Browsing Tag

indie folk pop

Kevin Neary invites the lost to find themselves in ‘Hopelessly True’

Posted on 8 April 2021

It feels like there’s been a seismic infusion of soul-baring sincerity on the airwaves since the pandemic began, yet, not many candid tracks can hold a candle to Kevin Neary’s, ‘Hopelessly True’.

If a global pandemic isn’t enough to make you feel lost and uncertain, I don’t know what is, so for those feeling disjointed and deflated; you’ll find plenty of comfort in Hopelessly True. The indie folk-pop offers an impossible-to-resist feeling of solidarity which is enough to remind the listener that feeling lost is part of the journey – metaphorically and literally.

The 25-year-old Irish singer-songwriter has picked up plenty of accolades and acclaim for his unique yet distinctly familiar style. With the same tender magnetism as Tom Odell, Hozier and Paulo Nutini, his sound that stemmed from busking roots soon feels like home.

You can check out the animated music video via YouTube, or you can add the track to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Salmon Run have released their chorally accordant country folk single, ‘She’s Alright’

Posted on 7 April 2021

With their latest single, ‘She’s Alright’, Appleton, WI-residing duo Salmon Run played with roots of country-folk while giving the production a chorally enticing contemporary feel.

The lyrics are sentimental and heartfelt enough for you to become personally enamoured with the object of affection which the accordant single gently introduces, reminding you well and truly that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that, for the most part, thankfully, it lies in idiosyncrasies.

It’s a stunning single to hand over your emotions and rhythmic pulses to. Any fans of contemporary folk acts such as Bonny Light Horseman will appreciate this quiescent journey of romantic adoration.

The official video to She’s Alright is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Philp Guele has released their intimate indie-pop earworm ‘She is My Summer’.

Posted on 2 April 2021

You’d assume that a retired airline employee would have plenty of stories to tell; based on Philp Guele’s single, ‘She is My Summer’, we can confirm that is the case.

The prolific traveller got some crimps in their travel plans during the 2020 lockdown; instead of jet-setting to new locations, he revisited old memories and pulled the poetry out of them. The poetry soon ended up as lyrics to their amorous indie-pop earworms such as She’s My Summer.

The slightly lo-fi vibe amplifies the intimacy of the proclamation and shows just how torrid and intense our lives can become when a whirlwind romance starts to kick up dust. It’s a timelessly relatable release that falls nicely into the contemporary demand for folky acoustic pop.

She is My Summer is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chris Short leaves us ‘Consumed’ with their latest indie-folk-pop single

Posted on 31 March 2021

‘Matured’ isn’t an adjective easily affixed to up and coming pop artists, but singer-songwriter Chris Short isn’t your average indie-folk peddler. His latest single, ‘Consumed’, left us exactly that.

With a style that carries reminiscence to The Paper Kites and The Lumineers but leaves enough room for their resounding signature sound that incorporates chamber pop and tribal rhythm, you’ll be hooked from the intro. It may be transfixing from the first hit, but the true beauty of this single is its ability to offer new poignant consolation for the grief that we all have to suffer as part of our human experiences with each hit. If you’ve been struggling to see the light recently, you’ll find plenty within the cathartically bright tones of this almost celestial track.

Consumed is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brighton’s Jacko Hooper treats us to an intimate exhibition of relatable fear with his latest single, ‘This Was the Earth’

Posted on 15 March 2021

Being no stranger to Jacko Hooper’s all-consuming music, I thought I was prepared for what was to come in his latest single, ‘This Was the Earth’. Considering that it perfectly captures the sense of drowning while contending with your thoughts in a world where normality and certainty seem like too much to ask for, I was wrong.

With instrumentals mimicking internal conflict paired with Hooper’s vocals which reach deeper than most, This Was the Earth is an intense listen, but the single isn’t without catharsis. With baroque keys adding a touch of theatrical intensity to the semi-orchestral folk-pop single, you can’t help but find yourself overcome by the fact that it seems to unfold like an aural piece of fine art.

Not only is Jacko Hooper a phenomenal artist in his own right, but he also runs the label and promotions company, Folklore Sessions which has showcased over 200 live acts at their monthly shows. I was lucky enough to find myself at such an event in 2018, with Paper Hawk and Josh McGovern joining Jacko Hooper on stage, each act left me more transfixed than the last with their uniquely hypnotic command of modern folk.

The official music video premiered on March 11th; you can check it out for yourselves via YouTube.

You can check out the other artists involved with Folklore Sessions here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Adam Wendler shows us what the pinnacle of modern folk-pop is with ‘Thin Ice’

Posted on 1 March 2021

Modern folk-pop artist Adam Wendler made their debut in 2017 with their album ‘Never Go Unknown’. With the acclaim which followed, they ensured that they never would.

Their first 2021 release, ‘Thin Ice’, is their finest work to date and the perfect introduction to their timelessly evocative approach to songwriting. The melodiously vibrant anthem could easily keep a mainstage festival crowd arrested and animated.

Tenderness, vulnerability and gratified sincerity project through resounding vocals as they run through the lyrics which give a taste of how sweet it is to fall in love with someone who leaves you mesmerised.

The artist brought plenty of gravitas to the conversation around inferiority. Ultimately, the upbeat folk-laden feat of pop proves that adoration doesn’t need to turn into a passive-aggressive inferiority complex.

The Zoom-born single was created in November in collaboration with Tors; a UK-based, X Ambassadors Management-signed powerhouse who complimented his catchy lyrics. With Dessner-style walls of sonic guitar to bring the track to the close, Thin Ice leaves you keen to grab another ticket for one of Adam Wendler’s emotional rollercoasters. Rest assured, there will be plenty more to come from the Berlin-based Canadian artist in 2021 and beyond.

Since arriving in Berlin, Adam Wendler has shared stages with Post Animal, the Arkells, Ryan Sheridan and Matt Mays and seen his singles rank in the singer-songwriter iTunes charts. Something tells us he’s not quite finished on his ascent to the top.

Thin Ice is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emotion runs deep in Leonie Prater’s alt-indie-folk-pop single ‘The River’

Posted on 25 February 2021

24-year-old Dorset-based singer-songwriter, Leonie Prater’s latest single ‘The River’ provides a taste of what is to come through her first LP release, ‘Metamorphosis’; her deeply confessional approach to indie folk-tinged pop astutely resonates with the contemporary mood of melancholic reflection.

But unlike your own despairing thoughts, Leonie Prater delivers a reminder of how visceral emotions can be when our lives aren’t constrained by necessary draconian means. Rather than leaving you feeling like you want to crawl the walls, the choral tones and Leonie Prater’s consoling vocal timbre make it infinitely easier to find peace in a time when sanctity is scarce.

Stylistically, if you could imagine what an aural lovechild of The Levellers and Warpaint would sound like, you’ll get an idea of what is in store if you hit play. Which you definitely should – for your sanity’s sake.

The River is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kyriakos Gabriel Varnava is set to release their artfully intimate indie ballad ‘Tonight’

Posted on 14 February 2021
Kyriakos Gabriel Varnava

‘Tonight’ is the latest single from Cyprus-based singer-songwriter, Kyriakos Gabriel Varnava, if you’ve felt like you’ve been left in isolation with disappointment and broken promises recently, you’re sure to find resonance in the artfully intimate indie single.

Tonight may have been their first ballad, but it exhibits an uninhibited songwriting style which doesn’t fail to draw you into the relatability of their music. It becomes so much more than just listening to one man’s account of suffering, through the lack of vocal and lyrical restraint, you experience a call for connection which allowing this single to run through answers.

Wistful emotion resounds within the glassy distorted classical guitar progressions, art-rock keys and Kyriakos Gabriel Varnava’s vocals which transition from low reverberant quiescence to arresting highs in turn with the progressive instrumentals.

Producer, Ant Tarrant, left a nuanced bedroom-indie feel to the soundscape, inviting you into the same room where the inspiration for Tonight struck. Tonight captures the loneliness of AM hours where all you have for company are empty promises. Any fans of Kaz Hawkins, RY X, Anathema and Radiohead will want Kyriakos Gabriel Varnava’s name on their radar – especially with the promise of a forthcoming debut EP.

Tonight will be available to stream on Spotify from March 6th, 2021.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alcohol and Cigarettes – Chris Miller wants us to talk

Posted on 23 December 2020
Chris Miller

When your first solo single (2019’s ‘Not Crazy’) goes on to make you only the third artist to win a Radium Award and is the most popular track of the year on Atomic Magazine’s stream space, you must be doing something pretty right. Now, following two further singles, Chris Miller returns with what may be his most beautiful, emotional track yet.

Raw, honest, and open, like the conversations it refers to, ‘Alcohol and Cigarettes’ is all about those difficult but necessary conversations with friends or family, when you’re struggling; about opening up to those that care for us, letting go and accepting vulnerability in return for succour and support. It’s exquisite, a mixture of Chris Stapleton’s ‘Whiskey and You’ and Justin Townes Earle, Miller’s heartfelt confessional vocal initially sitting atop sparse, perfect piano before the track builds slowly to its acoustic-guitar-drums-and-piano denouement. It’s stunning, a genuinely outstanding and powerful single which truly should earn Miller even greater plaudits in 2021.

Check out ‘Alcohol and Cigarettes’ on YouTube, or head over to Chris Miller’s website and Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Slow Capital take us ‘Underground’ with this beautifully alluring acoustic story.

Posted on 21 December 2020

Slow Capital is Andrew Dailey, a filmmaker from Kansas City, MO, who is currently based out of Brooklyn, NY; a precursor to a six-track EP planned for early 2021, Slow Capital’s second single ‘Underground’ is a beautifully mature fingerpicked acoustic guitar track, mellow and delicate, alluring in its simplicity, and carried along by Dailey’s poetic, storytelling lyrical content and up-front vocal delivery.

At just over three minutes long, ‘Underground’ is a perfect piece of alt-folk, confessional, poetic, a narrative tale to music with a harmonious, melodic guitar line and a gentle, tender vocal. You can hear ‘Underground’ on Spotify, and follow Slow Capital on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes