Browsing Tag

Mitski

Ava Valianti’s ‘Wishing Well’ is a Diaphanous Dive into Lost Innocence

Posted on 10 December 2024

At just 15, Ava Valianti has already mastered the art of weaving raw emotion into new-wave indie pop. With her latest single, ‘Wishing Well’, the Massachusetts singer-songwriter delivers a reverie-rich production that captures the ache of growing up and the bittersweet nostalgia for the innocence of youth.

Inspired by childhood memories, Ava channels her reflections on the fading simplicity of youth into soaring harmonies and sweeping melodies. Thematically, ‘Wishing Well’ resounds with longing and hope, its diaphanous textures sonically illustrating the vulnerability of clinging to the magic of belief. Ava’s lyrical candour doesn’t just invite listeners into her world; it offers them a mirror to their own experiences of inevitable change and loss. Her ability to find clarity in bittersweet moments transforms each note into a visceral connection.

Standing alongside her earlier singles—‘Bubble Wrap’, ‘Middle Ground’, and ‘January’—this track showcases her ability to fuse introspective lyrics with literally and figuratively haunting melodies. With comparisons to indie luminaries like Mitski and First Aid Kit easily and rightfully drawn, her trajectory has been meteoric, already earning her 10k monthly listeners, a nomination for the New England Music Awards’ “Pop Act of the Year,” and praise from over 60 radio stations across the US.

Ava’s music is a force propelling her into the heart of indie supremacy, and ‘Wishing Well’ solidifies her place as an artist who creates vessels of unfiltered soul, poised to resonate with listeners across generations.

Wishing Well was officially released on November 22nd; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lia Woods bleached the airwaves with her indie pop hit, Blonde

Posted on 31 March 2024

Lia Woods’ ‘Blonde’ is an indie pop sophomore release to die for; fans of Lucy Dacus, Big Thief, Angel Olsen, and Mitski will be consumed by the raw visceralism of the emotionally turbulent release which sonically heightens the profound experience of soaking in confessionalism.

The LA-based singer-songwriter’s aching narration of striking lyricism filters into the dark, melodic, and broodingly intimate atmosphere of the single to depict the jarring emotional tumultuousness of going through the motions of heartbreak and the compulsion to tear yourself away from the person you were in that relationship to abstract yourself from the agony of being a person worth abandoning.

Lia Woods couldn’t have feasibly built more anticipation for her debut EP, Teething, with her follow-up to her debut single, Fevering. From the juxtapositions between indie, pop, rock, and shoegaze and her own signature ‘bubblegrunge’ synthesis to how her voice feels sharper than being impaled by a thousand knives, Blonde is a phenomenal release which will stand the test of time.

Blonde hit the airwaves on March 22; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Glenna Jane released the most cerebral indie pop hit of the summer with ‘Late Bloomer’

Posted on 8 July 2023

Indie rock got into the sheets of hook-filled bedroom pop with Glenna Jane’s latest single, Late Bloomer. With the high-octane energy of Paramore, the intimacy of Mitski and the absorbing gravitas of Phoebe Bridgers, Late Bloomer is set to take Glenna Jane’s career to stratospheric new heights.

Late Bloomer lyrically delivers a fatal shot to the kinds of fuckboys who use words as a means to an end instead of an expression of the truth to deliver visceral resonance to anyone who can relate to the line “I don’t like you as much when we talk, and you say you’re in love, I know you’re just lying to get inside me”.

And that is just the tip of the crucifying iceberg in Late Bloomer, which Glenna Jane used to embolden herself and her audience through vindicatingly honest candour. The poetically meta propensities of Late Bloomer made the single the most cerebral hit of the summer. We can’t wait to hear where the Brooklyn-based storyteller takes her sharp wit next as she continues to embody the complexity of identity, intimacy and attachment.

Stream Late Bloomer from July 7th on SoundCloud and Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MANELLA “Young Girls” Ought to Appeal to Audiences of all Ages!

Posted on 13 March 2023

If you’re looking for a fresh new voice in the world of music, MANELLA (Maria Jimenez) is an artist you need to check out. Her song “Young Girls” is a stunning example of her talent as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. With a blend of genres that is all her own, Manella creates a performance that is both memorable and moving.

Her vocals are enthralling, drawing you in with every lyric and note. She has a powerful stage presence that makes you feel as if you’re right there with her, experiencing every emotion. And her songwriting is nothing short of incredible. With a feminist lens, she tackles subjects of loss, love, and strength in a way that is both honest and heartbreaking.

Manella’s recent graduation from McGill’s Schulich School of Music with a double major in Jazz Performance: Voice and Composition is just the beginning of what promises to be an incredible career. Her debut album, “Songs My Mother Never Taught Me,” is an autobiographical account of heartbreak, mental health, objectification, and the loss of innocence in your 20s. It’s a powerful statement from an artist who is just getting started.

If you’re a fan of Joni Mitchell, Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, or Fiona Apple, you’ll love what Manella brings to the table. She’s an extraordinary musician with a dedication, ambition, and command of the stage that is truly a force to be reckoned with. “Young Girls” is just the beginning of what promises to be an amazing musical journey. Don’t miss out on this rising star!

Ancestral pain emanates in Million Pebble Beach’s latest beguilingly awakening Witches

Posted on 6 November 2022

In modern culture, witches are often painted with crooked noses and broomsticks beside them; Million Pebble Beach’s latest single, Witches, paints them as what they always were, women powerful enough to evoke enough fear to drive men to burn them at the stake.

That archaic form of misogyny has shifted with the ages but remains just as pertinent in our regression-tainted cultural tapestry. The deep ancestral pain emanates through this sombre yet juxtaposing uplifting single that shimmers with tonal and lyrical beguile as their strength and power is celebrated.

The Hertfordshire-based solo artist has made quite the name for herself with her cinematic and poetic piano oeuvre since 2018, which any fans of Mitski and Phoebe Bridgers will find playlist-worthy,

Witches is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Orlando indie-folk singer-songwriter Faae spoke for us all in her Anthropocene-conscious single, summer song

Posted on 2 July 2022

Ahead of the release of their debut EP themed around derealization and identity in this smouldering Anthropocene, the Orlando indie-folk artist, Faae, has shared her gracefully haunting single, summer song.

In their own words, summer song is “shining a light at the end of the world”, and heartbreakingly, the lyricism gets even more profound as it explores the mental ties that get taut and tormenting when we try to make positive moves. “it is hard to be better when there is no one to account for you” is a lyric not easily forgotten.

In the style of Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski and Daughter, the instrumentals confound the expressive and vulnerable nature of single with the raw, ragged and still sublime acoustic textures that anyone with a pulse will want to surrender to. I haven’t felt this excited about Indie folk since I discovered Big Thief. And I’m pretty sure I won’t be the only one utterly captivated by Faae.

summer song will officially release on July 2nd as part of the artist’s debut EP, rudolph. Check it out on SoundCloud and follow Faae on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast