Browsing Tag

Indie

Ludvik Langholm orchestrated an installation of anachronistically opulent alt indie reverie with ‘A Parody’

Posted on 25 June 2024

For their latest release, A Parody, the eclectic Leeds-based sound sculptor, Ludvik Langholm, emerged as a polymath producer and vividly histrionic narrator of burning desire to give fans of Roar, Vunderbar and Sir Chloe a perennial playlist staple.

The latest baroquely alt-indie single is a parallel universe and a few centuries away from the preceding release, Empty Parking Lot, which painted an intimate portrayal of a psyche torn between reaching and retreating in tender lo-fi brushstrokes. The Jane Austen-esque lyricism captures intense yearning as the intentional abstractions make room for personal reflection; the score gives the listener the freedom to implant their own melodramatic coveting affections into the superlative release.

Langholm tears through space and time by allowing A Parody to open on an installation of old-school Hollywood filmic reverie with their chanteuse-esque vocal lines lighting up the production until the lush layers of instrumentation deliver swathes of anachronistic opulence, which is perfectly balanced and moderately modernised with their signature introspective alt-indie warmth filled melodies that we’ll never tire of hearing.

A Parody was officially released on June 20; stream the single on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stella. paid ode to the intricacies of love and loss with his A Study in Balance EP

Posted on 25 June 2024

After hearing the title single from Stella.’s 6-track EP, A Study in Balance, the proverbial bar couldn’t have been set higher. The reflectively visionary composition style established the NYC-born-and-raised singer-songwriter as an artist who lures you into philosophical inquiry while conjuring imagination-sparking imagery with tenderly meditative poetry that could only have been prised from a soul of gold.

The opening single, Dreaming, in which he shares imposter syndrome with God before blurring the lines between mind cinema and reality, is a prime example of his eloquently originated wordplay. Immersing yourself in Stella.’s world is akin to sinking into a Murakami novel; there’s so much written between the lines, you’re submerged in a labyrinth of meta musings,

After opening on an exuberant note with Dreaming where Stella. wears his Paolo Nutini influence on his infectious hooks, the EP takes a more intimate and confessional turn with Something About You, as he softly verses directly to the unspoken name ceaselessly reverberating around his mind. With little more than reverb spilling from keys under his honeyed and honed vocals, the stripped-back rumination efficaciously captures the torment of self-doubt within relationships.

A Study in Balance lifts the mood once more before the EP winds back down with Not Today; a raw nerve rousing release that reaches the epitome of vulnerable candour. Maladies of heartache are laid out as a smorgasbord of emotional atrophy over the downtempo 80s pop chord progressions. Cohen himself couldn’t have written a more striking testament to how much sanctity lies in love.

The only people who won’t find something to adore about Broken Hearts are the ones who paint themselves as perpetual victims. The euphonic score forces you to take accountability for the hurt you’ve inflicted in relationships while swallowing the bitter pill that broken hearts can’t love the same as naively unaffected lovers who show no inhibition when letting down their defences. The EP culminates in Everything, a solemnly sweet vow of unrestrained passion to juxtapose Broken Hearts and give diehard romantics a reason to fall on their sword again.

Capturing the intricate complexities of love, loss and longing within six singles would be an impossible feat for most, and still, Stella. succeeded through a synthesis of sincerity and articulately offbeat artistry.  Even though we’re in an epoch in which the most vapid music rises to the top of the charts, Stella. remains one of the most promising indie artists of 2024.

A Study in Balance was officially released on June 14; stream it in full on Spotify.

Follow Stella. on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

CARLOTTA answered existential questions with etherealism in her debut single, Angel

Posted on 16 June 2024

Fans of The Neighbourhood, Lana Del Ray, and boygenius have a brand-new emissary of ethereally-hued indie pop to affix to their radar after CARLOTTA, an openly avowed poetic symphonist to the dreamers and lovers, released her debut single, Angel.

Her artful approach to poignantly reflecting on how love, faith, and self-discovery often intersect as we try to comprehend our intrinsic identity while grappling with external factors capable of knocking our authenticity out of kilter tracks the highs and lows through the juxtaposing transcendent and turbulent tones.

The singer-songwriter’s vocal register is rendered with the same raw evocative power as Angel Olsen as she pours her heartbroken candour on the instrumentals that allow Angel to become so much more than your average lovelorn hit. CARLOTTA existentially questions what it means to believe in something that has dematerialised and how possible it is to find hope in desolation.

“The message behind ‘Angel’ is that even when love is hard or fails to last, it’s important to believe that it exists in the world and most importantly, that you remain a believer in the goodness of people despite your heartbreak. It’s a song about faith and holding onto nothing except this exact moment.”

Angel was officially released on June 6th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IST IST dominated the Manchester post-punk pantheon with their latest single, Repercussions

Posted on 14 June 2024
IST IST

Look at Manchester as a landscape and you’ll be confused by the claim that we do things differently here; the proverb only materialises through the mettle of sonic architects in the same trailblazing vein as IST IST.

Since their debut single, IST IST has been an unreckonable authentic force that has easily earned its place in the post-punk pantheon. With their latest single, Repercussions, taken from their fourth LP, Light a Bigger Fire, they emerge once again as an unextinguishable paragon of eminence.

From the first angular note that leads you into a neon-lit hedonic tour de force, you’re hooked into an exhilarant earworm that delivers scintillation and kinetic rhythmic propulsion by the smorgasbord.

By extrapolating the brooding vocal presence of Sisters of Mercy, the cerebral intensity of Magazine, the coruscating synths of Arcade Fire, and the menacingly pulse-pounding beats of Depeche Mode, and synthesising them into a cocktail that could only be stirred by their own hand, IST IST delivered a broodingly expansive testament to their cultivated fortitude.

Producer Joe Cross (Courteeners, Hurts) ensured that the single, which unravels as an exposition of how insidious thoughts can spill from the psyche into reality, becomes an invitation to liberate yourself from your introspective vexation – if only for the duration of the emancipating hit that surpasses ear candy and becomes an elixir for oppressive reflections.

Stream Repercussions on all major platforms, including Spotify, from June 6th.

Follow the band on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AFTERDRIVE buried indie landfill under the immensity in their latest anthem, Gold Dust

Posted on 7 June 2024
AFTERDRIVE

The Ipswitch indie-rock breakthrough band, AFTERDRIVE, hit the wheel and blazed beyond contemporary trends with their latest single, leaving outfits in the vein of the 1975, M83, and The Neighbourhood in the ‘Gold Dust’ of their viscerally textured hit.

Ben Watts’ distinctive vocal inflections relentlessly hit raw nerves with the projections of vulnerability in the bitter-sweet release which embodies the band’s determination to bring small-town boredom blues to an international stage.

The instrumental evocative artillery shows little mercy; after showing melodic restraint within the verses, the choruses cascade into augmented alchemic chaos as the alt-indie-rock guitars construct walls of sounds to encase you within the brooding atmosphere of the intense narrative of affliction as the upbeat synths resonate as the last feign of hope in the outpour of ennui.

After their debut single, Stick Around, met critical acclaim and received regular airplay from BBC Introducing and more success was sealed with every subsequent release, we have no doubt that Gold Dust will seal the artist’s fate as one of the biggest names in the UK indie scene.

Gold Dust will be available to stream on all major platforms from June 7th. Discover ways to listen via the official AFTERDRIVE website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Aveah Green delivered polyphonic pop euphoria in ‘Sunny Days’

Posted on 4 June 2024

For the ultimate sun-soaked serotonin fix, look no further than the standout single, Sunny Days, from the irreplicable one and only indie pop artist, Aveah Green.

While some artists are preoccupied with commercial potential in their productions, others use their creativity as a conduit for their uninhibited expression. The playful polyphonic synth-pop tones, the rejection of traditional song structures, and the quirky reverie in the authentically liberated vocal performance in Sunny Days testify to Aveah Green’s fearlessly originated sonic signature that you’ll want to scribe through your mind every time you want to be reminded of the freedom in embracing your own autonomy.

The Seoul, South Korea bedroom pop singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist made her debut in 2018 and has remained prolific with her releases; with her album, Barrymore Drive, in the pipeline, she is definitely one to watch.

Sunny Days is available to purchase on Apple Music, or you can add the single to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast​

Matching Drapes reinvented Riot Grrrl with the infectious indie rock single, all my friends are (snakes)

Posted on 3 June 2024

If you attempted to temper your teenage angst by cranking up Jack of Jill, Bikini Kill, and Babes in Toyland, tune into the latest single, all my friends are (snakes), from the bratty resistance against misogyny, Matching Drapes.

Taken from the manslaughter EP, all my friends are (snakes) injects the modern reverberations of infectious indie rock into a 90s Riot Grrrl aesthetic, moving far past the mediocrity of uninspired pastiche.

As the basslines prowl, the overdriven guitars augment the single with a level of volition fitting for the tongue-in-cheek articulation of outrage as the vocals spit out the venom of fake friends. We all have them, yet, when the single was organically conceived from a jam session, Matching Drapes intended for the track to be an invitation to shed inhibition and imbibe in rhythmic hedonism.

The project by Berlin/Reykjavik band, comprising the two frontwomen Arndís Rán and Jacquie Hirt, started in 2023.  To record their debut EP, they were joined by Liam Harrison (lead guitar), Toby Savill (rhythm guitar), Niclas Liebling (Bass) and Adrian Lizarraga (drums). As a fully-fledged unreckonable force, they’re not a band you want to leave off your radar.

all my friends are (snakes) will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and Soundcloud, from May 31.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tarantino Tango: The Rhythmic Revolution of INÉSNation’s Heart of Glass

Posted on 1 June 2024

If music is a cure, the Mexican collective of world-class musicians INÉSNation is the ultimate healer. Their latest remedy, Heart of Glass, filters indie flamenco rhythms through a Tarantino-esque lens, bringing in elements of bluegrass to smash through the monocultural mould and leave fans of Tele Novella, Black Honey, and Superfood weak at the rhythmic pulses.

Singer-songwriter, INÉS, is the April March of her generation with her hauntingly timeless vocal timbre that allows you to effortlessly fall into the vignette which captures the turbulence within a mind attempting to piece together a fragmented heart.

It was a bold move using the same title as the Blondie classic single, yet after hearing Heart of Glass, it’s clear that no move can be too audacious for the genre-fluid collective which frequently experiments with jazz, blues, and folk while amplifying their scintillating syntheses through the raw power of rock and immersing their listeners in lyrical lore with country-esque storytelling.

Heart of Glass is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Behind the Music: Out in Front Talks Hits, Heartbreak, and Hopes for the Future

Posted on 1 June 2024

In this exclusive interview with A&R Factory, Out in Front discuss the remarkable success of their debut single “Golden State” and their exciting new release, “Happy Graduation Day.” The band opens up about their unique songwriting process, the emotional inspirations behind their music, and the dynamic energy they bring to their latest track. As they navigate the challenges of adulthood and channel their experiences into their songs, Out in Front is rapidly emerging as a promising force in the music scene.

Out in Front, welcome to A&R Factory! Thanks for the opportunity to sit down with you ahead of the release of your sophomore single, Happy Graduation Day, but firstly, we can’t ignore how much of a worthy phenomenon your debut single, Golden State became. How did it feel to hit the ground running like an Olympian with the single? 

Hi guys! Thank you so much for having us! We are so excited with the response we have received after we released our first song “Golden State” and it makes us so happy to hear people are connecting to it and sharing their stories with us on social media. It is pretty cool to see and knowing this song has already helped people get through some tough situations is amazing to hear. “Golden State” is so special to us and we were so excited to have that one be the first out the gate.

Will Happy Graduation Day show us a different side of out in front? 

We think the “Golden State “fans should get ready for a different side for sure. “Happy Graduation Day” is lyrically similar and incredibly story-driven like “Golden State” but fans should get ready to jump up and down and lose themselves in this song.

What was the writing process like for Happy Graduation Day? 

Crazy enough, “Happy Graduation Day” was the first song we all wrote together as a band. This song came to be after Ryen’s dog sadly passed away and he went home and sat down with his bass and began to play to help him get through. Isaiah and Madie were hanging out when they received a new voice note from Ryen with one of the greatest hooks they had ever heard. In that moment they knew they had to turn it into something. After finishing the song, we took it to the amazing and talented Drew Allsbrook to record and mix and the insanely gifted guitarist Horrace Bray added his incredible touch to the song and “Happy Graduation Day” was born.

What inspired the single? 

After hearing about Ryen’s dog passing away and the incredible bass riff Ryen wrote soon after, the band hit the studio to begin crafting this song together. Isaiah, who is the drummer of the group, had the vision for the layout of the song and instantly knew the energy this song needed as he added heavy and jumpy beats on top of Ryen’s hooky riff.

Madie is the main melody and lyrical writer and wanted to craft lyrics that the whole band could relate to and what better thing to write about than the struggles of growing up.  All three of us are in our mid-twenties and know the pain of losing a dog when you get older, but there are also a lot of things that change as you enter adulthood as well. Student loans kick in after graduation, you experience heartbreak, relatives start passing away, and mental health and anxiety battles begin to kick in as you learn to navigate your way through the challenges that adulthood brings us. “Happy Graduation Day” is the anthem for the people who want to scream and jump around while singing about how growing up isn’t what it was all cracked out to be like we thought when we were younger.

Was Happy Graduation Day an easy choice for your sophomore release? 

Definitely an easy choice for us especially with all of the seniors graduating this June and we really wanted to surprise all of the new fans with a different side to Out in Front.

Clearly, you’re a band with immense synergy; how did you guys meet each other, and how long was it before you were sure you had a sound worth bringing to the airwaves? 

The story of how we all met definitely plays a huge part in our journey together as a band. Isaiah and Ryen met playing college tennis at Cal Lutheran and after graduating Isaiah began his coaching career at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, CA. Madie went to college in Nashville, TN  studying Songwriting and Music Business and made her move to LA in August of 2022 where she also began working as a tennis coach at Braemar. It took 6 months for Isaiah and Madie to realize they were both musicians and decided one day to put down their rackets and jam in Isaiah’s garage together. They knew they had the start of something special.  Isaiah and Ryen tried forming a band while they were in college and Ryen always told Isaiah “If you can find someone who can actually sing, I’ll join a band”. Nothing stuck for the two of them in college but after graduation -and with us all working together at the same club – Ryen gets a call from Isaiah saying “I found a singer” and Out in Front was officially born.

Which artists are your biggest inspirations? 

All three of us have such different musical inspirations but we think it is what makes our sound so unique. You’ll find Isaiah going crazy on the drums playing along to metalcore band Amity Affliction, Ryen vibing out to Australian rock group Spacey Jane, while Madie grew up heavily inspired by the amazing lyrics and sounds from the English rock group Florence and The Machine.

Aside from other musicians, what inspires Out in Front? 

Besides listening to music, we are all inspired by our everyday life and events that happen in this world. Every lyric Madie writes is something her or the boys have been through and we believe the best songs are about real life situations that we go through. Writing music is therapy and we hope these songs we release into this world can be the listener’s therapy as well.

What else does the future have in store for Out in Front?

We cannot wait for all of the exciting things ahead. We want to play as many shows as we can and we hope to be able to go on tour someday soon to do just that. We have so many songs ready to be released and we cannot wait for this journey to continue! We appreciate all the support we have received so far and can’t wait for what’s next.

Listen to Out in Front on Spotify, and follow their journey on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

LuisG delivered a raw indie-rock shot of redemption with ‘Second Chances’

Posted on 29 May 2024

If you paired the pensive sting of The Verve with the euphonic consolation of Nada Surf’s most heart-wrenching hits and added the rugged heart-in-throat signature of Chris Cornell, you’d come incredibly close to what LuisG created for the title single of his debut LP, Second Chances.

The track finds a tender way of advocating for redemption. Though many of us operate as though we have only known wrong when it comes from the vindictiveness of others, Second Chances prises your mind open to the reality that we’re all leagues away from perfection. Through this vulnerable, confessionally powerful release, LuisG put his heart on the line; you can’t help but follow suit as you sink into the absolution of the melodies.

LuisG, with roots in indie rock, pop, emo, and folk, is increasingly renowned for filtering his powerful melodic style and evocative storytelling through a Southern Cali lens. Based in Las Cruces, NM, he has carved out a niche for himself in both online spaces and local circles. His journey, marked by reflective and personal songwriting, has seen a progression from his first single, Waves, in January 2022 to his debut EP, Somewhere to Call Home, later that year.

Second Chances is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast