Browsing Tag

Indie Rock

Texan trio, Tough on Fridays take us through a tender transition in their indie pop track, Growing Pains

Posted on 26 August 2022

With hints of the Cranberries and other iconic 90s pop contemporaries, Tough on Fridays delivered nostalgia with a cinematic edge that could make their latest single, Growing Pains, the highlight of the OST for the next coming-of-age Hollywood blockbuster.

The momentously oceanic single is definitive proof that the Texan trio has come a long way from where they started five years ago as an angst-driven duo. Lauded for their energetic performances and acclaimed in their home state, it is only a matter of time before Tough on Fridays reach the heights they are destined for. Growing Pains is undoubtedly one of the finest testaments to their songwriting tenacity to date; getting carried away with the simple yet efficaciously magnetic chords is pretty much non-optional.

Tough on Fridays’ latest single, Growing Pains, is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Backyard Casino – Silver Tongue: UK Indie Rock Got Its Bite Back

Posted on 26 August 2022
Backyard Casino

Since their 2019 debut, Backyard Casino has been lauded for bringing their infamous live energy to their boisterously relatable indie rock releases; their latest single, Silver Tongue, due for release on August 26th, is no exception.

The cagey post-punk-tinged hit comes complete with Pete Doherty-Esque swaggy vocals and popping angular indie guitar melodies that pull their weight when crafting the hooks that take the anthemic energy to the nth degree.

If any new up-and-coming act has what it takes to rock a main stage festival crowd with turbulence last seen in the 90s, it is this indie powerhouse with their sneeringly clever lyricism, loveably rogue vocals and tight instrumentals. Get them on your radar.

Check out Backyard Casino on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Theo Sawyer created the ultimate rebound pop hit for the modern age with ‘Forget Your Ex’

Posted on 12 August 2022
Theo Sawyer

With the emotional gravity of 00s emo, the theatrics of Queen and a cuttingly contemporary indie pop edge, I practically forget about everything listening to Theo Sawyer’s latest single, Forget Your Ex – let alone my ex. The progressively momentous hit builds to the heights of a rock opera, carrying all of the ascending euphorias with none of the dust from decades past.

‘Moving on’ tracks may be somewhat archetypal in pop but few sonically say it better than Theo Sawyer and his intense vocal dynamism, which makes being ambivalent towards him non-optional. Put it this way; he could have done the vocals to Lets Marvin Gaye and Get It On infinitely better than Charlie Puth,

Forget Your Ex will officially release on August 12th; hear it for yourselves on the Auckland-hailing artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ruby Sue told her coming of age story in her bitter-sweet triumph of a debut LP, the Need

Posted on 9 August 2022

With the sweetness of Taylor Swift, the soul of Brandi Carlile, and the bite of Courtney Love, the 19-year-old Minneapolis singer-songwriter Ruby Sue released her coming-of-age debut album, The Need.

Although pitch-perfection and instrumental distinction are a constant through the 12 singles, special attention should be paid to I Remember September, which mellifluously exhibits just how fleeting youth is, and how inclined we are to cling to it through fear of the future. I can only imagine how terrifying the transition into adulthood is in this era, but everyone going through it now has a confidant in this soul-stirring debut LP.

With lyrics such as, “who will I be when I’m not young and free?” Ruby Sue proves that despite her age, she’s got more self-awareness than most lyricists. Get her on your radar.

I Remember September is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Viennese School spins a histrionic tale in his roots revivalist triumph, Dr. Irving

Posted on 24 July 2022

There is your average indie rock nostalgic peddler, and then there’s the Boston-based originator, The Viennese School, with their hauntingly archaic reinventions of American roots, folk, and gospel.

Their self-titled debut LP, featuring the standout single, Dr. Irving, tells the parallel stories of an army doctor, their brother soldier and the demise of a student found beneath a frozen river. You’re pulled into the narrative as much as the Avant Garde soundscape, featuring spacey psychedelic synthetics, old-school crooned vocals, blues rock solos and almost pornographically warm saturated analog tones.

Something is evidently in the Bostonian water if it bred The Viennese School as well as Amanda Palmer, who runs in the same histrionic direction as the artful innovator. What Ryan Murphy is to the small screen, The Viennese School evidently is to the airwaves. We’re officially obsessed.

Dr. Irving is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Delta Sun dialled the scuzz up to 11 in ‘When the Music Stops’

Posted on 21 July 2022

Brighton’s Delta Sun held no prisoners in their debut EP, The Lies We Tell Ourselves and Others. Case in point; the grungy punk n roll track, When The Music Stops.

With the jagged Social Distortion reminiscent vocals carrying a similar timbre to the scuzzed up, low-slung yet punchy guitars, Delta Sun’s authenticity will never be in question. Especially with their indie no-wave inclinations and bluesy guitar middle-eight. Combine that with the fact that the lyrics take the ‘music is life’ conversation further than it has ever lyrically been, it is impossible not to be arrested by the roguish candour.

For all intents purposes, When the Music Stops is a powerful hit that definitively deserves renown.

Stream When the Music Stops on Spotify with the rest of the debut EP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

tuesday nite has made their ambient indie rock debut with the harmony-driven single, following after me

Posted on 1 July 2022

The harmony-driven ambient indie-rock duo, tuesday nite, came together during the pandemic through a shared love of tiny desk concerts, even more compact harmonies and indie contemporaries, such as Pinegrove and Phoebe Bridgers.

Now, they’re here with their debut self-titled release, featuring the lead single, following after me. If Mazzy Star and Vanessa Carlton met in the alt-90s middle, the convergence of evocative style would undoubtedly emulate the same radiant warmth in following after me.

The yearning love song stridently triumphs in depicting the bitter lows and the highs that leave a perpetual need for that co-writer in our lives to make a return. In every conceivable way, the unpretentiously expressive single floors you with the fluency of its expression. Debuts this impressive don’t come along every day. Get them on your radar.

Following after me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ashes to Amber took the evolution of indie one off-kilter step further with HEEBIE JEEBIES

Posted on 24 June 2022
https://soundcloud.com/steedyroyce/heebee-jeebies-1/s-dMU88ZdfQch?in=steedyroyce/sets/heebee-geebees/s-wNN99aj7fTk&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

It isn’t all too long after the prelude that trying to pull out genre or reminiscence from Ashes to Amber’s latest single, HEEBIE JEEBIES starts to feel redundant. The unapologetic indie originator is one of the increasingly rare new names that are willing to expose his soul on the airwaves without hiding behind the style of another.

From gorgeously angular guitars fed through frenetic loops to harsh dancey synthetic textures to hip hop beats to cosmic blisters of dream pop, it’s all fed into the electrifying livewire of a title single to his forthcoming EP. As an anchor for sonic sanctity, Ashes to Amber gave us his sweetest indie-pop vocals, which will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Peace, Jaws, the 1975, The Maccabees, and Swim Deep.

The HEEBIE JEEBIES EP will officially drop on June 24th. You can hear it for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whatever the question, the affable indie-rocker, Sam Scherdel, has ‘The Answer’

Posted on 17 June 2022

As stunning as The Manics’ Gold Against the Soul album, as cinematic as the Hollywood sign, the latest single from the Britpop-inspired UK singer-songwriter, Sam Scherdel, is a slice of celestial sonic bliss.

‘The Answer’ is a humbling admission of human nature, the inability to know everything, carry intellect on every subject and find absolutes at every turn. With weary yet romantically honeyed vocals atop the orchestrally decorated indie-rock score that grips with the same gravitas as Ben Folds, I think I felt every emotion on the human spectrum on the first listen (and the 5th; it just keeps giving. I might be addicted).

With exactly the same vein of magnetism as Billy Idol’s Baby Put Your Clothes Back On, hitting play on The Answer is a surefire way of giving Scherdel permanent space in your psyche. It’s beyond an earworm; it’s an ear unicorn.

The Answer will officially release on June 17th, check it out for yourselves via Spotify. 

Check out Sam Scherdel on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Renowned indie DJ and producer, Paul Allen Wright, went back to his rock roots with the arrestive rhythms in his EP, Voices

Posted on 17 June 2022

The indie DJ and music producer Paul Allen Wright returned to his rock roots with his riff-driven EP, Voices, featuring the standout single, I’m Walking, which has already racked up over 120k streams on SoundCloud alone. The hypnotically tribal guitar-led rhythms leave little room to wonder why I’m Walking has become a fan favourite.

His aversion to genre specificity gave I’m Walking a similar structural feel to a chilled indie leftfield electronica record. Instead of synths sitting prominently in the mix, Wright opted for acoustic strings to guide the desert-y and sporadically blues-y progressions. With the choice of the Stevie Nicks-ESQUE female vocals, I’m Walking was ethereally complete.

Hear I’m Walking for yourselves on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast