Browsing Tag

indie-pop

Alen Chicco’s RnB Pop hit is anything but just ‘Another Love Song’

Posted on 27 August 2023

If you know exactly how it feels to be caught out as one of love’s fools, the resonance you’ll revel in when the soulfully hair-raising chorus in Alen Chicco’s latest RnB pop single, Another Love Song hits will cut straight to the core.

The definitively 80s synth lines leave the hit awash with lush reverb as Chicco’s dynamic vocal timbre evolves around the tension-fraught build-ups and classic pop crescendos constructed by the funk-laden basslines and atmospheric drum fills.

With some of the juiciest vocal hooks we’ve heard this year, which prove the singer-songwriter’s capacity to incorporate all of the hallmarks of a perennial pop earworm while never compromising on the viscerally raw emotion, the industry should be eating out of the palm of his deft hands and pop fanatic sycophants should be breaking down his door.

Check out the official music video for Another Love Song by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Isohel added nuance to stoic philosophy by embracing negativity in his latest pop hit, BAD VIBES

Posted on 24 August 2023

Billie Eilish gave us Bad Guy; in another pop universe, the luminary who is well on his way towards the one million steam mark, Isohel, gave us BAD VIBES in his latest viral-worthy hit.

While some see negative emotions as something to be repressed, Isohel proved that when you embrace pain, you will find the lesson within it. Consider it a far more nuanced and realistic view than the stoic belief that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Following an angular guitar prelude that sounds like it was pulled from a Slowdive album, BAD VIBES unravels as one of the most progressively electric pop hits the airwaves have received this year. While the guitar tones remain a constant throughout the mix, dance-pop proclivities start to work their way into the melancholia-laced anthem that defies expectation and genre to establish Isohel as one of the most authentic acts on the scene.

The RnB and moody synth-pop nuances infused into the track with all the hallmarks of a pop earworm is a testament to the talents of the Italian singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who is making light work of breaking into the international music industry.

Stream BAD VIBES on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Strange Neighbors grooved to a ‘Quiet Beat’ in their latest power pop single

Posted on 21 August 2023
Quiet Beat - Single by Strange Neighbors

NYC power pop outfit Strange Neighbors gave their vocal melodies all the country twang of an early Taylor Swift record in their latest single, Quiet Beat while allowing their retro sonic aesthetic to strip away the past few decades and safely transplant you into the sanctum of the 90s.

Between Aidan’s vocals and Zach’s guitars, there’s a sticky-sweet brand of alchemy that won’t fail to intoxicate you when the jangly chorus, which reminisces with the tones popularised by the Psychedelic Furs, is in full swing.

Quiet Beat is just one of the meticulously manicured singles crafted by the groove-driven outfit which has been spilling colourful aural euphoria onto the streets of New York City since 2018 by staying committed to their MO of orchestrating earworms you would need a concussion to forget.

Quiet Beat will officially release on September 14th; until then, stream and purchase the single via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Boston bedroom pop trailblazer Eliora reached the epitome of bitter-sweet twee with ‘butterflies turn into stomach bugs’

Posted on 15 August 2023

The alt-indie-pop singer-songwriter Eliora ripped up trite romantic tropes and scattered them like melodic confetti in her latest lo-fi single, butterflies turn into stomach bugs.

Standing in her own league in a world of Phoebe Bridgers assimilators, the bedroom pop artist who never inhibits her hits always creates quirk-filled soundscapes that capture the messy and idiosyncratic nature of real life instead of normalising the lies that perpetuate through Hollywood and the Billboard charts. Her latest playfully twee single is no exception to her cardinal song crafting rule which was established when she made her debut from her Boston bedroom in March 2020.

butterflies turn into stomach bugs was officially released on August 8th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lock horns with ‘The Devil’s Daughter’ in Doug Burton’s Latest Installation of Indie

Posted on 11 August 2023
Good Music by Doug Burton

With a touch of college radio rock in a R.E.M.-esque vein fused with the same sense of lyrical conviction you would find in a New Model Army release, the seminal single, The Devil’s Daughter, by Doug Burton is a quaintly visceral experience that couldn’t have been penned by any other hand.

The folky tendencies are inexplicably balanced by the rock reverence and the pop hooks, enabling the Williamsburg, Virginia-based solo artist and producer to establish himself as an originator in the contemporary music landscape. He’s been cutting his teeth since he first started playing in high school bands in ’85; it is safe to say that at this stage in the game, he more than knows his way around a sticky-sweet melody.

Stream and Purchase The Devil’s Daughter on Bandcamp, or order the Good Music LP while the limited-edition vinyl copies last.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Andrew Ramey found the middle ground between ennui and euphoria in his indie trap pop single, just fine

Posted on 8 August 2023

With melodies that flow as mellifluously as Jack Johnson’s and Ray LaMontagne’s, the latest single, just fine, from the alt-pop songwriter Andrew Ramey, is a rhythmically arresting earworm that affirms its addictive propensities through the sticky-sweet trap-pop percussive fills and the assured ease of the effect-laden vocal harmonies.

Rather than add to the indie landfill of singles traversing visceral emotion, Ramey found the middle-ground between the extremes of euphoria and ennui to deliver a resonant and relatable hit that is an all too efficacious reminder that when you find moments of gratitude, even on the ordinary to the point of monotony days, you’ll realise that you’re just fine too.

The Birmingham, Alabama-hailing 100% DIY and independent artist and producer’s combination of melodic wordplay and hip-pop beats will undoubtedly see him go far in the industry. There’s no overstating how organically vibe-driven his playlist staple hits are. Find out for yourselves when just fine officially releases on August 8th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get caught in the melodicism of the ‘Morning Rush’ with Sophia B.’s latest single

Posted on 6 August 2023

You’ve heard of bubble gum pop; prepare yourself for the even more visceral rush of caffeinated pop before you delve into the latest experimentally authentic single, Morning Rush, from the one and only luminary, Sophia B.

However you take your coffee, you will find the notes in Morning Rush more than palatable as Sophia B. creatively tears the monotony from the morning commute and replaces it with a soulfully sticky-sweet buzz. There is a plethora of pop hits that pay ode to the way infatuation hits late at night when you’re left with little but your thoughts, but only the NYC-hailing award-winning composer and lyricist found the opportunity to pay ode to the confusion that brings you to question whether your morning rush is stemming from the sugar in your coffee or the apple of your eye.

With the dreamy chords, the smooth installations of soul, and the aptly hyper touch to the vocals, regardless of your relationship status, Morning Rush will leave you blissfully on cloud nine.

Keep Morning Rush with you at all times by purchasing the track on Apple Music or stream the official music video via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ell South hit the ground ‘Running’ with her sophomore 80s synth-carved pop single

Posted on 5 August 2023

For her latest single, Running, the endlessly accoladed singer-songwriter Ell South fused ethereal artfulness and synth-carved 80s nostalgia to invite her audience into an aural chamber of honesty, vulnerability, and clarity.

Anyone who has ever known how brutal a battle of wills can be when you are going up against your own mind will see themselves reflected in a crystal-clear mirror when they allow the all-consuming vocal harmonies to take control of their psyche.

The stabbing synth lines with 80s-esque massive percussion and driving basslines give the track the same sense of resilience that radiates from the lyricism, while the lashings of reverb in the poetically illuminating atmosphere will sell sanctuary to the soul – especially the ones weary with ennui.

A certain degree of the authenticity within Ell South’s sound stems from her Welsh and Slovenian roots. She saw music as a right of passage after coming of age in a musical family and clearly came into her own while leaning on an eclectic array of influences.

Since making her debut, her music has featured on BBC Radio Wales, and her debut single launch was performed to a capacity crowd. She’s perceptively on the rise, but something tells us that won’t stop her from reaching out to her fans to lift them when they’re down.

Running hit the airwaves on the 25th of July; you can hear it by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gemma Felicity ignited 00s pop nostalgia with ‘Come Back to Me’

Posted on 4 August 2023
Gemma Felicity

Gemma Felicity ignited early 00s pop nostalgia with her latest single, Come Back to Me, which is set to drop on the 4th of August.The muted and choked-up guitars at the start of the single set the tone for a hair-raising feat of pop-punk. But the London-based singer-songwriter chose to run through with a moody slice of synth-pop with reverb-heavy keys and a danceable melody beneath her viscerally soulful vocal lines that will spark an evocative fire between your synapses as you lose yourself in the adrenalizingly progressive single that will leave you simultaneously wanting to hit the dance floor and wanting to drunk text your ex.

Following a mystery illness that left her physically and mentally drained, the songwriter studied for her Masters in Music Performance in Leeds before dropping her first singles, This Place and Better Without You, in 2022. Her upcoming EP was penned to explore her unhealthy romantic relationships and her journey back to herself and self-sourced peace. Keep tuned for it.

Check out Come Back to Me on Spotify and iTunes via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Millie Kirkpatrick spoke for us all with her disdain of flattering fallacies in her latest single, Lies

Posted on 4 August 2023

Suffolk-born singer-songwriter Millie Kirkpatrick is heartrate-quickeningly sensational on her melodious triumph of an indie-pop single, Lies. Lotharios with an aversion to truthful sentiments be damned in the revelation of an easy-chord-driven vignette of a protagonist that has reached their limit of endurance with flattering fallacy.

The simple yet razor-sharp hooks establish Lies as a song that you’ll hum along to on the radio until the emboldening lyrics tattoo themselves in your mind and become as much of a permanent fixture in your temporal lobe as the melodies that apply a sensuous touch to all of your senses while the progressions are in motion.

It is only a matter of time until Millie Kirkpatrick becomes infamous outside of the local Suffolk scene. She’s already well on her way after gaining support from BBC Introducing. Watch this space.

Lies hit the airwaves on July 21st; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast