Another label on a tear right now is LA's Motion Ward, who continue their strong showing in 2026 (Cancer House, Gustav Kemps) with this latest collection from Australian producer Lavurn Lee, who debuts with their own name following a host of other recordings under a variety of pseudonyms. Baby It's Cold Outside feels very much a product of the current moment, that kind of modern alt. pop combination of emo-ambient shoegaze slowcore with a penchant for pitched up and/or down gltiched electronics that suggests someone has been listening as much to the Numero Group playlist series as they have West Mineral. This is probably the most overtly pop thing that Motion Ward have put their name to yet, and with it actually offers a pretty good overview of where modern underground pop is right now, a distillation of old and new aesthetics into a dreamstate half-light remembering of simulacrum song that somehow feels both synthetic and human. And why would it not be - with the accumulated history of cultural activity all available through a screen, the inevitable consequence is these kind of nostalgia ultra songs that view genre like they view memory - it's all up for grabs in the hyperreal.
FFO: Naemi, Lovesliescrushing, Jabu, Ulla
