Browsing Tag

Alt 90s

The Breathing Method has delivered their vehemently distorted post-grunge howl into the void, Burden

Posted on 17 June 2022

Scottish post-grunge outfit, The Breathing Method, are set to release their vehemently distorted evolution of the 90s Seattle sound, Burden, which will throw you right back to the simpler times when Layne Staley reigned vocal supreme before pulling you into the angst of modernity with frenetic no-wavey guitars that make a juggernaut out of the release.

After the Mudhoney-Esque intro, The Breathing Method career into their own take on the post-grunge textures and don’t take their foot off the fuzz pedal until the outro of a primal scream, which compels you to envy the larynx they came from. Or maybe that’s just me.

Burden will officially release on June 17th; you can check it out for yourselves via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Seattle converges with Manchester in BLUEBOO’s latest smorgasbord of alt 90s aesthetic, Cherry Woman

Posted on 4 June 2022

With a touch of Oasis to the choral vocals to anchor the anthem in its melodicism, the alt-90s Seattle sound doesn’t asphyxiate any originality out of the revivalist nature of BLUEBOO’s latest single, Cherry Woman. It teases just the right amount of nostalgia for Screaming Trees, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam as your synapses fire to the tune of the Chicago-based artist’s off-kilter hook-filled sonic signature.

Notably, we aren’t the only ones finding addictive propensities in the effortlessly original sound of BLUEBOO. They’ve garnered acclaim from across the globe, especially on their strikingly ethereal seminal single, You Win Abigail, which has amassed over 260k streams on Spotify alone.

Cherry Woman is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

West Ridge Circle – Stuck in This Chair: The Ultimate Off-Kilter Alt-90s Ode to Ennui

Posted on 20 April 2022

Taken from their debut EP, Nobody Home, West Ridge Circle’s standout single, Stuck in This Chair, is an eclectic array of era-spanning rock nuances and modernist lyrical vulnerability.

Fans of Pavement, Pixies and Nirvana will want to drink up the 21st-century melancholy that drips through the lyrics and captures the frustration that lingers in unrelenting ennui. It’s tracks like Stuck in This Chair that prove there’s a beauty in collective misery, that now, we can hear lyrics, and it isn’t an Olympian stretch of the imagination to get on the same level. Granted, that isn’t always a given, but West Ridge Circle are thriving on the funk that is writhing through our existential hive minds.

With the J Mascis-style guitar chops, the despondent Americana blues-rock vocals that come with a tinge of the Seattle alt-90s sound and the eerily relatable lyrics, Stuck in This Chair has all the makings of a melancholy alt-rock playlist staple. We hope there’s another release nestled in the pipeline.

Stuck in This Chair is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Darcy Court has released their triumph of a 60s-psych-tinged alt-indie debut, Bar of Clay

Posted on 18 April 2022

The instantly trailblazing 60s psych pop-inspired indie rock act, Darcy Court, brought plenty of the Cali heat into their euphonically blissful debut single, Bar of Clay, which unravels to the narration of the conflated emotions that transpire when locked in a too-good-to-be-true crash and burn relationship and all you can do is await the final collision.

The kaleidoscopic synaesthesia-inducing melodies feed into the rich timbre of the single that flirts with the alt-90s era just as much as the 60s psych-pop nuances to create an era-spanning indulgent tonal pool that you’ll find infinitely temperate.

Indie debuts don’t get much more promising than Bar of Clay. Darcy Court have got exactly what it takes to reach the same heights as their iconic 60s influences.

Bar of Clay was officially released on April 8th; it is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

djamesk13 plays with discordant ethereal phenomena in his latest single, ‘An Angel- The Devil’

Posted on 5 April 2022
https://soundcloud.com/djkemp13/djamesk13-an-angel-the-devil

London alt-rock solo artist, djamesk13, came in with his scuzzy Champagne Supernova-ESQUE latest single, An Angel- The Devil, which plays with ethereal phenomena and no-wave-y discord that will throw you right back to the alt-90s.

The lo-fi production caustically compliments the overarching moody energy of An Angel- The Devil as djamesk13 uses his magnetically deadpan vocals to deliver the hooky meta lyrics. There’s no room to wonder why so many alt-rock fans have already jumped on the singer-songwriter’s fourth release. We hope number 5 is already in the pipeline.

An Angel- The Devil is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lucifers Beard is flawlessly frenetic in his alt-rock hit, Shake on the Floor

Posted on 4 April 2022
Lucifers Beard

Shake on the Floor is the latest scuzzed up and writhing alt-rock hit from the UK based artist, Lucifers Beard, AKA Christopher Barnes.

With its filthier than Eagles of Death Metal feel and energy that makes you want to throw away every façade you’ve ever known, there’s no denying that Shake on the Floor is an addictive earworm from the first hit.

I always find a deep sense of irony in how the true power of autonomy is quashed by culture and its oppressive associations – even amongst alt scenes; there’s always an element of conformity. Shake on the Floor refreshingly proved that I’m not alone in this social dissection. So much of our modern anxieties stem from fear of judgement. How much saner would society be if we refused to subjugate to the banality of normativity?

Shake on the Floor will officially release on April 4th. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Salfordian duo, Yakumama, scuzzed it up for their garage rock debut, Let Me Out Alive

Posted on 27 March 2022

‘Let Me Out Alive’ is the scuzzy indie garage rock debut single from the enigmatically volatile Salfordian duo, Yakumama. They’ve already caught the attention of Radio X with their promising debut that carries the buzz and the bounce of Mudhoney, the effortlessly cool swagger of Kyuss and the efficaciously sharp hooks that demand repeat attention.

The Manchester music scene has been crying out for new artists that rock the indie assimilator apple cart with their off-kilter ingenuity. Yakumama does exactly that with their post-punk nuances and the chaos that breeds at the mercy of their guitar pedals and their vicious power-pop vocal lines.

We already can’t wait to hear what is in the pipeline after this gothy plea for hope and mercy that was written to shake listeners out of moving with the tide.

Let Me Out Alive is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 25 March 2022
JW Paris

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

Winternom – True: Meet your new existential alt-indie playlist staple

Posted on 8 March 2022

The alt-indie-folk-rock newcomers, Winternom, are set to bring souls in from the cold with the standout single, True, from their sophomore album, The Cold or the Crowd. Sonically, the hazily sweet single sits between Elliott Smith and Pavement, with a few proto-punk-meets-psych-pop nuances.

Lyrically, the Ottawa, Canada-hailing artist comes into their own with their witticisms that walk the line between existentialism and affection in a way that pays ode to the Alt 90s while still delivering emotive modernism. Despite its overarching lo-fi vibe, the dreamy textures in True never resonate as brash. Instead, they keep the tones bright to contrast the less than sunny, deeply relatable vocal disposition.

True is now available to stream along with the rest of Winternom’s triumph of an album, The Cold or the Crowd via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The JB Project spills vibration-raising soul in his indie psych single, ‘Hole for the Sun’

Posted on 17 February 2022

The JB Project (Justin Beaver) has picked up his trusty sunburst Fender Strat once more to lay down another dynamically psychedelic soft serenade. His latest single, Hole for the Sun, is just one of his constraintlessly constructed recent releases that allow emotion to flow organically. With the warmth that spills from his over-driven chords meeting the emotions pouring through his almost dream-like indie vocals, there’s no denying that Hole for the Sun delivers a transcendent touch.

We couldn’t help but adore the sheer ease of it. Hole for the Sun teases visceral grungey build ups before bringing even more catharsis and soulful humility. With the experimentalism to rival Pavement paired with the colourful accordance of the Beatles and the lyrical panache of Elliott Smith, it’s only a matter of time before the multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer breaks into the mainstream with his unapologetically authentic sound. You don’t need his bio to tell you that he has a deeply emotional connection to music. Or that his MO is diluting negativity with his positivity-radiating sound. It is affirmed in seconds after you hit play. We can’t wait to hear what is lurking in The JB Project pipeline.

Hole for the Sun is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast