Browsing Tag

Indie Electronica

Maxell’s Psychedelic Indietronica Debut ‘Hide and Seek’ Taps Into the Ether

Posted on 27 November 2024
https://www.youtube.com/@wearemaxell

Maxell, a London-based trio, might be a fledgling force, but with a synth-driven sound more psychedelically potent than anything you can buy in a back alley in Camden and the wealth of experience they bring from other bands, they’re proving to be unreckonable.

Following an intro which hits with the pulse of She Wants Revenge, their memento-musing debut single, ‘Hide and Seek’ soon twists into a stylistically embellished installation of Avant-Garde indietronica.

The synths distort into kaleidoscopic oscillations as they synergise around the shimmering organ tones and delay-saturated guitars, creating an entrancing backdrop for the ethereally crystalline vocal lines, which paradoxically carry immense weight as they embed the lyrics deep into the listener’s psyche.

If you have a lot of love for Legendary Pink Dots, you may as well hand your heart over to Maxell and their signature ‘hauntology’ sound now.

Stream the official music video for Hide and Seek on YouTube or head over to Bandcamp where you can purchase the single; all proceeds from this single will be donated to the homeless charity, Crisis UK.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Yodashe is a spectral siren in her avant-garde electronica track, EASTER

Posted on 3 April 2024

Yodashe, an avant-garde firebrand will leave you eating out of the tones of her spectral vocal presence as she weaves a tapestry of sound that transcends the ordinary in her single EASTER.

She didn’t need any further testaments to her ingenuity at this stage in her rapidly ascending career, but in EASTER, she became an undeniable contender for the accolade of one of the most prodigal names in electronica. While others are content riding on the coattails of Trip-Hop pioneers, Yodashe uses glitchy elements as one facet in her richly layered sonic synthesis.

In EASTER, Yodashe’s production skills shine through the complex blend of massive beats, trance-esque phasers and indietronica trappings, creating a hauntingly panoramic soundscape. Her introspective vocals weave through the music, creating a sense of intimacy that contrasts with the grandeur of the electronic backdrop. This juxtaposition is the heart of the track, a dance between the colossal and the vulnerable.

As the less-than-archetypal rhythmic progressions storm through you, playing havoc with your rhythmic pulses, until you are left wantonly desperate for the next hook to ensnare you into the ebb and flow this production that is as disorientating as it is exhilarating.

For those seeking a track that defies convention and delivers a profound sonic experience, EASTER by the London-based artist, producer, and Redbull Music Academy alumni is an essential listen.

Stream the EASTER EP on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Etherdene – Summer Dreams: An Indietronica Ode to Seasonal Longing

Posted on 22 February 2024

Etherdene’s latest single, ‘Summer Dreams‘, is a masterstroke in indietronica, blending the magnetic allure of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with the Smiths’ jangle-pop melodies, all while infusing a shoegaze and retro-futuristic electronica reminiscent of Tiny Ghosts.

Since her solo debut in June 2023, Etherdene has been an indomitable force in the music industry. Each release has solidified her place in the hearts of listeners and playlist curators. Her music, an affectingly arresting cocktail of empowering messages and evocative soundscapes, resonates deeply on every conceivable level.

‘Summer Dreams’, released in the heart of February, initially strikes as a paradoxical choice. However, the track’s lyrical yearning for the warmth and sticky-sweet hues of summer, set against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest’s rainy winters, unifies through the affirmation that we’re all in it together, and now we have the ultimate soundtrack to our unified longing.

We didn’t think there was much scope for improvement from Etherdene’s previous single, You Are My World, but the complexities within Summer Dreams that reveal a new reason to fall head over heels for the single with every listen prove that Etherdene is poised to become an indietronica firebrand in 2024.

Summer Dreams was officially released on February 9th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

J.MYSTERY granted the permission to ‘Breakdown’ in the ethereal catharsis of his artfully raw alt-electronica score.

Posted on 9 November 2023

‘Breakdown’ is the latest innovatively polished and artfully raw electronica score by the Portuguese virtuoso and genre-melding alchemist, J.MYSTERY, who has garnered an accoladed reputation over the last few years with his command over ethereal ingenuity.

After a strong yet wavy reminiscence of John Grant in the intro which puts J.MYSTERY’s honey-timbered croons atop oscillating synthesised turbulence, echoes of the darkest Arctic Monkeys album start to manifest in the reverberance before the single veers into intersections of atmospheric soul, which will captivate any fans of Hozier and George Ezra.

Given the strength of his discography, crafting his most powerful single to date was no easy feat, but inspired by the grief shared with his wife following the sorrow of a miscarriage, J.MYSTERY found the necessity to extol the virtues of breaking down and refusing to listen to ‘be strong’ commands. Unless your soul is cast in stone, you’ll find tears to shed over this overwhelmingly vulnerable release.

Breakdown was officially released on September 29; sink into the soulful avant-garde electronica by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

London indietronica artist Lily Juniper is anxiously auspicious in her narratively dreamy single, All Mine

Posted on 26 March 2023

After a successful debut in 2022, Lily Juniper enriched the London indie electronica scene with her dreamily dance-leaning sophomore single, All Mine.

The ethereally warm vocals inject as much soul into the production as the softly tensile looped progressions as they wrap the vibrant texture around the affectionately uncertain lyrics, which project the compulsion to solidify a relationship when it is in its early stages of romantic hesitation.

We’ve all been there, not wanting to go all in for fear our vulnerability will lead to our greatest fears. But there’s nothing bittersweet as this Four Tet and James Blake-ESQUE soundscape. All Mine is as rich as Musk in its artful beguile, making the deeply evocative context of romantically anxious edge all the more intoxicating while the indietronica poetry in motion is auspiciously unravelling.

Lily Juniper said:

“All Mine is a song about new love and the nervous energy that it brings, about seeing someone you like at a party and then going home alone, about overthinking everything you said and did, reading into every word and look. All of the best (and worst) moments that humans can experience.”

Stream All Mine via Spotify.

Connect with Lily Juniper on Twitter & Instagram

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

mooncrüe have made their psychedelically existential debut with the spacey alt-electro hit, Animal

Posted on 6 March 2023

Alt-electronica originators mooncrüe went heavy on the philosophy which will be as euphonic to existential ears as the kaleidoscopic synth-pop beats in their debut single, Animal.

If you have ever looked at the lesser-aware species that roam this scorched earth with us with envy for their habitual simplicity; you will find visceral resonance in this mix. Animal leaves the highs to the instrumentals, and the realism within the lyricism that becomes even more astute with every listen to the spacey psychedelic score.

It isn’t every day that you discover a debut that leaves you desperate for the sophomore, but clearly, the indie psychonauts within this devilishly clever outfit are anything but your run-of-the-mill aural peddlers. They’re on their very own spacey plateau. Hit play and join them.

Animal is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stave off existential burnout with James Greenfield’s alt-indie electro single, Turn it Off

Posted on 2 December 2022
https://soundcloud.com/user-93978067/turn-it-off/s-MX2xNnDZDtU?si=f2294089a37a420b8a960ec8c4255b92&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Southcoast, UK Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, James Greenfield, released the most essential electronica single of the year with Turn It Off.

With soul bleeding equally through his vocals and the organic indietronica-meets-EBM rhythms, the impact of this single isn’t to be underestimated. You get a real sense that he’s harmonising from a position of experience when he verses on the pervasive negativity being too much.

“Not giving up, just rising above” is a mantra we would all benefit from taking in our stride. Nothing about Turn it Off feels preachy and holier-than-thou. It is clear that his warning comes from a place of deep compassion.

With 20 years working in the industry, Greenfield was primed to create a resoundingly empowering hit with Turn It Off. I, for one, will be heeding his advice to curb my doom scrolling and let more positivity shape my mentality.

“The demands being put on people these days are relentless. On any given day, we are exposed to huge amounts of disproportionately negative news and are constantly targeted and manipulated to buy more stuff.

We also have demands from other people’s expectations and how they want us to behave. We also live in a world where a never-ending stream of addictive content keeps us glued to our devices.”

For your own sake, place the efficacious reminder that you owe it to yourself to turn off and tune out now and again before you existentially burn out firmly on your playlists.

Check out Turn it Off from December 2nd on SoundCloud. For more info, check out his website. 

Follow James Greenfield on Facebook and Instagram. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Victor Bomi unveiled a spectre of synaesthesia in his latest cinematic synth single, Above and Below

Posted on 28 September 2022

Above and Below is the latest temperately scintillating feat of alt-electronica from the producer Victor Bomi, best known for his collaborations with Universal, Sony and Virgin Records. Now working on his solo work, he’s allowing his autonomy to make strides in his music which is a spectre of synaesthesia.

The supple synth melodies kaleidoscopically create bursts of euphonic energy against the robust rhythms, despite the minimalism. It isn’t every day that you aurally amble across an artist who brings out the softer side of electronica; the Italy, Russia and France descending artist clearly knows how to breed intimacy within his productions that manifest through his love of cinema and synths.

Above and Below was officially released on September 21st; add it to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nocturnal Omissions – Local Customs: Meet Your New Experimental Escapist Playlist Staple

Posted on 15 June 2022
Pareidolia by Nocturnal Omissions

After the infinitely experimental alt-electronica artist Nocturnal Omissions invited us into the sanctity of his 2021 album, Tempus Destinatum, we’ve been hoping to see a return of his cinematic blends of post-rock, synthwave and chillwave.

The standout single, Local Customs, from his 2022 album, Pareidolia, is quite the departure from the last time we heard the one-man production machine, but a welcome reprieve from the soul-less electronica that floods the internet. The spacey meandering synths kaleidoscopically drift through the soundscape until the first crashing crescendo that lets you know just how immersed you are by pulling you through the tumultuous shift before the ambience creeps back, albeit briefly before another hammering blow of a breakdown.

Alchemic creativity and confidence in autonomy aside, any artist with the humility to describe themselves as perpetually emerging is an artist you should have on your radar.

You can check out Nocturnal Omissions’ album Pareidolia via Apple Music & Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ireland’s most experimental luminary ReHumanise has unleashed his monolithically surreal love song, Elemental

Posted on 11 June 2022

After a psychedelically soulful introduction to Irish multi-instrumentalist and producer, ReHumanise through his 2020 debut, our eyes and ears have been firmly affixed to the sonic maverick.

In his latest single, Elemental, he stormed in cooler and infinitely more visceral than Editors did when they unleashed Munich; it is a percussive electronic masterpiece with the acoustic snares snapping over the weight of the heavy electro beats. Juxtaposing-ly, every volatile fixture serves to contrast the soulful beckoning of the vocals as they project the canderous outpour of emotion in the celestial love song. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if he had to travel to a parallel universe to write it.

Inspired by the likes of Depeche Mode, Radiohead and The Smiths, any true romantic with an affinity for unpretentiously humanistic experimental music will want to save space on their playlists.

Polished by the Grammy-award-winning mastering engineer, James Auwarter, Elemental is set to take ReHumanise to even greater heights after he released a top 5 hit in Ireland in 2017 under his real name, Damian Brady, and racked up over 90k streams on his seminal single 2020, Hu Man.

Check out Elemental on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast