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The term ‘indie’ in the music industry has become so ambiguous it has practically become as subjective as the meaning of life. Whichever way it is defined, it is still a massive part of the music industry in the UK and across the globe.

Originally, indie referred to how an artist distributed their music. Over the decades, it became a catch-all term for artists sharing the same sonic off-kilter edge; and, of course, the same moody yet inexplicably cool aesthetic. Indie, as a genre, only came around as the result of experimental artists in the 70s wanting to bring a new sound to the airwaves; instead of solely hoping for commercial success after appeasing one of the major record labels.

Indie artists adopted punk ethos they started to push the boundaries of pop. Instead of commercialising their sound, they pushed it into post-punk, shoegaze, synthpop, Britpop, avant-garde, noise rock and dream pop arenas. For all that separates bands such as Sonic Youth, the Cure, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Elliott Smith and Radiohead, there is still so much that ties them together, namely their attitudes and the loud discordant style.

Along with the bands, iconic venues such as the 100 Club in London, the Hacienda in Manchester, and King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow had a pivotal part to play in the traction of independent artists and music. New Indie labels, such as Rough Trade and Factory Records, were amongst the first record labels to truly embrace and encourage experimentalism and authenticity in the artists they scouted and signed – taking New Order and Joy Division as a prime example.

It may have been a while since there was an indie breakthrough act as successful as the Arctic Monkeys, but indie music has far from lost its resonance. Besides, Monkeys won over 42 awards and sold over 20 million records, so that’s going to take some beating, and they’re certainly not the only indie artists currently thriving.

The Welsh indie rock icons, the Manic Street Preachers, celebrated their first number 1 album in 23 years with the release of Ultra Vivid Lament in 2021. The Tarantino-Esque Liverpool outfit, Red Rum Club, released their debut album in 2019, and got to number 14 in the official album sales chart with their album, How to Steal the World, in 2021. Perhaps most impressively, the world’s first CryptoPunk rapper, Spottie Wifi, made just under $200k in album NFT sales in 90 seconds this year.

Ulysse Zangs turned the pages of a grief chapter with his artful installation of ambient folk in ‘Gone in Lust’

Posted on 5 December 2024

The opening sequence to Ulysse Zangs’ single, Gone in Lust, rivals the chill-inducing talents of David Lynch; it’s a slice of sonic arthouse cinema in itself. After the haunting discordance of the synths, a gentle acoustic guitar melody rises within the ambient folk production against the singer-songwriter’s diaphanously sweet vocal lines, which are just as caressive as Elliott Smith’s, with a nuanced alt-country twang.

As the single progresses with ethereal semi-lucid candour, the jarring synths pick their moments to rush through the release, adding a palpable sense of unease to the reverie of the single.

With every release orchestrated in an intersection of sound, movement and nature, Ulysse Zangs’ is so much more than an aural architect chiselling their legacy into the airwaves one release at a time. By pulling inspiration from a myriad of phenomena, their sound is as cerebral as it is invitingly intimate.

Given the filmic qualities of Gone in Lust, it is no surprise that Ulysse Zangs also scores for performance pieces, art installations and film. Their recently released EP, Idle Hands Or, which features Gone in Lust, is an exploration of grief and recovery; after the passing of his grandmother, Zangs returned to their hometown, a small village in Normandy, and set up a studio in their grandmother’s former home.

Speaking on the EP, the artist reveals, “This album feels like an invitation to slow down and contemplate—both the external environment and the inner landscapes of emotion. It reflects my journey of letting go of the past and arriving fully in the present moment.”

Gone in Lust is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Talking Hours cast the first stone in the indietronica blues-rock revolution with the swagger in their latest seminal release, Stop the Sound

Posted on 5 December 2024

The Talking Hours have returned as unrivalled pioneers of post-punk panache after a four-year airwaves hiatus with Stop the Sound, a track from their third LP, Transmissions to Missy. If you’ve ever wondered what The Black Keys would sound like if they traded in their vintage bluesy tones for indie hooks and Arcade Fire-style swagger, look no further.

Mauricio and Karie, the fierce force behind The Talking Hours, weave magnetic indie vocals through a dense fog of percussion and angular guitars that slice through the track with post-punk precision. The visceral rhythm and sharp riffs deliver jolts of energy while the vocals cut through, commanding attention with their arcane deliverances of deadpan drawls and euphonic harmony.

The way the duo push against the constrictions of sonic conformity by pairing rock, blues, and indie elements with electronic pulses amplifies the hypnotic gravity of Stop the Sound. You’ll come for the perfect equilibrium of style and substance, yet it is the emotive anatomy of Stop the Sound which allows it to establish itself as a playlist staple, with the same sense of magnetism as Editors and Interpol in spite of the abstract nature of the lyricism.

Stream The Talking Hours’ LP, Transmissions to Missy, in full via Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

figaro heralded the new wave of darkwave indie with their ‘Good Bones’ EP

Posted on 1 December 2024

If your playlists are littered with tracks from White Lies and Editors, the latest EP, Good Bones, from the Brooklyn-based alt-indie trailblazer figaro is a homecoming for malaised souls seeking salvation in moody synth-driven indie guitar-licked pulsative euphony.

Haunting the borderlands between post-punk-tinged industrial indie sleaze and darkwave synth-pop, the 6-track release is an anthology of strobing ennui. The opening single, Maybe Cherry, has infiltrated swathes of influential indie playlists with its aching atmospherics, angular guitars and abstract crooned lyrics, which paint poetry throughout the hypnotic oscillations.

In Foreva, the indie artist wears their 80s influence on their guitar strings, harking back to the tonal mesmerism of Echo and the Bunnymen while delivering hymnally intimate installations of introspection. All I Know is yet another standout on the EP; with sweeping guitars which echo Interpol, polyphonic synths, a syncopated beat, and the delicious sonic dejection of PEACE and Jaws, figaro scorched their way through the oversaturated synth-pop scene, reigning supreme over the indie landfill pawns as one of the most organically original artists who has graced the darkwaves in recent years.

Stream figaro’s sophomore EP, Good Bones, which dropped on November 22nd, on all major platforms, including Spotify.

For more ways to listen and connect with figaro use this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Commüne pierced the punk-rock veil with their vignette of ennui-soaked suffering ‘Alive, ok’

Posted on 30 November 2024

Slick with ennui-soaked suffering, the latest single, ‘Alive, ok’, from the Athens, Georgia powerhouse, Commüne, leads you into a vortex of existentially scuzzy philosophical enquiry.

If you think the lyric, “And we’re alive, and I know that it’s fine and I’ll tell you that’s great but what about the pain?”, hits hard, brace yourself for the impact of the hypersonic punk rock hooks which, when paired with the Kathleen Hanna-esque bratty vocal delivery, is hard enough to bruise.

Commüne pulled all of the punches with this kaleidoscope of dissonance, which efficaciously depicts the intensity of emotion when you attempt to find tangible reasons to endeavour through relentless chapters of comfortless anhedonia.

With guitar strings, which may as well be live electrical wires burning white hot buzzsaw riffs into the track over the frenetic pulse of the percussion against the ferociously honeyed harmonies, ‘Alive, ok’ is so much more than a testament to the fire-branded power of Commüne; it’s a monolithic monument standing in the punk rock pantheon.

Stream the official music video for ‘Alive, ok’ on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Animal Objective’s ‘Irregular Handshake’ Shakes Up Rock’s Stagnant Foundations

Posted on 28 November 2024

The Animal Objective cast the first stone in the rock revolution that the airwaves have been crying out for with their debut EP, featuring the standout single ‘Irregular Handshake’. By pulling the amplified and overdriven roots of rock into frenetically electric obscurity, the prodigal sons of avant-garde riffs ensure their experimentalism is accessible enough for anyone determined not to see their ’70s and ’80s rock records gather dust. Innovative enough to demand novelty-seekers firmly affix this release to their playlists from the first groove.

If it’s been a while since your mind was sonically fucked and demanded a cigarette afterwards, hit play and prepare yourself for the psychedelic climax that allows you to imagine what Soul Asylum would have sounded like if they’d brought an arsenal of acid and some Mike Patton influence into the studio.

Conceived by British musician and graphic artist Tim Naish, The Animal Objective began as a solo venture before evolving into a four-piece ensemble after Tim relocated to France. Joined by fellow musical misfits Sylvie Pichard (bass), Tonyo Chauveau (drums), and Jojo Pannier (guitar) in 2019, the band became a labour of love that fully realised Tim’s eccentric vision.

Their debut EP, ‘Creature Law‘, released on 11th October 2024, showcases their eccentric mix of angular grooves, hypnotic melodies, and infectious energy that recounts surreal tales from this world and beyond. If you want to expand your mind, this EP will blow the hinges off the door to your psyche.

Irregular Handshake is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Transcendent Discord: Ficus Unveils Psychedelic Alchemy in ‘Resonation Room’

Posted on 27 November 2024

Warp your rhythmic pulses with Ficus’ double A-side release, Resonation Room. After dialling the mystic beguile up to 11 with angular Eastern guitars, the title single unravels as a progressive hybrid of psychedelia and sludgy stoner rock that electrifies the senses with intense reverberations of distortion which swallow the heavy riffs.

Setting themselves apart from your average raconteurs of kaleidoscopic rancour the Michigan-hailing powerhouse wraps an aura of transcendence around the discordance, building an arcane monument of aural alchemy that any psych rock fans will want to kneel at the altar of. With harmonies which carry as much mysticism as the grooves and pockets of ambience in their instrumental arrangement, the Ficus effect is visceral on every conceivable level.

After touring with the likes of Levitation Room, Chirp, Desmond Jones, Triptides, Consider the Source and North by North, Ficus have become renowned for their live performances which light the way to tonal nirvana. Equally as entrancing on record, it is only a matter of time before Ficus is internationally recognised as a premier psych rock ensemble.

Resonation Room is now available to stream on Spotify.

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

Under the Ephemeral Veil: DANIELA’s Sonic Resonance in ‘Waiting’

Posted on 26 November 2024

DANIELA’s latest indie RnB single, ‘Waiting,’ is as ethereal as slipping through a semi-lucid dream. The indie-tinged journey through stripped-back soul demands that listeners surrender to the seraphic sublimity of its dreamy atmosphere, which stands as an exhibition of DANIELA’s authentic to the nth-degree talent.

With every note, she demonstrates a masterful command over texture, tone, and melody, carefully curating each sonic element to immerse her audience into a vignette of dreamy, lovesick longing. The warmth of her vocal whispers serves as the gravitational core of the track, leaving the listener tantalised long after the music fades.

Originally from Italy and now enriching London’s diverse music scene, DANIELA draws inspiration from icons such as Amy Winehouse and Lana del Ray, weaving her rich, emotive vocals with contemporary production that hints at nostalgia. Her musical narrative is steeped in neo-soul, jazz, and Italian melodic influences, culminating in a distinct sonic signature.

With a background rich in performance—from London’s speakeasies to the jazz circuits of the Emirates—DANIELA has honed her craft on illustrious stages, contributing to her seasoned artistry. Her live performances resonate with the strength of her studio work, notably during standout gigs such as the WOW Festival at Southbank Centre, backing legends like Sister Sledge, and enamouring audiences in venues as diverse as the Grand Hyatt in Doha and the spirited bars of Soho and Shoreditch.

Waiting was officially released on November 15; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Candour cascades in John O’Brien’s acoustic folk-pop ballad, Can’t You See That It’s Me

Posted on 25 November 2024

With all the emotional intricacy of Buckley, the spacey etherealism of Bowie and ELO’s tender hits, and the all-encompassing soul of Tom Waits, John O’Brien’s latest single ‘Can’t You See That It’s Me’ pulls you into its evocative core.

The acoustic folk-pop ballad invites you to live vicariously within the lush layers of this stripped-back exposition of the heartache which ensues when romantic expectation forces us to feel as though we’ve fallen short despite giving our all to fulfil desire and sate our own.

if you don’t feel a cascade of emotion fall over you to the tune of John O’Brien wearing his heart on the acoustic guitar strings that drift into the euphonic atmosphere, you can probably consider your soul defunct.

As a performer, recording artist, and songwriter with over four decades of experience, O’Brien has graced stages worldwide—from the US to Madrid, Amsterdam, the Caribbean, Japan, Australia, and beyond. Equally as successful on the airwaves and radio waves, hits from his acclaimed LPs have amassed millions of Spotify streams, while his 2022 UK tour saw his hit ‘The Spider’s Love Web‘ climb to #2 on the UK radio charts.

Can’t You See That It’s Me was officially released on November 15; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast