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Kimi Nickerson – Boundaries: The Ultimate Dark-Pop Anthem for Self-Reclamation

Posted on 26 September 2024
Kimi Nickerson

For anyone who has felt the desperation to shed the facades worn to appease others and unapologetically don their own unfeigned guise, Kimi Nickerson’s latest alt-pop tour de force is the ultimate anthem for self-reclamation.

Boundaries is an artfully moody electronic pop ballad that quickly breaks away from convention with its dark reverberant synth-driven melodies and bass-punched syncopated beats. As Nickerson layers her vocals to create a one-woman choir, the track takes on an arcane atmosphere that is guaranteed to spill from the soundwaves into your soul.

The production paints a scene of gritty defiance with its cinematic instrumentation and delicate high-end frequencies that purposefully carry the vocal narration. It is a haunting exploration of reclaiming personal power, and if you’ve ever shrunk into yourself to please someone else, Boundaries will scratch far beyond the surface.

Drawing inspiration from NF, Jon Bellion, and BANKS, Kimi fused electronic synths with modern trap and drill drums to create a genre-defying synthesis to platform her raw, thought-provoking lyrics and memorable alternative melodies.

The track is a paradoxical cocktail of soulful spirituality and dark, domineering aesthetics. It’s a juxtaposition that not only underscores the thematic power of the track but also elevates it as a defining moment in Nickerson’s discography.

Boundaries will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify, from September 26th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Confront the introspective abyss with Locian’s kinetic darkwave art-rock release, Shadow on the Wall

Posted on 25 September 2024

Dance with the darkness within to the tempo of Locian’s most affectingly kinetic electronic art-rock release yet, Shadow on the Wall. The rhythmically augmented earworm from Australia’s most introspective solo artist is so much more than just a sonic drop into the oversaturated airwaves. It intensifies the anticipation for Locian’s forthcoming LP, Fears, Reflections & Shades of Time, as the solo artist continues to define his distinctive electronic rock style, weaving his signature synthesis into the rhythmically charged compositions of philosophical reckoning.

Emotionally charged revelations about facing the hidden aspects of one’s identity diaphanously drift through the installation of dark etherealism as the track’s pulsating synths and sharply defined guitar lines inject a vibrant, high-energy feel into the release which offers a scintillating study in contrasts. It juxtaposes the vulnerability inherent in introspection with the robust instrumental forces that symbolise the tumultuous battle against inner demons.

Originally envisioned as two separate pieces, Shadow on the Wall evolved into a unified narrative that advocates the importance of acknowledging and embracing one’s darker sides. After winning audiences across Sydney and Melbourne over with the single, the core message is set to enlighten the darkwave domain while setting a high bar for cerebral lyricism.

Shadow on the Wall was officially released on September 13; stream the single on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fuar became the airwaves’ new favourite folk-punk raconteur with ‘Ladies Night’

Posted on 25 September 2024

In his latest single, Ladies Night, Belfast’s Fuar arrived with the swagger of a seasoned raconteur and the fervour of a folk-punk revolution, stirring the still airwaves into a riotous frenzy. Here is a single that marries the cheeky charm of Irish folk with the electric buzz of college radio rock, a sound nostalgically nodding to R.E.M.’s sticky-sweet hooks yet boldly staking its own claim in the folk domain.

Fuar melded the quintessential tones of traditional acoustic folk instrumentation with punk’s refusal to harmonise with convention, creating an atmosphere thick with euphoria. The charismatically magnetic vocals turn every syllable in the lyricism into a call to arms for those weary of the beige and the mundane in the folk scene.

The singer-songwriter may have only started to write his legacy with his recorded material, but if Ladies Night is anything to go by, his saga will be etched into the annals of folk before long. Having leapt into the recording scene in 2024, he’s quickly amassed a following enchanted by his panorama-painting lyricism and his earmilk-pouring progressions. With over 100 spins spanning from Amazing Radio to Radio New York, and echoes of acclaim reverberating through the blogosphere, Fuar has ensured his journey isn’t just one to watch—it’s one to be part of.

Ladies Night was officially released on September 10th and is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Swim in the alt-rock riptide of Sharpened.Lives’ latest single, drifter

Posted on 25 September 2024

Groningen founded, Mainz based most cutting trio, Sharpened.Lives, continue to sell sanctuary to the disenchanted through their introspectively iron-wrought, expansively influenced alt-rock single, drifter.

The track resonates with the seductive depth of Deftones and carries the visceral punch of post-hardcore giants like Alexisonfire, all while infusing the intricate time signatures reminiscent of InME and the cutting-edge aesthetics of Highly Suspect.

The backbone of ‘drifter’ is its gnarled basslines that churn beneath chameleonic vocals, which oscillate between tender harmonies and guttural outpours. The guitar work is nothing short of incisive, crafting hooks that are as magnetic as they are sharp, ensuring that once you’re pulled in, there is no getting out unaffected.

Drifter presents a rare sonic experience that engulfs you by being far more than the sum of all its cultivated parts; it demands total surrender to its raw, emotional pull. The track’s glitchy, tumultuous breakdowns are potent enough to sideline even the most revered BMTH records, making a clear statement about the band’s intent to redefine the boundaries of heaviness and emotional depth in music.

For anyone who has felt adrift in the often chaotic current of reality, don’t hesitate to dig in. Their upcoming EP, ‘st//tches’, promises to be a continuation of this powerful dialogue with their listeners.

drifter was officially released on September 6th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ride the synth waves in Dry’s latest alt-electro hit, DON’T GO

Posted on 24 September 2024

Dry finessed the future of alt-electro with his latest single, DON’T GO. With the synths delivering a unique flavour of cybernetic hyper-pop-adjacent funk into the adrenalized installation of retro-futurism, it is impossible not to get caught up in the kinetic hype of the genre-bending track.

The single’s foundation is laid with a robust bassline that pulsates through the melody, offering a deep, resonant contrast to the sharp clarity of vintage analogue synths. These elements combine to craft a backdrop that is rich in texture and brimming with infectious energy. The breakbeats act as a homage to the classic eras of hip-hop and Drum and Bass, infused with a modern twist that keeps the listener locked in and moving.

Adding complexity to this already dynamic mix, Dry’s vocals, autotuned to the edge of synthetic distortion, serve as a bold statement on the artificiality of modern pop. This choice is a clever nod to the genre’s roots in electronic manipulation, pushing the boundaries of vocal treatment into the realm of the experimental.

Each beat in ‘DON’T GO’ reflects a deep appreciation of Dry’s influences—from the intricate jazz time signatures that defy conventional expectations to the funk-infused grooves reminiscent of Jamiroquai and Steely Dan.

Stream DON’T GO on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sleeping Through Breakfast brought comfort to the void in their alt-indie release, Black Hole

Posted on 24 September 2024

Rarely do indie folk and pop punk melodically intersect, but as proven by Sleeping Through Breakfast’s single ‘Black Hole’, which brings comfort to the void, soul-teasing sublimity transpires.

You’ll come for the convention-defying instrumentals, but you will stay for the stunningly distinct vocals, which use unique inflections to exhibit just how authentic this outfit is. With guitars that spill sepia tones in the same vein as Muzz, paired with sincerity-soaked vocals and artful embellishments, the duo make a mockery of middle-of-the-road artists with their semi-lucid, endlessly ascending motifs. It’s not just the uniqueness of the soundprint that will leave you aching for more; it’s how intensely the cosmic-hued melodies grip the heartstrings.

Founded in 2021, the alternative/art rock duo Zander Prokop and Joshua Kleiman has been orchestrating for the introspective dreamers with their already expansive discography. With their earlier releases, such as Pillowcase Studies and The A Hopeful Note EP, they set the bar high, but they always find new plateaus to aurally visit. Their latest endeavour, the People Without Faces EP, released on September 22nd, explores themes of death and the inevitable decay of the world while unravelling as a testament to the necessity of finding solace in the love that remains.

Safe to say, Sleeping Through Breakfast has carved out their own space in the alternative scene, and with ‘Black Hole,’ they attest they are here to stay. If they aren’t topping the charts with their Nada Surf-esque tenderness in a few years, we riot.

Black Hole was officially released on September 14; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Razor Hooks and Synth Strokes: Unreal’s ‘Dirty Blue’ Cuts Deep

Posted on 23 September 2024

Taken from the debut eponymous LP which hit the airwaves on September 11, the seminal single, Dirty Blue, is an undeniable attestation to how the Portland powerhouse Unreal isn’t just here to play, they’re here to rip the monotony from the contemporary music scene with their razor-sharp hooks and convention-defying sonic signature.

Pairing 80s synth lines with angular indie jangle pop guitar lines and the caustic timbre of emo-adjacent vox, Unreal lived up to their moniker with their potent, alchemic cocktail that few other artists would think to pour, let alone pull it off in such an anthemically infectious way.

Imagine a synthesis of the riled angst of Taking Back Sunday, the glittery synths of a-ha, and the guitar licks of the Replacements and you’ll get an idea of the sheer innovation that courses through Dirty Blue which transcends the usual try-hard aesthetics of genre-fusion; every element serves to add more depth to the high-octane currents of emotion that courses throughout the earworm.

Stream the debut LP from Unreal on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vanderga

Syd Taylor became the new iconic alt-pop siren with her debut single, Love of Your Life

Posted on 23 September 2024

After breaking away from the twin duo, Stereo Jane, the indie alt-pop siren, Syd Taylor, came into her own with her paradox of a self-produced debut single, Love of Your Life, which haunts with its vintage tones as much as it uplifts and empowers through euphoric pop hooks.

The symbiosis between the brashy, saturated-in-delay lo-fi intimacy and the sleeker aesthetics in the single enabled Taylor to cut away from the monotonous fray of polished with superficiality pop and establish herself as a singer-songwriter and producer in the same league as Angel Olsen and Adrianne Lenker. If you’ve ever known the red flag fear of being the subject of obsessive attraction, Love of Your Life is the ultimate reparation.

As a signifier of how much of a phenomenon Syd Taylor is destined to become, the launch party for Love of Your Life happened between the unhallowed walls of the Viper Room on September 20th. With her debut LP in the pipeline, she’s the definition of one to watch as she works her way into the alt-pop pantheon.

Stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Caught in the Sonic Undertow of  Dan Morgan’s Post-Rock Riptide, ‘Brace Yourself’

Posted on 22 September 2024
In The Wake Of A Dying Sun by Dan Morgan

After intense anticipation, Dan Morgan’s debut LP, In the Wake of a Dying Sun, released by Throwing Shapes, is finally upon us. After the opening salvo, the first of the seminal singles, Brace Yourself, offers listeners a potent foretaste of the album’s virtuosic versatility. Brace Yourself is not only a harbinger of Morgan’s diverse exploration but a forceful narrative in its own right, positioning itself steadfastly within the post-rock genre.

In this track, traditional rock instrumentation grooves against cutting-edge and vintage analogue synths, lending an air of retro-futurism to the production which allows the poetic whispers of lyricality to resonate beyond the confines of the release as the verses work their way into the reverberations of your mind.

The complex time signatures woven throughout Brace Yourself are the ultimate attestations of Morgan’s ability to melodically manipulate controlled chaos. This rhythmic complexity adds a palpable intensity to the track which delivers post-rock as you’ve never heard it before.

You’ll be caught between adoration of how cohesively all the elements of the track pulled together and the intensity of emotions evoked by the sonic escapade. Because once you hit play, you’re powerless to resist the momentum. Like getting caught up in a riptide at sea, all you can do is succumb to the higher power as it carries you.

As the first glimpse of what ‘In the Wake of a Dying Sun’ promises, ‘Brace Yourself’ sets a high bar. It is an earnest reflection of Morgan’s last few years of dedication in the studio, wrestling with a spectrum of sounds and influences that culminate in a collection of tracks that are set to seal his fate as one of the most promising UK alt-rock artists of 2024.

In the Wake of a Dying Sun was released on September 12 stream the LP in full on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sticker – Making Mistakes: A Garage Grunge Anthem for the Fatally Fallible

Posted on 22 September 2024

Sticker’s debut single ‘Making Mistakes’ erupts as an explosive anthem for the perpetually remorseful and as a vindicating release for anyone haunted by the spectre of past missteps.

With its garage-grunge aesthetic sharply intersected by the electrifying surges of pop punk, the track from their debut EP, ‘Hello! My Name is Sticker’, cements the Nevada-based powerhouse as unreckonable evocateurs of caustic catharsis.

Formed in Las Vegas in 2019, Sticker, led by vocalist and guitarist Dennis Fija, alongside drummer Carlos Daniel Herrera and bassist Jacob Anthony Hennagir, the trio rapidly distinguished themselves in the Las Vegas circuit with a raw, fuzzy punk sound steeped in a plethora of influences. ‘Making Mistakes’ marries the nostalgic grit of Nirvana during their ‘Bleach’ era with the melodic poise of Smashing Pumpkins, layered with the contemporary edge of bands like Fidlar.

The track’s relentless energy and piercing lyrics provide a mirror to the soul, reflecting the tumult of self-criticism and the liberation found in acknowledging fallibility. It’s more than just music; it’s a frenzied, sonic purge of pent-up emotions, driven by dissonant chords, catchy melodies, and harsh vocals that challenge social norms and delve into the theme of unreciprocated emotions.

As the centrepiece of their EP, ‘Making Mistakes’ is the perfect introduction to Sticker’s gritty domain of rhythmic rebellion, proving that sometimes, the most profound reflections are found in the echoes of our errors.

Making Mistakes was officially released on September 8th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast