Browsing Tag

Indie Rock

LOST and SOUND weaved an illusory indie pop-rock fantasy with their standout single, Weekend

Posted on 5 August 2023

The Fairfield, CA six-piece alt indie pop outfit, LOST and SOUND, has perfected the art of crafting addictively sticky melodies that effortlessly carry the escapism they deliver via their lyricism.

While the indie landfill pile climbs higher than Everest, LOST and SOUND transcend it all with their assimilation-free sonic fantasies; take their synthy new wave-influenced hit, Weekend for the perfect example. Living forever for the weekend may not be a feasible possibility in tangible reality, but with the meta lyrical phrases and the illusory instrumental arrangements, the romanticism of the notion will reel you in, razor-sharp hook, rhythmic line, and smooth vocal sinker.

To date, Weekend has racked up over half a million streams on Spotify. If their debut album, THE SILVER LINING, contains just a slither of ingenuity in Weekend, LOST and SOUND could easily become one of the biggest bands in Cali in 2023.

Stream Weekend on Spotify and keep up to date with future releases by following the powerhouse via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Stone Branches reached the pinnacle of intimately introspective indie rock with The Way Out

Posted on 4 August 2023
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With angular indie guitars that will sucker punch the soul as viscerally as the ones crafted by Interpol and The Toxic Airborne Event, mixed with a Mogwai-esque ethereal atmosphere, the up-and-coming indie outfit, Stone Branches, is undeniable in their latest single, The Way Out.

The intricacies of the artfully intimate lead guitar work will speak volumes to anyone on the introspective side of the spectrum as the lyrics portray the value of hindsight and coming to terms with the past. The sporadic touch of twee indie twang to the reverberantly rich vocals brings a sense of purity to the melancholy that is superlatively laid out by the art-rock outfit that is currently being hailed as one of the most original live acts on the South Coast.

After releasing their debut EP, Mantra, in December 2022, the emotionally intelligent Southampton-hailing outfit has proven to be an unreckonable force in the local scene and far beyond after receiving airplay on BBC Introducing and reaching the Grand Finals of the Isle of Wight New Blood Competition against 5000 other artists.

The Way Out will officially drop on August 4th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The lo-fi sludgy rock raconteur Reel Boy’s sophomore hit Julissa is just like honey

Posted on 30 July 2023

After making himself well known on the Utah touring circuit in the outfits My Dad the Astronaut, MoonSugar, Doll and A 1/2, and Indie Seoul, Jayson HaslamBrock took to the centre stage and went solo in his new alt indie rock project, Reel Boy.

With authentic and intentionally imperfect vocals that will be a hit with Teenage Fanclub and Dinosaur Jr. fans and simple yet hooky pop choruses that transpire after the minimalist chord progressions, his sophomore release, Julissa, is just like honey – literally. The same sweetly sombre textural distortion that made The Jesus and Mary Chain hit so indulgently unforgettable becomes the central gravity in Julissa.

It isn’t your average earworm, but it will stick with you long beyond the outro all the same for Reel Boy’s tenaciously songwriting chops that are sharp enough to seal his illustrious fate in the industry.

Julissa is now available to stream via Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Holy Gloam borrowed from Dinosaur Jr in their melancholic shoegaze serenade, Used for Falling

Posted on 15 July 2023

Making an authentic mark on the Shoegaze landscape where so many chorally dissonant signatures have been scribed is no easy feat; Holy Gloam succeeded all the same with their latest single, Used for Falling.

The vulnerable vocal lines become the soft sonic underbelly of the sludged-to-the-nines single, which uses clamorously effect-laden guitars to visualise the rancorous paths of descent our minds can take us down and sweeten the vocal harmonies in texturally sublime contrast. Sharpening the teeth of the melancholy is lyrical diehard romanticism, which paints a portrait of unconditional affection which distance and disconnection can’t diminish.

With their ability to invite their listeners into such evocatively compelling soundscapes which play the heartstrings as intricately and intimately as the guitars, the North Wales/NW England five-piece clearly have a bright future ahead of them. They have already been making major waves since songwriter Julian Neale founded the outfit in 2021; they’ve become staples in the NW touring circuit and their debut album, Small Nothings, was longlisted by Welsh Music Prize. Watch this space for more major moves from the scintillating evocateurs.

Used for Falling was officially released on July 7th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Glenna Jane released the most cerebral indie pop hit of the summer with ‘Late Bloomer’

Posted on 8 July 2023

Indie rock got into the sheets of hook-filled bedroom pop with Glenna Jane’s latest single, Late Bloomer. With the high-octane energy of Paramore, the intimacy of Mitski and the absorbing gravitas of Phoebe Bridgers, Late Bloomer is set to take Glenna Jane’s career to stratospheric new heights.

Late Bloomer lyrically delivers a fatal shot to the kinds of fuckboys who use words as a means to an end instead of an expression of the truth to deliver visceral resonance to anyone who can relate to the line “I don’t like you as much when we talk, and you say you’re in love, I know you’re just lying to get inside me”.

And that is just the tip of the crucifying iceberg in Late Bloomer, which Glenna Jane used to embolden herself and her audience through vindicatingly honest candour. The poetically meta propensities of Late Bloomer made the single the most cerebral hit of the summer. We can’t wait to hear where the Brooklyn-based storyteller takes her sharp wit next as she continues to embody the complexity of identity, intimacy and attachment.

Stream Late Bloomer from July 7th on SoundCloud and Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Leeds-based indie rock evocators Milford Place will render hearts raw with their latest single, Lately

Posted on 7 July 2023
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Whoever you revere as the most iconic emotive indie rock acts of all time, everyone can agree that the Leeds, UK-hailing 4-piece Milford Place deserve a spot in the evocative rock hall of fame, especially after ‘Lately’ entered their discography.

After making their presence well-known on the local live scene in 2019 by playing to capacity crowds and always finding a new way to hone their live performances, the outfit is looking to come back with an even bigger bang following pandemic stagnation. After dropping Lately onto the airwaves, Milford Place will easily steal the hearts of indie rock fans who turn to sonic sanctity to quell their heartbreak.

With tinges of Peace, Jaws and M83 to their intricately lamenting sound, which always cuts to the core of emotion for visceral catharsis, we have no doubt that the melodic powerhouse will effortlessly dominate the indie landscape in Leeds and beyond.

Lately will officially release on June 7th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gratitude triumphs over self-doubt in The Kaves’s seminal cinematic indie rock ballad, Soul

Posted on 7 July 2023
The Kaves

Starting with swathes of 80s nostalgia in the momentary prelude before fast-forwarding to the next era in the first verse by emanating shoegazey Britpop and cinematic rock in the same rhythmically arrestive breath, the latest single, Soul, from The Kaves puts them in the same league as their memorably emotive Glaswegian idols.

The porous vocal lines which allow soul to pour through them as they soar as high as the guitar solos against the driving backbeat in the ballad ensured the listening experience is as visceral as sentimental.

So many ballads centre around the acquisition or loss of love; never ones to peddle pedestrian tropes, with Soul, The Kaves, narrated the cynicism which amasses around low self-esteem after unconditional affection is put on the table by someone who loves you in spite of your idiosyncrasies. In its superlatively authentic essence, Soul is a reminder that when it comes to love, gratitude is always the better option over pessimistic over-analysis.

If anyone has what it takes to prevent indie rock from fading into further obscurity and show Alex Turner what stellar indie should sound like in 2023, it is The Kaves.

Soul will be available to stream from July 7. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nina Hain became the cover girl of Riot Grrrl in 2023 with her debut single, I Have a Name

Posted on 6 July 2023

The Canadian-born, Zurich and London-based multi-instrumentalist, classically trained singer and songwriter Nina Hain revived the Riot Grrrl movement with the monolithically fierce beguile in her debut single, I Have a Name.

Produced by Rocky O’Reilly and Mastered by Robin Schmidt (Liam Gallagher, Nothing But Thieves), the polished single is as impeccable as you would expect. But, somewhat ironically, in the context of the single, Nina Hain isn’t an artist that is going to skate through her career by high-profile association.

The stellar songwriting, which allows you to roll with all the stridently liberating crescendos led by her resounding vocal timbre, proves that she’s got the lyricality to make as much of a bruising impact as Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and L7. But make no mistake; this is far from your average all-edge-and-no-substance 90s throwback hit. The musicality of the single allows Nina Hain to stand alongside icons such as Honeyblood, Wolf Alice, and Black Honey as she uses her resounding voice as a protest to female oppression.

Expect plenty more from Hain as she continues to work with the Zurich-based indie label, Nekonen Records, to deliver a string of singles in the lead-up to her debut EP, due for release in Spring 2024.

I Have a Name hit the airwaves on June 30th; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unca John has unveiled his obsession-worthy eccentric indie debut, How the Hell?

Posted on 4 July 2023

It isn’t every day we find tongue-in-cheek indie acts that leave our hearts in our throats with their affable aural antics, but notably, Unca John comes from a far more endearingly idiosyncratic kettle of fish than your average rock singer.

With vocal lines that will awaken your soul as sweetly as Nada Surf and The Weakerthans paired with razor-sharp songwriting chops and lyrics that you can start relating to from the first verse, Unca John’s debut single, How the Hell? is unforgettably phenomenal. I know exactly where I will turn the next time I need a heady dose of sonic serotonin.

In his own words (that will just make you fall in love with him even more)

I’m a middle-aged economics professor living in the Baltimore suburbs, with all the fashion sense and charisma you would expect from an economics professor. I’m an average singer at best. I can’t even play guitar or piano. So what am I doing here?

The answer is in the songs. I write in the classic style—get ready for catchy riffs, hooks, harmonies and acid-tongued wordplay. You’ll hear all that and more in my debut single, “How the Hell?”, and later this summer in my upcoming single “Your Opinion” and my debut album “Midlife Crisis Vanity Project.”

My influences include the Beatles, Who, Stones, Velvets, Steely Dan, Costello, Buzzcocks, XTC, REM, Nirvana and Pavement. These are the bands that formed my musical sensibility, so naturally my sound tends towards retro. Nevertheless, I am inspired by the recent resurgence of great rock songwriting by Car Seat Headrest, Alvvays, Brittany Howard, Mitski, Big Thief, Snail Mail. Soccer Mommy and many others.

Stream How the Hell? by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Soak in the sonoroous soft rock soul of Sub Singles Club’s single, Friends Again

Posted on 2 July 2023

With choral indie guitar tones that croon as soulfully as the ethereal vocal lines which reach out from the reverb with a vice-like grip, the standout single, Friends Again, from Sub Singles Club’s debut EP, Desperately Seeking Closure, is a melancholic triumph.

The SoCal fourpiece was established in 2020 during the pandemic; the project gave them a sense of peace and sanity in uncertain times; clearly, that is exactly what their audience abstracts from their music too. Friends Again may be a bitter-sweet affair, but if you’re already on that wavelength, the sincerity in the soft indie rock score will devour you in its resonance.

Now signed to K4K Records, Sub Singles Club is planning on hitting the road in 2023 and touring with their discography, which will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Courtney Barnett, Mitski and Angel Olsen.

Stream Friends Again on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast