Browsing Tag

Alt Indie

Cayo Coco – Haunt: Hyper Dream Pop Meets Palpitatingly Paced New Wave and Post-Punk Indie

Posted on 7 November 2023

Hyper dream pop meets palpitatingly paced new wave indie and post-punk in the latest single, Haunt, from one of Indiana’s most prodigal sonic protagonists, Lumen Loraine, who has already garnered millions of streams to date, featured on several editorial Spotify playlists and appeared on Pharrell’s devoutly followed Apple Music Podcast, OTHERtone.

As jarring as it initially seems for those tones to blast past you at warp speed instead of being enveloped in the kaleidoscopic choral and reverb-swathed textures which spill from drawn-out progressions, once you grow accustomed to Cayo Coco’s electrifying frantic energy which efficaciously contextualises the need to outrun your demons, you’ll see that they have exactly what it takes to stand at the vanguard of the evolution of indie.

The official music video for Haunt, which premiered on October 18th is now available to stream on YouTube.

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

BLOCKED personified stoicism in her ethereal alt-indie single, I Don’t Mind

Posted on 3 November 2023
BLOCKED

The Melbourne-based Singaporean singer-songwriter BLOCKED reached the epitome of ethereal magnetism in her artfully quiescent self-produced single, I Don’t Mind.

After some of the most accordant and assured acoustic guitar chord progressions I have ever aurally bore witness to in the intro, the single intensifies in ornate beguile through the introduction of quiescent chamber strings which swell around the shoegaze-y vocal lines, which will captivate fans of Cigarettes After Sex and Elliott Smith.

I Don’t Mind is just one chapter in the four-part story of growth and resilience told through the artist’s forthcoming EP, which encapsulates mastering the art of letting go. Socrates couldn’t have said it better himself.

I Don’t Mind will be released ahead of the highly-anticipated 4-track EP, no worries, which is due for release on November 17th. Stream I Don’t Mind on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Therum etherealised existentialism in his psychedelic darkwave score,  Mirror of Stars

Posted on 3 November 2023

Therum searched for identity in the cosmos in the standout single, Mirror of Stars, from his psychedelic darkwave album, Darklines Within Us; in the process, he added a new ethereal trajectory to the evolution of existentialism.

Through croons, which call out into the void of the alien soundscape that would be on a plateau beyond our perception if it weren’t for the huge bass adding weight to the release, are resolvingly efficacious in their interstellar mission of drawing you right into the melancholic soul of the art rock Tour De Force.

If you have ever struggled to make sense of the material and social reality we’re confined to and feel an even greater sense of alienation when you try and situate yourself in the context of the twisted tapestry of existence, Mirror of Stars is proliferated with apt consolation.

VNV Nation once declared that this world is just an illusion trying to change you. Therum’s more astute observation of disillusion, duality, and the mind being as unchartered as the galaxy feels far more nuanced.

Mirror of Stars will be released as part of Therum’s LP, Darklines Within Us, on November 3rd. Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike and Mandy – Caught the Bug: PJ Who?

Posted on 1 November 2023

He was a (ska) punk (singer), she didn’t do ballet but came damn close with her time spent singing with an Opera Children’s Chorus and featuring in musicals before the duo, Mike and Mandy, met professionally in LA while working in Shakespeare play and married three years later.

Notably, the duo didn’t let their time spent in the theatrical trenches go to waste, going by their latest poetically magnetic leftfield trip-hop track, Caught the Bug, which takes the iconic styles of PJ Harvey and Massive Attack and the edge of She Drew the Gun and Black Honey and entwines the two sonically delicious facets to deliver a cinematically immersive hit that will entice you with the force of a tornado.

With both sides of the power couple bringing swathes of influence to the table, their genre-bending tracks don’t discriminate where they pull motifs from. Between them, Mike and Mandy have an affinity in everything from acid-jazz to funk to alt-country to rock n roll to art rock; listen closely when you tune into Caught the Bug and you’ll hear signatures in all that and more around the hypnotically demure vocals which will give you a lesson in demure vindication.

Catch the fever by streaming Caught the Bug via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Angel Sinclair came of ‘Strange Age’ in her ethereal alt-indie pop sophomore release

Posted on 27 October 2023

After coming in all melodic guns blazing in her debut release, Soldier, the Canadian alt-indie-pop singer-songwriter Angel Sinclair invited us into an ethereal realm with her sophomore single, Strange Age.

Capturing the disorientating surrealism of coming of age and feeling alien within your own skin better than Brett Easton Ellis’ novel Less Than Zero within a soundscape which carries reminiscences to the artfully quiescent air within singles from Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy and Torres, Angel Sinclair effortlessly succeeded in her mission to envelop you in an intimately raw atmosphere where confessionalism spills around the accordance.

She may not have reinvented the wheel with Strange Age, but she asserted her mainstream appeal in the contextually tumultuous release all the same. Angel Olsen may want to watch out, there’s another Angel reigning supreme.

Strange Age was officially released on October 13: stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unpredictability underpins the latest installation of lo-fi avant-garde alt-indie from Jespfur, nil.

Posted on 24 October 2023
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The Helmond-born, Amsterdam-based artist Jespfur transfused lashings of uninhibited experimentalism into his latest release, nil. With time signatures as distorted as the instrumental tones that are drenched in reverb and saturation, this latest feat of Avant Garde lo-fi from the multidisciplinary artist carries the expressionism of jazz in the undercurrent of the alt-indie soundscape, which takes the styles popularised by Peace and Jaws before burning the song crafting rulebook and scattering the ashes within this eclectic synthesis of style.

From post-grunge to ambient indie rock to ethereal pop, there’s a smorgasbord of genre styles synthesised into this scintillating score, which resounds with evocative intimacy and stands as a testament to Jespfur’s determination to keep his sound DIY, honest, unpredictable, and elusive.

nil will officially release on October 23; stream it on SoundCloud.

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

Join Solar Eyes on a rapturous plateau by ascending with the ethereal aesthetic in their alt-indie single, Top of the World

Posted on 23 October 2023

Take the kaleidoscopic scintillation from the National’s guitars and the indie rock croons of the Arctic Monkeys, splice them into a dreamy to the point of romantic etherealism new wave production, and you will be left with something akin to the latest single, Top of the World, from the Birmingham-based duo, Solar Eyes.

The amorous air of elation is superlatively contextualised and synthesised into the single that pulls you into a captivating score that all too readily shares the experience of being on a rapturous plateau.

The Fierce Panda Records-signed outfit comprising Sebastian Maynard Francis and Glenn Smith has been making major waves since making their debut; this year, they’ve performed at The Great Escape and SXSW, and their music has featured on everything from BBC MOTD to Sky Sports, which stands as a testament to the commercial potential that oozes from the pores from the dynamic outfit which will undoubtedly reach even bigger heights in 2024.

Top of the World is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

djamesk13 lit a beacon to the outliers in the Lynchian post-punk atmosphere of his latest single, The Left-Over Piece of the Puzzle

Posted on 17 October 2023

If djamesk13 wasn’t a solo artist, you’d be forgiven for wondering if Paul Banks had added a new project to his legacy. With echoes of the early Interpol records lingering in the guitar’s reverb entwined with an atmosphere which could only be described as Lynchian, the latest single, The Left-Over Piece of the Puzzle, is an alluring pool of tonal and textural mesmerism.

When you’re not busy being consumed by the artful effects applied to the post-punk nuances, you will find the time to find the melancholic beauty in the release. While some people lament because a piece of them of missing, others are alienated by the unshakable feeling that there’s no place where they can fit in and feel at home.  This one is for anyone who has felt a kinship with Camus.

The Left-Over Piece of the Puzzle was officially released on October 8th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast