Browsing Tag

Indie Alt Country

Matt Baker wrapped the wonder of wanderlust up in his latest Americana-tinged indie alt-country panorama, Planes, Trains & Cars

Posted on 20 October 2024

For his latest seminal release, Planes, Trains & Cars, the singer-songwriter and endlessly adept multi-instrumentalist Matt Baker twanged hints of honkytonk Americana into an indie alt-country pop romanticised installation of wanderlust. As the sonic equivalent of Jack Kerouac, the New Jersey-hailing artist sonically visualised the irreplicable feeling of hitting the road and clocking up the miles to bring you closer to the person in the passenger seat.

Accompanied by the music video, the cinematic road trip playlist staple finessed the feel-good factor, acting as a homage to Baker’s stripes as an audio engineer and visual artist and his dedication to amplifying the thematic resonance in everything he touches. Planes, Trains & Cars is just one of the tracks he’s turned to gold with his ability to paint panoramic vignettes with his evocatively timbered, expansively intimate vocal lines.

Stream the official music video for Planes, Trains & Cars on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spencer Graham built on his indie alt-country legacy with ‘Timing’

Posted on 12 August 2024

Emotions run deep in the veins of the breakthrough country artist Spencer Graham’s latest single, Timing. If there was a world record for how much emotion can be carried in vocal melodies, the singer-songwriter who is writing the next chapter for roots reverent music deserves to rhetorically hold it.

The bitter-sweet lovelorn serenade cuts deep into the wounds of romantic torment as the accordant indie alt-country instrumentals salve the scars through their caressive melodies which carry you through the vignette of how the latter part of the space-time continuum can lead to heartbreak.

While it is an indisputable fact that all talent needs to be nurtured and honed, there is no getting away from the sense that Spencer Graham is a natural-born singer-songwriter. His ability to wrap you up in his narratives and inject the emotions expressed into your senses is second to none.

After being born in Central Pennsylvania and achieving success with his 2020 debut single, Spencer Graham was torn away from his creativity after being enlisted in the US Navy. His latest release is hopefully the sign of more soul-rendered releases to come.

After debuting on August 3rd, Timing is now available to stream on Spotify along with Spencer Graham’s 3-track release, This Is Me.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

As Was sold indie alt-country sanctuary in his latest single, Borrowed, featuring Joshua McBride

Posted on 24 March 2024

Off the back of his successful sophomore LP, Open Container, the LA native singer-songwriter As Was (AKA Kosta Stanisavljevic) collaborated with Joshua McBride on his latest single, Borrowed, and exhibited his freshly honed alt-country meets indie sonic signature.

Following the gentle finger-picked notes of the guitar strings, ethereal with melancholy vocals drift into the simple yet stirringly profound production as the lyrics unravel as a narrative of ennui from someone who only finds comfort in isolation.

Haunting enough to rival Tom Odell and Elliott Smith, arcane enough in its alt-country atmosphere to stir in the same vein as Kurt Vile and San Ilios, As Was effortlessly succeeded in sonically visualising the aching emotions which inspired Borrowed, which explores the anxiety-fraught sensation of feeling like you’re living on borrowed time, relentlessly seeking reasons to keep hanging on.

Part of the affecting intimacy of As Was can be attributed to his stint away from listening to other artists as he was cutting his teeth as a singer-songwriter. He felt the influence of other artists diminished his own ability to achieve sincerity at a time when he truly tried to find himself. Now he’s a well-established artist, he continues to ground himself deeper in his distinction, and his discography is all the more deeply felt for it.

Borrowed was officially released on February 29th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast