Browsing Tag

Manchester Indie

Lynden. accentuated the sweetness in his bitter-sweet indie symphony, You

Posted on 9 August 2023

Jumping off raw emotion as a precipice, the Manchester-based Indie singer-songwriter, Lynden. delved deep when orchestrating and writing his love song, You.

His husky-with-melancholy vocal harmonies make his porously impassioned lyrical proclamations even sweeter to fall into as they ring as assuredly as the gentle acoustic guitar chords against the angular guitar fretwork.

The Cigarettes After Sex inspiration is easily legible within the euphonic atmosphere, but Lynden. stopped at wearing the inspiration on his sleeve instead of assimilating the whole outfit in his quintessentially authentic hit that you’ll need to prise from my playlists from my cold, dead hands.

With John Davis (Blur, Jamie T, The Kooks, Inhaler) in charge of mastering, there was little chance of You falling flat. I always keep my ear to the ground for fresh original acts in my home city; Lynden. was the first artist in a long time that made me prick them up.

You will be available to stream You on all major platforms, including SoundCloud, from August 9th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Green Wire launched their latest indie-rock attack ‘Upside Down, Inside Out’

Posted on 9 September 2022

“Upside Down, Inside Out” is the latest feat of era-spanning indie pop rock from the Manchester raconteurs of raucous innovation, Green Wire.

With notes of garage rock, pop punk and 80s rock fusing to create their dynamic sonic signature, Green Wire are by far one of the most authentic Manchester up-and-coming powerhouses as of late – a fact I can fully attest to as a fellow Mancunian. This high-powered frenetic earworm is sure to see the cheeky fourpiece go far.

Upside Down, Inside Out will officially release on September 2nd. Check it out via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Manchester’s Dakota Avenue cry out for sanctity in their indie anthem, Slap Me Silly

Posted on 3 June 2022

No feeling can compare to hearing a sentiment that you’ve only ever heard reverberating around the most private corners of your mind versed through compassionately honeyed vocals. And that is exactly what the Manchester-based outfit, Dakota Avenue, delivers through their latest single, Slap Me Silly. Far from a masochistic howl into the void, Slap Me Silly claws into the soul-biting issue of needing someone that knows you enough to offer a firm guiding hand to pull you back into a state of sanctity.

It is about time Manchester’s music scene stopped being defined by nostalgia and started to revolve around the contemporary crafted resonance delivered by acts as energizingly profound as Dakota Avenue. Their indie jangle-pop melodies, cataclysmic crescendos and 80s-inspired synths are a hotbed of evocatively charged stylised alchemy.

But Dakota Avenue certainly hasn’t failed to gain traction; they’ve garnered radio play from Amazing Radio and XS Manchester, performed live sessions for BBC Introducing and played to thousands at festivals, and garnered critical acclaim from across the board. As a fellow Mancunian, I wouldn’t hesitate to sell Dakota Avenue as one of the hottest acts this side of the Mersey.

Slap Me Silly is due for official release on June 3rd; check it out for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flying Oceans lit up the Manchester music scene with their soul-stirring funk-rock fusion, Circles

Posted on 26 May 2022

The Manchester music scene became infinitely richer for the latest release from the funk-rock pioneers, Flying Oceans. If you can imagine what it would have sounded like if Incubus abstracted their plaintiveness and implanted unbridled soul, you will get an idea of the stirring alchemy that Circles delivered.

With the guitars consistently transitioning between roots-deep funk chops and jangly Marr-Esque rhythm and the seductively low basslines bringing just as much gravitas as Mr Bungle’s, Circles has all the makings of a playlist staple for anyone that wants to find a slice of aural solace in our disjointing times where it’s all but impossible to find rhyme or reason away from the airwaves.

Hear Flying Oceans’ latest single, Circles, here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Manchester’s most ethereal synth-folk artist, Test Card Girl, is transcendent in her latest single, Fly

Posted on 2 March 2022

From the definitive home of UK indie, the Manchester-based synth-folk artist, Test Card Girl, is here with their intricately alternative Kraftwerk-inspired single, Fly.

Her choral folk vocals float into the slightly Avant-Garde, endlessly ethereal electronica progressions as the lyrics navigate the stir craziness that lockdown stirred inside all of us. In their own words, “It is a rallying cry to stand up and walk to nowhere”, inspired in part by the colliery bands in British mining towns.

With Seadna McPhail (Airtight Studios) on production and the I am Kloot drummer, Andy Hargreaves, responsible for production, this Arts Council-funded single was worth every penny. There really is no understating how much its gentle gravitas cuts straight to the core of frustration while exploring art in the context of desolation.

Fly, the second single from Test Card Girl’s debut EP, was released on February 25th. You can hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud, Spotify and Bandcamp.

Keep up to date with new releases from Test Card Girl by following on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Life is but a dark dream in Fox Evades’ latest indie-pop single, Strange Forever

Posted on 27 February 2022

If you ever needed definitive proof that no city breeds dark indie like Manchester, delve into the atmosphere in Fox Evades’ latest single, Strange Forever.

With a beguiling vocal style reminiscent of Jo Bevan from Desperate Journalist paired with the instrumentals that will remind you why you fell for post-punk and new wave in the first place, Strange Forever is an indulgent hit of tonal nostalgia.

When it comes to the substance in this viscerally evocative confession, Fox Evades well and truly stands in a league of their own. There comes a time in every outlier’s life when we acknowledge that we will never grow into normalcy; Strange Forever captures those cutting feelings while unifying the similarly minded with the lyrical affirmation that it’s a choice to be alone.

Strange Forever will officially release on February 25th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fox Evades – soaring, spacious dreampop with ‘Someday’

Posted on 24 June 2021

Fox Evades is the solo project of Manchester-born singer songwriter and producer Jordan Mae. Following up the success of debut single ‘The Heart That Drowned’ and follow-up ‘Bira’, both of which garnered interest from BBC Introducing’s Hannah Fletcher, comes third single ‘Someday’.

A soaring, spacious three minutes of echoey dream-pop, reminiscent of Desperate Journalist, Belly, Slowdive, or The Cure, ‘Someday’ is deliciously gentle and atmospheric, tangibly breakable and ethereal, with a picked repeating guitar line that could have come straight from Three Imaginary Boys or Seventeen Seconds, and Mae’s haunting, delicate voice evocative of Tanya Donelly or Toni Halliday on vocal duties.

It’s truly excellent, and a beautiful, ephemeral taster for Fox Evades’ debut EP due out later this year. You can hear Someday on Spotify; follow Fox Evades on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Sham Chewali puts a silver lining on our post-truth society with ‘The Unelectable Liar’

Posted on 10 May 2021

For his latest single, Manchester’s singer-songwriter, Sam Chewali, served a roots-deep slice of Rock n Roll. Behind the nuancedly psychotropic Stone Roses and Charlatans reminiscences which give Chewali an undeniablely Manchester sound, you’ll hear his intricate bluesy guitar lead work and frenetic keys throwing back to the 50s.

The Unelectable Liar was penned as a rhythmic high-vibe protest track to point out the absurdity and injustice which came through the vilification of the best Prime Minister we never had. Singles such as The Unelectable Liar are the silver linings to living in a post-truth corrupt society.

The Unelectable Liar is due for release on June 1st. You’ll be able to hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Keep up to date with their new releases via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Susie Jones – Emmeline: Hauntingly Sonorous Indie Acoustic Folk

Posted on 23 March 2020

https://susiejonesband.bandcamp.com/track/emmeline

Manchester Singer-Songwriter Susie Jones has stripped Indie Acoustic Folk right back to its roots with the quiescently powerful single “Emmeline”.

The instrumentals may be minimalistic, but that just leaves more room for the sonorous vocals to resonate within the soundscape.

Rather than constructing your average track following archetypal songwriting structures, Susie Jones utilises the power of improvisation to orchestrate a truly captivating aural experience.

Time may as well stand still while you are listening to Emmeline. It drips serenity whilst abstracting you from your own introspection, although your emotive responses will be well and truly present.

Emmeline is just one of the accordantly haunting singles which you’ll find on Susie Jones’ 2020 album “Not So Far Apart”. You can listen to it in full by heading over to Bandcamp now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fonzarelii is set to make their debut with the Indie Synth Pop single “Reflections”

Posted on 16 March 2020

There’s no shortage of Synth-Pop artists, yet, up and coming Manchester-based producer Fonzarelii has proven that when accordant ingenuity is at the heart of the mix, there’s always room for more synthy futuristic tones on the airwaves.

Fonzarelii is set to release their debut single “Reflections” featuring gently ensnaring vocals from Ronan Harding which find perfect synergy with the dreamy melodic electronic instrumentals.

Reflections isn’t just a polished mix, emotion seeps from each aural pore in the soundscape making it a transfixing listen from start to finish.

Evidently, Manchester has bred yet another exceptional artist. When sentiment and emotion resonate like they do in Reflections, it’s practically impossible to find a flaw in the track.

You’ll have to wait until April 6^th, 2020 to check out Reflections which will be available to stream via all major streaming platforms including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast