Browsing Tag

Alt 90s

Rooftop Screamers metamorphosed nihilism into euphoria with their power pop hit, Dead in the Water

Posted on 23 December 2023

With angular echoes of Interpol-esque lines feeding into the palpitatingly anticipation-rife instrumental arrangement, the prelude and opening verse in Rooftop Screamers‘ latest single, Dead in the Water, throws you into the depth of the earworm headfirst before the subsequent verses veer from Placebo reminiscence to exuding the fervid electricity found within the Manic Street Preacher tracks that know exactly how to melodically ignite the soul.

It is a significant sonic shift from the sound Rooftop Screamers used to gain our attention earlier this year. They’ve left the dreaminess and romanticism of Another Life behind the anthemic 90s Britpop adrenaline, but you’ll still be enveloped by the scintillating synths as they add colour to the guitar lines which may as well have been riffed by James Dean Bradfield himself.

The track featuring Rob Daiker is an impossible-to-ignore attestation to the cultivated gravitas of the Portland-hailing award-winning singer-songwriter who alchemically metamorphosed nihilism into euphoria for superlative power pop catharsis.

Dead in the Water was officially released on December 15; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Break out of your digitally paralysed repose with A VOID’s latest single, The Gutter

Posted on 2 December 2023

After gaining international airplay, featuring in seminal Spotify editorial playlists, and hitting the most prestigious venues in Europe, the Paris-born, London-residing three-piece, A VOID, are currently at work on their third studio album with the Grammy-winning producer Shuta Shinoda.

Their latest single, The Gutter, serves an evocative aperitif to the highly anticipated LP. By encapsulating the essence of the alt-90s while refusing to allow influence to inhibit their creative song crafting, A VOID became one of the refreshingly rancorous entities in the UK’s expansive alternative scene.

The song kicks off with an unfiltered rawness reminiscent of Hole and the Distillers. This visceral yet tonally dreamy introduction sets the stage for what’s to come: a Vercua Salt-esque chorus that delivers a heavy artillery earworm in the form of pounding hooks.

As the track progresses, it introduces angular guitar work that echoes Interpol to add layers of complexity and showcasing the artist’s ability to blend influence and ingenuity into authenticity. Rather than paying tribute to the past, A VOID remain relentless in their determination to breathe new life into the familiar.

The overarching artfulness of the track doesn’t overshadow its integral linchpin; the powerful chords struck through the lyricism which reflects on the stagnancy screens can sucker us into This lament on fear of failure and frustration with procrastination speaks for the vast majority who watch the hours and days slip by in a malaise despite best intentions.

Produced by Shuta Shinoda (Daughter, Spiritualized, Ghostpoet) at Hackney Road Studios and mastered by John Webber (Bowie, Echo and the Bunnymen, Yungblud), The Gutter transcends and subverts all expectations in its artfully grungy beguile as it playfully leads the listener down Lynchian rabbit hols with instrumental drops.

The Gutter was officially released on November 18th; stream it on Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Othenic borrowed from the Beastie Boys while tracking the warp speed of the human experience with ‘Last’

Posted on 7 November 2023

If you chiselled an indie pop edge into the legacy of a discography belonging to the Beastie Boys, you’d be left with a sonic sculpture bearing a striking reminiscence to Othenic’s latest single, Last.

With a touch of Crazy Town’s Butterfly written into the alternative mix of indie, pop, and hip-hop, the alt-90s nostalgia within Last is arrestingly potent. While the angular staccato guitars lend themselves to melodic mesmerism, Othenic reflects on how the human experience moves at a warp speed and leaves us questioning how the innocence of youth slips us by and catapults us into the monotony of corporate reality.

“Life’s too short, you might as well make it last” may seem like a simple lyric, but lean into it deeper within the context of the track and you’ll see a testament to the Kentucky-Cincinnati-based artist’s proficiency with wordplay.

Last was officially released on October 19; stream the single on Spotify and follow Othenic on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Harry Guntrip lured us into contemplation with the analogue synth ambience in ‘Overhead’

Posted on 24 October 2023

Guitars and synths take turns at the steering wheel in the seminal single, Overhead, from the Scottish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer, Harry Guntrip (AKA Joel Moore), who prises influence from the alt-90s to craft his melodic narratives which beckon experimental familiarity.

With the vocal lines carrying as much resonance as Arab Strap’s slow and deep timbre fused with Grandaddy-esque lo-fi analogue synth-driven melodicism, Overhead achieves a beguiling balance between artistically assertive and intimately emotional to embrace you with striking poetic polyphonic tenderness.

We can’t wait to hear what is lingering in the pipelines from Guntrip; his art is the perfect companion to contemplative nights which necessitate amplifying the sweetness of the bitter-sweet dichotomy.

Overhead was officially released on October 13; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The everyman’s folk raconteur Matt McManamon reached a new plateau with  ‘Circles in the Sky’

Posted on 15 October 2023

The Liverpudlian-Irish singer-songwriter Matt McManamon set the bar plateau-high with his critically acclaimed debut LP, Scally Folk, after breaking away from his band, The Dead 60s, but he transcended it all the same with his latest single, Circles in the Sky.

The everyman’s folk raconteur took the inspiration for his latest single from a trite positivity post found online and spun lyrical gold from the sentiment which was an attestation to how fear, failure and inspiration will always be components of the same formula. The consoling compassion which equally emanates from the assuredly steady guitar chords and his tender vocal timbre also goes a fair way in proving the chaos in life won’t always make it easy for you to succeed – perseverance is the trick.

If you can’t get enough of the psych-tinted alt-90s nostalgia in Circles in the Sky, you won’t have long to wait until your next retro indie-folk fix; the single was the first to drop from the illustrious artist’s upcoming EP, Seventy-Two Hours.

Or you can always delve into The Dead 60s discography; with Matt McManamon at the helm, the band toured with Morrissey, Kasabian, and their Deltasonic label mates The Coral when they weren’t playing Glasto and appearing on Top of the Pops.

Circles in the Sky dropped on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Steady Owl melancholically howled into the cosmos with his orchestrally elevated alt-90s hit, MOONDOG

Posted on 13 October 2023

If anyone has what it takes to reignite the mainstream momentum of indie, it is the melodic fire starter Steady Owl with their debut album, They Are All Bastards Except Us, which is due for release on October 20.

As an appetiser, the alt-indie revivalist revealed the single, MOONDOG, which pays a mellifluously fitting ode to the icons of the 90s Britpop era. The orchestrally elevated melodicism echoes the legacies of Mansun and the Manics while the cosmically compelling single drips in Transatlantic magnetism with the striking reminiscences to the more melancholic work of R.E.M.

It feels as though the entire alt-90s aural ecosystem underpins this gravity-defying release, yet at the same time, the superlative song crafter conjured something completely new to render the hearts of all indie rock nostalgists raw. Lyrically, it will throw you right back to when Pearl Jam broke your heart for the first time with their single, Black, while the cosmos is torn through by the stunning angular guitars, which know which evocative impulses to strike with every pitch and pace-perfected progression.

MOONDOG was officially released on September 14; stream it on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emerge from the Shadows of Toxicity with JW Paris’ Clamorous Call to Action Against Digital Subjugation, ‘You’ve Got Me’

Posted on 12 October 2023

Even after growing accustomed to JW Paris’ exhilarating amalgams of grunge and Britpop, their latest hybrid synthesis, You’ve Got Me, still struck me as an ensnaring feat of tightly unhinged volition, delivered with electrifyingly dark tones, and liberating intent.

The cutting social discourse against the more interpersonal vignette slices is an affecting affirmation that JW Paris delivered a verbatim narration straight from the antagonised and agonised soul. Imagine the haunting melodies in The Holy Bible augmented by the rancorous swagger of grunge, and you will be close to getting an idea of what JW Paris delivered with this anthemically unshackling elucidation to the toxicity within the grip of algorithms and the seductiveness of social media.

Discernibly, the London-based three-piece have perfected the art of gnarled high-octane hooks and choruses that draw you right into the centre of their distorted chaos, which still doesn’t hold a candle to the dystopic chaos that consumes us when we’re in digital arenas that leaves us with desperation for validation-derived dopamine.

After experiencing the visceralism, in retrospect, it is almost laughable that we are so pre-occupied with fears of AI advancing when we’re already enslaved by the technology that keeps us hooked to a mind-numbing sedative which comes with insecurity and polarised hostility as side-effects.

JW Paris Said

‘With lines like “Can you sit inside the silence, reflecting on the shame,” the song paints a vivid picture of introspection, urging us to confront the uncomfortable truths that we’ve ignored. It delves into the paradox of feeling unwanted and pushing for constant attention.’

You’ve Got Me was officially released via Blaggers Records on October 11. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emerge from the Shadows of Toxicity with JW Paris’ Clamorous Call to Action Against Digital Subjugation, ‘You’ve Got Me’

Posted on 12 October 2023

Even after growing accustomed to JW Paris’ inventive and authentic amalgams of grunge and Britpop, their latest hybrid synthesis, You’ve Got Me, still struck us as a superlatively ensnaring feat of tightly unhinged volition, delivered with dark tones, and liberating intent.

The cutting social discourse against the more interpersonal vignette slices is an affecting affirmation that JW Paris delivered a verbatim narration straight from the antagonised and agonised soul.

Imagine the haunting melodies in The Holy Bible augmented by the rancorous swagger of grunge, and you will be close to getting an idea of what JW Paris delivered with this anthemically cathartic elucidation to the toxicity within the grip of algorithms and the seductiveness of social media.

Discernibly, the London-based three-piece have perfected the art of gnarled high-octane hooks and choruses that draw you right into the centre of their distorted chaos, which still doesn’t hold a candle to the dystopic chaos that consumes us when we’re in digital arenas that leaves us with desperation for validation-derived dopamine.

 After experiencing the visceralism, in retrospect, it is almost laughable that we are so pre-occupied with fears of AI advancing when we’re already enslaved by the technology that keeps us hooked to a mind-numbing sedative which comes with insecurity and polarised hostility as side-effects.

JW Paris Said

‘With lines like “Can you sit inside the silence, reflecting on the shame,” the song paints a vivid picture of introspection, urging us to confront the uncomfortable truths that we’ve ignored. It delves into the paradox of feeling unwanted and pushing for constant attention.’

You’ve Got Me was officially released via Blaggers Records on October 11. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Duncan R Foley explores the spectrum of human emotion in his alt-rock odyssey, Colours

Posted on 30 September 2023

Anyone who keeps Pixies, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins in their record collection will want to decorate their playlists with the latest single, Colours, by Duncan R Foley, which pays an ode to sonic stylings of the aforementioned iconic outfits while bringing in a new brand of vibrant melodicism.

To evade the assimilative alt-90s trap that all too many artists fall foul of the South African Belfast-residing songwriter and producer introduced the romanticism of post-punk, in the same vein as Echo and the Bunnymen, into the vibrant soundscape along with the cosmic glamour of Bowie.

Using ‘colours’ as a metaphor for the broad spectrum of emotions that are part and parcel of the human experience, Colours is an efficaciously consoling release, which serves the essential reminder that feeling lonely and grappling with melancholy doesn’t make you an outlier, it makes you human.

Colours will reach the airwaves on September 30th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The gloves are off in Tough on Fridays’ swaggeringly infectious indie alt-rock hit, The Awakening

Posted on 8 April 2023

Taken from their trailblazing alt-rock, indie, and grunge amalgam of an LP, The Encore You Didn’t Ask For, Tough on Fridays’ standout single, The Awakening, is a sure-fire hit of vindication for anyone who knows how bitter-sweet goodbyes can be when betrayal was the final parting shot.

With the same energy as Shitlist by L7, the grungy and Riot Grrrl to the core powerhouse lived up to the hype that has been brewing around them as they’ve taken the Texas music circuit by storm in the last six years.

The compellingly raw vocal lines add a demure touch to the swaggering power rock instrumental aesthetics of the track, which prove how much Tough on Fridays has honed their sound. Their infectious scream-the-chorus-from-the-top-of-your-lungs appeal is only getting more visceral with each new release.

It’s rare to find an outfit offering as much substance as style, but Tough on Fridays is anything but your run-of-the-mill paint-by-numbers outfit. Their soul, scorn and scuzzy riffs are just a few of the reasons you should reserve a place for them on your radar.

The Awakening is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast