Browsing Tag

Debut Album

The Outside Kids call for salvation in their grungy pop-punk visceral earworm, Hey God

Posted on 15 November 2022

With their Sub Pop record deal-worthy dynamic edge, The Outside Kids made us suckers for their cutting-edge nostalgic kicks through the lead single, Hey God, from their debut LP, Dirty Faces.

By implanting Green Day-style pop-punk hooks and a little RHCP melodicism in the 90s Seattle sound, the alt-rock duo found the perfect formula for earwormy infectious appeal in the contemporary rock scene. Sparked by a shared influence of Against Me! and Frank Turner, the duo’s symbiotically tight propensities entwine with their socially conscious edge to make their sound that little bit more soulfully gripping. The original icons of pop-punk got plenty right, but with evasive morality, the records will always resonate as bitterly juvenile; The Outside Kids brought the maturity the scene has always been deprived of.

The loud reprise of “can you hear me now” paired with the title of Hey God is a powerful allusion to the frustration we all feel when we forget that the world isn’t happening to us, we just happen to be here for the ride. Embrace the chaos with this perfect hit.

Hey God is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of The Outside Kids’ album, Dirty Faces.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tin Zelkova achieved the heart-in-mouth and jaw-on-the-floor affect in their rock single, Soul Shaker

Posted on 31 October 2022

After the launch of their debut self-titled album, the three-piece rock powerhouse, Tin Zelkova, became one of the most refreshing names in the genre. The standout single, Soul Shaker delivers a tight rhythmic furore, complete with extended guitar solos and a sense of soul that has been scarcely seen since Soundgarden.

Steven Thompson’s melodically hook-rife vocal lines as a bright and intimate contrast to the murky and overdriven guitars is a mesmerising combination that will be an instant hit with any fans of Highly Suspect, Royal Blood and Badflower.

After writing more than 30 songs by the summer of 2021, the Louisville-based outfit distributed their demo EP and started gracing stages in their hometown. But my god, there’s nothing local about the gravitas in their sound.

Shortly after the release of their first studio-recorded single, they were airing across a plethora of radio stations and performing with the likes of Tantric, Texas Hippie Coalition, Local H, Resist & Bite, Native Sons and many others. If the music industry is still capable of crating iconic acts, my money is on these guys.

Soul Shaker was officially released on September 30th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Expectation meets self-preservation in Aleandro Valente’s blissfully tropic indie pop hit, Not O.K.

Posted on 25 October 2022

The up-and-coming NYC-residing pop artist Aleandro Valente tore off his façade in spectacular fashion in his single, Not O.K. to expose the duality of his determination of being what others perceive him to be and staying true to himself.

The angular indie jangle pop guitars around the sun-bleached tropic RnB pop keys create the perfect platform for the high dynamic stretches of Aleandro Valente’s smooth vocal timbre that pulls you right into the battle of self-preservation and will.

It is Ariana Grande meets the 1975 in this vulnerable earworm that will see the Italian artist and his candour go far. It will undoubtedly be resonant for plenty of his listeners that feel the expectation to amplify their true nature to tick boxes that we never agreed to fill in the first place.

Not O.K. is now available to stream along with the debut album it was taken from, Bite on a Lemon, on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Softest Sound explore cyclical torment in their slowcore anti-folk single over again

Posted on 10 October 2022

The Dayton, Ohio duo, The Softest Sound, unveiled their debut album, an idea can’t just go away, on August 26th and simultaneously introduced the airwaves to a brand-new manifestation of slowcore anti-folk experimentalism.

The standout single, over again, delivers vocals which find a timbre between AJJ and Jack Johnson, while the instrumental arrangement mashes up the melodiously soft guitars in the desert-y atmospherics with discordant electronic effect as an all too efficacious exposition on the turbulent ennui of cyclical torment and having an intangible relationship with identity.

It’s a spacey resonant-soaked release for anyone that has ever felt at odds with their own mind. Given that we’re in 2022, that demographic should make up the majority.

over again is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Ella Hayes sold soul-pop sanctuary in her debut single, Recovery

Posted on 18 September 2022

Essex soul-pop singer-songwriter Ella Hayes paraded her vanquished skeletons and shared her growing pains in her debut EP, Colour Me In, which follows her through her journey of addiction, awakening and expressive creativity.

The standout single, Recovery, was a means of catharsis for the artist, which she extended to the airwaves as a powerfully inspiring affirmation that addiction doesn’t have to be a life sentence. The pop-rock orchestral layers set the perfect tone for her candour, which leaves few stones unturned around the epiphanous lyrics, which resolvingly prove that sanctuary is always in reach, despite how low your rock bottom feels.

“All my life I’ve been terrorised by the lies my head tells me” is one hell of an opening lyric; one that sets the bar she continually transcends throughout Recovery.

Recovery is now available to stream on Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Elisa Winter – Summer Spent Dreaming: orchestrally apocalyptic post-grunge resonance

Posted on 9 July 2022

While many artists desperately wrestled with their creativity during the first lockdown only to reveal trite lyricism the performer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and baroquely phenomenal recording artist, Elisa Winter foresaw the new normal before the modern plague was on our door.

Finally, her debut album, Summer and Smoke, which was officially released on Summer Solstice 2022, is here to spill orchestrally apocalyptic post-grunge resonance. The LP tracks across the tensions between truth, reality and gaslighting, with the engrossingly stunning highlight, Summer Spent Dreaming.

Lush yet tumultuous. Visceral yet encompassing the detachment we all felt in some capacity, Summer Spent Dreaming is the most authentic aural depiction of the frustration and entropy I’ve heard yet.

Everything changed, in a way it is almost impossible to put in words. I say almost because Elisa Winter discernibly succeeded with “speak to me please, what has happened to you? Searching for you in your eyes, you won’t let me in.” There’s been a disconnect that we’ve kept our heads in the sand about. Thankfully, Elisa Winter is here to vindicate the confusion in our alien relationship with reality and each other.

Elisa Winter’s latest album, Summer and Smoke, is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Spectoral wonders if the intentions are pure on ‘LOVESICK’ (ft. Megadead and Tusanxmi)

Posted on 6 July 2022

After two years of building up his debut album that will feature 15 unique artists, Spectoral shows us what quality music sounds like in 2022 with ‘LOVESICK‘ (ft. Megadead and Tusanxmi).

Spectoral is a Melbourne, Australia-based SlideUp Records-signed music producer and singer who has released 3 EPs and is now taking the next step in his career.

”The plants thrive off the music, and my creativity thrives off the plants, so we have somewhat of a symbiotic relationship.” ~ Spectoral

With soothing vocals, relatable lyrics, and a busting beat that you will inevitably find hard to forget, Spectoral might be one of the most lively artists to come out of Australia for ages. There is so much to like here as our minds are taken to the moment that will determine if we let our heart out of its safe box, or let it fly free like a curious bird looking for a permanent nest.

‘‘I also consider myself a collaborator at heart, which is why I’ve got so many underground names featuring alongside me on the album.” ~ Spectoral

‘LOVESICK‘ (ft. Megadead and Tusanxmi) from Australian-Mauritian-Slovakian producer and singer Spectoral is a superb track that will pulse the very core of your veins. A story for all those who have slight trust issues after being let down before is on offer here and shall thud your whole soul awake. Sung with a heightened velocity and filled with excellent features throughout, this is a reminder that we need to be extra careful who we let into our lives.

Sometimes, people want us for their own selfish reasons after all.

Listen up to this hot new single on Spotify and see more news on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Eldad Ben Naim has delivered his hypnotic electro-jazz fusion score, Welcome Night

Posted on 13 February 2022

With a score that feels like a jazzier and smokier version of Bladerunner’s aural phonoaesthetic, Eldad Ben Naim’s seminal single, Welcome Night, is a hypnotic introduction to the jazz fusion virtuoso’s gift when it comes to laying down beguilingly elegant arrangements.

The electro-jazz instrumental soundscape puts a polyphonic spin on the blazing solos that you’d expect to blast from a sax or guitar, giving the score a playfully eccentric edge, but never compromising on the high-brow alchemy which keeps flowing your way throughout the entire duration of the 6-minute release. If you’re not left entranced by the outro, you should be pretty worried about the state of your soul.

You can check out Eldad Ben Naim’s single, Welcome Night for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Henry Friedman De Miguel takes us around the world with the standout single, ‘Ghost Orchid Has Many Pollinators’ on his debut LP

Posted on 15 January 2022

The 22-year-old Atlanta-based singer-songwriter, Henry Friedman De Miguel, has made his official debut with the release of his LP, The Witch’s Guide to Ecology & Other Times the Earth Has Impressed Me. That may not be the most memorable name for a debut album, but the album itself is sonically unforgettable.

In the jazzy standout single, Ghost Orchid Has Many Pollinators, there’s a touch of the Doors in the psychedelically kaleidoscopic textures and hints of Jim Morrison in the vocals. Yet reminiscences are always fleeting in the cinematic feat of world music that ends with Spanish guitars and art folk harmonies after delivering beguiling Eastern rhythms against tribal drums. If you could imagine what the sex and the city soundtrack would sound like if it pulled in culture from all corners of the world and was complemented by nature-celebrating lyrics, you’ll get an idea of what you’re in for here.

Ghost Orchid Has Many Pollinators is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Getting Tired: Sanchez waits for the right moment to take charge and ‘Knock Them Down’

Posted on 14 January 2022

Bringing us the first of his new releases that he has been cooking up briskly for us to sample sweetly, Sanchez is in no mood to mess around as he looks to ‘Knock Them Down‘.

Oisín Magee aka Sanchez is a South Korea-based Lurgan, Northern Ireland-born indie alternative solo artist who brings you back to the classic ’90s with his sensational sound.

”For the past 12 months, he has been recording his debut album, Burgundy, mastered by Pete Maher. Maher, of course, has worked with the likes of U2, Damien Rice, Jack White, and Snow Patrol.” ~ Sanchez

There is so much to like about an underground musician who sings with a flourishing edge that is often hiding in this plastic world, as Sanchez drops one of the most nostalgic tracks you will hear all year.

‘Knock Them Down‘ from the resolute South Korea-based Lurgan, Northern Ireland-born indie alternative artist Sanchez is that must-hear single which has you feeling in a mood to dominate your enemies. After biding your time and looking at others shining for too long – this is the type of track that has you unearthing your own opportunity – to leverage into a position where you can make that all-important move. Knowing when that correct moment is, could define what the future holds.

Hear this new single on Spotify and see more via the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen