Browsing Tag

Indie Punk

Flying Hearts reached the epitome of affecting with their acoustic punk outpour of grief, Bury Me in England

Posted on 9 November 2024
Flying Hearts

The UK duo Flying Hearts reached the epitome of affecting with their acoustic punk single, Bury Me in England, which puts Frank Turner to shame when it comes to rendering visceralism into an acoustically accompanied narrative.

The tenderness of the indie-tinged melodies juxtaposes the urgency within the vocal delivery, which mourns the loss of singer-songwriter Joe Wenman’s best friend. There are few greater tragedies than a life lost too soon, and that rings deafeningly true through this fitting tribute to the connection shared. The elucidation of the pain that’s left behind will resonate with everyone who knows how it feels to be left with everything-wrenching emotion and find themselves at a loss with how to contend with it.

With lyricism which pierces the psyche with an exposition on the fragility of life and everything we can so easily take for granted and Flying Hearts acting as a beacon for the disenfranchised, the duo will undoubtedly break major ground with this release given the disillusionment-imparting times we are all enduring in our own way.

Bury Me in England was officially released on November 8th and is now available to stream on all major platforms. Find your preferred way to listen via Flying Hearts’ official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lewis Shepperd primed the masses for a clash against the classes with ‘Council Estate Reject’

Posted on 5 July 2024
Lewis Shepperd

Lewis Shepperd is set to viva la revolutionise the airwaves with his latest single, Council Estate Reject; whichever way the UK election swings on the day of the release, the scathed synthesis of indie, punk, rock, and Britpop will prime the masses for a long overdue revolt against the elite classes. Instead of placing faith in populist politicians and the façade of democracy, tune into this scintillating sonic insurrection.

The hypercharged punk pulse fed through the propulsive basslines and antagonised tempo of the percussion sends sparks of kinetic energy through the frenetic release which captures the collective sense of ennui, fires shots at the mindless monarchists, and evokes an insurgent riot. The three-minute liberation from the dystopia of our age is a sanctuary of electrifying escapism away from the misery that breathes down the neck of the working class.

So, if you miss when John Carpenter’s ‘They Live’ was fiction and the media didn’t solely serve to sink us into subordination, find the ultimate outlet in Council Estate Reject. The embodiment of the punk ethos filtered through an indie rock lens with croons far more seductive than Johnny Rotten was ever capable of, delivers a high-octane shot of vindication which amplifies in potency when the guitar solo slashes through the palpitatingly sweet production.

Council Estate Reject will be available to stream on all major platforms from July 5th; stream it via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Diablofurs’ Vampires of Rome will sink its teeth into the heart of any power pop fans.

Posted on 21 October 2023

Imagine Sonic Youth came to fame on this side of the Atlantic, they displaced their distorted guitars with analogue synths, and punky power pop ran in the veins of Goo, and you will get an idea of what Diablofurs consummately concocted with the lead single, Vampires of Rome, from their forthcoming album, Welcome to the City of Fun.

The deeply affecting atmosphere in the verses of Vampires of Rome, which holds an alchemic candle to Echo and the Bunnymen, makes the crescendos even more sonically transcendent to experience. While just about anything with a hook gets labelled as an earworm in these lazy days of music journalism, the infectious appeal of Vampires of Rome is far too intoxicating to experience once. From the first shoegazey rings of euphonic bliss from the guitars in the intro to the Teenage Kicks-y energy when the track reaches its momentum, the nostalgic sense of fabled romanticism will sucker diehard romantics and those whose souls haven’t been stirred viscerally since the 80s.

After receiving critical acclaim from Vive Le Rock, being lauded and spun by 6 Music and BBC Introducing and performing unforgettable shows at Rebellion, the Nottingham-based outfit is set to take the scene by storm with their sophomore release.

Pre-order the sophomore LP, which is due for official release on October 27, from Rough Trade and ensure it sells out as fast as the debut album.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hybridic indie punks Junior Bill painted an anthemic picture of injustice with ‘Boys from Jungle’

Posted on 4 February 2023

With socially conscious lyrics as hard-hitting as the ones penned by Bob Vylan, Kid Kapichi, Meryl Streek, Junior Bill are way ahead of the trend of cuttingly observational and compassionate lyricism in their latest single, Boys from Jungle. Punk boomers who bemoan the wokeness of contemporary punk may want to save their blood pressure spiking by looking away from the hit that advocates the rights of asylum seekers and paints a stark picture of the injustice that greets them when they arrive on our blighted shores.

Rather than skating by on their lyrical wit alone, Junior Bill concocts awakeningly volatile alt-indie instrumental ensembles that are lightyears away from the usually brashy swagger of UK indie rock. With off-kilter guitars that wouldn’t be out of place in the alt-90s no-wave movement and the post-punk nuances tearing through the rhythm section, getting wrapped up in the hybridic punk aesthetic is non-optional.

Boys from the Jungle is the first single from their forthcoming debut album, Youth Club!, which more than has the potential to become the UK alternative album of the year.

Boys from Jungle officially released on January 27th. It is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK Trio The Horizons Brought in a New Wave of Punk with ‘Just Friends.’

Posted on 4 January 2023

The Plymouth UK indie punk-rock trio, The Horizons, single-handedly brought in a new wave of punk with their latest hit, Just Friends. The sweeping choruses are as animating as Reel Big Fish’s cover of Take On Me, while nuances of 90s pop-punk bite away in the same vein as The Offspring’s Hit That in the backbeat. The frenzied grungy instrumentals are dusted with a sugar-coated post-punk snarl that immediately arrests you in the intro before they bring in the silky pop harmonies. Some bands need an entire LP or discography to establish their dynamism, not The Horizons.

Once the fear subsided that this wasn’t an incel-y track bemoaning the friend zone, the euphoria in the upbeat indie punk hit quickly became infectious. The hit becomes infinitely sweeter when you register the self-awareness that allows them to traverse around commitment issues while pertaining to a roguishly modern brand of romanticism.

Just Friends. was officially released on December 28th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

The Empty Page affront the new normal with their 90s nostalgia-implanting electro-punk anthem, Dry Ice

Posted on 20 November 2022

Rather than releasing a sonic sign of the stagnant times, The Empty Page protested our drab and dog-eared-with-anxiety modernity by letting pulsating synths guide the way towards 90s nostalgia in their electro-punk hit, Dry Ice.

Lyrically, you’re reminded of how it felt to be stripped of inhibition, sharing the euphoria with strangers long before they could request you on Facebook and never speak to you again and even longer before the pandemic left its mark on our social appetites while the dizzying guitars drop off-kilter momentum around the gravelly pulls of the post-punk bass strings.

It’s a major shift from the Manchester-based outfit’s previous sound that has been lauded by just about everyone that matters. The duo has ventured into their The Julie Ruin era, and we couldn’t be here for it more. After all, synths were the true gateway to punk and DIY (FIGHT ME), and this new anxiously frenetic earworm that will pull Polaroids of strobe-lit hedonism towards your temporal lobe is the ultimate affront to the new normal.

Dry Ice will officially release on November 18th. Watch the official video on YouTube, add it to your Spotify playlists, or support the band by purchasing the single on Bandcamp. 

Follow the Empty Page on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicken Man and the Bad Eggs attack the gentrified in their scuzzy new wave punk hit, Indian Pale Fale.

Posted on 14 August 2021

Merseyside’s new wave punk outfit Chicken Man and the Bad Eggs is set to release their most frenetic single to date, Indian Pale Fale, which delivers a ferocious attack on gentrification and the gentrified.

With the same high-octane sonic force as Oh Sees and Cabbage, serious virtuosic stripes in the scuzzy over-driven guitars, and the infectiously antagonistic vocals, the 5-piece powerhouse’s signature sound pierces through the drudgery on the airwaves. They’ve already been accoladed by Huw Stephens, Dave Monks and John Kennedy from the BBC and ripped up plenty of stages in the Northwest with their blistering hot sound. Something tells us the accolades won’t stop there; they are the ultimate aural force to be reckoned with.

Their playful approach to lyricism is exactly what the music scene needs. It is beyond refreshing to hear a band giving punk fans the escapism they turn to music for.

Indian Pale Fale is due for release on August 13th; pre-save the single on Spotify.

Check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

DAAY makes the disillusionment of adulthood relatable with his alt-indie single, ‘Little Foot’.

Posted on 28 May 2021
DAAY

Take a walk through relatable growing pains with the third alt-indie single from South London-residing artist DAAY that emanates the same chaos as Oh Sees alongside a James Brown-Esque serving of soul. Little Foot is an intoxicating mash of ingenuity that proves there’s plenty more to art-rock than Radiohead.

With sax solos that scream with the same visceral furore as Pete Wareham’s strident howls, nostalgic bluesy licks, and a general state of inhibition and instability running right through the release, Little Foot is for every music fan who thrives on finding authenticity alongside relatable insanity.

Little Foot conceptually shares the frustration of needing to answer endless questions as we navigate our dark and often fetid landscapes as adults while it imparts the nostalgia of childhood simplicity and ignorance. In the process, DAAY paints the process of disillusion with the world as a universal one. If the world ever needed a reminder that no one’s life – regardless of social media statuses – is a bed of roses, it’s right now. DAAY discernibly delivered with this consistently volatile aural exploration of style.

The release of Little Foot was an efficacious way of creating an appetite for the solo artist’s forthcoming singles, due for release in 2021. Save space on your radar.

Little Foot will be available to stream and purchase on all major platforms from May 28th.

Check out DAAY on Spotify, Bandcamp and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bag Ratty Bro share their automated aspirations with their pop-punk single, ‘ROBOT HOOVER’

Posted on 1 April 2021
Bag Ratty Bro

While I never thought I would hear a punk track with lyrics that aspire towards acquiring a Roomba, I’m ridiculously glad that I did. Bang Ratty Bro’s debut single ‘ROBOT HOOVER’  may not be the 70s anti-capitalist punk we came to love and build our morality around, but it’s a punk playlist staple all the same. This mostly comes as a courtesy of the guitarist exhibiting some serious prowess outside of the usual ‘you know 3 chords you can start a band’ punk form.

Bag Ratty Bro’s ROBOT HOOVER is easily up there with Candyskins’ release Mrs Hoover as an anthemically-charged hoover-inspired feat of dopamine-boosting indie punk.

You can hear Bag Ratty Bro via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Reclaiming Their Place: Chicago’s The Gelheads drop buried-away three-track EP ‘Tail Lights’

Posted on 13 March 2021

After celebrating twenty years together as a band, The Gelheads joyously recover their old hidden-away recordings that were almost lost in the sands of time, with their new exciting three-track EP called ‘Tail Lights‘.

The Gelheads are a Chicago, Illinois-based four-piece indie-punk/rock band with a hardened edge flowing in their creative veins, as they make music that you can motivate yourself with again, powering in like old pros in with an incredibly fresh sound for us to truly immerse ourselves into.

After rising through the ranks back in 2021, the band had fantastic success after starting off at small shows first, to opening for heavyweights like Papa Roach, The Killers and even came close to working with Def Jam.

After performing live together until 2005, a long hiatus until 2020 has seen the band recover their previous recordings thanks to Andy Gerber at Million Yen Studios. A new fresh mix is here as the band emerge gleefully from the darkness, to delight their old and new fans with a comeback for the ages.

‘Little String‘, ‘After These Messages‘ and ‘Lie Awake‘, are all equally top shelf tracks and with passionate lyrics and a supporting sound that shows you their underrated quality, you hope that this is the start of a refueling fire for the band to reclaim and even build on their glory days.

‘Tail Lights‘ from Chicago indie-rock act The Gelheads, is a journey through their uplifting music that almost didn’t exist, as they bring us back to those wonderful early 90’s days, that remained locked in your mind forever. This is a quality release and surely a taste of more classics to come.

Stream this new release on Spotify and see the IG here.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen