Browsing Tag

indie folk pop

Laura Mock took her listeners from poetic depth to ethereal heights in her standout single, Acadia

Posted on 11 November 2024

After two years of pouring her poetry, candour and sublimely affecting unique aura into her debut EP, home//body, the NYC-residing songstress, Laura Mock has finally unveiled one of the most sensuous sounds of 2024.

The standout single, Acadia, starts with tenderly warm piano chords which echo Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ before the single veers into stylistically seraphic easy listening territory and concludes following an arcane neo-classic folk pop crescendo which reaches the epitome of sonic serenity.

Despite the diaphanous propensities of each of the motifs in Acadia, the artfully composed, orchestrally laced progressions are strong enough to carry the weight of the heaviest souls as Mock uses the organic reverie within her vocal register to wrap you up within a vignette where naturalistic beauty resounds in equal measure to the divine nature of her talent.

Stream Laura Mock’s debut EP, home//body, on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Keep your soul warm with Daniela Galasso’s slice of indie folk-pop reverie, Comfortable

Posted on 1 November 2024
Daniela Galasso

With an emotional richness and resonance that puts her in parallel to the most introspective works of First Aid Kit, Daniela Galasso, with her seminal single, Comfortable, radiates vulnerability and tonal warmth

Aside from the cinematic sonic sublimity, the real beauty of Comfortable resides in how the Italian-born, California-based singer-songwriter turns becoming comfortable in a relationship into something profoundly poetic. While so many people would perceive that as the moment the romance dies, Galasso flips the script with her ethereally tender, orchestrally scored single, allowing listeners to see comfort in a relationship as something just as sweet as the initial butterflies.

As an award-winning artist who has clearly mastered the art of textural alchemy within her productions, Galasso has stepped out of the shadows of her influences in the vein of Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding and Imogen Heap and irrefutably come into her own through her installations of vulnerable reverie.

Comfortable will be available to stream on all major platforms from November 1st. Find your preferred way to listen via the artist’s official website.

Keep up to date with news of new releases from Daniela Galasso on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kaitlin Cassady unveiled a kaleidoscope of indie folk reverie with ‘Unconditionally’

Posted on 29 September 2024

Kaitlin Cassady’s seminal indie-folk single ‘Unconditionally’ from her debut LP, Home Away From Home strikes an intimate chord with its dreamy, lo-fi reverie.

Hit play and prepare to be swept up within the euphonic breeze of the mellifluous acoustic guitar strings, which seamlessly harmonise with vocals that echo the 90s indie pop ethos. The track reaches even further back in time by integrating 70s-esque pop-rock piano keys that lend endlessly ascending melodies to the all-encompassing production. It’s a sonic kryptonite for the diehard romantics who refuse to buy into the claims that romance is dead. Despite its bedroom pop aesthetic, this track could effortlessly soundtrack a Hollywood epic, showcasing Cassady’s humble yet world-class songwriting chops.

Hailing from Minneapolis, indie-folk-rock artist Kaitlin Cassady draws from a kaleidoscope of influences such as Aimee Mann, Carole King, and Elliott Smith, to contemporary icons like Billie Eilish and Coldplay. Cassady’s music—rich with introspective lyrics, lush harmonies, and intricate arrangements—captures themes of love, loss, and resilience.

Her latest self-recorded project, Home Away From Home, marks a major stride in her burgeoning career. We can’t wait to see what follows.

Stream Kaitlin Cassady’s debut album in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emerge from your naval daze with Phantom Electric’s acoustic rock symphony, ‘Hope So’

Posted on 27 September 2024

The quasi-psychedelic indie singer-songwriter Phantom Electric may have innovation running deep in the veins that connect to the heart he wears on his guitar strings, but his latest single, Hope So, revisits classic song crafting, allowing the thematic underpinnings of the release to draw you into the artful gravity of the single.

Hope So is a haunting intersection between the atmospherically nostalgic air of Chris Isaak and the soul of Bryan Adams; the Adams influence tempers the dark melancholic chill of the lyrics which are slick with existential yearning.

Hope So unfurls as an artful reflection on how easy it is to succumb to navel-gazing and forget to care about anything but yourself—a theme all too relevant in our era of rampant individualism. With spectrally arcane melodies that tear through the soul, Phantom Electric produced one of his most affecting singles to date by looking to the darkest side of the human condition and showing a better way to be.

Hope So will be available to stream on all major platforms from September 27; stream the single on SoundCloud first and head over to Phantom Electric’s official website for more ways to listen.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bella Gate usurped Lorde in her introspectively arcane piano-driven indie ballad, The Death of an Icon

Posted on 18 September 2024

Bella Gate has ushered in her debut album ‘Gateway‘; a sonic anthology that promises an introspective journey mirrored in its poignant title. At 23, the London-based evocateur has evolved from a child prodigy to an artist with a mature, resonant voice, chronicling her odyssey from adolescence to adulthood with lyrical sincerity and a rich sonic palette.

‘The Death of an Icon’, an iridescent highlight from the album, offers a narrative steeped in personal revelation and artistic struggle. This single, draped in folk nuances and anchored by an ornate piano arrangement, gazes into the torment of an agoraphobic, creatively stifled protagonist. Whether reflecting Bella’s past selves or purely fictive, the track’s emotional gravity is undeniable.

Produced remotely by Jordan Round and polished by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road, ‘Gateway’ spans a spectrum from balladic solemnity to buoyant folk, all the while maintaining an emotive coherence which eschews conventional hooks for lyrical imagery which pierces the soul and haunts long after the last note fades.

Forget Lorde, Bella Gate is reigning supreme in the sphere of introspectively stylised indie ballads.

Stream Bella Gate’s debut LP, Gateway, on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dean Abbott – Walk that Line: A Folk Pop Fusion that Will Fuse to Your Soul

Posted on 6 September 2024

Dean Abbott’s latest single, ‘Walk that Line’, dismantles folk-pop boundaries with its empowering sound and healing aura.

Since stepping onto the music scene in 2020, Abbott has consistently delivered tracks that cathartically scratch far beneath the surface. ‘Walk that Line’ continues this tradition, presenting itself as a corridor of sonic salvation crafted to ignite the spirit and soothe the soul. By blending the nostalgic warmth of tape deck recordings with the crisp clarity of contemporary production, the intimacy rings through with crystal-clear resonance.

Echoing influences from the ’90s indie scene reminiscent of Kula Shaker and Dodgy, ‘Walk that Line’ is bolstered by a trappy, pulse-quickening beat that adds a modern twist to its mellow melody. With a plethora of frequency shifts, Abbott sonically visualised the often tumultuous pace of modernity while the lyrics and smoothed with sincerity Jack Johnson-esque vocal harmonies consolingly tempt listeners to relinquish the past and embrace the unknown. If you ever want to know how much love a single is capable of harbouring, hit play.

Walk that Line is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Drew Hersch broke new ground in heartache with the raw indie-folk pop reflections in ‘Onward & Upward’

Posted on 30 August 2024

Drew Hersch’s latest single, Onward & Upward, is a raw, intimate confession that bleeds vulnerability from start to finish. The lyric, “The other night when I had someone over, I taught him to hold me like you did,” is a gut-wrenching highlight, encapsulating the bitter pangs of moving on while still anchored to the past. This tender indie folk pop ballad doesn’t just brush against the surface of heartache—it plunges into the depths, making you feel every pulse of pain that Hersch so poignantly articulates.

In Onward & Upward, Hersch captures the agonising reality of being the one left behind, as his ex-partner soars above it all, while he’s left to grapple with memories that linger like ghosts in every corner. From old date spots to the universal curse of dating someone with a common name, Hersch paints a picture so vividly relatable, that it will be hard to determine where your emotions end and his torment starts.

At just 23, this Boulder, Colorado-based artist is already proving himself as an alt-indie folk pop savant of emotional resonance. The artful ingenuity intertwined with the confessionally cathartic release makes the irreverently witty melancholy hit so much harder. From hushed acoustic verses to ornately tender crescendos, each motif is a conduit of unfeigned emotion in the track which echoes the warmth of Zach Bryan, the haunting depth of Lana Del Ray and the textured production of Eilish.

The official music video for Onward & Upward will premiere on August 30th; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

London’s introspective indie pop icon, Gemma Felicity, struck again in ‘10 Million Dates’

Posted on 13 July 2024

Our adoration for Gemma Felicity remains unflinching after the release of her intimate indie pop single, 10 Million Dates. With her latest right-on-the-euphonic money release, the London-hailing singer-songwriter captured the collective frustration within the modern dating scene, detrimented by the illusion of endless choice.

The sense of disillusion in the lack of real, raw, and pure connection resounds throughout the artistically profound, poetically bitter-sweet lament which acts as the ultimate consolation to anyone who is losing the motivation to keep searching.

By delicately touching on themes of people pleasing, loneliness, fear of the future, emotional baggage, and the ennui which follows pinning hopes on a transient character in our lives before they disappear within the folky dream pop reverie of the polished production, Gemma Felicity delivered one of the most affecting singles of 2024.

As the introspectively candid icon gears towards the release of her 5-track EP, Baggage, there’s no doubt that she’s inching towards the zenith of her career.

10 Million Dates was officially released on July 5th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergas

Meg Scane broke free from the shackles of throwaway culture in her folk pop single, Bottoms Up

Posted on 29 April 2024

Meg Scane’s latest single, Bottoms Up, is a striking testament to her unique ability to intertwine confessional candour with melodic ingenuity, ensuring that the rawness of heartache is as palatable as it is poignant. Wrapped in the artful echoes of chamber pop and infused with the intimacy of folk elements, Scane’s sound bears a thematic intensity reminiscent of Florence and the Machine, yet it thrives on a more personal scale.

This track breaks free from the shackles of today’s throwaway culture, challenging the transient nature of contemporary hits and relationships with its enduring message about the sweetness of lasting love. The fervent declaration that deep, abiding affections still hold a revered place in both music and life couldn’t be more convincing.

Scane’s journey from her debut album, Blind Trial, at just sixteen to her performances from The Midlands to Puglia, Italy, paints her as a dedicated artist fuelled by passion—a passion that also sustains her through the arduous hours spent mucking out horses to fund her studio time. Between her determination and her talent, she has everything it takes to become one of the most seminal indie pop artists of her generation.

Better Sides of You was officially released on March 8th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lynden. – Change: A Melodic Indie Folk Pop Embrace of Vulnerability and Hope

Posted on 17 March 2024

Evoking resonance by versing on our tendency to chase distraction to outrun negative pervasive thoughts and feelings of loneliness, Lynden.’s latest single, Change, melodically thrives on an emotive confluence of indie, pop, and folk and renders your heartstrings raw through the candour.

The deep emotional themes which traverse the trappings of anxiety and depression go beyond touching on the darkness that finds a way of leaving a shadow over all of our lives. Lynden. used the opportunity to advocate for the vulnerability of honesty and to extend hope to people who need to hear that world views are malleable. In short, If this world is just illusion, choose one that fulfils you.

Starting with simple acoustic guitar chords and evolving into an intimately all-encompassing production which echoes the appeal of Violent Femmes and The Maccabees’ more melancholic work, the Burnley-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist orchestrated a soundscape which sonically visualises the tenderness of the lyrical narrative, while injecting enough rhythmic zeal to give Change an all-too efficacious uplifting energy.

After receiving critical acclaim and over 24k streams for his last single, You, Lynden. is leaving his affectingly intimate mark on the indie landscape; we can’t think of a more worthy breakthrough artist in 2024.

Change was officially released on March 15. Stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast