Browsing Tag

Indie Pop Singer Songwriter

Ava Valianti’s ‘Wishing Well’ is a Diaphanous Dive into Lost Innocence

Posted on 10 December 2024

At just 15, Ava Valianti has already mastered the art of weaving raw emotion into new-wave indie pop. With her latest single, ‘Wishing Well’, the Massachusetts singer-songwriter delivers a reverie-rich production that captures the ache of growing up and the bittersweet nostalgia for the innocence of youth.

Inspired by childhood memories, Ava channels her reflections on the fading simplicity of youth into soaring harmonies and sweeping melodies. Thematically, ‘Wishing Well’ resounds with longing and hope, its diaphanous textures sonically illustrating the vulnerability of clinging to the magic of belief. Ava’s lyrical candour doesn’t just invite listeners into her world; it offers them a mirror to their own experiences of inevitable change and loss. Her ability to find clarity in bittersweet moments transforms each note into a visceral connection.

Standing alongside her earlier singles—‘Bubble Wrap’, ‘Middle Ground’, and ‘January’—this track showcases her ability to fuse introspective lyrics with literally and figuratively haunting melodies. With comparisons to indie luminaries like Mitski and First Aid Kit easily and rightfully drawn, her trajectory has been meteoric, already earning her 10k monthly listeners, a nomination for the New England Music Awards’ “Pop Act of the Year,” and praise from over 60 radio stations across the US.

Ava’s music is a force propelling her into the heart of indie supremacy, and ‘Wishing Well’ solidifies her place as an artist who creates vessels of unfiltered soul, poised to resonate with listeners across generations.

Wishing Well was officially released on November 22nd; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leah Nawy Blossomed into Indie Stardom with ‘I Was a Flower’

Posted on 27 October 2024

Leah Nawy’s latest single, I Was a Flower, is an emotional sojourn you will never want to return from. Drawing on influences from Big Thief, Yo La Tengo, and Grandaddy, the track unfurls like a séance of tonal sublimity, decorated with artful flourishes and polyphonic bursts of hazy reverie.

If the aforementioned artists hit you in the feels, imagine that emotional weight paired with a voice that fuses Norah Jones’ intimate introspection with the soaring range of Macy Gray.

The thematic blossoming within the track’s progressions ensures every component heightens the emotion and intensifies the resonance, effortlessly showcasing Leah Nawy’s depth as both a songwriter and producer. At just 23, the NYC-based artist, who honed her craft at Berklee NYC, has mastered the art of making every note and lyric hit with purpose.

I Was a Flower was officially released on October 2nd; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie pop’s most endearingly ruthless renegade, Stella., struck again with his latest earworm, Friendly Reminder

Posted on 1 October 2024

Stella. reached his subversive zenith with his latest alt-indie pop earworm, Friendly Reminder, which is anything but what it says on the tin. The neon-lit synth lines may deliver nothing but pure euphoria, but the lyrics, as they pour from the singer-songwriter’s euphonic vocal register, reach the epitome of ruthlessness to remedy anyone who still carries contempt for their toxic exes.

The sticky-sweet synth-pop hooks and Stella.’s organically seraphic harmonies honey the cathartically cut-throat lyrics, making you almost second guess the reprises given the juxtaposition between the butter-wouldn’t-melt textures and the vindicating attestations to how healing doesn’t always need to lead to wishing the best for someone who deserves to discover that karma is an even bigger bitch than they are.

If you constantly find yourself tied to trauma bonds, follow Stella. like your life depends on it; he’s a rare artist that can cut through the static of superficial pop, hit close to the bone and deliver anthems that are as infectious as they are empowering.

As an ingenious way of supporting his new release, the NYC singer-songwriter developed his own dating app; swipe your way into your next clusterfuck situationship here.

Friendly Reminder was officially released on September 27; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Follow Stella. on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ben Thuesen mastered the art of indie pop euphonic immersion with ‘Angel Face’

Posted on 19 July 2024

In his latest indie-pop release, Angel Face, the affectingly irreplicable Ben Thuesen channelled the soul-wrenching mourning of a love lost into a composition that haunts with its lyrical depth and intricate melodies.

The Sacramento-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer exhibited how he has perfected the art of euphonic immersion with this vignette of the bittersweet aftermath of affection. The anthem for the lovelorn echoes the melodic poignancy of artists in the same vein as Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen, while ensuring that no influence overshadows the uniqueness of his distinctly cultivated sonic signature.

By weaving guitar strings and heartstrings together, the independent artist crafted a sonic landscape that mirrors the isolation of heartbreak. The stinging clarity of his guitar lines cuts through the nightscape with the precision of a seasoned jazz musician, his roots bleeding into each note, offering a raw, unfiltered emotional narrative which reflects the alienatingly quiet hours of introspection that often accompany the loss of love.

Angel Face will be available to stream on all major platforms from July 19; stream it on Soundcloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lose yourself in a labyrinth of arresting unconventionality with Christine Tarquinio’s indie pop single, New Year’s Day

Posted on 30 June 2024

The 21st of June may seem a strange time to release a single titled New Year’s Day, but the internet phenomenon singer-songwriter Christine Tarquinio knew exactly what she was doing with this quintessentially eccentric indie-pop release which brings to mind the futility of allowing the calendar to dictate the date of your transformations and resolutions.

The twee in all the right places installation of indie bedroom pop carries a touch of art pop expressionism in its quirky authenticity which allows the recording artist to emerge as an unrestrained icon of creative freedom and heartfelt individuality.

With dustings of 90s pop aesthetics in the release which wears Kate Bush influences on the vocal harmonies, there’s just enough nostalgia and familiarity within New Year’s Day for listeners to find their footing in the labyrinth of arresting unconventionality.

New Year’s Day is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stella. paid ode to the intricacies of love and loss with his A Study in Balance EP

Posted on 25 June 2024

After hearing the title single from Stella.’s 6-track EP, A Study in Balance, the proverbial bar couldn’t have been set higher. The reflectively visionary composition style established the NYC-born-and-raised singer-songwriter as an artist who lures you into philosophical inquiry while conjuring imagination-sparking imagery with tenderly meditative poetry that could only have been prised from a soul of gold.

The opening single, Dreaming, in which he shares imposter syndrome with God before blurring the lines between mind cinema and reality, is a prime example of his eloquently originated wordplay. Immersing yourself in Stella.’s world is akin to sinking into a Murakami novel; there’s so much written between the lines, you’re submerged in a labyrinth of meta musings,

After opening on an exuberant note with Dreaming where Stella. wears his Paolo Nutini influence on his infectious hooks, the EP takes a more intimate and confessional turn with Something About You, as he softly verses directly to the unspoken name ceaselessly reverberating around his mind. With little more than reverb spilling from keys under his honeyed and honed vocals, the stripped-back rumination efficaciously captures the torment of self-doubt within relationships.

A Study in Balance lifts the mood once more before the EP winds back down with Not Today; a raw nerve rousing release that reaches the epitome of vulnerable candour. Maladies of heartache are laid out as a smorgasbord of emotional atrophy over the downtempo 80s pop chord progressions. Cohen himself couldn’t have written a more striking testament to how much sanctity lies in love.

The only people who won’t find something to adore about Broken Hearts are the ones who paint themselves as perpetual victims. The euphonic score forces you to take accountability for the hurt you’ve inflicted in relationships while swallowing the bitter pill that broken hearts can’t love the same as naively unaffected lovers who show no inhibition when letting down their defences. The EP culminates in Everything, a solemnly sweet vow of unrestrained passion to juxtapose Broken Hearts and give diehard romantics a reason to fall on their sword again.

Capturing the intricate complexities of love, loss and longing within six singles would be an impossible feat for most, and still, Stella. succeeded through a synthesis of sincerity and articulately offbeat artistry.  Even though we’re in an epoch in which the most vapid music rises to the top of the charts, Stella. remains one of the most promising indie artists of 2024.

A Study in Balance was officially released on June 14; stream it in full on Spotify.

Follow Stella. on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Boston’s Indie Pop Scene Lit Up After the Unveiling of Maya Salafia’s Latest Single, Swim

Posted on 24 April 2024

The Boston indie pop singer-songwriter, Maya Salafia, broke the two-year spell of silence with the songwriting alchemy caged within the melodies of her latest single, Swim. Instead of skimming over the most obvious emotional themes in a love song, the young prodigy delved deeper, dipping into the sense of duality we are forced to navigate when falling in love and trying to keep a firm grip on our autonomy.

The line, “I never knew existing could be so much work and I hate you ‘cos you like me and I can’t breathe without you taking it away”, in particular, shows that Maya Salafia knows just how to run with a metaphor into unexpected territory and leave you awestruck by a resonant epiphany in the process.

If Maya Salafia doesn’t follow in at least some of Taylor Swift’s footsteps, I suggest we start a riot. Coincidentally, it isn’t only the poetic lyricism that would be equally as at home on Swift’s latest LP which bares reminiscence to the undeniable member of the contemporary pop pantheon. The breezy guitar chord progressions and vocal lines also echo in the same vein as Swift’s earlier work when the guitars aren’t running through the angular indie jangle pop notes and hook-rife warmly overdriven chords. If you’re sick of tuning into throwaway pop hits, hit play and find your new playlist staple.

Swim was officially released on April 12th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Glenna Jane released the most cerebral indie pop hit of the summer with ‘Late Bloomer’

Posted on 8 July 2023

Indie rock got into the sheets of hook-filled bedroom pop with Glenna Jane’s latest single, Late Bloomer. With the high-octane energy of Paramore, the intimacy of Mitski and the absorbing gravitas of Phoebe Bridgers, Late Bloomer is set to take Glenna Jane’s career to stratospheric new heights.

Late Bloomer lyrically delivers a fatal shot to the kinds of fuckboys who use words as a means to an end instead of an expression of the truth to deliver visceral resonance to anyone who can relate to the line “I don’t like you as much when we talk, and you say you’re in love, I know you’re just lying to get inside me”.

And that is just the tip of the crucifying iceberg in Late Bloomer, which Glenna Jane used to embolden herself and her audience through vindicatingly honest candour. The poetically meta propensities of Late Bloomer made the single the most cerebral hit of the summer. We can’t wait to hear where the Brooklyn-based storyteller takes her sharp wit next as she continues to embody the complexity of identity, intimacy and attachment.

Stream Late Bloomer from July 7th on SoundCloud and Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Contemporary Indie Pop Chanteuse EASAE Soulfully Summons Satan in ‘Pretty Little Devil Song’

Posted on 1 January 2023

Buffalo, NY-hailing indie-pop singer-songwriter, EASAE, exhibited the extent of the bewitching dynamism in her vocal range in the standout single, Pretty Little Devil Song, taken from her intimately powerful debut album, Not Sure I Love It Here Yet.

With the grace and finesse of a 50s pop chanteuse, the spellbinding soul of Stevie Nicks and the contemporary kick of Maggie Rogers, EASAE effortlessly carves a niche with her strident approach to indie pop. With the dirty bluesy guitars around her glassy vocal timbre, it is impossible not to be enraptured by this progressively fascinating release, which walks you through confessional introspection that gives her the girl-next-door-edge while her talent sets her so far apart, she’s metaphorically on another plateau from us mere mortals.

Pretty Little Devil Song was released on December 16th; hear it on Spotify with the LP, which navigates loss while stoking the fires of lust for life.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Find the difference between night and day in the US indie-pop artist Hyde Park’s standout single, The Insomniac’s Lament

Posted on 16 March 2022

Few new 2022 releases have resonated with us quite as much as Hyde Park’s composition, The Insomniac’s Lament. After an evocatively loaded neo-classic prelude, the cutting minor-key piano melodies flourish into blossoming progressions and the poetically-titled single transitions into an orchestrally-scored power-pop single that glistens with optimism.

The evolutionary nature of The Insomniac’s Lament marks just how significant the shifts in our psyches can be. It brings brand-new meaning to the expression “it’s like night and day”.

The Insomniac’s Lament is just one of the singles on the indie-pop singer-songwriter’s debut EP This is Just a Simple Song. Even the US-based artist’s humility leaves us excited about his potential for success.

The Insomniac’s Lament is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast