Browsing Tag

independent rock

Take a hit on The Glares’ latest mellowly mind-altering single, Cocaine Jane

Posted on 13 January 2024

If tracks could kill, we’d all be stone cold after The Glares’ latest single, Cocaine Jane; take a hit and get high on the nostalgically mellow melodies which prise influence from The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, The Stone Roses, and the Stooges and shimmer through the affluence of pure unbridled soul filtered through a kaleidoscopic lens.

Even though the sonics conjure an altered state of mind more akin to an acid trip, the Edinburgh-based four-piece of twentysomethings succeeded in unleashing the best Columbian marching powder-themed single since Eric Clapton popularised the single, Cocaine, penned by J.J. Cale in 1976.

With plenty more releases in the pipeline for 2024 after the release of their sophomore single, there is ample scope for the success of The Glares. Their ability to sonically visualise a concept and submerge you in it so deeply you don’t care about coming up for air is unparalleled in the indie rock underground.

Cocaine Jane was officially released on December 1st and is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BONNE took rock to new emotional depths with their LP, execute

Posted on 16 June 2023
BONNE

With the vocal lines resonating as a tour de force through the stylish rock reinvention, the standout single, Problems, from BONNE’s hotly anticipated LP, execute, the track is a hair-raising adrenaline shot to the heart. With as much reverence to rock as Joan Jett with beguiling Janis Joplin and Alanis Morrissette’s soul-driven vox, the monolithic melting pot is a soulfully pioneering juggenautical triumph.

Discovering a new sound is always an exhilarant experience, but when there is so much substance injected into the sonics, the experience becomes all the more gratifying. And there is no denying that the duo possesses an emotional depth that delves deeper than what the rock mould typically permits; by smashing through it with their authentic vulnerability, BONNE stepped away from the fray and veered towards unapologetic authenticity. With notes of Pixies, Muse, and Slowdive, within the virtuosic instrumentals, each new progression is a galvanising revelation.

By pouring the raw energy of 90s grunge and the catchy hooks of 80s rock into a future-proof production, the Iowa-hailing duo orchestrated an all-consuming aural experience that will grip you with its fiercely innovative gravitas.

Check out BONNE via their official website and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tin Zelkova has unveiled their NSFW-sexy alt-rock single, Miss Mean Marcella

Posted on 22 April 2023
https://spotify.link/U7M6eTs5Oyb

Sexy enough to be NSFW, Tin Zelkova’s latest debauchedly dark alt-rock single, Miss Mean Marcella, is another radio-ready slice of organically originated rock. It is quite the departure from the soulful sonics we last heard from the three-piece when our ears were candied with the standout single, Soul Shaker, from their debut eponymous LP.

But we were far from disappointed to be drenched in the slick swagger of Miss Mean Marcella, which paints a scintillating picture of the kind of femme fatale that would leave anyone weak at the knees. If the tale of the maleficent mistress doesn’t leave your libido hot under the collar, you might want to check if it still has vital signs. With the guitar lines as loaded as Velvet Revolver’s and the vocals clawing you into the narrative with every honeyed note, Miss Mean Marcella definitively deserves to be a chart-topper.

Miss Mean Marcella was officially released on April 8. Catch it on Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joey Sherman sings the beatnik blues in his acoustic rock single, Moonlit Night

Posted on 18 January 2023

Moonlit Night is the seminal lo-fi acoustic rock single from the singer-songwriter, Joey Sherman, who needs little more than an acoustic guitar, his engrossingly assured vocal timbre and his beatnik lyrics that will easily appeal to any fans of Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan.

As the ardent chords ring, Sherman transfuses Midwestern soul into the soundscape that may be rough around the edges, but it is still a shot to the heart for anyone who knows how it feels to constantly be rebuilding themselves from the ashes of their former lives with scant foresight over which path to push forward on at the crossroads.

Moonlit Night is now available to stream on YouTube.

Follow Joey Sherman on Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Feel the electric intimacy with James Sebastian’s new wave rock n roll single, Bedsheets

Posted on 14 November 2022
James Sebastian

James Sebastian served a stellar slice of salacious new wave rock n roll with his latest single, Bedsheets, taken from his forthcoming debut EP. Capturing the electric intimacy of the early stages of a relationship, Bedsheets is a raucously seductive revival of the 70s sound and lustful aptitude, which lets rough rock vocals crawl across Led Zeppelin-reminiscent instrumentals.

The UK artist has the nostalgic tones and sensibilities down to a T while ensuring that his unholy rock n roll reverence comes with its own sting. After hearing the record, I can almost taste the energy of his live performances, which he has taken across the UK as a headline act in iconic venues, such as the Exeter Cavern, the Golden Lion and the Stags Head.

Bedsheets will officially release across all major streaming platforms on November 11th. Check it out via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SRVR unleashed a debut of spacey blues with their alt-rock release, Birdman

Posted on 14 September 2022

In response to America’s political decline, the South London producers and songwriters Sidney Rivers and Vincent Rogue merged their visionary creativity under the moniker SRVR and released their art-rock debut, Birdman.

Converging bluesy guitars and spacey textures in the soulfully gospel-esque production, there’s a subversive surrealism to the release, making it more than fitting for the 2022 airwaves. With Rob Wilks (Foals, Florence and the Machine, Lianne La Havas) at the mixing desk, Birdman spread its wings as a cathartically compelling sensory experience that everyone with an affinity for the Avant Garde will want to aurally revel in.

With their debut LP due for release in early 2023, save a space on your radars.

Birdman will officially release on September 14th. Stream it on SoundCloud or watch the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dan Zalles laments the monotony of modernity in his 80s-Esque alt-rock single, Email Hell

Posted on 8 September 2022

As digital domains dominate our existence, tracks such as Dan Zalles’ 80s rock-inspired single, Email Hell, feel almost inevitable. Between the atmospheric sonic nostalgia of the soaring guitar lines fed through effects that you’d expect to find on Will Sergeant’s (Echo and the Bunny Men) pedal board and the mundanity of modernity in lyrics, Email Hell is a feat of multi-era convergence that provides ample solace for anyone that doesn’t appreciate the technological advances which left human evolution in the dust.

Email Hell is is just one of the immersively sonorous singles found on the San Francisco Bay Area singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and film composer’s album, Emotionally. We highly recommend experiencing it in its entirety.

Email Hell is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Proto-punk bites back in Underdog’s seminal punch-drunk alt-rock track, Over and Over

Posted on 10 January 2022

Over and Over (Northern Lights) is the seminal proto-punk track from Boston’s most boisterous alt-rock powerhouse, Underdog. It may be harder for new artists to register as obsession-worthy from the first hit, but the college radio rock vibes mixed with the lo-fi scuzz and energy that stems from the frustration that resounds around monotony makes a riotously magnetic track out of Over and Over.

Thankfully, the band that has been charting as the top alternative band in Boston since establishing in 2013 didn’t allow their creativity to buckle during the quarantine. Their album, Trans Global Amnesia, is due for release in the Spring of 2022. Any fans of the New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers and the Ramones will want Underdog on their radars – it is only a matter of time before their moniker becomes unfitting.

Over and Over is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cagri Raydemir bites the hand of ego-greed in his single, Attention Hunger

Posted on 8 January 2022

Attention Hunger is the latest intellectually scathing alt-rock track from the Munich, Germany-based artist, guitar virtuoso, songwriter and producer, Cagri Raydemir. With vocal reminiscences to Serj Tankian and an instrumental atmosphere that carries similarities to Incubus, any true alt-rock fan will allow Attention Hunger to resonate as a smorgasbord of dynamic alt-rock innovation.

It’s been a while since I had a quite literal jaw-drop moment at an instrumental interlude, but the one that brings in the outro in Attention Hunger gives Mr Bungle an Avant-Garde run for their money.

After releasing 12 albums and 3 EPs, Munich Germany-residing alternative artist has discernibly honed in on his craft to the point of peerlessness. It’s beyond refreshing to hear an artist with the ability to catch you broadsided by their talent.

Attention Hunger is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast