends an endearing sheen to the songs on this album.
Even when he switches up the urgency on “How” or increases the vocal effects on “Inspired”, it never seems like his trying to imitate any of his pop radio peers. It just sounds like his doing his own thing. On “IDFK” he goes totally instrumental, relying on a set of dancing and twisting synth motifs to show off his production skills.
“Quitting” mixes in multi vocal layers to give the song a lush, more complex sound, while on “No Trespassing”, Salnik allows his voice to soar to greater heights, giving us more insight into his natural talents.
Anyone can release their music to an endless amount of people today, which is amazing because so many talented people who never had the resources are now able to have a voice and a chance to truly make an impact.
And make an impact is exactly what Salnik does with the final tracks, “U a God”, “Sleeping” and “Not a Crystal Ball”. The middle track especially being a standout in its own right. It has a very well thought-out vocal arrangement and a more than catchy melody.
Salnik writes the kind of synth-driven, catchy pop music that speaks directly to those who will appreciate his unflinching honestly and unpretentiousness. As the young singers and producers of today continue to shift further towards explicit bombast and fake hype, Salnik is part of different breed of music artists, who position themselves as outsiders, filter their witty lyrics through smart productions and don’t paint themselves into uncomfortable and unbecoming corners for artists of their age. They are the ones having the most fun!
OFFICIAL LINKS: SPOTIFY
