Browsing Tag

90s Indie

London indie-rock renegades JW Paris shared their lascivious appetite for destruction with ‘She’

Posted on 14 November 2022

The shimmer of wavering Pavement-esque guitars meets the indie anthemics of Blur in the standout single, She, from the London indie trio JW Paris’ debut EP, Stuck in a Video, which implanted off-kilter killer hooks into the airwaves on October 28th.

Reminiscences aside, the band that has sent distinction ricocheting through the underground since their 2017 debut always bring a potent shot of their own renegade indie-rock flavour to their tracks. The critically acclaimed act has a habit of drawing you right into the swaggering melodicism through the lyrics that will smother anyone who has ever felt the odds stack against them with resonance.

Never ones to toy with cliches, JW Paris found a gritty way to pay ode life’s protagonists who sell sanctuary to us amid our appetite for destruction with She. With “she tried to run me over, she blows my mind” written into the lyricism, JW Paris cut to the marrow of the human proclivity to gravitate to modern-day sirens. If you haven’t been there, in the words of Bukowski, what truly horrible lives you must lead.

Stream JW Paris’ debut EP, Stuck in a Video, in full on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DC’s 90s indie rock renegades, Spunk Davies, delivered a fuzzed-up blast from the past with ‘High Tide’

Posted on 24 October 2022

Almost 30 years after their inception, the Washington D.C.-transpiring fuzzed-up rock n roll renegades, Spunk Davies, are launching their album, Your Turn to Scheme: Best of Spunk Davies 1993-97. Comprising of freshly mastered hits and material that has never before hit streaming platforms.

The seminal scuzzy indie rock meets garage rock track, High Tide, is the perfect introduction to their relic of a release that swarms with mid-alt-90s nostalgia and stays true to their dive bar-esque brand of hard, fast, and loud indie that has filled iconic venues, such as the 9:30 and the Black Cat in DC.

Their sound is one that countless bands are keen to derivatively assimilate, but notably, there’s nothing like the real deafening deal that Spunk Davies assertedly delivered in the infectious energy of High Tide. If you remembered them from the 90s, prepare to fall back in love with their erratic riff-gasmic frenetic edge. If, like me, Spunk Davies are new to your ears, set your expectation for one of the most authentic indie acts you’ve heard in the last decade.

The official music video for High Tide premiered on October 15th. Catch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Girl Racers hit the mid-90s lo-fi indie slack-rock sweet spot with ‘Never Again’

Posted on 14 October 2022

Taken from their hotly anticipated EP, Sometimes, the nostalgically minded and tonally discerning up-and-coming outfit Girl Racers have teased us with the sludgy effect-laden anthem Never Again.

It is authentically indie in the 90s to these ears. Not just the sound but the attitude/aesthetic too. Somewhere between early 90s indie slackers Archers of Loaf and Glasgow Scotland’s noiseniks Urusei Yatsura, Girl Racers found their colourfully garagey sonic signature that is set to scribe itself across indie lovers’ synapses with the first hit of this pessimism-decorated hit.

Never Again will officially release via Bug Dump Records on October 14th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by James Cook

Britpop bites back with snarling teeth in JW Paris’ grungy no-wave single, Electric Candle Light

Posted on 25 March 2022

JW Paris, the UK-based three-piece that is quickly becoming revered for its pornographic guitars and biting Britpop swagger, have unleashed their stickiest alt-90s earworm to date with Electric Candle Light.

The Crampsy garagey prelude paves the way for surf rock meets no-wave indie hooks that won’t fail to reel you into the volatility of the sonic triumph. It easily matches the energy of Blur’s Song 2. Yet, notably, JW Paris is a caustic cut above the rest with their jarringly arrestive synth lines and subversive lyrics that acknowledges the rose-tinted glasses that nostalgia always filters through.

The single was recorded and produced at Buffalo Studios by JB Pilon and mastered by John Davis (Blue, IDLES, Foals, Primal Scream, U2). With that in mind, it never really had a chance of falling flat. Since making their debut, they’ve been a constant feature on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Absolute Radio X, and Radio X. They’ve also shared stages with The Amazons, Skinner Brothers, Yonaka and Avalanche Party.

Electric Candle Light will officially release on March 25th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Keep up to date with new releases and tours via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Following the release of Electric Candle Light, they’re set to hit the road again with Dead Freights.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Elegant Chasers went off-kilter with the grungy panache in their sophomore single, Sunshine Mourning.

Posted on 4 February 2022

The Elegant Chasers brought their grungy panache back to the airwaves with the release of their sophomore single, Sunshine Mourning. We’d scarcely lost the earworm that was implanted through their debut single, Lets Ride, but we found ourselves gripped by Sunshine Mourning in a completely different capacity.

This time, the post-punk tinged track is as caustic as one of Sonic Youth’s most discordant releases in the verses and hooky enough in the choruses to give that stadium-filling effect that resonates as volatile gravitas once you get caught up within it.

The one-man powerhouse is taking full advantage of his independent artist freedom. Instead of attempting to appease moguls by pandering to the mediocrity in their tastes, he opted for an off-kilter track that splices together Nirvana-reminiscent drums, cleverly distorted vocals (we are talking Mike Patton level clever here) and guitars that are pliant enough to make your head spin. It is the epitome of an alt 90s aural riot. We can’t wait to hear what follows in his debut album.

Sunshine Mourning will officially release on February 11th. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Swedish power-pop duo Hazy Weekends evoke indie nostalgia with their debut EP, ‘Hurricane’.

Posted on 7 July 2021

Swedish power pop artist Hazy Weekends have made their debut with their stormer of an alt-indie pop, EP, Hurricane. With guitars that cut with the same angular precision of My Bloody Valentine’s introducing the lead title track, the usual cynicism you usually feel when hitting play on a new artist instantly slips away.

As the power-pop single progresses, the duo starts to come into their own through absolvingly vibrant instrumental melodies paired with the indie rock vocals that pay ode to the 90s Britpop era while the artist claims the sonic tones unequivocally as their own.

If you already have the Charlatans, The Stone Roses, The Manic Street Preachers or Inspiral Carpets on your playlists, Hazy Weekends will fit right in alongside them.

Hurricane is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Simon Husbands pulls punches with their single ‘Fighting The Man’

Posted on 16 November 2020

‘Fighting The Man’ is the first track from Simon Husbands’ new debut album ‘POP’ – after “45 years of working with other artists”. As a taster for what’s to come it’s really rather good.

A classic ‘three-and-a-half minute’ pop song, all classic indie-rock in a supercharged 90’s Britpop/punk kind of way – Ash, maybe, Cast, or the Bluetones – with some classic rock flourishes to Husband’s Les Paul-swathed guitar playing, but there’s a definite Nick Cope of the much-missed Candyskins (and now the excellent CBeebies Nick Cope Popcast) to the vocals here, too.

‘POP’ the album is released on December 4th, but you can hear ‘Fighting The Man’ on Simon Husband’s website – and it’s a perfect taster for what’s to come.

Review by Alex Holmes

Small Planets – Breathe: The Most Visceral Reinvention of Post Punk You’ll Hear This Year

Posted on 24 November 2019

With Daniel Kessler (Interpol) style angular guitar progressions under layers of effects, hauntingly sweet vocals with reminiscences to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, fuzzy basslines, and punchy percussion Small Planets’ single “Breathe” won’t fail to win over any Alt Indie or Post Punk fans.

Small Planets took inspiration from the likes of Slowdive and poured it into their recently released self-titled debut album. But you can expect much, much more than an assimilated sound. There’s a rarely found vitality, openness, and boldness to Breathe which gives you the compulsion to adopt the hookish empowering lyrics as mantras. It’s been a while since an up and coming artist appeared on our radars with a sleek modernised take on Post Punk, but it was certainly worth the wait.

You can check out Small Planets’ single Breathe along with their debut self-titled album for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie artist Haven has made their debut with the transfixingly hazy single “Somewhere Brighter”

Posted on 6 November 2019

Up and coming Indie artist Haven has demonstrated their powers of aural transfixion with their debut single “Somewhere Brighter”.

With the Jangle Pop guitar progressions, a Post-Punk tone creeping in through the basslines, and Haven’s instantly magnetic vocals, debut singles don’t come much more exciting than this.

Around the Pop sensibilities of the soundscape, there is also layers of soft Alt 90s Grunge sound combined with melodies which aren’t too dissimilar from bands as Blink 182. There may be a slightly Lo-Fi feel to Somewhere Brighter, but this only amplifies the emotivity in the seamlessly progressive single.

The single kicks off with soft vocals around hazy, sunny layers of reverb spilling from the guitars before building into a captivating feat of pioneering Indie which is all too tempting to play on repeat.

You can check out Haven’s debut single Somewhere Brighter for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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