Browsing Tag

Indie Rock

Ride the indie surf rock waves in Louis Janus Thomas’ latest single, Auspicious Momentum

Posted on 14 June 2023

The North Wales-hailing one-man powerhouse of indie surf rock innovation, Louis Janus Thomas, has made a riptide-roaring return to the airwaves after his 2020 EP with his frenetically clever single, Auspicious Momentum.

With the vox and tinges of the melodic work throwing us back to the glory days of Razorlight and the heat of the Cali surf energy emanating the same zany appeal as Heavy Salad, Auspicious Momentum stands as a testament to how much Louis Janus Thomas has refined his sound since he last rode the crux of the airwaves. It’s only a matter of time before he’s on the A-lists of BBC Radio 6 DJs. The single can easily be read as one of the most innovative evolutions from the garagey indie sound pioneered by the Strokes.

Auspicious Momentum was officially released on June 2nd; check it out on Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nightcars are dancing by themselves in their indie-soul-pop-rock amalgam, On My Own

Posted on 9 June 2023
Nightcars

With swathes of sugar on the vocal lines as they soulfully cut across the angularly sharp guitars and scintillating synths, the latest single, On My Own, from the Venezuelan powerhouse, Nightcars, is a reinvention of 80s nostalgia you will undoubtedly want to savour.

Adding to the amalgamated mix of indie, soul, pop, and rock are the deep funk-carved groove pockets that give the addictively affectionate release a distinctive dimension, setting Nightcars easily apart from the indie landfill fray.

On My Own is Grammy-worthy for the lyric, “should I pop another pill or is this how I should feel”. In such an evocatively succinct capacity, Nightcars encapsulated how we over-medicate human emotion to stop ourselves from feeling anything at all. If you needed any inspiration to rawdog your heartbreak, there it is.

It comes as no surprise that the band’s former releases have enabled them to build an international fanbase. Away from the conflict and turmoil in Venezuela, Nightcars now safely reside in Madrid, where they are working on their upcoming third EP, Extended Play Vol. 3, which is set to release later this year.

On My Own will officially release on June 9th. Check it out on Spotify and the artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Proverbial Cool Aid sang the devil-may-care blues through imperturbable indie rock tones in ‘My Days’

Posted on 7 June 2023

Jim Jones may have forever given Kool-Aid a bad reputation, but the Houston alt-rock outfit, Proverbial Cool Aid, is far from tarred by the same brush. Case in point, their latest revelationary mellow indie rock single, My Days, which was written by singer-songwriter Damen Martin and instrumentally contributed to by Lulu on drums and Jack Law on bass.

With tinges of Jack Johnson in the vox and breezy instrumental arrangement, you won’t need all too much convincing to fill your proverbial cup with Proverbial Cool Aid. If any single has what it takes to breed self-compassion, it is My Days; if the roads on life’s journey have left you weary, bed your soul down into this euphonic Les Paul-carved masterpiece. The simplest records are often the hardest to write and get right; the simplicity stands as a testament to Damen Martin’s mellowly compelling songwriting chops.

Proverbial Cool Aid Said

“My Days is a song that means a lot to me. You know, going through life, we make mistakes. This song is about the exact moment you catch yourself in the midst of a bad decision and say to yourself, Man, you shouldn’t have done that. It’s about regret, which can instantly reprimand you and torture you for years to come.”

After being recorded in Wire Road Studios, produced by Josh Applebee and mastered by Chris Longwood, My Days was officially released on March 30. It is now available to stream on all major platforms.

Stream My Days on Spotify and YouTube.

Follow Proverbial Cool Aid on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Propter Hawk stoked the fires of a rock n roll revival in Clean Old-Fashioned Hate

Posted on 2 June 2023
Propter Hawk

With demurely electrifying vocal lines in the same vein of She Drew the Gun and Black Honey fused with cruising kaleidoscopic guitars which angularly nestle into the middle ground between Pavement and The Beatles, Toronto’s premier rock outfit, Propter Hawk, knocked it out of the sonic ballpark with their latest release, Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.

The feel-good rock n roll rhythmics were the perfect way to address our contemporary appetite for division and hatred while throwing you right back to the simpler times when we could believe what we read and tribalism wasn’t excessively weaponised.

Armed with their vintage gear and an MO to stoke the fires of a new era of refreshingly relatable rock n roll, the raconteur powerhouse is unreckonable; join forces while you still can.

Clean Old-Fashioned Hate will be available to stream on all major platforms from June 2. Head over to their website for more info.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Coming Up Milhouse’s debut single, Not Over You, is a riot of candied curveballs

Posted on 14 May 2023

Even though the track title leaves little room for guesswork in regards to the sentiments that flow through the swoonsomely crooned pop hit, the debut single, Not Over You, from Coming Up Milhouse, is a riot of candied curveballs.

With vocal lines that could tender the heartstrings of Elliott Smith, synths that create an odyssey of retro mutant pop in the same vein of Trudy and the Romance, and indie jangle pop melodies which add to the trending trajectory which spawned from revivalists such as the Midnight, Not Over You is a debut which plateaus above indie landfill releases.

The self-described soft boy indie rockers from Birmingham know just where to find the sweet spot when balancing lyrical melancholia and earwormy indie hooks.

Not Over You was officially released on May 5; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Insomniacs unite around Layla Bina’s grunged-up feat of indie rock, Hypomania (I’m Awake)

Posted on 5 May 2023
https://soundcloud.com/laylabina/sets/hypomania-im-awake-single/s-5cBYpqwFspO?si=d43cf8c6c04a46c99ca9641be3231862&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

For her latest single, Hypomania (I’m Awake), the up-and-coming one-woman powerhouse, Layla Bina grunged up indie rock to send a few postcards to the 90s Seattle sound and Riot Grrrl era while raucously bringing in the future of aural insomniac angst.

The SoCal-born and raised Iranian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist doesn’t let her classical vocal training get in the way of delivering rip-roaring vindicating vocal lines that would make her a better match for Kurt Cobain than Courtney. There are plenty of Nirvana nuances to chew on in the catchy chord progressions that will leave you rolling with the punches of her insightful lyricism.

Just as Kathleen Hanna brought feminist theory out of the academic sphere and into the public domain as she created the third wave of feminism, Layla uses her UCLA psychology education to spill insight onto the airwaves and spark conversations around mental health that get pushed under the rug in mainstream discourses. If any alt-rock act deserves to be iconic, it is Layla Bina, who is currently tucked away in the studio recording her debut album with the Grammy Award-winning producer, Josh Monroy.

Stream Hypomania (I’m Awake) from May 5th on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chandra’s Lighters to the Sky is a pop punk-hooked hit for the dreamers

Posted on 2 May 2023
https://soundcloud.com/listentochandra/lighters-to-the-sky/s-JjGxeKmioBv?si=ee8aab36962d40619a6fa6a62f049fe9&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Holding your lighters in the air at rock shows might be a slightly nostalgic way to signify how much a hit has touched your soul, but it’s a pretty fitting parable for the vintage rock aesthetics in Chandra’s latest single, Lighters to the Sky, which will throw you right back to the early 00s.

If you can imagine what Glen Hansard’s single, Falling Slowly, would sound like if it was boldly augmented with pop-punk hooks, you’ll get a great idea of the songwriting chops the Bristol, UK-based solo artist possesses.

Lyrically, Lighters to the Sky is an ode to the big dreamers whose visions are often met with cynicism from people with smaller ambitions. It is a stunning reminder that no one will ever be able to see the future you’re painting in your mind until you reach your respective top and exhibit it all for all to see.

Lighters to the Sky will officially release on April 28. Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Groovy Shirt Club chiselled a modern edge into rock n roll nostalgia with ‘Electric Flowers’

Posted on 25 April 2023

With Groovy Shirt Club on the scene, no one can claim ‘they don’t make ‘em like they used to’. Their latest single, Electric Flowers, chiselled a modern edge into a vintage sound, captured through a live euphonically melodic performance.

The vocals in Electric Flowers are enough to give you the Chris Isaak chills, and elements of the psych originators (the Beatles, obviously) can also be noted in the kaleidoscopic soul that spills across the entire sonic landscape that you will want to visit time and time again to affirm that rock n roll isn’t dead, it’s still alive and kicking on the underground. There’s also an undeniable touch of the college radio rock sound that R.E.M. defined with their creamy chords and ruggedly sugared harmonies.

Electric Flowers is available to Stream on Spotify.

Join the Groovy Shirt Club gang on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

snailosaur unveiled grungy indie-rock poetry via their single, Fake Cobblestone Alleys

Posted on 24 April 2023
snailosaur by snailosaur

The Brooklyn, NY brother duo snailosaur showed us exactly how they came about their moniker with the scuzzy Dinosaur Jr. tones and verbiage in their latest indie-rock evocative ride, Fake Cobblestone Alleys.

Reminiscences aside, the spoken word sermonics of the single bleed poetry into exhilarant guitars punctuated by the driving drum fills. Every aspect of the track was superlatively stitched together to become the sum of all its melodically fuzzy parts.

It is worth being part of the disenfranchised down-and-out masses just to tear the honey from this apathetically sweet projection of everyman blues. Snailosaur’s mark has been definitively left on the landscape of grunge via Fake Cobblestone Alleys; it’s a nihilist’s dream come to sonic fruition.

Stream & purchase Fake Cobblestone Alleys on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tom Seth Johnson projected adoration through indie rock anthemics in Anywhere in the World Right Now

Posted on 19 April 2023

If indie rock n roll has a soul, it resounds in the magnetic sincerity of the latest single, Anywhere in the World Right Now, from Oxford’s prodigal son, Tom Seth Johnson.

With only an edge of 90s Britpop, there’s plenty of room for an Americana tinge that poured in the same foot-stompin’ vein as The Black Keys. So many postcards get sent to Britpop, but Johnson put his own swaggering stamp on his. Especially, through the sweeter-than-sugar line, “I’ve finally found a reason to play my guitar, ‘cos usually I’m down in Dixies midnight bar”. I legitimately shed a tear.

The rock n roll lifestyle is subject to prolific glamourisation; Johnson put that toxicity to bed and wrapped it up in soulful anthemics to prove all the vacuous sex and drugs in the world can’t parallel the high of coming home when it is a person that defines home instead of four walls.

Anywhere in the World Right Now is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast