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Alternative

Melia delivered a rock-licked anthem of vindication with ‘The Horse You Rode in On’

Posted on 14 October 2024

The prodigal daughter of rock, Melia, has returned with her sophomore LP, ‘FERAL‘, delivering an indomitable hit of empowerment with the standout single, ‘Horse You Rode in On‘.

With the overdriven guitars, the fiery manifesto for anyone who has endured the arrogance of the misguided resurrects retro rock aesthetics as Melia’s powerful, crystalline vocals slice through the mix with mesmeric clarity. As the percussion injects adrenaline into the track like fuel to a flame, Melia asserts herself as a rare diamond in the mundanity of modern rock. Knowing exactly how to pay homage without assimilating, her future is as promising as her sound is powerful.

The single is highlighted by one of the year’s most electrifying guitar solos, redefining what it means to command the six strings. It’s a potent reminder of why Melia continues to collect accolades, including multiple Indie Music Channel Awards.

Recorded at Dreamland Recording Studio with the esteemed Kevin Killen, ‘FERAL’ echoes the defiant spirit of Melia’s musical journey. From her early days, ignited by a Green Day concert, to sharing stages with icons like Steve Vai and Judas Priestess, Melia’s path has been anything but ordinary.

Stream the Feral LP in full by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spyndycyt existentially unravelled over a four-to-the-floor Avant-Garde beat in ‘I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore’

Posted on 12 October 2024

Spyndycyt’s latest single, ‘I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore,’ amps up the sonic signature scribed through his prior releases, giving the electrifying track a pulse of EBM while keeping true to his erratically eccentric vocal style as he unravels over a narrative of existentialism and frayed with chaos strobing synth lines.

As quirky and kinetically rhythmic as Neuroticfish and The Gothsicles, as experimental as, well, it’s pretty hard to draw a comparison in that domain, this latest single from Spyndycyt proves how succinctly he can command a four-to-the-floor beat that injects symphonic elements of the 90s rave scene.

It’s a broadsiding tour de force that is undoubtedly as effective at altering your brain chemistry as electroshock therapy. Bite down on this exploration of mistrust, betrayal, and the crushing, ever-growing suspicion that all your deepest and unspoken fears are true.

Contrasting the dark thematic undercurrents of being a terminal disappointment, the solo artist ensures that I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore oscillates through euphorically rhythmic hedonism to sugar the pill you will want to swallow time and time again.

I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tariq.B entered the melodic rock pantheon with his single, You Keep My World Alight

Posted on 12 October 2024

Tariq.B joined Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell in the pantheon of rock evocateurs with his latest melodic rock emotional awakening, You Keep My World Alight, which will unearth feelings you didn’t know lingered in the sediment of your soul.

The song’s title cleverly underplays the vivid romanticism and raw pop-rock melodies that pulse at the heart of this panorama of raw, vulnerable passion which once and for all proves that romance isn’t dead in our era proliferated by strands of superficial connection.

You Keep My World Alight is an undeniable attestation to how the Pakistan-born, Southwest London-residing artist has mastered the art of acoustic sensitivity; every guitar chord hits a raw nerve as the progressions flow with cinematic sepia-tinged imagery and the warm glow of alt-90s tones.

Famed for his live performances across the UK, international airplay and plaudits from BBC Introducing, Tariq.B is well on his way to filling stadiums as wholly as he fuels souls with his sound. He’s a rare artist who instantly makes you feel at home in his honeyed and honed vocal timbre.

You Keep My World Alight is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Enter the Abyss: Michael Beirne’s Dark Folk Descent in The Doctor.

Posted on 11 October 2024

If you thought dark folk couldn’t get any darker, Michael Beirne’s seminal single, The Doctor., takes the listener to the genre’s most shadowed corridors. Taken from part 1 of his two-part LP The Haunted, The Doctor. is part of a larger chapter narrating an emergence from depressive, anxious, psychotic & sinful patterns of thought into hope & forgiveness.

Drawing inspiration from his Catholic faith, Beirne fuses religious iconography with motifs from avant-garde compositions which echo Glenn Branca, creating an eerily electrifying soundtrack to your darkest installations of introspection.

Vocally, Nick Cave meets Jim Jones to instil intensity around the pseudo-rap cadences which serve as dark sermons, resonating through the brooding production through which Michael Beirne cements himself as one of the most fearless figures in the contemporary alternative folk scene.

His ability to fuse experimental soundscapes with deeply personal themes, all while avoiding the genre’s clichés, shows just how much he’s evolved since his early days of experimentation.

The sombre tones may be all-consuming, but Beirne’s ability to make the descent into the abyss feel like a cathartic act of faith is nothing short of divine.  If this is what Beirne can accomplish while staring into the void, we can only imagine what’s next.

Stream The Haunted Album, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 in full on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Red Lips and Chanel Armour: Ches Barrow’s “Parisian Chic” Unveils the Femme Fatale Mystique

Posted on 10 October 2024
Ches Barrow

More Parisian than wearing a red lip and Chanel No. 5, Ches Barrow’s latest single, Parisian Chic, reaches the pinnacle of suave sophistication. With lively piano melodies bubbling beneath Barrow’s demure harmonies, the cabaret pop hit encapsulates a femme fatale’s power and mystique with a striking style befitting the track title.

This single, which sees Barrow return with the Schimmel piano she has composed on since she was 8, exhibits her as an artist who is as style-conscious in fashion as she is in music. Known for her success in the fashion world, collaborating with the likes of Dior and Manolo Blahnik, Barrow fuses her aesthetic with her sonic identity; the results are nothing short of alchemic.

The melody, which remains poised before descending into chaotic beauty in the second verse, mirrors the emotional depth of her lyrics – where glamour masks a world of internal turmoil. Much like her previous hit, Wild, this single is a reflection of Barrow’s talent for capturing complex emotions and translating them into art that scratches far beyond the surface.

With her love of dark, introspective themes clashing against a backdrop of superficial perfection, Parisian Chic sees Barrow at her most raw and empowered. If any single can elevate her status in the alt-pop world, it’s this.

Parisian Chic was officially released on October 9th; stream the single on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Proto-Funk Pioneers, The Yowies, have officially arrived with their decadently disco debut single, Real Time

Posted on 10 October 2024

There’s no putting the mythologically monikered proto-funk renegades, The Yowies, back in their cage after they unveiled their debut single, Real Time. The decadent disco track pours an alchemic cocktail of indie-licked RnB, funk, jazz and soul, stirred by razor-sharp songwriting chops that cut straight through the static of the contemporary music scene.

The tonal sublimity of the seductively smooth single rivals the kaleidoscopic luminosity of a disco ball as The Yowies groove across their foundational influences, which pit the timeless soul of Winehouse against the guitar licks of Nile Rodgers and the spacey transcendence of Bowie in his Young Americans era.

With jazz nuances as a smoke machine, there are few sonic signatures as slick as what is exhibited in The Yowies’ debut release which makes it impossible not to get into the fiery smooth groove. Every replay reveals a new level of their creative genius, solidifying them as a band at the forefront of proto-funk revivalism

Real Time was officially released on September 29; stream the single on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MINERVA SYSTEM synthesised an installation of stylistic sublimity with their alt-rock/trip-hop hybrid, Undermind

Posted on 9 October 2024

MINERVA SYSTEM is a fractured yet symbiotically tight collective, threading their diverse life strands into the dense fabric of their latest single, ‘Undermind’. With members scattered from London to Devon, from St. Petersburg to the indeterminate coordinates of their drummer, the online outfit crafts sonic installations that are as expansive as their geographical spread.

‘Undermind’ is a descent into the ethereal, echoing the otherworldly aura of Bjork with an execution that plays havoc with rhythmic pulses. MINERVA SYSTEM manipulates time signatures with trip-hop precision while maintaining a mellifluous melodicism that binds the chaos into coherence. Discernibly, few artists know how to create equilibriums of sonic serenity and visceral intensity as adeptly as MINERVA SYSTEM with their skill in soaking sounds with raw emotion.

As the track progresses, it metamorphoses; midway, it shifts gears into a 90s-alt-rock-tinged crescendo that wouldn’t be amiss in a Garbage tracklist. This crescendo is a stark, gritty counterpoint to the track’s smoother beginnings, illustrating the band’s versatile command over their sound palette.

If they continue to produce hits in the same vein as Undermind, their rise from the underground is inevitable. They’ve clearly mastered the dark art of sonic scintilaltion; watch this space.

Stream Undermind on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kilabear created a sonic sanctuary for the disillusioned with his dark trap stormer, leave me alone

Posted on 9 October 2024
Kilabear

In leave me alone, the alt-rap pioneer, Kilabear, stakes his claim as the dark sovereign of trap, invoking a prelude reminiscent of Sisters of Mercy, only to shatter the gothic serenity with a bass-heavy beat that propels us into his world of brooding introspection. The track is a raw confluence where the polished production of pop and the grit of trap music coalesce into an evocative vignette of how desperation for isolation can swarm the psyche.

Kilabear’s verses, laden with a poignant candour, penetrate relatable melancholy deep into the mix; his words don’t just hit close to the bone, they soak into the marrow as you’re confronted with unfeigned vulnerability, which acts as an olive branch to connect through one of life’s most solitary experiences. If you’ve ever wanted to withdraw into the recesses of your own spirit through disillusionment and scorn, consider leave me alone you’re new sonic sanctuary.

With his music, Kilabear addresses themes of heartbreak, substance abuse, and the everyday struggles that often go unspoken. leave me alone is a testament to his fearlessness in exposing unvarnished truth.

leave me alone will be available to stream on all major platforms from October 9th; check out the single on Spotify and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Micah! is California dreaming in their latest alt indie pop release, STAY UP

Posted on 7 October 2024

You don’t need Micah!’s bio to tell you that they’re a Cali-residing artist, you can hear it in the dreamy warmth of the hazy melodies in their latest alt-indie-pop single, STAY UP, which teases nuances of hip-hop into the mix with sharp pseudo-rap cadences in the verses.

After honing their songwriting, recording and production skills for a decade, STAY UP is a catharsis-soaked culmination of all the time invested in their unflinching dedication to carve out a niche that listeners will want to nestle into time after time.

Fans of the deliciously delirious tonal palettes alchemised by NewDad, Jibba, Just Mustard and other contemporary indie icons in the same vein will find endless appeal in STAY UP, which is yet another attestation to Micah!’s potential that has already been actualised after the artist opened for Snoop Dogg and hit the 1 million stream mark on SoundCloud.

STAY UP was officially released on September 19; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kickstart your rhythmic pulses with Scott Cook’s alt-rock kaleidoscope of poetic innovation, The Author

Posted on 7 October 2024

With ‘The Author’, Montreal’s Scott Cook served an electrifying synthesis of gritty guitar riffs reminiscent of the Manic Street Preachers and the ethereal synth overlays akin to Suicide’s ‘Dream Baby Dream’. In the cacophony of the saturated with banality modern music scene, the single is a rare slice of accordance.

Cook’s voice, an instrument in its own right, weaves through the tight instrumental arrangement, anchoring and elevating the melodies with his poetic lyricality which is just as sharp as his guitar hooks in the track which filters the colour of psych pop-rock harmonics into the alchemic cocktail which invites you to lose yourself in its euphonic bliss.

The arrangement’s dynamism is palpable, with ebbs and flows that create eager anticipation for the next burst of momentum and the catharsis it bestows.

Scott Cook proves with ‘The Author’ that his musical evolution is not just ongoing but accelerating. Drawing on an eclectic palette that spans genres and eras, he reflects on contemporary life with a candour that Morrissey would struggle to match. If he released this hit in the 90s, he’d be at the top of the charts.

The Author was officially released on September 23rd, stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast