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Music Blog for Indie Pop Fans

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

Organic Art Folk Serenity Unravels through Matt John Henderson’s ‘Gethsemane’

Posted on 9 November 2024

With his latest single, Gethsemane, the Ambient Avant-Gardist Matt John Henderson nestled into the niche of sonic expressionists with the ability to render catharsis into your rhythmic pulses while intellectually stimulating your mind.

The cinematically quiescent piece uses organic textures and tones to imbue the production in folksy seraphic warmth; his equally as honeyed and honed hushed vocal tones effortlessly complement the minimalist yet intricately eloquent instrumental stylings which pair jazz nuances with artfully delicate motifs that wouldn’t be out of place in Thom Yorke’s remit.

As a precursor to the critically acclaimed artist’s eagerly anticipated album, Lapse in Stillness, Gethsemane is an introspectively entrancing teaser of the serenity which is set to soon follow. The artist’s ability to invite his audience to lose themselves and live between the layers of his sound is second to none; it’s only a matter of time before his name becomes a staple on every editorial ambient playlist on Spotify.

Gethsemane was officially released on November 1st; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hotel Florentia squeezed 60s psych-pop into garage rock with their saturated-in-delay slice of eccentric reverie, The 11th Hour

Posted on 7 November 2024

The Italian pop-rock duo Hotel Florentia squeezed the psychedelia of 60s pop into their criminally underrated lo-fi garage gem, The 11th Hour, allowing listeners to revel in a slice of indie reverie that matches the sublimity of The Maccabees and the Violent Femmes.

With melodies that burrow their way straight into the soul and turn up the heat through the glow of wavy saturation and nostalgically sharpened hooks which imbue instantaneous accessibility and familiarity to the single, The 11th Hour is the ultimate introduction to the Lodi-based outfit which are no strangers to international stages.

Equally as sweet as the instrumentals is the sense of playfully unfeigned eccentricity which sees the single become so much more than the sum of its parts. If Pavement never fails to leave you enamoured with their zanily electric vignettes, prepare to fall head over rhythmic pulses for The 11th Hour.

The 11th Hour is available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Folk Meets Symphony: The Dynamic Contrasts of ‘Touch of Adrenaline

Posted on 7 November 2024

With an 00s-adjacent sound that will throw you right back to when the fervour around Plain White T’s single Hey There Delilah consumed popular culture, the latest acoustic pop single, Touch of Adrenaline, from the independent singer-songwriter Woodstone, is a raw revelation which will leave you hanging off every cuttingly cultivated chord progression.

Rugged in all the right places, stirringly diaphanous in all the rest, Touch of Adrenaline is enough to sink you into an awe-struck stupor as you attempt to take in the vivacious display of talent that translates into evocatively piercing aural gold.

The pulls of the orchestral strings which work their way into the mix accompanied by folky instrumentals amplify the thematic dynamism of the single which evolves into a study of contrasts between the ornate orchestral motifs and the winding Kurt Vile reminiscent folk strings.

As the single lyrically contends with the painstaking fear of not being enough in the presence of someone who captivates through the electricity of their skin and knowing that the connection will be ephemeral, Woodstone exhibits one of the most scintillating song structures the airwaves have been graced with this year. The question isn’t whether he is worthy of your radar; it’s, Are your radars worthy of him?

Touch of Adrenaline reached all major streaming platforms, including SoundCloud on October 21.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jamie Beth shines in the fading light of intimacy in her latest single, Streetlights

Posted on 6 November 2024

Imagine the space on the sonic continuum where the commercial potential of Taylor Swift, the raw sting of First Aid Kit and the vivid vignettes of Phoebe Bridgers meet; that is exactly where you will find Jamie Beth in her latest single, Streetlights.

The aching timbre of her ethereal Angel Olsen-esque vocal lines effortlessly complements the simple yet all-consumingly affecting instrumental arrangement as the singer-songwriter paints a narrative of bitter-sweet affection. The melancholic delivery of the scenery leaves you living and breathing the dwindling vestiges of intimacy shared in the vulnerably candid track, which exhibits how fearless the Newcastle-born, Liverpool-based luminary is when it comes to wearing her heart on her sleeve.

With plaudits from BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, Jamie Beth isn’t just making an impression on the airwaves; the 19-year-old is well on the way to making an everlasting impact.

Streetlights was officially released on November 5th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Photo by James Grant

Heed the confessionally celestial call of Seafarers’ latest hit indie chamber pop single, Televangelists

Posted on 2 November 2024

Seafarers, the innovative six-piece led by Matthew Herd, took ethereal indie chamber pop into a celestial realm with their latest single, ‘Televangelists’, which nestles into their third studio LP, Another State; the track envelops listeners in an arcane aura, inviting them to explore the band’s poetic universe.

Herd’s transition from solitary songwriting to a more collaborative approach shines through the mellifluous stream of lyrical parables that punctuate this release. The candidly poignant lines strike all the right chords with their perception-widening introspection and intimate confessions. Each lyric is an opportunity for connection, offering a profound glimpse into the psyche of a group that has drawn acclaim across the globe since its inception in 2018.

The seamless fusion of Florence and the Machine-esque indie rock and chamber pop creates a lush soundscape that amplifies the track’s thematic weight. Herd’s collaboration with extraordinary vocalist Elanor Moss, whom he credits with broadening his creative horizons, adds almost depth to the composition which is affecting on every conceivable level.

Televangelists is available to stream as part of Seafarers’ third LP, Another State, via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Keep your soul warm with Daniela Galasso’s slice of indie folk-pop reverie, Comfortable

Posted on 1 November 2024
Daniela Galasso

With an emotional richness and resonance that puts her in parallel to the most introspective works of First Aid Kit, Daniela Galasso, with her seminal single, Comfortable, radiates vulnerability and tonal warmth

Aside from the cinematic sonic sublimity, the real beauty of Comfortable resides in how the Italian-born, California-based singer-songwriter turns becoming comfortable in a relationship into something profoundly poetic. While so many people would perceive that as the moment the romance dies, Galasso flips the script with her ethereally tender, orchestrally scored single, allowing listeners to see comfort in a relationship as something just as sweet as the initial butterflies.

As an award-winning artist who has clearly mastered the art of textural alchemy within her productions, Galasso has stepped out of the shadows of her influences in the vein of Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding and Imogen Heap and irrefutably come into her own through her installations of vulnerable reverie.

Comfortable will be available to stream on all major platforms from November 1st. Find your preferred way to listen via the artist’s official website.

Keep up to date with news of new releases from Daniela Galasso on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lia Juno exhibited the pain of raw rumination in her alt-indie tour de force, Sight

Posted on 30 October 2024
Lia Juno

Ethereal alt-indie pop vocals meet cavernous guitar lines in Lia Juno’s intimately melancholic single, ‘Sight’, which deconstructs familiar tonality, tearing it down to the aural rubble before rebuilding a sonic landscape where sanctuary for the disillusioned resides.

Since unveiling her debut single, Fevering, earlier this year, the LA-based independent artist has made all the right waves; with her latest single she puts herself in the same league as Wolf Alice and Big Thief with the cerebral thematic nature of the manifesto of mournful rumination.

Building up from Pixies-esque artfully dramatic motifs to a blisteringly grungy crescendo of distorted guitars clashing in oscillation with the rhythm section, Sight ensures that if you have any pent-up emotions when you hit play, they’ll be obliterated by the impact of the track’s climax which you’ll want to feel the force of time after time.

Sight will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and SoundCloud, from October 30th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast