Browsing Tag

indie-pop

Estella Dawn unshackles herself from misogynistic policing in her fiercely demure pop track Vixen.

Posted on 5 November 2021
Estella Dawn

Estella Dawn’s latest fierce pop fix, Vixen, captures the artist’s frustration with the social policing of sexuality and personality while advocating for self-acceptance through moody hooks, sultry vocals, and an unbridled demure attitude.

In the very same way that Kathleen Hanna did by writing ‘Slut’ across her chest while performing topless, Estella acknowledges the constant sexualisation of her body and beats the misogynists to the mark by acknowledging her sexual agency and power first.

Every woman needs to hear this. Screw it; every man needs to hear this and realise that women are so much more than living archetypes that exist to fit within your narrow, cliched, suffocating perceptions of who we should be and how we should act.

Vixen is available to stream from November 5th. Check it out on Spotify or Estella Dawn’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Scott Cook – No Bones: Heart-warmingly morose jazzy-indie-pop

Posted on 2 November 2021

Montreal-based guitarist and songwriter Scott Cook launched his jazzy, spacey debut EP, Topics, on October 22nd. Beyond the perceptible Bowie reminiscences, the flair in the guitar flourishes and the panoramic orchestration of the heart-warmingly morose singles bring Scott Cook into a league of his own.

In the standout single, No Bones, the magnetically deadpan vocals that will be a hit with fans of Pavement refuse to leave you anything but endeared by the delivery of the elegantly poetic lyrics. I think I officially fell in love at the line “There’s no bones in here, “I’m just a sad sack of skin”.

Scott Cook’s PhD in classical music theory and time spent performing in jazz and rock ensembles discernibly paid off when writing, performing, recording and producing his debut EP. We can’t wait to hear what comes next.

No Bones is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

FiFi Zhang has released her ethereal anime-inspired art-pop single, Travel Through the Milky Way.

Posted on 28 October 2021

‘Travel Through the Milky Way’ is the bewitchingly hypnotic latest release by Shanghai-born and raised electro-pop visionary FiFi Zhang; its entrancing propensities aren’t to be underestimated. The single completely redefines dream pop with the pitch-perfect accordance that flows right through this entrancing downtempo mix.

The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, music producer and visual designer takes inspiration from the likes of Grimes, Faye Wong and Yaejj and her love of sci-fi and anime for her ethereal art-pop sound. As a massive dream pop fan, I just know that my playlist staples won’t feel the same after hearing how sweetly transcendent and artful the genre has the potential to be. It’s a game-changer.

The official video for Travel Through the Milky Way is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Fountains of Paradise has made an interstellar indie space pop debut with Forgotten Man.

Posted on 28 October 2021

With their if-they-got-enough-exposure-they-would-probably-start-a-cult-and-it-would-be-the-best-thing-ever vibe, it is safe to say that we instantly warmed to The Fountains of Paradise through their single, Forgotten Man, which features on their debut album, Let the People.

The Yorkshire-born, Buckinghamshire-based singer-songwriter’s spacey indie bedroom pop track starts with uplifting ABBA-Esque chords before the sonic palette transitions into an avant-garde arrangement of orchestral strings pulling against the electro-pop instrumentals. Plenty of the accordance in the single comes from the singer-songwriter’s elegantly gentle vocals that tenderly relay the playfully melancholic lyrics.

Forgotten Man does little in the way of subverting reality; it becomes escapism music all the same for the way it leaves you caught up in the witty attack on nihilism and mortality redundancy. For four minutes, blackened souls will feel right at home.

You can add Forgotten Man to your playlists on Spotify, or you can check out the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dutch queer pop icon, Tom Tom Park brings cool indie-disco grooves in his pop track, Déjà Vu, featuring Will Burton.

Posted on 28 October 2021

Tom Tom Park proved that he was more than worth a spot on our radar with the release of his sensually hypnotic pop track, Déjà Vu (Tomorrow, Tomorrow), featuring UK vocalist Will Burton.

While the solid danceable beats bring the structure, the moody synths flood the track with a slick yet cosy atmosphere that Tom Tom Park lays his up-vibe indie-pop vocals into. Instrumentally, Déjà Vu delivers the perfect pop formula; but the real magnetism in Déjà Vu comes via Tom Tom Park’s instantly arresting charisma that pulls you into the cool indie euphoria.

Remember how Scissor Sisters gave us no choice in falling in love with them? You’ll find all that affection and more in this vibrant anthem by the Dutch luminary. Coincidently, one-half of the Scissor Sisters’ duo has already given his seal of approval on Tom Tom Park’s last single ‘Adore Me’; who could argue with Jake Shears?

Déjà Vu hit the airwaves on October 22nd; it is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Mouth Culture has released their scathing high vibe indie emo pop hit Nobody Wants You

Posted on 28 October 2021

UK alt-rock act Mouth Culture takes no prisoners in their scathingly high vibe hit Nobody Wants You. The sniping lyricism, crunchy indie-rock guitars, indie-pop with a hint of emo vocals and jazzy nuances pull together to offer a potent shot of indie nostalgia. Yet, there is plenty more to Mouth Culture’s scintillating sound than assimilation.

Their determination to become one of the hottest bands in the UK in 2022 is by no means a pipe dream with over 1 million streams on Spotify and radio play from BBC Introducing, Total Rock, Kerrang and Radio 1. Since their inception in 2019, they’ve been honing in on their songwriting which shines through in Nobody Wants You with their ability to turn deep-seated hate into a catchy radio-ready hit that rivals Frank Carter’s I Hate You.

Check out the official video for Nobody Wants You on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Raw emotion meets emboldening euphoria in Andrea’s latest pop track; tell her that too.

Posted on 27 October 2021

London-based singer-songwriter and producer, Andrea, has released her seminal single; tell her that too, which explores unfulfilled promises and the ability for all words to lose meaning when they become a means to an end instead of an expression of truth.

The immensely powerful lyrics, “don’t tell me that you love me when you tell her that too”, extends the conversation around moving on from manipulation and infidelity. The only people that could conceivably hate this track are those left sick with guilt for the way it so innocently yet succinctly alludes to the pain caused by deception.

Despite the raw emotion projected into the 90s pop-inspired hit, Andrea still finds a way to bring emboldening euphoria to the listener.

tell her that too is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

San Gabriel brings panache to 80s indie-pop through his latest single, Tape Machine.

Posted on 27 October 2021

It was impossible to forget San Gabriel after hearing the luscious guitar tones in his debut single, Another One. Based on his third single, Tape Machine, it’s safe to say that he’s found his signature sound by mixing shimmering shoegaze guitars with 80s dance-pop beats that bring the energy while his angular guitar notes add absorbing layers to his instantly enamouring aural eclecticism.

Listening to Tape Machine instantly becomes a subjective experience as you’re enraptured by the sheer innovation and the magnetically warm vocal timbre that practically bathes you in soul. Despite the striking authenticity in his sound, it’s all too easy to succumb to efficacious hooks in the high vibe poppy hit that masterfully stands leagues apart from other indie newcomers in 2021. If you’re as tired as I am of indie assimilators, you won’t regret hitting play.

Tape Machine is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

daisan the coward – MPDG: Satire Pop Perfection

Posted on 26 October 2021

Indie pop artist and producer daisan the coward has turned his wit to satire after lyrically baring all across seven albums. The best introduction to his new satirical future pop style is his harsh electro hit, MPDG (Manic Pixie Dream Girl).

If it was a serious pop track about the female archetype, I probably couldn’t have held back from a scathing review. Given his performative embodiment of an arrogant pop star, the Kansas City-based artist can get away with just as much as John Grant and Alex Cameron. There’s something so incredibly refreshing about an artist using some of the more devilish facets of their creativity instead of being endlessly earnest. MDPG is pure escapism music. I think we can all agree that escapism is essential in 2021.

MPDG is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bow explores the nuances of intimacy in her sticky sweet pop hit, Tun Me On.

Posted on 26 October 2021

It tells you all you need to know about the South Coast, UK-based singer-songwriter Bow, that she was able to breathe innocence into a pop track titled, Turn Me On.

Rather than creating a provocative track, she layered plenty of soul into the atmospheric radio-ready electro-pop hit by running through the nuances of intimacy that many artists evade while penning the obvious and the salacious. Sonically, hints of 80s synthpop feed in around the jangly indie-pop guitars and the euphoria-breeding drops.

At the age of just 17-years-old, Bow’s already viral-worthy sound is ensuring that it won’t be long until she’s world-renown if she keeps on creating hits as sweet and infectious as Turn Me On.

Turn Me On is now available on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast