Browsing Tag

jack johnson

Tyler Street’s latest indie-folk confession, ‘Faith, Wisdom, You’, is spiritual poetry in melodic motion

Posted on 31 December 2023

Candid, confessional, and captivating in equal measure, the latest single, Faith, Wisdom, You, from the Dallas-born, Napa-based singer-songwriter Tyler Street is poetry in melodic motion.

After the raw yet euphonic timbre of the acoustic guitar strings, the up-and-coming luminary cuts straight to the crux of the lyrical essence of the single, which resonantly explores a melancholic exposition of an inability to control the tides of emotion. The gentle vocal performance provides a scintillating juxtaposition to the lyricism, which carries the admission of uncontrollable anger.

With hints of Frightened Rabbit and The National within the indie folk production fused with the soulful warmth of Jack Johnson and the emotional intimacy of Elliott Smith, Tyler Street cultivated his sonic style to complement his soulful aura, which echoes the self-awareness and mindfulness inspired by his spiritual awakening. Take notes of the Eckhart Tolle-esque introspection while losing yourself in the transcendence of the guitar notes as they’re artistically amplified by the presence of chamber strings.

Faith, Wisdom, You was officially released on December 21. Stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Peter Beatty unveiled a wanderlust dreamscape with his acoustic indie folk single, Tell Me Where To Go

Posted on 13 October 2023

After picking up the best song award from the Cannes World Film Festival in 2023 and picking up more awards for his music and accompanying music videos from The London Independent Film Awards and The Independent Shorts Awards, the critically acclaimed and endlessly accoladed UK singer-songwriter Peter Beatty has unanchored his nautically meta single, Tell Me Where To Go.

With layered vocal harmonies as magnetically compelling as Jack Johnson’s and Richard Hawley’s atop honeyed and intricate acoustic instrumentation, listening to the organically resolving orchestration will set your imagination alight, awaken even the most dormant of wanderlust proclivities, and unequivocally convince you that in this generation of singer-songwriters, few can infuse their elysian soundscapes with a paralleled shot of alchemy.

I couldn’t think of a more stunning way of attesting to the fact that life is little more than a collection of explorations, whether that’s inwards, towards another, or into territories that will show us pieces of ourselves we never knew existed. Great songs stir emotions; superlative ones have what it takes to reconceptualise your take on existence in a few lyrical lines. Beatty is definitively in the latter camp. Someone exhume and tell Sartre I’ve just found the cure for existentialism.

Tell Me Where To Go hit the airwaves on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leo breaks through the heartbreak in his indie-soul single, Helicopter Leaves

Posted on 16 January 2022

If you like your RnB fed through plenty of wobbly tape echo delay, the up and coming artist Leo’s latest single, Helicopter Leaves, is exactly the kind of hazy indie RnB pop catharsis you want to delve into. In sentiment, Helicopter Leaves is a bitter-sweet release that explores the memories and emotions shared with an ex, but Leo never bows to the melancholy; he keeps the tone as bright as his infectious optimism.

It was a bold move to try and make it with Leo as a mononym, but based on Helicopter Leaves, he has the right amount of talent and soulful warmth to do exactly that. If anyone is this generation’s answer to Jack Johnson, it is the 24-year old Massachusetts-hailing singer-songwriter that entrenches his work in his deep spirituality and determination to connect the dots that nature leaves creatives to play with.

Helicopter Leaves is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie-soul singer Evan Meulemans mainlines optimism into his latest single, Morning Fades.

Posted on 11 December 2021

US singer-songwriter Evan Meulemans’ fresh fusion sound is a cocktail of indie, reggae, Americana, blues, and his authentic brand of soul. If his sound has evaded you so far, his single, Morning Fades, is the most affable introduction to his meaningful approach to music.

With his effortless out-reaching bluesy indie vocals falling into a Grammy-worthy instrumental score that will instantly melt fans of Jack Johnson, Brett Dennen and Cas Hayley, Morning Fades leaves you questioning how Meulemans isn’t already a household name.

Like all his music, Morning Fades compels the listener to find the beauty in what can often feel like a loveless world. His advocation for harnessing love, creating balance and seeking contentment and connection is exactly what we need on the airwaves. Especially given the timeless resound of his optimistically-rendered sound.

Morning Fades is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vanedergast

Find the silver lining in A-Mar’s bluesy indie single, Raining in New Orleans.

Posted on 20 September 2021

Even though using the weather as a parable for complex emotions isn’t exactly novel, independent bedroom pop artist A-Mar’s single, Raining in New Orleans, proves there’s still plenty of poignant poetry to be pulled from our stormy, unpredictable weather systems.

Vocally, there is plenty of reminiscence to the likes of Jack Johnson, but it is in the instrumentals where A-Mar truly comes into his own. His soulful infusion of indie, blues and jazz in the cathartically laidback single sets him leagues apart from his contemporaries and icons alike. If this is what he can achieve alone in his bedroom, we’re all too eager to hear where the future takes him and his tender, instantly magnetic expression.

Raining in New Orleans is now available to stream along with the artist’s debut album, Around El Mundo, via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rob Quo leads the conversation with his vintage psych-pop single, ‘Talkin’ Bout the Truth’.

Posted on 8 July 2021

London-based Singer-songwriter and emissary of soul, Rob Quo, has released his EP, Let It Spin, which captures his vintage-inclined style at its most accordant and psychedelic.

If you can imagine what it would sound like if the Zombies covered ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’, you’ll get an idea of the hazily sticky-sweet vibe Rob Quo orchestrated with the lead single; Talkin’ Bout the Truth.

The EP marks the singer-songwriter’s transition away from folk and blues and into the realm of experimental aural eclecticism. With an LP in the works, due for release in 2022, the old school crooner is well worth a spot on your radar.

Talkin’ Bout the Truth is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Follow Rob Quo via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Litters has unleashed the ultimate Indie feel-good hit with the sonically ensnaring single ‘Diamond Eyes’

Posted on 12 December 2020

Brisbane-based singer-songwriter, Litters, has unleashed their fiery New Wave Indie track ‘Diamond Eyes’. If you could imagine what it would sound like if Arcade Fire and Jack Johnson collaborated, you’ll get an idea of how Litters pulled off the perfect balance of sonic energy and tender intricacy.

With an enticing rhythmic command complete with angularly hypnotic guitar, a smorgasbord of influences stylistically banded together and a significant serving of authentic aural ingenuity, Diamond Eyes is about as efficacious as a blackhole when it comes to pulling you in.

Diamond Eyes isn’t just radio-ready, it should be topping the Indie charts.

You can check out Diamond Eyes for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tyler Cohen – How I Feel: Confessionally Captivating Dark Americana Folk Pop

Posted on 14 November 2020

Tyler Cohen’s latest single ‘How I Feel’ is a confessional Americana Folk Pop masterpiece. Winding bluesy notes coalesce with cold, choppy, jarring chord progressions to create a deeply ardent instrumental arrangement which Tyler Cohen’s vocals eventually join.

If you could imagine Jack Johnson on his darkest day, you’d be close to the mark getting an idea of the alluring magnetism in Tyler Cohen’s melancholy. There’s a slight gothic tinge to the wistfully lovelorn track, but the soul which emanates from the vocals harmoniously cuts right through giving How I Feel a dreamy Southern Americana air.

You can check out Tyler Cohen’s single How I Feel via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pete invites us to find comfort in uncertainty with their latest single “I Don’t Know”

Posted on 22 August 2020
https://peteymacd.com/track/2347032/i-don-t-know-love-again

“Can I love again?” is one of the most soul-crushing questions we can ask ourselves. Up and coming Indie artist Pete used that agonising precariousness and conjecture to create their latest single “I Don’t Know (Love Again).

Some days leave us with more questions than answers. this sublimely mellifluous single is a soothing reminder that absence of certainty doesn’t always need to be synonymous with misery.

The grooving Indie Folk Pop track has Jack Johnson-vibes to offer, along with a smorgasbord of Pete’s own authentic style which brings plenty of accordantly melodic soul to the soundscape.

With the vibrantly warm tone of the track, it’s impossible to entertain any cynical absolutist thoughts about the future. If you’re in a relationship, put it on your playlists. Just in case.

You can listen to I Don’t Know yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A&R Factory Present: Enok Amran

Posted on 3 January 2017

Enok Amrani is a Norwegian singer and songwriter from a middle-sized town called Porsgrunn. His music, which is driven by the lyrics, often moves in a melancholic landscape with elements from different styles like rock,soul and country.

Enok says “I grew up in a family where music was a central part. Both my parents played the guitar and sang together in our home, and occasionally in different churches. I started playin’ the guitar at the age of 12, and started singing a few years later. The music has always been a hobby with a few small gigs each year since 2011. During those years I started writing my own songs, and a desire to present them for an audience grew more and more until 2015, when I decided to see if I could go somewhere with my music”

In 2016 things starting to happen, Enko was given the opportunity to record some of his songs which has now landed in our demo pile!

Take a listen and go and be his new friend! https://www.facebook.com/amranimusic/