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Keane

Ian Arthur – Home (Goodbye with Grace): An Indie Psych Pop Lesson in Letting Go with Love

Ian Arthur

Ian Arthur’s seminal single, Home (Goodbye with Grace), is a poignant reflection on how goodbyes can either fuel bitterness or allow space for grace and gratitude. Instead of allowing pain and resentment to caustically consume, Arthur advocates for cherishing the warmth of someone you once called home, offering a soul-stirring lesson on love, loss, and emotional resilience.

The tenderness in Arthur’s lyricism is echoed in his vocal delivery, reminiscent of Keane and Badly Drawn Boy, as he channels a vulnerability that makes every word resonate with sustained soul. Meanwhile, the psych-pop melodies work their way through the soundscape, painting rays of colour into the darker moments of grief. In finding the equilibrium between heartbreak and hope, Ian Arthur ensured the emotional complexity of the track is never one-dimensional.

With sincerity threaded through the indie psych-pop progressions, Arthur encapsulates the weight of loss without letting it overwhelm the listener. Instead, the orchestral crescendos sweep through the track with an almost seraphic lightness, offering catharsis rather than sorrow. Don’t be surprised if you end up shedding a tear over the pull of the Beatles-reminiscent orchestral strings which are powerful enough to break the dam on your emotional floodgates.

Home (Goodbye with Grace) will hit all major streaming platforms on September 26.

Find your preferred way to listen via Ian Arthur’s official website or connect with the artist on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

San Ílios delivered retro-indie nostalgia as you’ve never known it before in ‘Wanderlust’

For their sophomore single, the up-and-coming alt-indie duo San Ílios explored a phenomenon that everyone can relate to; Wanderlust unfurls with sonic visualisations of freedom flowing throughout the indie-folk-pop production which cuts through various avenues of retro-indie nostalgia. Imagine an evocative synthesis of Radiohead, Modest Mouse and Coldplay, and you’ll get an idea of what kind of soundscape you will escape into when you hit play.

The vocal harmonies are as light and airy as the instrumentals that meld strident horn stabs with the steady ring of acoustic guitar strings, piano pop melodies and scintillatingly artful effects that allow Wanderlust to veer into art rock territory. By drawing influence from Keane, Arcade Fire, and U2, the UK-residing up-and-coming outfit gave their growing fanbase a taste of the familiar before feeding them swathes of ingenuity that will undoubtedly see them go far after the launch of their debut album.

Wanderlust was officially released on February 4th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A&R Factory Present: Mali

Mali is the alias of Maalavika Manoj, independent folk and country singer/songwriter.

Having recently shifted from Chennai to Bay city, Mali is currently collaborating with some of the independent scene’s biggest artists, all while trying to find her own sound and inspiration for her new material.

Mali has gone on to perform with some of the biggest artists from the independent scene in India, including Sapta, Dharavi Rocks, Tejas and has collaborated with Dualist Inquiry.

She has performed at the biggest venues across India and is now looking to put down her debut effort in Bombay this year.

Find out more on Mali here