Browsing Tag

Indie Singer Songwriter

CHARLES HS voices collective insecurity in his crowd-inspired indie folk-pop single, Stereotype

Posted on 12 November 2021
CHARLES HS

‘Stereotype’ is the latest single and crowd-created project of London-based indie folk-pop singer-songwriter CHARLES HS. The single pulled together as an amalgamation of collective issues and insecurities voiced by his Instagram followers – given how Stereotype was created, the coherent synergy of the lyrics becomes even more profound.

Atop of the accordant folk-pop guitars that will be a big hit with Bill Ryder-Jones fans, the lyrics haunt the soundscape as they reflect some of the darkest facets of our ego-driven superficial reality. Stereotype proves that we’re only ever alone in a physical sense, never emotionally. It truly sets the bar for UK singer-songwriters wanting to make an impact.

Stereotype is due for official release on November 12th, 2021. Check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Classically-trained alt-indie songwriter Libby Phippard is all fired up in When a Question is Not a Question

Posted on 27 August 2021

London-based alt-indie singer-songwriter Libby Phippard has released her latest single, When a Question is Not a Question; sonically, it’s a funky upbeat synth-pop track, lyrically, it’s a visceral attack on the manipulative protagonist that inspired the artfully enraged single.

With a canter that is enough to leave Eminem’s head in a spin and vocal timbre that carries rich harmony, Phippard didn’t just succeed in creating an experimental track; she succeeded in creating an experimental single that burns with enough soul that it will leave you feeling fired up. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

The single was officially released on August 27th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Henry Dukes wears his heart on his sleeve in ‘If I Die Tomorrow’.

Posted on 20 August 2021
https://soundcloud.com/dale-wills/if-i-die-tomorrow-m/s-fCOGtYSzqhj?in=dale-wills/sets/voicemail-henry-dukes-pre-release/s-o1Zf4BFhiny

If you spend your days wasting time, Henry Dukes’ summer love song, If I Die Tomorrow, might be what it takes to shake you from complacency.

The 17-year-old London/Wiltshire indie singer-songwriter released his debut single, Slow Down, for a mental health charity earlier this year. With If I Die Tomorrow, he created a hauntingly intimate narrative of introspection and romantic anxiety. There is always an inncecent need to know that our affection won’t just be a line in someone else’s story or a regretful blot on the page. Dukes perfectly captures this in If I Die Tomorrow.

With a steady heartbeat behind his acoustic guitar chords, when his vocals fall into the soundscape, they won’t fail to pull you in deeper. What starts as a minimal production with reminiscence of Tom Odell hits a sonic wall of shoegazey noise as it tumultuously brings in the outro.

If I Die Tomorrow is part of Henry Dukes’ upcoming debut EP, VoiceMail, which will be released via DukeVox on August 20th. Check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lee Smythe raises a smile with ‘It’s Me’

Posted on 25 June 2021

How to describe Lee Smythe; well, if there’s a word somewhere specifically for that  anachronistic blend of quirky indie vibe perfection and total mainstream pop hit, then that would be a starting point to jump off.

‘It’s Me’, the follow-up to recent EP ‘King Of Cups’, is exactly that – something indescribably great that doesn’t quite fit into any pigeonhole you might have set aside for it. In the same vein as artists like the Urban Voodoo Machine, The Great Malarky, or the Jim Jones Revue, Smythe seems to straddle stylistic boundaries without ever really even noticing they’re there – part old-time London pub sing-along, part indie-pop cool, part alt-jazz musicality.

There’s touches of Daniel Powter, Jamie Cullum, and Harry Connick Jr. in here, but all with a mainstream pop take, and some cute-as-hell little vocal asides-to-camera; it’s just catchy as hell cool-as-fuck indie-pop awesomeness, and it’s absolutely grin-inducing.

Perfection in 4 minutes 12 seconds.

Check out Lee Smythe on Spotify and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Téa Texier traverses uncertainty in her striking indie debut single, ‘Garden Smiles’

Posted on 7 June 2021

With the same mesmerising appeal of Tom Odell, Grace Isaac, Warpaint and London Grammar combined with an even more intimate indie appeal and poetically meta lyrics, Téa Texier’s debut single Garden Smiles is absorbing from start to finish.

The indie track mixes art-rock with shoegaze to create a soundscape laden with dreamy and reverby textures, but with plenty of striking elements weaved into this melancholically compelling single that explores uncertainty, the fiery resonance doesn’t fail to take hold.

In the short time since the 16-year-old London-based singer-songwriter made her debut, she’s racked up over 6,000 streams on Spotify alone. Her ability to, quite literally, key into the contemporary mood to bring forth a mournfully relatable song for collective catharsis will see her go far in 2021 and beyond.

Garden Smiles is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Atlanta indie artist Sarah Rae explores the multifaceted nature of love with her new single, ‘Poison Ivy’.

Posted on 7 June 2021
Sarah Rae

With her latest alt-indie single, ‘Poison Ivy’, Sarah Rae explores the contrasting layers of love, melodically shifting between light and dark transitions in the Shoegaze single that will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Hooverphonic, Portishead and Slowdive.

It is singles like Poison Ivy that remind you that there’s no such thing as a realistic ‘happy’ love song. They’re about as true to life as superficially stretched smiles in social media posts that are aimed to deceive people into believing that your life is a 24/7 soirée of aesthetic euphoria.

Poison Ivy starts with chilling angular notes that feed into the stylish trip hop-style soundscape that allows the vox to find perfect synergy with the reverb-swathed instrumentals as they bleed into them, still allowing the poignancy of the lyrics to haunt the progressively enthralling track that gets better with every listen.

Poison Ivy is due for official release on June 9th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Libby Butterworth explores femininity with her indie-pop earworm CHANEL.

Posted on 14 May 2021

CHANEL is the latest single to be released by Cambridge-hailing 21-year-old singer-songwriter Libby Butterworth who has already earned a spot on the BBC Introducing Hotlist in 2020 for her catchy, vulnerable indie-pop sound.

Hit play on CHANEL, and you will immediately see why there is so acclaim amassing around her soft feminine vocals that bring plenty of intimacy to her candid lyrical style. Your archetypal pop track leads you to believe that you are the outlier for not having it all figured out; Libby lets her listeners hear her uncertainty and internal conflict with lines such as, “I want it all and I don’t want anything”.

CHANEL flows perfectly along with the shift in the tide away from demands on pop stars to be less iconic and more humanistic. The single finds a nuanced way of saying that femininity doesn’t always come easily, and the desire to be the embodiment of Audrey Hepburn doesn’t always come from within.

Not only is CHANEL an infectiously moody indie-pop earworm, but it also has the potential to help so many women understand their own identity. Naturally, we look forward to hearing plenty more from Libby and her sultry subversive style.

Libby Butterworth’s latest single, CHANEL, is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Farrah Hanna explores evolution in her indie-folk single, ‘Everything is Different Now’.

Posted on 10 May 2021
https://soundcloud.com/farrahhanna/everything-is-different-now/s-uyAJwV2zYJt

With an introduction that is the aural equivalent to Nikita Gill’s collection of poetry, Fierce Fairytales, the prelude to Farrah Hanna’s latest single, ‘Everything is Different Now’, instantly puts you in a suggestable and contemplative state. With the following verses flowing through in Farrah Hanna’s conversationally narrative style, you will find yourself amongst the lyrics as the changes in your life coalesce with Hanna’s.

Any fans of Angel Olsen, Big Thief and Phoebe Bridgers will appreciate Farrah Hanna’s quaintly lo-fi acoustic folk style. The meditatively short and sweet single uses haunting, almost neo-classic, keys sporadically behind the gentle acoustic rhythms to amplify the already potent sense of emotion in this succinct indie-folk instant classic. Everything is Different now allows the inevitability of change to feel far less daunting.

Everything is Different Now officially released on May 6th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Paul Marotto showcases his new ‘Chemical Compound’

Posted on 3 April 2021

‘Chemical Compound’ is a clever little mishmash of a showcase song, starting off with some elegant picked guitar and bass parts before adding dreamy, ephemeral synths and a wonderful little phased and distorted guitar lead part, before dropping into total strummy acoustic guitar singer-songwritery-ness.

With less talent, that might all sound a little disjointed, but in the hands of Paul Marotto, it’s skilfully woven together into a cohesive, clever little whole all held together with a lazy, languorous, Plain White Tees-style vocal that perfectly fits that track. It’s reminiscent of those North-East US college radio indie-rock tracks that seem to permeate consciousness every so often – They Might Be Giants, Bare Naked Ladies, or the Presidents of the USA. That’s a very, very good group to be a part of, and Paul Marotto is in some very clever company with ‘Chemical Compound’. We can’t wait to hear more.

You can check out Paul, and his ‘Orange Crush’ recording set-up at Haunted House Studios, here; listen to ‘Chemical Compound’ on Spotify.

Review by Alex Holmes

Emotion runs deep in Leonie Prater’s alt-indie-folk-pop single ‘The River’

Posted on 25 February 2021

24-year-old Dorset-based singer-songwriter, Leonie Prater’s latest single ‘The River’ provides a taste of what is to come through her first LP release, ‘Metamorphosis’; her deeply confessional approach to indie folk-tinged pop astutely resonates with the contemporary mood of melancholic reflection.

But unlike your own despairing thoughts, Leonie Prater delivers a reminder of how visceral emotions can be when our lives aren’t constrained by necessary draconian means. Rather than leaving you feeling like you want to crawl the walls, the choral tones and Leonie Prater’s consoling vocal timbre make it infinitely easier to find peace in a time when sanctity is scarce.

Stylistically, if you could imagine what an aural lovechild of The Levellers and Warpaint would sound like, you’ll get an idea of what is in store if you hit play. Which you definitely should – for your sanity’s sake.

The River is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast