Browsing Tag

Alt Indie

Blake Jubenville – The Sunsets: Horizons in Indie Alt-Country Harmony

Posted on 16 November 2024

At just 14, Blake Jubenville already has a hit-packed discography and a mastery of melody under his belt. His latest single, ‘The Sunsets’ amalgamates the rugged charm of country with indie sensibility, carving a unique niche in the contemporary music scene, reminiscent of the nostalgia found in the works of the Violent Femmes and the rhythmic narratives of Kurt Vile.

Blake’s ability to craft melodies that resonate with a seasoned artist’s flair is evident throughout ‘The Sunsets’. The single flows with swathes of commercial appeal yet retains a heartfelt authenticity that strays far away from cliché. His mature-beyond-his-years voice carries a gravity that sweeps up the atmosphere, turning every note into a panoramic vignette that pulls the listener in.

The authenticity permeates every syllable, making it impossible not to warm to the fledgling singer-songwriter and see the potential in his future.

Stream Blake Jubenville’s seminal single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flying Hearts reached the epitome of affecting with their acoustic punk outpour of grief, Bury Me in England

Posted on 9 November 2024
Flying Hearts

The UK duo Flying Hearts reached the epitome of affecting with their acoustic punk single, Bury Me in England, which puts Frank Turner to shame when it comes to rendering visceralism into an acoustically accompanied narrative.

The tenderness of the indie-tinged melodies juxtaposes the urgency within the vocal delivery, which mourns the loss of singer-songwriter Joe Wenman’s best friend. There are few greater tragedies than a life lost too soon, and that rings deafeningly true through this fitting tribute to the connection shared. The elucidation of the pain that’s left behind will resonate with everyone who knows how it feels to be left with everything-wrenching emotion and find themselves at a loss with how to contend with it.

With lyricism which pierces the psyche with an exposition on the fragility of life and everything we can so easily take for granted and Flying Hearts acting as a beacon for the disenfranchised, the duo will undoubtedly break major ground with this release given the disillusionment-imparting times we are all enduring in our own way.

Bury Me in England was officially released on November 8th and is now available to stream on all major platforms. Find your preferred way to listen via Flying Hearts’ official website.

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

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

Nothing But Silence turned up the post-punk heat with ‘Too Useful’

Posted on 29 October 2024

In their latest single, ‘Too Useful’, Chicago’s Nothing But Silence threads jangly new wave guitars around stark, monochromatic motifs of post-punk, all set within a dream-pop-esque production that feels like a psychedelic trip through a rhythmic mirage.

The bold tonal experimentation manifests a sonic experience that distorts and oscillates with trippy, tropical vibrations, creating an immersive soundscape that pulls you into its obscure kaleidoscope. Prepare to enter a semi-lucid dream state with Too Useful, which uses abstract lyricism to amplify the delirium of the record which stands as a bold declaration of the band’s unique identity in the alternative scene.

Imagine if Joy Division’s ‘Transmission’ was transmitted from a warmer, more vibrant parallel universe—that’s the innovative essence captured in ‘Too Useful’. The track is a stellar slice of rhythmic ingenuity that invites listeners to step into a different, more colourful side of post-punk, laced with a dreamy, wavy quality that keeps the genre alive and pulsating.

Too Useful hit the airwaves on October 18; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MANA is down with the sickness in their indie post-punk sophomore single, Nauseating Me

Posted on 26 October 2024

MANA has reached a plateau above a scene cluttered with pallid echoes of post-punk pioneers with ‘Nauseating Me’, a track that defiantly carves a new notch in the indie scene. The Irish ensemble, now threading through the fabric of Berlin’s underground scene, has leapt forward from their promising debut with ‘Our Words’.

Their guitar work, reminiscent of the late 70s and early 80s licks, weaves through the track like Poison Ivy’s angularly arcane poise in confluence with the vocals which chameleonically shift from ethereal harmonies in the vein of Jaws and Peace to Strokes-esque vintagely doctored timbres as the track carries the cultivated appeal of mainstream titans like Arcade Fire and The Vaccines.

Equally as cerebral as their sound, MANA’s lyricism carries just as much intellectual weight with their dedication to painting vignettes of defiance, hope, polarisation, cynicism and displacement. Their philosophical approach to thematic underpinnings paired with the oscillations of indie innovation ensures that MANA is not just continuing traditions but setting precedents.

For those wearied by the monochrome renditions of Joy Division, join MANA in their electrifying new division as they traverse lesser-trodden intersections of indie’s anthemic fervour and post-punk’s monochromatic chill.

Nauseating Me was officially released on October 2nd; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Micah! is California dreaming in their latest alt indie pop release, STAY UP

Posted on 7 October 2024

You don’t need Micah!’s bio to tell you that they’re a Cali-residing artist, you can hear it in the dreamy warmth of the hazy melodies in their latest alt-indie-pop single, STAY UP, which teases nuances of hip-hop into the mix with sharp pseudo-rap cadences in the verses.

After honing their songwriting, recording and production skills for a decade, STAY UP is a catharsis-soaked culmination of all the time invested in their unflinching dedication to carve out a niche that listeners will want to nestle into time after time.

Fans of the deliciously delirious tonal palettes alchemised by NewDad, Jibba, Just Mustard and other contemporary indie icons in the same vein will find endless appeal in STAY UP, which is yet another attestation to Micah!’s potential that has already been actualised after the artist opened for Snoop Dogg and hit the 1 million stream mark on SoundCloud.

STAY UP was officially released on September 19; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Worry People stripped bare with their visceral alt-indie anthem, Naked

Posted on 2 October 2024

The anxiously anthemic alt-indie duo, The Worry People, sharpened their hooks for their latest single and music video, Naked, while redefining what it means to wear your heart on your sleeve.

Sam Stewart and Ryan Dodd have made light work of trailblazing through the indie rock scene with their viscerally raw vulnerability since their debut release. This time, the cinematic production heightens the emotion to the nth degree, while the angular guitars slice through the moody, iridescent soundscape creating a sonic palette that only The Worry People could paint.

The track hammers home its message with each punch of percussion, pulling you into the thematic underpinnings which paint a vignette of the masochism love drives us to. As the duo lays bare the intricacies of intimacy, you’re left to confront the emotional bruises that come with leaving your soul exposed.

With their forte in crafting memorable memories infused with introspective depth, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more affecting up-and-coming indie artist in the UK scene in 2024.

Having recently graced the stage at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival and preparing for an upcoming BBC Radio Kent session, The Worry People are carving out a space that’s not only distinct but vital. With Naked, they’ve not just added to their repertoire—they’ve electrified it.

The official music video for Naked premiered on September 20; stream it on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sink into the seductively psyched-up grooves of amoklove’s sophomore single, Brown Eyes Red

Posted on 1 October 2024

The mind-bending juggernaut of a powerhouse, amoklove, has struck again with their latest seductively Avant-Garde single, Brown Eyes Red. The saturated in delay wavy grooves of funked-up indietronica melt into your consciousness like a sonic trip.

The woozy hypnotism of the crooning vocals works in synergy with the instrumentals, pulling you deeper into the undercurrents of the kaleidoscopic bliss of the warm, psych-soaked melodies; the cold, angular post-punk guitars cut through with surgical precision, leaving a jagged edge in an otherwise hazy reverie.

It’s as if amoklove has figured out how to bottle euphoria and unease in one hit. With grooves that slither straight into the soul, the up-and-coming multicultural collective is the ultimate purveyor of obscure magnetism. With a similar tonal palette to IST IST, it’s only a matter of time before amoklove reaches the same heights.

Stream Brown Eyes Red on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A Crystalline Cathedral of Sound: The Sleepless Elite’s ‘Glass’ Reimagines Heartbreak

Posted on 1 October 2024

From humble beginnings in Boston to renown as indie pop royalty, The Sleepless Elite has carved out a niche where sincerity and ethereal soundscapes coexist in haunting harmony.

Listening to the arcane harmonies in their latest single, Glass, glide against the intricately evocative melodies, it is easy to understand their rapid ascent. The euphonically crystalline production wraps an arcane aura around powerhouse vocal lines, which bleed unadulterated emotion into a release that deftly weaves together the most affecting elements of Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, London Grammar, and Enya.

It’s a phenomenal score that will linger long after the final artfully poised note and practically a spiritual awakening in sound form. Forget art pop; this is haute couture heartbreak.

The project originated when Carolina Kehoe met Baylor Carter at Berklee and found its feet when, via a Craigslist ad, the duo ended up living with Ben Deily of the Lemonheads, which set their creative spark alight. Encouraged to pursue their own style, Carolina and Baylor honed their unique sound, inspired by Paramore, Blondie, and Sia, and drawing from their collective love of Blink-182, The Strokes, and No Doubt.

With Carolina’s theatrical roots and Baylor’s indie-punk edge, they created a distinct sonic palette, first heard under the name Carolina’s War. Now, as The Sleepless Elite, they’ve found their stride, producing two albums and opening for Thunderpussy. Glass epitomises their evolution, offering an otherworldly catharsis that showcases their innovative, emotional storytelling. For fans of alternative music, this is a siren song worth answering.

Check out the official music video for Glass, which has already racked up 15k streams, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast