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indie-pop

Scottish indie innovator Cameron Ferguson delivered a kaleidoscope of choral indie colour in his energising anthem, Jungle

Posted on 27 January 2023
https://soundcloud.com/cameronferguson2/jungle-1/s-7T4jyIjpCH6?si=7fab9bfb4e9148eca63ed089c9c4d7d8&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

After a string of successful singles released through 2022, the Scottish indie singer-songwriter Cameron Ferguson is here to show us what the future of indie sounds like with his latest single, Jungle.

With colourfully choral tones that will spill serotonin into the synapses of any fans of The Stone Roses amidst Ferguson’s quintessentially melodic distinctive brand of indie written with live performances in mind, Jungle is a rhythmically addictive triumph of a release.

The untraditional structure that throws a mind-melter of a curveball in as an outro is a testament to the artist’s ingenuity and boldness in bringing a new wave of indie into the arena. He could easily give Capaldi a run for his money.

Jungle will officially release on January 27th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike Marnelakis laid bitter-sweet affection intimately bare in his pop hit, I Can’t

Posted on 25 January 2023

Greek singer-songwriter, Mike Marnelakis, released the most superlatively bitter-sweet love song with his latest pop hit, I Can’t – definitively proving that the line of light and dark appears within us all, every emotion, and every phenomenon.

Starting with an acoustically strummed and stripped-back intro, the prelude and first verse laid affection down with intimately bare candour. His loaded with emotion vocals harmonically drift into the chorally polished tones, allowing you to drink in every ounce of apathy that inspired the carresively pensive single.

After the proclamation that there is no truth without pain, the progressively seamless single builds into an 80s jangle pop hit that will swell the hearts of The 1975 fans.

I Can’t is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

solos has unveiled his innocently sweet star-crossed indie-pop single, only mine

Posted on 17 January 2023

Recently, there has been a lot of demonising rhetoric about people crushing on their friends; the up-and-coming Boston-based artist and producer, solos, proved that it is completely possible to respect the friend you want to go further with through his single, only mine.

The melodic indie-pop single that pushes the accordance from the acoustic guitars to the front of the mix is an extension of resonance to everyone who finds themselves lamenting over the lack of mutual attraction but maintaining gratitude for the friendship.

The ornately mellow short and sweet track, complemented by the music video, is one of the purest things you will see and hear all year. His crystal-clear RnB-tinged pop harmonies against the mellifluous flow of the instrumentals are wholesomely transcendent.

The official video for only mine premiered on January 13th; watch it yourself on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Acoustic pop raconeteur Jack Holler disarms with the rugged charm in his single, The Foolsong

Posted on 8 January 2023

Acoustic pop raconteur Jack Holler won our hearts and minds while arresting our rhythmic pulses with his stripped-back acoustic single, The Foolsong. It’s just as humbly disarming as the title implies.

It’s always immediately obvious whether an artist aims for sincere expression or shoots for the lofty unattainability of perfection. Holler has clearly pitched a tent and started a fire in the former camp with this everyman-indie-folk-blues-pop serenade which traverses the very human inclination to become love’s fool once the fabled cherub locks and draws his arrows.

Between Glenn Hansard and Jack Johnson, you will find Holler’s ruggedly affectionate charm within The Foolsong. We can’t wait to hear the full LP from Holler and his band, who have been around since 2018, with their debut EP, Not Even Close, hitting the airwaves the same year.

The official music video for The Foolsong is available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hila reclaimed her autonomy with her trailblazingly moody twist on bubblegum pop, Sorry?

Posted on 3 January 2023

After thriving through 2022 with her extensively playlisted singles, Easy to Lose Control and Thoughts Out Loud, the alt-pop sensation, Hila is delivering vindication hand over inexplicably talented fist in her latest single, Sorry?

The moody pop instrumentals following the staccato guitar prelude contrastingly illuminate the shimmering soul that spills from her dreamily pitch-perfect vocal timbre to the nth degree as the lyrics capture the evocative complexity of relationships that leave you doubting your self-worth before you arrive at the epiphany that people beneath you will always drag you down to their depraved depths.

With both of Hila’s previous 2022 singles reaching the 300k+ stream mark on Spotify alone, if any breakthrough artist is going to make 2023 their own, it’s Hila. The strength of her sonic palettes could carry her alone; with her proclivity to dig deep lyrically to help her growing fanbase grapple with their own anxiety and heartbreak, she’s worth her weight in gold. What Gwen Stefani was to the 90s, Lila is to the 21st century.

Sorry? Officially released on December 27th, it is now available to stream on 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

Krystal Scarlet attests that fantasies can come true in her euphonious pop hit, Wonderland.

Posted on 28 December 2022

London-based pop breakthrough artist, Krystal Scarlet, dropped in on the airwaves for the first time since her infectiously vindicating 2021 hit, Won’t Forget, with her new 80s-inspired single, Wonderland, on December 16th. The funky indie guitar chops pop around the snappy percussion and colourfully vibrant electronic synthetics create an uplifting earworm that all too easily takes you to the titular destination.

With pitch-perfect euphonious harmonies, Krystal Scarlet carries the Taylor Swift effect before coming into her own via the authentically indie grooves in the track that will leave you humming to the tune of the fantastical euphoria for days on end.

The track that celebrates the kind of love that can abstract you from your own daydream and take you somewhere even sweeter isn’t one that you can passively let pass you by. Obsession is non-optional.

Wonderland is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cera Gibson worked her subversively seductive pop magic with ‘Daddy’

Posted on 21 December 2022

Alt-pop artist, Cera Gibson, worked her subversively seductive magic in her latest single, Daddy, which switched the narrative and proved that women *can* be the Daddy too.

Atop the smoothly moody indie pop instrumentals, Gibson lays down her classic pop vocals that wrap around the lyrics, which work to reveal that relinquishing the typically predominantly-masculine ‘daddy’ role doesn’t need to mean handing your masculinity in at the door.

With compassionately soulful lines such as “you’re a big strong man so I’m gonna do what I can”, Gibson turned gender stereotypes on their oppressive and unnecessary head in under four minutes.

The self-proclaimed “gayest straight song” is an invitation to vulnerability that has blown our mind. And we’re not alone in our affinity. Since 2021, Cera Gibson has amassed over 400k followers on TikTok with social commentaries that encompass her “Mommy yet Daddy, sad bitch but bad bitch” persona. How can you NOT love her?!

Daddy was officially released on December 8th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Theo Sawyer put perspective behind our hedonistic thrills with his intimate pop hit, Download a Ghost

Posted on 16 December 2022

With quiescently bitter-sweet piano melodies that resound with the same ethereal grace as Philip Glass, Theo Sawyer’s latest contemporary pop ballad, Download a Ghost, puts weight behind the belief that searching for love in the modern era is akin to a paranormal investigation.

Now that treating each other as a temporary dopamine hit before slipping off the radar is a common phenomenon; it was about time pop artists stepped up to the mark and helped the diehard romantics out there to navigate through the landmine-strewn landscape of dating where objects of desire can slip from perception at a moment’s notice when they’ve had their hedonistic fill.

Fans of Tom Odell, Daughter, and Bill Ryder-Jones, will want to playlist staple this subtly profound serenade that unravels as a flood of compassion, introspection and darkly intimate expression.

The New Zealand-hailing artist may have only entered the scene in 2022, but he is already stealing the show. Stay tuned for more expositions on dysfunctional dynamics and intellectual amorous psychology.

Download a Ghost officially released on December 9th; hear it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gemma Felicity shared her bitter-sweet learning curve in her evocative indie pop single, Better Without You

Posted on 15 December 2022

With a guitar tone as chorally compelling as Slowdive’s in their latest album, the London-based independent singer-songwriter Gemma Felicity rendered us heartbroken by proxy with her sophomore single and official music video, Better Without You.

The steadily ascending pop artist has been refining her performative and songwriting talents since she was nine years old. After taking a hiatus for her undergrad degree and enduring mental and physical illness, she returned to music with the vow to express her deepest emotions.

Stylish, sincere and self-reflective in equal measure, Better Without You transcends the archetypal breakup song to get to the crux of tangibly resonant emotion. Unless your soul is completely defunct, you can’t help but invest in the matured indie pop masterpiece that fills you with compassion for the vulnerable powerful protagonist she portrays.

With her debut EP, Baggage, in the pipeline, we’re stoked to have her on our radar.

Watch the official video for Better Without You on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast