By No Freak Accident

Welcome back to Finetuned, lovelies! I hope you are in the mood for some very atmospheric and open pop tunes. Settle in, we are aiming to vibe this week. This week is all about BUZZ! Let’s flow to some electro-pop.

Who Are BUZZ?

BUZZ is a Los Angeles-based electro-pop artist, producer, and songwriter known for blending pop sensibilities (Gosh, I really love this word) with avant-garde elements. Before launching her solo career, she actually earned recognition as a platinum-selling songwriter, contributing to works by artists such as Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, and Bebe Rexha (one hell of a line-up here).

In late 2021, BUZZ began focusing on her own music, aiming to blur the lines between pop and experimental sounds. This sort of thing is extremely exciting to me! Being someone, as you all know, who loves all sorts of genres - a strong blending of some of my favorite musical elements is highly intriguing. Her inventive style led to touring opportunities with artists like Tove Lo and Chai, and she gained a devoted following on TikTok, notably with the viral success of her self-produced song "Liberation”. This song is ridiculously good, but not from our rec today!

Her debut self-produced EP, On Matters Of Searching, was released on May 19, 2023 (our rec today). The eight-track collection explores themes of humanity, nature, science, and healing, combining confessional lyrics with innovative production techniques. The conception of this EP is deeply fascinating but not entirely abnormal for a lot of artists! It was primarily crafted during a retreat in the mountains outside Los Angeles, incorporating unique sounds such as granular synths, choirs, and field recordings of natural elements. BUZZ describes the project as "a love letter to a life beyond humanity, and beyond time."

What To Expect Sonically

As sort of touched on above - expect a ton of synth, to the point of being cinematic and to the degree of removing you from your body. The sounds almost pull your brain out through your ears in the most vivid but positive means possible. This is an extremely well-crafted pop release, which is not at all unexpected with the caliber of songwriter that BUZZ is. I highly encourage wearing headphones to listen to their music!

While having written music for Bebe and Katy, I would not say their solo music here fits that vibe. I’d say that if you enjoy this vibe, dive into artists like Amy Zou (their song Temple is unreal), rosi, and bob junior. I think that if you enjoy lots of instrumental synth and pop artists (think YouTubers like Andrew Huang and related), then you’ll love the sounds you hear.

No Searching, It Is Found

The rec this week, “On Matters of Searching”, is truly a special composition in its execution of clean production, use of space, incredible sample selection, and so much more. This release is one wrought with beauty, anguish, and connection!

Thanks for reading here, Finetuners! I do hope you all have enjoyed this week’s Finetuned. I’d appreciate any insights, admiration, or otherwise. You can reply to the newsletter directly or DM me on Twitter. (or email me here: [email protected])

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See you all in the next one! 🙌