Browsing Tag

Debut Album

Descend into the sonic shadows with Voidform’s seminal score, Wonder

Voidform’s single, Wonder, from the debut album Void Incarnate, is a haunting foray into an innovator’s mind. As the dark, reverberant, industrial techno-adjacent bass rolls through your speakers, they’re met with luminous synths that shimmer through striking juxtaposition, creating an avant-garde production that ensnares from the very first beat.

With the Eastern-esque synthetic rhythms weaving a thread of mysticism through the track, Voidform adds an unpredictably addictive twist to the mix which transcends unsettling sound with its cinematic scope, which lends enough eerie tension to rival a John Carpenter horror soundtrack. Prepare to be propelled into a hypnotic stupor when you hit play; the pulse of the beat becomes inescapable in the immersive soundscape of sonic shadow.

Voidform may be a fresh name on the scene, but this project is clearly one to watch. There’s a calculated precision in the chaos, a deliberate artistry in the dissonance that suggests this is just the beginning of what Voidform has to offer. Immerse yourself in the Void—if you dare.

Wonder is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lie awake in a psych-pop fever dream with Mope.’s seminal single, Wanderer:

Mope.

Despite the somewhat paradoxical pairing of an artist with the moniker Mope. with a track titled Wanderer, the dissonance fades swiftly, swallowed by the entrancing psychotropic waves of the production.

Wanderer traverses through the sonic landscape with a fluidity that justifies its title, enveloping listeners in a deliciously distorted Shoegaze embrace. The track’s structure is a hypnotic hybrid, part leftfield electronica with its syncopated rhythms and part psych pop fever dream, observed through a kaleidoscopic lens. You don’t just listen to Wanderer—you sink, letting the warm, luminous tides of sound wash over you. The commanding, semi-lucid vocals flow like an undercurrent, pulling you deeper into the aural odyssey few can rival.

The genesis of Mope.’s journey is profoundly personal. Following the loss of his father and the bleak dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brad Steed transformed his grief into art, resulting in the creation of his debut album, An Optimist’s Guide to Self-Destruction.

The album, replete with reflections on his journey from sorrow to fleeting moments of peace, offers a psychotropic escape into love, loss, and electric currents. Created in the quiet corners of Raleigh, North Carolina, each song bears Steed’s intimate touch—written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by the artist himself.

Wanderer will be available to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube, from August 16th.

Follow Mope. on Instagram to stay up to date with their latest releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Roots reverent soulstress, Samantha Rae, is an infectiously unreckonable force in her seminal single, Gaslighter

Samantha Rae, the roots-reverent soulstress, spellbinds with her latest single, Gaslighter. Taken from her intensely anticipated debut LP The High Road, the creative conjuring combines swampy blues tones with a country twang and an arcane air of enlightenment that even Nicks would struggle to match.

Rae’s poised with conviction and sultry-to-the-senses vocals effortlessly embody empowerment as she solidifies her status as the pinnacle and poster girl of a contemporary country icon. The infectiously kinetic rhythm of Gaslighter is impossible to resist, transfixing the listener in the beating heart of the earworm which sees the lyrical delivery seamlessly integrated with the instrumental backdrop, which culminates in a raw-with-revolution rock riff.

Far from a typical exposition of the phenomenon of psychological manipulation, Rae injects working-class fervour into the track, resonating with those who feel oppressed by the gentrified elite, the lyrical dualism is an undeniable attestation to Rae’s ability to transcend the expected.

Samantha Rae balances her musical career with her role as a horse trainer and riding instructor in southern New Hampshire. As an accomplished songwriter and live performer, Samantha Rae frequently lights up stages across New England. She has shared the spotlight with prominent acts like Sugar Ray, LoCash, and Tyler Farr. Her talent was recognised early on, earning her the New England Country Music “Country Group of the Year” award in her debut year as an original artist.

After being mixed by Grammy-winner Chad Carlson in Nashville, Gaslighter was officially released on July 26; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sam Caldwell – feeding the wound: An Indie Art Rock Ode to the Raw Edges of the Human Psyche

The intimacy of unfiltered vulnerability doesn’t just breathe through Sam Caldwell’s standout single, feeding the wound, it quiescently screams and resounds through the delirious-with-self-discontent production which embodies the stripped style of Elliott Smith, and the artfully cultivated expressionist air of Mitski and Neutral Milk Hotel.

Caging one of the most viscerally affecting crescendos that has ever torn its way into my soul, feeding the wound is so much more than a lyrically sharpened vignette of a masochistic mind. Each element serves to visualise a psyche marred with self-awareness and destruction; from the sonic pulls of ennui to how the mind cascades under the weight of affliction, each progression is a revelation of a raw, painfully relatable perception.

The LA singer-songwriter is quickly making a name for himself with his encapsulations of the pain of coming of age; with his debut LP, he’s rivalled the resonance of Brett Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero. His ability to tune into universal themes of guilt and heartbreak while using heartstrings on his fretboard will undoubtedly see him go far in the industry which is crying out for veritable troubadours of candour.

feeding the wound is now available to stream on Spotify as part of Sam Caldwell’s debut album, wanderlust, which was officially released on July 25.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Self-actualise with the debut single, Superhero from the alt-indie originator, The Black Holes Philosophy

For the standout single in their eponymous debut album, The Black Holes Philosophy filtered a folky 70s pop twang into the cosmically expansive production style of ELO while poetically narrating the internal conflict of grappling with personal desire and external expectation.

While the introspective protagonist cherishes authenticity and simplicity over grandiosity and superficiality in Superhero, the beauty and the solace in the little things in life profoundly resonate through the prism of kaleidoscopic colour that spills from the piano pop-rock progressions.

Superhero is enough to make you contemplate every aspect of idealism reverberating through your psyche to ensure it derives from within instead of the confluence of cultural demands. The softly and soulfully rendered release reaches the pinnacle of liberation as it guides through a journey of self-actualisation while establishing The Black Holes Philosophy as one of the most artistically unbound artists on the airwaves.

Superhero was officially released on June 14th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rob Russell antagonised the airwaves by unleashing his alt-rock debut LP, What It All Meant

Rob Russell’s single ‘Carried‘, extracted from his debut LP ‘What It All Meant‘, is a striking genre synthesis that boldly defies the conventional boundaries of alternative rock. The track is an audacious blend, merging the defiant spirit of contemporary skate punk with the wistful echoes of 90s pop punk, all while embracing the gritty essence of grunge.

Russell’s approach to production is refreshingly unpolished, allowing the song’s inherent rawness to shine through. This choice pays off, as it accentuates the emotional gravity of the track, making ‘Carried’ a lesson in volition.

The single resonates with a sense of rugged honesty, a quality that is increasingly rare in today’s alt-rock landscape. Russell’s vocal delivery is both poignant and powerful, weaving through the dynamic soundscape with a balance of aggression and vulnerability. The instrumentation complements this perfectly, with guitar riffs that are both sharp and melodic, underpinned by a rhythm section that drives through the track with relentless energy.

‘Carried’ stands as a testament to Russell’s ability to channel the ethos of alt-rock’s past while forging his own path. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Check out Rob Russell’s LP, What It All Meant, on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Immerse yourself in the artfully metamorphic instrumentals in Blinded By Hope’s seminal prog-rock release, All We Know

Blinded by Hope

Emotion charters the path through the artfully metamorphic instrumental arrangement in one of the standout singles from Blinded by Hope’s debut LP, The Darkness That Surrounds Us.

The Australian innovators found their signature sound between the landscapes of prog-rock, melodic rock, and art rock to allow the seminal single, All We Know, which unravels as an emotionally resonant and sonically complex piece which takes you through the dark depths of human emotion via a backdrop of artfully progressive instrumentation.

From the opening notes, All We Know draws the listener into its profoundly reflective aura which swells around the alt-metal roots in the complexity of musical structures. But don’t let the gravitas in the release fool you, the track is as accessible as it is resonant as it vies for your attention through technical prowess and the emotional odyssey it represents.

The vocals echo the tender yet powerful style of Incubus, adding a soulful depth to the track. This vocal gravity anchors the song’s tumultuous ebb and flow, creating a captivating tension that is both stirring and poignant. The band’s focus on crafting a meaningful song, rather than just showcasing technical skill, shines through every note and lyric, making All We Know a superlatively compelling listen.

Stream Blinded by Hope’s music on Spotify, and keep up to date with news of the release via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nullor has arrived with his compelling prog rock Tour De Force,  Here

The Fort Worth, Texas-hailing solo artist, Dan Crawford, operating under the moniker Nullor has made his long-awaited debut; it came in the form of his dynamic LP, Finalform. The dusky, doomy and artfully captivating lead single, Here, envelops you in an atmosphere you will never want to come up for air from.

The progressive 6-minute Tour De Force won’t fail to evoke contemplation; the grungy vocal lines which run in the veins of Alice in Chains allow the melodic ambience in the orchestrally cut instrumental arrangement to resonate as a sonically sweet sedative before the monolithic build and burst into intricately electric groove metal.

In the following single, Overdrive, Nullor gives you a taste of classic thrash metal, proving that there are few alternative genres outside of his repertoire. Rather than being a jack of all genres, the versatility of his talent is just as impressive as the degree of it.

Here was officially released with the Finalform LP on September 29; stream it on Spotify and follow the artist on Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Contemporary Indie Pop Chanteuse EASAE Soulfully Summons Satan in ‘Pretty Little Devil Song’

Buffalo, NY-hailing indie-pop singer-songwriter, EASAE, exhibited the extent of the bewitching dynamism in her vocal range in the standout single, Pretty Little Devil Song, taken from her intimately powerful debut album, Not Sure I Love It Here Yet.

With the grace and finesse of a 50s pop chanteuse, the spellbinding soul of Stevie Nicks and the contemporary kick of Maggie Rogers, EASAE effortlessly carves a niche with her strident approach to indie pop. With the dirty bluesy guitars around her glassy vocal timbre, it is impossible not to be enraptured by this progressively fascinating release, which walks you through confessional introspection that gives her the girl-next-door-edge while her talent sets her so far apart, she’s metaphorically on another plateau from us mere mortals.

Pretty Little Devil Song was released on December 16th; hear it on Spotify with the LP, which navigates loss while stoking the fires of lust for life.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Square Pyramid sang the post-punk blues in their grungy hit, Run Down Dirty Soul

Taken from the eponymous debut album from Square Pyramid, the standout single, Run Down Dirty Soul, is a progressively exhilarating mash of era-spanning alternative culture. From post-punk to blues to grunge, it’s all on the table in this enlivening intrinsically originated hit that has what it takes to unite music scenes once and for all.

With atmospheric hints to Echo and the Bunnymen in the chorally cold rings of the guitars in the intro along with bluesy harmonica blasts before the track slams into a grungy revival of off-kilter alt-90s and college radio rock tones, clearly, each of the three members of Square Pyramid came to the outfit with their own influences and inclinations. And therein lies the blisteringly experimental alchemy within Run Down Dirty Soul. It is a sonic amalgamation that no other outfit has brought to the table.

There’s nothing quite like allowing multiple parts of your personality to meet each other in the space of one song, and that’s exactly what Run Down Dirty Soul achieved for me.

Check out Run Down Dirty Soul on Apple Music and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast