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Music Blog for Indie Pop Fans

Take a detour to ‘the suburbs of jersey’ with Natalee Gallo’s latest indie vignette of vulnerability

Posted on 19 December 2024

Natalee Gallo’s latest release, The Suburbs of Jersey, weaves a delicate yet unyielding balance between introspection and melodic sophistication. With her sophomore single, the Pittsburgh-based indie singer-songwriter invites listeners into the emotional architecture of her experiences, building bridges between past uncertainty and present clarity through her Americana-tinged indie pop.

A master of subtle dynamism, Gallo’s layered approach to songwriting breathes life into her narratives. The slide guitar’s soft curiosity melds seamlessly with the driving acoustic backbone, creating a soundscape that pulses with restrained intensity. The production evolves in waves, mirroring the emotional intricacies of its subject matter: the insecurities that stem from navigating perception and expectation at the genesis of a relationship.

Born from a journal entry penned in 2018, the track feels as confessional as it does cinematic. Gallo’s tender yet resolute vocal delivery conveys the vulnerability of her lyrics with an evocative timbre that paints panoramic emotional vistas. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what follows from the organically absorbing artist who can stir the coldest souls into feeling whole.

the suburbs of jersey is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The guilt of grief locked into the minor-key melodies in The Every Glazer’s most affecting single to date, One More Day

Posted on 15 December 2024

The Every Glazer never shies away from emotive candour, yet, his latest single, One More Day, lays bare the inner turmoil that took hold after he rushed to the hospital to be by his mother’s side, only to arrive too late. The luminous minor-key notes meet the aching intensity of lyrics that detail his regret, as though the track had no choice but to spill from his soul in an attempt to process grief through a poetically intimate narrative.

Mourning rarely translates neatly into language. For some, it’s an alien phenomenon; for others who have firsthand experience, it’s simply beyond expression. The Every Glazer manages to crack that code by stripping himself bare in a score that feels both painfully raw and tenderly consoling.

Anyone who has ever stumbled through the guilt-ridden conflicting emotions of bereavement will find solace in the harrowing yet comforting presence of ‘One More Day’. It’s no easy listen. Even the singer-songwriter admits performing it live remains a daunting prospect. Yet its presence in the world ensures no one needs to bear that emotional weight alone. In under four minutes, The Every Glazer turns the inexplicable into a resonant, empathetic encounter.

One More Day was officially released on November 15; stream the single on Spotify and YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Indie Pop Meets Folk Symphony: The Dynamic Contrasts of Woodstone’s ‘Touch of Adrenaline’

Posted on 13 December 2024
Woodstone

Woodstone, a rising indie pop singer-songwriter from New Jersey, offers an emotive glimpse into his forthcoming fourth LP with the release of ‘Touch of Adrenaline.’ The track captures the essence of early 2000s indie pop while throwing back a little further to 90s Britpop, evoking memories of Plain White T’s and stoking the nostalgia of Oasis while infusing his own raw, heartfelt style.

This intricately crafted track intertwines folk elements with chamber pop strings, allowing contrasting layers of ornate orchestration and winding folk guitar lines to showcase Woodstone’s skill in bending and blending texture and tone into affecting aural contours. Reflecting on the ephemeral nature of intense feelings, Woodstone demonstrates a sophisticated approach to scintillating the senses of his growing fanbase.

Woodstone Said:

“Touch of Adrenaline is about a relationship with an end date, with both parties knowing it will end, and the last fleeting moments being marked by intensified emotion. 

The single explores what it really means to truly feel and be present with someone you love for the last time while conveying an image of romance in the midst of a dystopian world. 

Like all songs on the upcoming concept album, it was inspired by a relationship that could have worked but wasn’t the right time, and life forced us to drift apart.”

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Touch of Adrenaline will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify, from December 13th, with Woodstone’s fourth album, Glass Skin, set to follow in early 2025.

Follow Woodstone on Instagram to stay up to date with all of his latest releases and news.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ben Joyner’s ‘Audrey (Nice Name)’ is a love letter scrawled in indie folk blues threads

Posted on 12 December 2024

With Audrey (Nice Name), Los Angeles-based filmmaker and musician Ben Joyner twanged his Southern roots into an indie-folk soundscape laced with bluesy undertones. Joyner’s North Carolina upbringing whispers through the raw, weathered production, evoking the nostalgic warmth of back-porch serenades. Yet, there’s a cinematic depth to his storytelling—unsurprising from someone who knows his way around both a melody and a narrative arc.

The single feels like the love child of Elliott Smith’s emotional vulnerability and Bob Dylan’s effortless breeziness, with a rugged charm that never veers into self-indulgence. The simplicity of the arrangement amplifies its emotional punch, striking listeners with the same visceral authenticity that made Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips cult favourites in indie circles.

While the track humbly avoids overwrought polish, allowing the magic to permeate through the endearing imperfections. Like a page torn straight from Joyner’s diary, the lyrics unashamedly bare the heart of a diehard romantic, exuding an effortless intimacy that many polished productions fail to capture.

It’s rare to encounter a track so uncontrived in its affections, yet refined enough to avoid straying into cliché, but sure enough, with Audrey (Nice Name), Joyner more than lives up to his name.

Stream Audrey (Nice Name) on Spotify now, and connect with the artist via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ava Valianti’s ‘Wishing Well’ is a Diaphanous Dive into Lost Innocence

Posted on 10 December 2024

At just 15, Ava Valianti has already mastered the art of weaving raw emotion into new-wave indie pop. With her latest single, ‘Wishing Well’, the Massachusetts singer-songwriter delivers a reverie-rich production that captures the ache of growing up and the bittersweet nostalgia for the innocence of youth.

Inspired by childhood memories, Ava channels her reflections on the fading simplicity of youth into soaring harmonies and sweeping melodies. Thematically, ‘Wishing Well’ resounds with longing and hope, its diaphanous textures sonically illustrating the vulnerability of clinging to the magic of belief. Ava’s lyrical candour doesn’t just invite listeners into her world; it offers them a mirror to their own experiences of inevitable change and loss. Her ability to find clarity in bittersweet moments transforms each note into a visceral connection.

Standing alongside her earlier singles—‘Bubble Wrap’, ‘Middle Ground’, and ‘January’—this track showcases her ability to fuse introspective lyrics with literally and figuratively haunting melodies. With comparisons to indie luminaries like Mitski and First Aid Kit easily and rightfully drawn, her trajectory has been meteoric, already earning her 10k monthly listeners, a nomination for the New England Music Awards’ “Pop Act of the Year,” and praise from over 60 radio stations across the US.

Ava’s music is a force propelling her into the heart of indie supremacy, and ‘Wishing Well’ solidifies her place as an artist who creates vessels of unfiltered soul, poised to resonate with listeners across generations.

Wishing Well was officially released on November 22nd; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

kidd noir – gravitational; a séance of semi-lucid seraphic reverie

Posted on 28 November 2024

kidd noir’s single ‘gravitational’, taken from her hotly anticipated debut EP ‘Year 19’, is a séance of semi-lucid seraphic reverie with a palpable sense of emotional turbulence woven within its ambient aesthetics. In contrast with the transgressions in the indie dream pop production, kidd noir’s honeyed-in-harmony vocal lines never falter from their soft, almost reticent register.

As intimate as a nocturnal diary entry, ‘gravitational’ pulls you through the corridors of kidd noir’s psyche as the instrumentals caress you with their candid touch and the stream-of-consciousness vocal delivery reaches the epitome of unfeigned expression. Her ability to console coming-of-age pain within her debut EP abstracts the alienation commonly associated with trying to figure out the world and where you fit within it. Yet, the appeal of kidd noir’s sound extends beyond a younger audience; the meditations within gravitational speak a universal language.

The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist picked up her first guitar at age nine and never looked back; by 18, she earned her stripes as a producer, ensuring that no one else’s touch graces her sound, which synthesises alt-RnB, pop and indie influences with personal experience. With Year 19 as the crowning point of her career so far, there’s never been a better time to sink into her discography.

Stream kidd noir’s EP, Year 19, on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Maxell’s Psychedelic Indietronica Debut ‘Hide and Seek’ Taps Into the Ether

Posted on 27 November 2024
https://www.youtube.com/@wearemaxell

Maxell, a London-based trio, might be a fledgling force, but with a synth-driven sound more psychedelically potent than anything you can buy in a back alley in Camden and the wealth of experience they bring from other bands, they’re proving to be unreckonable.

Following an intro which hits with the pulse of She Wants Revenge, their memento-musing debut single, ‘Hide and Seek’ soon twists into a stylistically embellished installation of Avant-Garde indietronica.

The synths distort into kaleidoscopic oscillations as they synergise around the shimmering organ tones and delay-saturated guitars, creating an entrancing backdrop for the ethereally crystalline vocal lines, which paradoxically carry immense weight as they embed the lyrics deep into the listener’s psyche.

If you have a lot of love for Legendary Pink Dots, you may as well hand your heart over to Maxell and their signature ‘hauntology’ sound now.

Stream the official music video for Hide and Seek on YouTube or head over to Bandcamp where you can purchase the single; all proceeds from this single will be donated to the homeless charity, Crisis UK.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Heidi Vincent – Criminal: A Ruggedly Western Vignette of Vengeance

Posted on 17 November 2024

Vancouver’s Heidi Vincent fuelled her latest single, Criminal, with Femme Fatale fire-branded soul. Within the pistols at dawn ruggedly Western vignette of vengeance, the country-pop-rock siren reclaims her power after a sour romantic encounter while giving April March a run for her twangy rockabilly money.

As the ultimate soundtrack for the recently lothario-scorned, Criminal delivers enough vindication to devour your spite whole as you lose yourself within the stylised earworm which is a thematic continuation from her previous denial and betrayal-encompassing single, What Love Can Do.

While cinema may fail to write female redemption stories which don’t resonate as exploitative, that’s exactly where the independent singer-songwriter succeeded with Criminal, there’s catharsis by the smorgasbord in the invitation for every listener to find their power through the narratively electrifying sonic blockbuster.

Criminal hit all major platforms on November 1st; stream it on Spotify and connect with Heidi Vincent on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laura Mock took her listeners from poetic depth to ethereal heights in her standout single, Acadia

Posted on 11 November 2024

After two years of pouring her poetry, candour and sublimely affecting unique aura into her debut EP, home//body, the NYC-residing songstress, Laura Mock has finally unveiled one of the most sensuous sounds of 2024.

The standout single, Acadia, starts with tenderly warm piano chords which echo Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ before the single veers into stylistically seraphic easy listening territory and concludes following an arcane neo-classic folk pop crescendo which reaches the epitome of sonic serenity.

Despite the diaphanous propensities of each of the motifs in Acadia, the artfully composed, orchestrally laced progressions are strong enough to carry the weight of the heaviest souls as Mock uses the organic reverie within her vocal register to wrap you up within a vignette where naturalistic beauty resounds in equal measure to the divine nature of her talent.

Stream Laura Mock’s debut EP, home//body, on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Girl Annual sparked a flicker of folky melancholic serenity with their dream pop debut, Ember

Posted on 11 November 2024

With the single Ember, the enigmatic independent artist Girl Annual steps into the indie scene by setting an exquisitely reflective tone, merging folk-esque lyrical storytelling with the ethereal aesthetics of dream pop. The debut single is a seraphically melancholic invitation to lose yourself in the bitter-sweet chasm of reverie and let Girl Annual’s mournfully sublime vocal lines spellbind as they wash over you and pour raw vulnerability into the sonic atmosphere.

The diaphanous instrumental elements amplify the sense of introspection that flows from the poetic candour within the vocals, building the perfect soundtrack for an intimate autumnal scene. With a commercial appeal reminiscent of First Aid Kit, Girl Annual holds the potential to cut through the static of the oversaturated alt-indie dream pop sphere.

It’s an aural experience of oceanic depth, inviting listeners to drift within the serene textures that cascade and intertwine. This release doesn’t just play out – it envelops, and with each ebb and flow, it gently pulls you further in. All industry eyes should be on Girl Annual, anticipating their next move.

Ember was officially released on September 27; stream it on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast