Browsing Tag

Cigarettes After Sex

Sun-kissed memory meets dreamy indie-pop reverie in Suni’s Barcelona

Posted on 26 May 2024

Suni, the 26-year-old Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter, delivered a mesmerising escape with their latest single, Barcelona, the shoegazey guitars and indie dream pop aura craft a lush-with-melancholic-soul atmosphere that drifts you away into the heat of bitter-sweet sun-kissed memories. The harmonies sting with emotional potency, amplifying in resonance with every listen as the production nestles into the euphonic middle-ground of Jaws and Cigarettes After Sex.

Suni didn’t just capture an emotion nestled within a sunlit landscape; with Barcelona, they positioned themselves at the heart of a panache-driven pop revolution. The textures within the track act as a key, unlocking a doorway to the pantheon of indie pop singer-songwriters. It’s a musical experience that transcends mere listening, inviting you to dive into an evocative world where each note tells a story.

For fans of introspective and emotionally charged indie music, Suni’s Barcelona is an essential addition to your playlist. Let the music wash over you, and transport you to a place where the lines between reality and reverie blur, and the only thing that matters is the emotional resonance of sound.

Barcelona was officially released on May 17th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Etherdene delivered a tenderly interstellar reminder of our place in the universe with ‘We Are in Space’

Posted on 1 May 2024

We’ve made our adoration of Etherdene’s illuminatively authentic dreamy synth-pop signature and her evocatively ethereal vocals no secret. After the release of her latest single, We Are in Space, which serves as a groundingly interstellar reminder of our place in the universe, she’s affirmed her position as one of the most promising artists of her generation.

Following an open sequence of glassy synths that resound as though they could have been conjured by the Weeknd, Etherdene drifts her latest tender tour de force into a shoegazey installation that cuts as deep as Slowdive’s discography. As the instrumentals glide and glisten throughout the impeccably crafted progressions, We Are in Space tears at the heartstrings with a reprise of, “We are in space, I don’t know what’s going on, but I love you, I love you”.

Even though it is all too easy to feel minuscule and inferior when contemplating the vastness of the universe, Etherdene ensured that there was no danger of that through the soulful juxtaposition of her refrain which testifies to the true meaning of life in the chaos of our mostly understood universe. The sticky sweet and synthy brand of romanticism is enough to drive you to the brink of tears before replenishing your soul with euphoria. Someone give the girl a Grammy.

We Are in Space moved into Earth’s orbit on April 24; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Suni blended harmony, hope and heartbreak in his alt-indie dreamscape, Cherry

Posted on 5 March 2024

Suni’s sophomore single, Cherry, captivates with a cathartically melodious blend of dream pop, ethereal trip-hop, and 8Bit-esque synthpop, marking a distinct evolution from his debut single, At the heart of things, moving beyond the nostalgia of Elliott Smith and the influence of The 1975, into a realm uniquely his own.

In Cherry, the Edinburgh-hailing artist crafted a soundscape that reaches the epitome of mellow intricacy. The track synthesises its influences without becoming a mere pastiche, showcasing Steven’s skill in blending genres. The instrumental layers are a rich, future-forward tapestry; there’s an 8Bit charm which twines with sophisticated, ethereal synths, creating a backdrop that’s both nostalgically retro and cutting-edge.

The vocal harmonies are a standout feature. Light yet laden with emotion, his voice weaves through the Cigarettes After Sex-esque production, delivering lyrics that explore the complexities of affection and self-identity; it’s a lyrical journey that is fated to resonate with listeners, encouraging authenticity and introspection.

As he continues to evolve and refine his musical identity, Suni is far from a work in progress, he is already one to watch in the alt-indie-pop scene.

Cherry fell from the tree and onto the airwaves on February 23rd; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kaleidoscopic melodicism courses through Dons of Youth’s single, Rush

Posted on 29 November 2023

Dons of Youth, an indie-pop duo composed of Peter Moe and Kelly Matthews III, hailing from Nashville, TN, has crafted a dream pop reverie with their latest track Rush.

Rush is a pristine example of the indie dream pop genre, evoking the ethereal soundscapes akin to Cigarettes After Sex and Beach House and nodding respectfully to the Shoegaze pioneers. The textured tapestry of sound, with kaleidoscopically colourful melodies and harmonious timbres that weave through the air, creates an immersive auditory experience that you will want to be consumed by time and time again. The band’s artistry shines in the elemental melodic interplay, which complements the tranquil and honeyed vocal lines. There’s an intimate quality to the vocals that feels like a secret whispered in confidence, creating a strong emotional resonance that’s both personal and universal.

The duo, who began their collaboration at Belmont University, have matured into an outfit capable of bringing a cogent distinction to their self-produced sound, which puts them in good stead for their upcoming debut album, which promises to deliver a narrative journey through the labyrinth of young love, desire, and romance. These themes are palpable in the tender fabric of Rush, which not only showcases their technical prowess but also their ability to capture the nuanced emotions of coming-of-age stories.

Stream Rush on Spotify.

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

Lynden. accentuated the sweetness in his bitter-sweet indie symphony, You

Posted on 9 August 2023

Jumping off raw emotion as a precipice, the Manchester-based Indie singer-songwriter, Lynden. delved deep when orchestrating and writing his love song, You.

His husky-with-melancholy vocal harmonies make his porously impassioned lyrical proclamations even sweeter to fall into as they ring as assuredly as the gentle acoustic guitar chords against the angular guitar fretwork.

The Cigarettes After Sex inspiration is easily legible within the euphonic atmosphere, but Lynden. stopped at wearing the inspiration on his sleeve instead of assimilating the whole outfit in his quintessentially authentic hit that you’ll need to prise from my playlists from my cold, dead hands.

With John Davis (Blur, Jamie T, The Kooks, Inhaler) in charge of mastering, there was little chance of You falling flat. I always keep my ear to the ground for fresh original acts in my home city; Lynden. was the first artist in a long time that made me prick them up.

You will be available to stream You on all major platforms, including SoundCloud, from August 9th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bomb Voyage has debuted his compassionately choral RnB dream pop serenade, Serenity

Posted on 20 July 2023

With melodically intricate indie guitars and synths that wouldn’t be out of place in a Cigarettes After Sex single, Bomb Voyage created a hazily dreamy atmosphere for his classic RnB vocals to soak into in his latest single, Serenity.

Hedonistic and self-destructive behaviour may have been normalised to the point it has been glamorised in contemporary culture; instead of contributing to the acceptability of the toxicity of the trend, Bomb Voyage orchestrated a moody yet compassionate ballad to pay an ode to a female protagonist who has a proclivity towards excess.

Rather than painting a monster, Bomb Voyage used their lyrical empathy and beckoningly magnetic vocal lines to create a consoling release for anyone who needs the affirmation that even the most wayward souls deserve to be seen beyond their lifestyles.

Serenity is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slender Dan orchestrated a superlative existential meditation with ‘Time is Running Out’

Posted on 2 March 2023

With vocals as ethereally magnetic as Cigarettes After Sex atop cinematically intricate Aphex Twin-ESQUE beats and apocalypse-centred lyricism, the latest single, Time is Running Out, by Slender Dan, is the ultimate existential meditation.

With chilling vocal samples alluding to how our child-like proclivities are the main reason behind our destructive tendencies that have led the earth to the point of collapse, there’s no exaggerating the sombreness of the dream-like Avant-Garde score. Yet, Slender Dan simultaneously succeeded in creating a tranquil feat of electronic ambience that will quell your end-of-days fears.

The striking mindfulness within the layers of lush reverb allows the tonally transcendent single to unravel as one of the superlative feats of post-modernism you could add to your playlists.

The Nashville-residing duo comprising Heather Dickinson (vox, keys, guitar, bass), and Patrick Ahern (drums, production, vox) debuted their first EP on KEXP in 2021 and has had its fair share of successes since. Time is Running Out is just one of the singles to feature on the forthcoming LP, GESTALT. In their own words, here is what it traverses:

“GESTALT is a 1 hour long, 19 track, avant-garde electronic album. With 13 songs and 6 interludes, Slender Dan presents a sobering critique of modern Orwellian forces- commenting on such topics as propaganda, censorship, the lack of consensus on truth, and the attempt to remain sane in the midst of insane times.”

Time is Running Out will officially release on March 2nd. Hear the official audio on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

JRMR synthesised the ultimate ambient dream pop instrumental score with his latest single, wind dust.

Posted on 17 November 2022

‘wind dust.’ Is the latest stylishly synthetic single from the up-and-coming experimental music producer JRMR (Jon Munoz). The tranquil beguile of the ambiently dreamy textures allow you to key into transcendental Beach House-Esque tones for two short but sweet minutes as the shimmering reverb washes over you, bringing catharsis in every cinematic wave.

Since his 2019 debut, the Puerto Rican experimentalist has remained prolific by releasing a string of singles which set the anticipation for his first mixtape, death is an illusion that glows in the dark. With that titular nod to the philosophy of the enigmatic artist, you get a clue to the psyche from which his sonically spectacular singles were born. It is one that I, for one, can get on board with, and it seems I’m not alone in my penchant for JRMR’s experimental dream pop aesthetics. His most popular single, avarice. has clocked up over 17k streams on Spotify alone.

Head over to Spotify to add wind dust. to your playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chris Koehn processed grief following the loss of his brother in his ethereal elecro-pop single, Melancholia

Posted on 24 October 2022

Embracing the perpetual promise of change, Chris Koehn composed his most introspective single to date, Melancholia. If there’s any lyric that truly epitomises the proclivity of melancholy while advocating mindfulness, it’s the poignantly rendered line, “It’s only life, everyday we die”, that reprises through this gentle dream pop exposition of ennui.

The atmospheric layering of the male and female vocal harmonies above the swirling electronic synthetics and intense percussion creates a sobering soundtrack for reflection. But the sense of soul that matches the contemporary gravitas of Perfume Genius and Cigarettes After Sex ensures that the ultimate effect is an enlivening one.

Inspired by the death of his brother, Chris Koehn is helping others through their grieving processes while processing his own grief. As someone that has recently experienced the loss of their mother, I can attest to the efficacy of this stunning reminder to live in the moment; while we still have one.

Melancholia is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast