Browsing Tag

Debut Single

Darcy Court has released their triumph of a 60s-psych-tinged alt-indie debut, Bar of Clay

Posted on 18 April 2022

The instantly trailblazing 60s psych pop-inspired indie rock act, Darcy Court, brought plenty of the Cali heat into their euphonically blissful debut single, Bar of Clay, which unravels to the narration of the conflated emotions that transpire when locked in a too-good-to-be-true crash and burn relationship and all you can do is await the final collision.

The kaleidoscopic synaesthesia-inducing melodies feed into the rich timbre of the single that flirts with the alt-90s era just as much as the 60s psych-pop nuances to create an era-spanning indulgent tonal pool that you’ll find infinitely temperate.

Indie debuts don’t get much more promising than Bar of Clay. Darcy Court have got exactly what it takes to reach the same heights as their iconic 60s influences.

Bar of Clay was officially released on April 8th; it is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lawsvn questions the complexity of affection in her debut RnB single, Have You Ever? 

Posted on 13 March 2022
The Cleveland, Ohio-residing RnB songwriter and soulstress, Lawyvn, has made a feistily unforgettable debut with her single, Have You Ever? 
As the lyrics question the complexity of affection, the beats groove through the mellifluous melodies that are all too easy to connect your rhythmic pulses to as the luminary newcomer makes the most out of her effortlessly rich vocal timbre.
Even though there are some notable hints of 90s RnB in the warm mix, this hit was definitively made for the 21st-century’s airwaves. With the high-quality production and the sheer artistry in the vocal harmonies, Lawsvn is one to watch. She deserves a coveted spot on every RnB fans’ radar.
Have You Ever? Is now available to stream on Spotify. And you can connect with Lawsvn via Instagram.
Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Arizonian psych-rock experimentalists, SPACEMOOSE, have released their cathartic triumph of a stoner doom debut

Posted on 26 January 2022
SPACEMOOSE by SPACEMOOSE

The experimental music project, SPACEMOOSE, from the Arizona based space rock alchemists Blake Waltein and Josh Merrick, has made its official debut with the self-titled, psychotropic stoner doom single.

The 9-minute long desert rock-inspired single uses the first two minutes to ease you into the opium-den-style opulence and ambience, before darker and more ominous electronic textures join the sitars and tribal vibes. With the addition of angular 60s psych-rock guitars at the 4-minute mark, the single starts to amass momentum steadily, leaving the quiescence from the prelude far behind in the overdriven garagey tones that deliver a sense of chaos to the mix.

Even though the vocals consist of little more than ethereal sermonic chants that bleed into the soundscape, it’s hard not to be beguiled by the mystique in them. It certainly isn’t every day that we hear a debut as authentic and arresting as this 9-minute cathartic triumph. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what follows.

You can check out the debut single from SPACEMOOSE by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

American social media star, JÚWAN, has released his snipingly riotous pop-punk debut single, OUCH

Posted on 7 January 2022

After going viral on TikTok, the American social media star, JÚWAN, has made his spicy alt-pop debut. His debut single, OUCH, is a confrontationally infectious take on pop-punk with sharp enough lyrics to cut right to the bone.

From tearing apart narcissists to shaming the people that think that questioning someone’s sexuality is a good use of their time, this riotously high-vibe track allows you to imagine what Bowling for Soup would sound like if their music got a potent shot of emotional intelligence.

Instrumentally, OUCH takes you right back to the golden age of 00s pop-punk and alt-rock with the crunchy guitars, sharp lyrical hooks and massive choruses, but JÚWAN is discernibly an artist made for this generation and their search for artists that do more than just superficially scratch at the surface. Seemingly, his magnetism shines through on the airwaves as much as his viral videos. He is definitely one to watch.

OUCH is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alternative singer-songwriter Laura Lang shares artful introspection in her debut single, Lithium

Posted on 3 January 2022

Tennessee-based independent singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Laura Lang is fresh from the release of her debut single, Lithium. With a voice as arresting as Angel Olsen and Phoebe Bridgers and the artful baroque nuances, you can’t help getting caught up in the captivating chord structures paired with the pop-inspired melodies.

After a melancholy bleeding intro, Lithium shifts into a testament of Lang’s introspective intellect, creative imagination and ability to create an ethereally captivating soundscape from the unravelling of her emotions.

With her debut album, All Downhill from There, which promises to echo suffering, beauty and nature due for release in January 2022, saving space on your radar for Laura Lang will undoubtedly pay off. Her debut single, Lithium, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Los Cozmatics traverse ennui in their orchestral indie debut single, Tears

Posted on 26 December 2021

After a melancholic minor key start, Los Cozmatics’ orchestrally scored debut single, Tears, builds into a captivating narrative around a protagonist going through the motions while controlled by ennui to the tune of alt-indie melodies spiked with resilience and dejection.

With poetically bitter-sweet lyrics, “he had no time for the rain falling on his tears”, Tears holds a captivating panoramic expression. With the elegantly soulful Winehouse-reminiscent vocals over the mash of angular indie guitars and orchestral strings, Tears is a triumph in authenticity. We hope to hear plenty more from Los Cozmatics in 2022. They’re exactly what our sad AF societies need.

Tears is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

StarAV puts a melancholic spin on Thundercat’s single, Lava Lamp, in his debut release.

Posted on 31 October 2021

Australian singer-songwriter and producer StarAV has made his debut with his cover single, Lava Lamp. The death-musing original was heavy with pensive malaise, yet StarAV’s rendition finds brand-new ways to pull melancholy out of the cathartically bleak soundscape.

Lava Lamp is the first single to be released from his new project that curated a series of songs that explore grief, loss, death, isolation and the discomfort of growth. While cover projects can snobbishly be looked down upon, the overarching exposition of aching grief across the collection of singles acts as a sombre sign of the times where the only emotions that seem to register are the ones that hurt. If you’re looking for comfort in the isolation the project explores, you won’t be disappointed.

StarAV’s cover of Lava Lamp will be available to stream from October 31st. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Le’Ridge Stereo has released their inspiring folk-pop debut with ‘Another Sun’

Posted on 6 August 2021
Le'Ridge Stereo

New Jersey-residing instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Le’Ridge Stereo’s debut single, Another Sun, was created to instil optimism in a time of collective despair; it is pure tonal bliss.

An arcanely soulful air breathes between the folk-pop instrumentals and the richly layered harmonies that will allow you to imagine what ABBA would sound like if they veered into the realms of New Age Folk. The track possesses gentle yet extremely powerful instrumental hooks that pull you into the heart of the inspiringly serene single that extends compassion to anyone whose loneliness and anxiety amplified during the pandemic.

The lyrics strip the shame out of the acknowledgement that we are fallible humans with a proclivity towards painful empathy and melancholy before shifting negative perceptions to brighter ones. We have only good things to say about this stunning collaboration between Le’Ridge Stereo, Rebecca & Diwas Gurung.

Another Sun will officially release on August 6th; check it out via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Téa Texier traverses uncertainty in her striking indie debut single, ‘Garden Smiles’

Posted on 7 June 2021

With the same mesmerising appeal of Tom Odell, Grace Isaac, Warpaint and London Grammar combined with an even more intimate indie appeal and poetically meta lyrics, Téa Texier’s debut single Garden Smiles is absorbing from start to finish.

The indie track mixes art-rock with shoegaze to create a soundscape laden with dreamy and reverby textures, but with plenty of striking elements weaved into this melancholically compelling single that explores uncertainty, the fiery resonance doesn’t fail to take hold.

In the short time since the 16-year-old London-based singer-songwriter made her debut, she’s racked up over 6,000 streams on Spotify alone. Her ability to, quite literally, key into the contemporary mood to bring forth a mournfully relatable song for collective catharsis will see her go far in 2021 and beyond.

Garden Smiles is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zeli has left the indie electronica scene enraptured with her debut single ‘Almost’

Posted on 1 March 2021

‘Almost’ is the dreamy darkwave debut single from Zeli, an 18-year-old artist and producer who has already left the indie electronica scene enraptured with her intimate approach to production and lyricism.

Billie Eilish comparisons are easy to make but capturing the evocative sensuality behind this moody electro-pop hit is infinitely harder.

The entrancingly dark synth-led melodies groove at a steady tempo, ensuring that each syllable projected into Almost leaves you arrested until you reach the ethereal outro which will undoubtedly leave you feeling as eager as us to hear the London-based artist and producer’s sophomore release.

Almost is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast