• LIFE

  Go further west

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 23/02/2020

  » Throughout their decades-spanning career in the music biz, Pet Shop Boys have always operated within the realm of sophisticated synth-pop that advocates varying degrees of dancefloor abandon. For lyricist Neil Tennant and composer Chris Lowe, however, it's not just about the allure of club culture or pure hedonism. From day one, social consciousness gets woven into the sonic fabric of their music. "In a West End town, a dead-end world/ The East End boys and West End girls," Tennant sings about the class and wealth gap on their 1984 debut single West End Girls.

• LIFE

  The grey area

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 10/11/2019

  » To this day, no one can really say for certain what happened to Dear Tommy, a supposed follow-up to Chromatics' stunning 2012 opus Kill For Love. According to the popular (and, perhaps, most credible) myth, the record and its previously released singles were scrapped entirely by the band's producer Johnny Jewel, re-recorded, and then … silence. Dear Tommy, it seems, is being put on the back burner, and in its place we have their latest release, Closer To Grey, instead.

• LIFE

  Driving ambition

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 13/10/2019

  » Brisbane-born singer-songwriter and rapper Grace Shaw is not afraid to dream big. "Anything is possible if you just say that you're going to do it. That's honestly such a lifehack," she said recently in an interview with Fader. Shaw, who performs as Mallrat, went on to mention that she hopes to one day write songs for artists like Rihanna, Beyoncé and Camila Cabello. Her aspirations may sound rather ambitious, especially for a relatively new talent. But looking at the 21-year-old's resume, which includes two solid EP releases, a tour with fellow Aussie rapper Allday and opening for Post Malone, you can't help but wonder that she might be on to something.

• LIFE

  Just hold on and keep pedalling

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 16/02/2020

  » "We were all really jaded by the end of the last album. We'd done four albums in five years and it'd pretty much been non-stop. You do start to lose the love of it,"

• LIFE

  Prepare For Takeoff

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 12/07/2020

  » As their name implies, ­Khruangbin ("airplane" in Thai) primarily drew inspiration from the musical heritage of Thailand, particularly during the glorious 60s-70s.

• LIFE

  A whole lot of vibes, but not much else

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 21/06/2020

  » "When I look around my heart, I can see the doors have closed," LA-based singer-songwriter Martin Roark sings in the opening verse of In Dreams, his best known single popularised by the cult-favourite HBO series High Maintenance.

• LIFE

  … Baby one more time

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 19/01/2020

  » Over the past few years, LA-based artist Sondre Lerche has made it his own little tradition to cover pop hits from the year that's been as a holiday gift to his fans. His past covers range from Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball and Drake's Hotline Bling to Sia's Chandelier and Beyoncé's Countdown. To cap off the end of the decade, Lerche has stepped up his game by essentially pulling a Ryan Adams circa 2015. But, instead of Taylor Swift, it's the former queen of pop, Britney Spears.

• LIFE

  Aching For Colours

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 10/05/2020

  » Having grown up in an artistic household, it was only a matter of time before Brooklyn native Zsela Thompson would unleash her own creativity and morph into an artist in her own right.

• LIFE

  Keeping up with Norah Jones

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 26/07/2020

  » Does anyone recall the precise moment when jazz finally crossed over to mainstream pop? Here's a hint if your memories prove a little hazy: "My heart is drenched in wine/ But you'll be on my mind... Forever."

• LIFE

  Top 25 Singles of 2019 (Part II)

  B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 29/12/2019

  » As tradition dictates, we rummaged through some 200 singles we'd reviewed over the past 12 months and narrowed it down to 25. Here's what we learned in 2019: Thai fusion is still very much a go-to for most up-and-coming bands including Southern Boys and Suthep Entertainment, who both look to their roots for inspiration. This year also had its fair share of blazingly political moments, thanks to Solange, Lana Del Rey and our own rap troupe Rap Against Dictatorship. One final note, even though this list is split into two parts spreading across this and next week, these tracks are not ranked and their order is completely arbitrary in nature.

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