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Alt Indie

BREGN put the humanity in our collective anxiety with his reflectively expositional lo-fi folk single, YOU AND ME

Posted on 20 November 2022

Danish singer-songwriter, BREGN, gave humanity hope in his latest single, YOU AND ME, which was officially released on November 18th to dispel the disquiet anxiety spilling from each new global catastrophe.

BREGN’s minimalist soundscapes and the sonorous sense of soul in his quiescent harmonies always strike a visceral chord. With this new melancholic shift, YOU AND ME hit like a tonne of bricks. In the same way Slowdive can hammer home the emotion solely through their reverb-laced angular guitar notes, the guitars in this sombrely sweet single drive you to the brink of tears. Before the choral storm in the outro as a torridly dystopian crescendo pushes you over the emotional edge.

Here’s to hoping next summer gives us a chance to embrace the season free from an ever-pervasive sense of dread.

“YOU AND ME is a reflection of our times; a mix of summer, love, the insecurities imposed by war, political drama, and the deepening energy crisis. There is hope in the continuation of believing that there is still a “You and Me” at the end of the day, that is what I wanted to convey.”

Listen to YOU AND ME on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Follow BREGN via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK Art-Rock Agitators, Gated Estates Have Made Their Diaphanous Debut with ‘A Letter’

Posted on 16 November 2022

‘A Letter’ is the first single from Gated Estates, and it’s a diaphanous masterpiece. After static and strobe-y synths and harsh electro beats lead into the gentle melodicism, artfully intersected with nuanced waves of synthesised discord, the evocative grip takes hold and refuses to loosen throughout the experimentally awakening release.

With slight echoes of Don’t Fear the Reaper between the artfully contorted crescendos built from appreciated synths and detached guitar notes, the soon-to-be icons of ‘agitated art-rock’ from the Brecon Beacons are easily one of the hottest acts I’ve heard this year.

A Letter hit in ways JJ72 and Julian Plenti usually only know how to strike an intrinsically emotional chord. The first single from their eponymous debut album explores the relationship we all have, whether we know it and acknowledge it or not, with our inner child and how they are one of the biggest influencers on our future.

Under the duress of Dan Linn-Pearl’s vocal lines which weave through the climactic progressions, carved by Shane Dixon (Nick Parker, Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners), Rose Linn-Pearl (Peiriant), Jonathan Morgan (OCTO-PI) and Darren Beale (The Caves, The Boomtown Rats), it is impossible not to fall in to A Letter hook, poetic line and sinker.

Watch the official music video, created by Martin Whittaker & TCLD, for A Letter on YouTube.

Follow Gated Estates via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Minneapolis Shoegaze Revivalists, Lumari, Look into The ‘Neon Mirror’ in Their Inexplicably Alchemic Latest Single

Posted on 11 November 2022
Lumari

Pull yourself away from your Souvlaki, Loveless and Whirlpool albums and sink into the sublime reverb-drenched alchemy in the Minneapolis Dream Pop powerhouse, Lumari’s latest single, Neon Mirror.

With just a touch more intensity in the droning guitars that cradle the ethereally demure soul in Margo Pearson’s vocals which caress you on a multi-sensory level, Lumari achieved what so few shoegaze revivalists manage in this beguile-some release. They stayed true to the originator’s sound while throwing in plenty of their own post-modern flavour.

With touches of I Wanna Be Adored in the downward spirals of pulsating rhythm, there’s nostalgia to be here for sure; there’s also an unpredictability to the structuring of the inexplicably gripping release that stands testament to their songwriting and instrumental prowess.

Prior to founding Lumari, the founding members, Dave and Dan West could be found in the punk scene, opening for Green Day, NOFX and the Offspring. Once their tastes matured into an affinity for post-modern rock and Britpop, they teamed up with shoegaze lover Robert Caple and producer Eric Olson before completing the outfit with Margo Pearson.

Neon Mirror will officially release on November 11th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NOODLE ARMS cling to autonomy on the surf rock waves in ‘Don’t Tell Me I Can’t Be Me’

Posted on 6 November 2022

If Pixies had spent more time in the Cali sun with the Beach Boys, Doolittle would have undoubtedly unfurled with the surfy grooves and psych-pop harmonies found in the latest single, Don’t Tell Me I Can’t Be Me from the Tel Aviv-based outfit, NOODLE ARMS.

The alt-indie pioneers founded in 2014, before morphing through a myriad of line-up changes and monikers before settling on this solid powerhouse of surf-rockers. On the basis of their latest release, it is safe to say that they’ve found the winning formula. Reminiscences aside, this sun-bleached call for respect over idiosyncratic autonomy wiggles right into the soul and sets up camp.

Don’t Tell Me I Can’t Be Me is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Elin Grace artfully enticed her listeners into meditation with the sophisticated tranquility of her alt-indie single, Breathe

Posted on 26 October 2022

Escape to the country with the rural poetry in Elin Grace’s latest quirky jazz-infused piano pop single, Breathe. With the same ephemeral grace of The Anchoress paired with her own celestially graceful beguile, the lullaby-esque single that artfully and unexpectedly entices you into meditation after a confessional outpour of emotion is a flawless triumph.

The mid-Wales-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who has mastered the piano, saxophone, cello, and ukulele, has been lauded by the likes of Adam Walton from BBC Radio Wales and has seen her music commissioned for London Fashion Week. Clearly, Elin Grace has a promising future ahead. She’s one of a kind, yet drinking in the tranquil sophistication of her melodies is, ironically, as easy as breathing.

Breathe is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Orbit 17 is star roving in their intricately spacey electro-indie-rock single, Helium

Posted on 21 October 2022
Waves on Wires (EP) by Orbit 17

The ethereally talented Los Gatos, California-residing indie artist, Orbit 17, weaved another feat of transcendently intricate electro-rock with their latest single, Helium, taken from the Waves on Wires EP.

With Hendrix-style solos implanted into a dreamy spacey tapestry, authenticity evidently wasn’t hard to come by for Orbit 17, who will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Beach House, Radiohead, Slowdive and Grandaddy.

Lyrically, the single reflects on the friends we have made along the way but left behind or outgrown. Without a hint of bitterness, Helium vocally rekindles the fond memories while the instrumentals act as an abstract reflection of the isolation that is all too easy to succumb to. In every conceivable way, Helium is a stunning release with the capacity to give you the heart-in-throat feels.

Helium is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fading Out created the ultimate indie jangle pop anthem for the socially awkward with ‘So Embarrassing’

Posted on 17 October 2022
https://soundcloud.com/fadingoutmusic/so-embarrassing-master-v2/s-s15z5l7eAYc?si=379ae0cb9c0243bb91ef1336573ded22&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Brooklyn—based singer-songwriter, Fading Out (Evan Bieber) has launched the latest single, So Awkward, from his forthcoming debut EP, Maybe I Thought About You Once, and shared the ultimate indie anthem for the socially awkward.

With his upbeat approach to broaching cringeworthy moments, it is enough to instil you with a newfound sense of humility. The single, inspired by those everyday moments that compel you to run the second a micro faux pas slips out, is just a fraction of the introspective gold forged in his upcoming LP.

With a sonic palette that would complement any playlists featuring Peace, Swim Deep, Viola Beach and Jaws, So Embarrassing would be on the cusp of contemporary trends if it didn’t transcend them with the extra vigour in the angular jangle-pop guitars, which any indie rock fan will register as next level. Fading out even gives Marr & Robert Smith a run for their money with the intricately melodic gravitas in this colourful earworm that will stick to your synapses like superglue from the first hit.

So Embarrassing will officially release on October 17th. Check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-Punk urgently bites back in Night Gallery’s single, Suddenly

Posted on 14 October 2022

Post-Punk is back with vengeance in Night Gallery’s new album, Caught Hiding, which features the standout single, Suddenly.

The Peter Hook-Esque stabbing basslines and chaotically kaleidoscopic sonics of Poison Ivy pull together to create the ultimate anthem for those ailed with the kind of off-kilter psyche that is so accurately portrayed in the lyrics. The portrait of the tendency of mental tilts creeping up on you at whiplash speed and the toll that takes is as striking as it is resonant.

Night Gallery found the perfect balance between emotionally raw and sonically finessed with Suddenly. Few post-punk revivals hit the mark as urgently and viscerally. Ben Nelson’s ability to vocally boomerang from Ian Curtis to Julian Casablancas-style energy is something no one will be quick to forget.

Caught Hiding will officially release on October 14th. Check it out for yourselves on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tim Lukic orchestrated the soundtrack to love & loss in the grungy alt-indie single, YOU WERE HERE

Posted on 13 October 2022

‘YOU WERE HERE’ is the latest grungy lo-fi single released by the Swedish alt-indie artist Tim Lukic, which melds the ennui of Nirvana with the melodic style of Grandaddy to provide the soundtrack to the complexity of love and loss.

The rhythmically composited single, influenced by the likes of John Maus, Frank Zappa, and John Frusciante, allows bitter-sweet gratitude to transpire from the world-tilting loss of someone that provided stability in an endlessly giving relationship.

Lyrically, it’s a deeply personal cry into the void left behind, but one that is sure to hit anyone that has experienced loss will resonate with. The sense of loneliness that permeates our psyches artfully echoes in the intricately woven instrumental layers in YOU WERE HERE. It’s an evocative ride, but there’s some comfort to be found in the knowledge that you’re not alone in even the most harrowing emotions.

YOU WERE HERE is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast