spill tab - “CRÈME BRÛLÉE!”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Billie Eilish, Sylvan Esso, Caroline Polachek

It’s hard to put a finger on spill tab’s sound when it comes to genre, a chameleon of an artist challenging herself to make fusion pop sound both natural and surprising. Indie folk, electro pop, R&B, and pop punk influences slither into spill tab’s songwriting, but the result is more minimal than overdone. That’s not to say this is all quiet music, rather spill tab’s catalogue is fully dynamic, switching between influences within the same song with rather masterful ease. Each song finds its own space too, whether it’s dipping into hip hop (“Indecisive”, “Grade A”) or French synth rock (“Calvaire”), the key to spill tab is the ability to do so much without missing a beat. A French-Korean artist from LA, spill tab’s perspective is unique and fulfilling and feels like an artist that right on the edge of breaking huge as she continues to turn ears heading into 2023. There are two EPs to explore already (2020’s Oatmilk and the following year’s Bonnie) in addition to a string of earworm 2022 singles, a collection that could already for a buzzy SXSW set next month in addition to whatever she’s ready to preview for what’s next. (Kevin McStravick)