Browsing Tag

indie-pop

billon dailey is set to make his hook-filled alt-indie-pop debut with ‘Pull on My Heartstrings’

Posted on 3 December 2021
billon dailey

If the Beach Boys made their debut in 2021 and picked up some Midwest Emo tendencies, their bright and instantly infectious melodies would have plenty in common with the ones found in singer-songwriter, billion daily’s triumph of a debut single, Pull on My Heartstrings.

The intricately and anthemically layered single breezes through the whole tonal spectrum as it runs through the frenetic choruses and verses where you can drink in the lush accordance of shimmering notes. It is anything but your average debut, which has plenty to do with the artist cutting his teeth as a songwriter under the moniker, iamsleepless, for years. After turning away from music to explore faith, having an existential crisis from that decision and returning to music armed with weed and a guitar, he started work on his debut release; we’re beyond glad that he did.

Pull on My Heartstrings is available to stream from December 3rd 2021. You can catch it for yourself on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alyssa Keen & Nickay – thanks but no thanks: emboldening ‘over you’ indie pop

Posted on 2 December 2021

For her latest single, singer-songwriter Alyssa Keen teamed up with Nickay to create the ultimate emboldening ‘over you’ track “thanks but no thanks”

Alyssa Keen’s natural, elysian and airy vocals make it all too easy to succumb to the soul in the romantically scorned track that reminds the listener how sweet it is to take back emotional power over yourself.

Around the easy acoustic guitar chords are stunning nuances of shoegazey indie and elements of style that fans of Kurt Wilde will instantly want to melt into. The single is so much more than your average bitter and coming age of single. Alyssa Keen’s motivation to pull optimistic perspectives out of the bad to enlighten the world is enough to restore your faith in humanity.

thanks but no thanks is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nemos has released his Italian 90s revival album, La leggenda del soldato gentile

Posted on 1 December 2021

Italian aural visionary, Nemos, has released his expressively eccentric third album, La leggenda del soldato gentile.
With the title single carrying a similar rhythm to Blur’s Song 2 along with choral-orchestral stylings and Hanson vibes, the punchy high energy track is a European twist on the sonic palettes that we came to love in the 90s.

Even if the instrumentals fell flat, La leggenda del soldato gentile would still be a bop-worthy hit thanks to the unfaltering passion in the vocals as they verse the Italian lyrics. La leggenda del soldato gentile doesn’t just permit you to share the energy of the soul-sating track; it practically demands it of you.

Nemos’ third album, La leggenda del soldato gentile, is now available to stream in full on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Castle KYD pulls visceral emotional punches in ‘The Mess You Left Behind’

Posted on 1 December 2021

On November 26th, Idaho indie singer-songwriter Castle KYD brought accountability in trend with his artfully expressive single, The Mess You Left Behind. In the Waitsy intro, there is little but solemn vocal notes and the quiescent murmurs from the acoustic guitar; as the track builds up to the pre-chorus, that’s when the sharp hook digs in and pulls you deeper into the intrinsically melodic work.

The Mess You Left Behind truly is the pinnacle of contemporary indie-folk pop. His innocently sweet scorned vocals, the celestial accordance in the choruses and lyrics that prove the extent of his determination to transfuse raw emotion into art makes Castle KYD one of the most gifted artists of his generation.

We didn’t need the self-taught artist’s bio to tell us that his music is an amalgamation of desire for connection, a means to cope and a way to turn banality into something meaningful. You can hear it in every ounce of passion poured into this evocatively bruising seminal release.

Here is what Castle Kyd had to say about his latest release:

“Mess You Left Behind was written on a sleepless night, thinking about someone I lived with and had to leave because it was so toxic. In 15 minutes, every feeling, anger and blame poured out of me and formed a poem which became a song in those minutes. After months, I still miss and crave them despite their emotional abuse; I blame myself for craving that, the person who instilled a lot of hurt in me. After struggling to get over it, I’ve become paradoxical; I am the mess this person left behind.”

The Mess You Left Behind is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sofia Werner’s latest single, Lost, reaches the pinnacle of alt-pop

Posted on 24 November 2021

After a moody Twin Peaks-Esque intro, Sofia Werner’s latest indie electro-pop single, Lost, lures you in through melancholy before bursting into a spectacular feat of vibrantly visceral future pop. If you can imagine what it would sound like if London Grammar found some serotonin along the way in their soundscapes, you’ll get an idea of how much panache Werner is bringing to the contemporary pop scene. Lost finds a poignant way of alluding to how people act as our biggest anchors and centres of gravity while wrestling with an almost arcane level of passion.

The Mexico City-born, Atlanta-based artist started honing in on her vocal and instrumental talent at five years old. So, by the time she was ready to make her official debut in 2020, she had what it took to rack up over 200k streams with her hit singles on Spotify alone. We would tell you to get her on your radar, but we’re fairly sure that she will be impossible to miss in the near future.

Lost is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A Fool: Ives regrets opening up her heart to a greedy soul on ‘Fallin’ for You’

Posted on 13 November 2021

As she digs deeper into the reason why she fell for someone who didn’t care for her valuable heart properly, Ives is quite superb on her second compelling single ‘Fallin’ for You‘.

Ives is an incredibly talented indie-pop singer-songwriter and poet who is from stunning Auckland, New Zealand. She is a fairly new artist who shows an undeniable quality that is easy to hear, with a sensually classy style that is hard to ignore.

You feel her reflective mind going back to the moment that she realized that things needed to change, as she was tired of someone who gluttonously sucked all the life out of her for too long. There is comfort in her lungs as she moves onto the new chapter, as you feel her brushing the self-doubt away like knotted hair on a brush that needs to be straightened.

‘Fallin’ for You‘ from the Auckland, New Zealand-based indie-pop artist Ives, shows us a sad moment when someone who you loved previously, showed their undesirable cruelness. After letting them go like a lost shoe that is stuck in the mud, everything now focuses on that healing process. Sung with an honest tone and beautifully peaceful vocals from a truly angelic artist, this is a sizzling single that will be stationed strikingly in your curious mind for many hours.

Hear this lovely new single on YouTube and see more on the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

CHARLES HS voices collective insecurity in his crowd-inspired indie folk-pop single, Stereotype

Posted on 12 November 2021
CHARLES HS

‘Stereotype’ is the latest single and crowd-created project of London-based indie folk-pop singer-songwriter CHARLES HS. The single pulled together as an amalgamation of collective issues and insecurities voiced by his Instagram followers – given how Stereotype was created, the coherent synergy of the lyrics becomes even more profound.

Atop of the accordant folk-pop guitars that will be a big hit with Bill Ryder-Jones fans, the lyrics haunt the soundscape as they reflect some of the darkest facets of our ego-driven superficial reality. Stereotype proves that we’re only ever alone in a physical sense, never emotionally. It truly sets the bar for UK singer-songwriters wanting to make an impact.

Stereotype is due for official release on November 12th, 2021. Check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Future-pop fuses with Britpop in Footless Kicks’ debut single, E1 2AM

Posted on 10 November 2021
Footless Kicks

In the ultimate pop-rock crossover, London-based rock guitarist, producer and songwriter, Footless Kicks sent us back to the Britpop era with his debut single, E1 2AM. The devilishly clever single carries the same blissful tones as the Roses along with the driving momentum of JBD’s anthemically charged riffs in The Manic’s most soul-sating hits. Vocally, Footless Kicks truly came into his own. The solo artist’s gruffly soulful vocal timbre is complemented by the dynamic range of the guest female vocalist whose dreamy harmonies sit between Mazzy Star and My Bloody Valentine.

With more singles in the pipeline and the teasing of an album, any alt-90s fan will want Footless Kicks on their radar.

E1 2AM is due for official release on November 8th; you can catch it for yourselves on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Madeline Jaina – Counting Sheep: an indie noir pop track that goes out to the insomniacs

Posted on 5 November 2021

Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and performer, Madeline Jaina carries the sandman’s essence in her latest single, Counting Sheep, which goes out to her fellow insomniacs.

The dark flamenco vibes from the guitars feed into dreamy, reverby, echo delay creating a wavy ambient platform for the Ohio-born, New York-based artist’s soulfully old school vocals to harmonise with. Even the non-lexical-vocals between the poetically composed lyricism draw you deeper into the soul of the indie noir pop track that delivers mesmerising escapism. For the entire duration of the transfixing single you are granted a rumination reprieve.

Counting Sheep will be available to stream from November 5th. You can check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Astroblue Express invite you to let love in through their cinematic dream pop single, Welcome.

Posted on 5 November 2021

We are stoked to see the return of the New York-residing duo Astroblue Express after their trippy ethereal tones in Cotton Candy Dreams gave us a potent dopamine fix earlier this year.

Their latest single, Welcome, is an artfully composed feat of cinematic dream pop that weaves a conceptual narrative of optimism through the pulsating downtempo electronica beats. Welcome is for anyone who has scolded themselves for being naïve in the past and find themselves unable to trust in the present through fear of future pain. In its essence, Welcome is an invitation to let love in again. After being exposed to the gently layered vocals, soft transcendent crescendos and lyrics that pull you into a brighter perspective, how could you possibly refuse?

Welcome is due for release on November 5th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast