Browsing Tag

Phoebe Bridgers

Succumb to the sonorous resonance in Sophie Lilah’s latest indie dream pop single, Hazy

Posted on 29 December 2023

Sophie Lilah’s latest single, Hazy, took a few leaves from the songwriting books of Big Thief and Angel Olsen but left plenty of room for her own dreamy indie pop innovation by crafting a soundscape that entwines the ethereal with profoundly grounding magnetism as the lyrics traverse stratospheres of emotion and experience.

The song is a breath-taking ode to its title, sweeping listeners up in melodiously airy tides that reveal new depths with each listen. It’s a dreamscape that keeps giving, a testament to Lilah’s ingenuity and ability to create music that resonates on multiple levels.

There’s something so seductive about surrendering to the soul in the melodies that have been polished to indie pop perfection and strike a delicate balance between accessibility and depth in the ambience which alchemically becomes intimately expansive. The themes of longing, boredom, guilt over laziness, and everyday maladies are handled with a deft touch, offering resonance and relatable catharsis in no short measure. Her lyrics transcend language to open windows to her vulnerable yet juxtaposing empowered soul. We can’t rate Sophie Lilah highly enough. Get her on your radar and anticipate her next ahead of the curve move.

Hazy was officially released with the B-side single, Take Back the Power, on December 19. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BLOCKED personified stoicism in her ethereal alt-indie single, I Don’t Mind

Posted on 3 November 2023
BLOCKED

The Melbourne-based Singaporean singer-songwriter BLOCKED reached the epitome of ethereal magnetism in her artfully quiescent self-produced single, I Don’t Mind.

After some of the most accordant and assured acoustic guitar chord progressions I have ever aurally bore witness to in the intro, the single intensifies in ornate beguile through the introduction of quiescent chamber strings which swell around the shoegaze-y vocal lines, which will captivate fans of Cigarettes After Sex and Elliott Smith.

I Don’t Mind is just one chapter in the four-part story of growth and resilience told through the artist’s forthcoming EP, which encapsulates mastering the art of letting go. Socrates couldn’t have said it better himself.

I Don’t Mind will be released ahead of the highly-anticipated 4-track EP, no worries, which is due for release on November 17th. Stream I Don’t Mind on all major platforms via this link.

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!

Fair Verona roll their cigarettes with ‘Starlight’ in their latest evocative alt indie pop single.

Posted on 26 July 2022

‘Starlight’ is the latest sorrowfully ornate single from the Charlottesville, Virginia-hailing up-and-coming alt-pop duo, Fair Verona. In a sea of Phoebe Bridgers, Angel Olsen, Daughter and Lorde assimilators, Fair Verona gracefully went against the tide in their raw candour led soundscape.

While the lyrics bite into your sense of empathy, delicate piano keys and the twilight textures envelop you in their efficacious ethereal catharsis. It is impossible not to take on the emotional weight of the single. Unless you are a complete sociopath, in which case, I pity your immunity to the lush spacey blows hammered home by Mickey Vaughan’s evocatively glistening vocal timbre.

Check out the alternative mix of Starlight by heading over to YouTube.

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

tuesday nite has made their ambient indie rock debut with the harmony-driven single, following after me

Posted on 1 July 2022

The harmony-driven ambient indie-rock duo, tuesday nite, came together during the pandemic through a shared love of tiny desk concerts, even more compact harmonies and indie contemporaries, such as Pinegrove and Phoebe Bridgers.

Now, they’re here with their debut self-titled release, featuring the lead single, following after me. If Mazzy Star and Vanessa Carlton met in the alt-90s middle, the convergence of evocative style would undoubtedly emulate the same radiant warmth in following after me.

The yearning love song stridently triumphs in depicting the bitter lows and the highs that leave a perpetual need for that co-writer in our lives to make a return. In every conceivable way, the unpretentiously expressive single floors you with the fluency of its expression. Debuts this impressive don’t come along every day. Get them on your radar.

Following after me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tel Aviv’s latest luminary, ViRa has released her jazzy soul-pop debut EP, Non-Fiction.

Posted on 31 January 2022

The Tel Aviv-based singer-songwriter ViRa has released her highly anticipated debut EP, Non-Fiction; a collection of songs composed to become unmistakably yours. The jazzy nuances in the soulful pop textures retain their elegance right the way through her raw soundscapes, especially in the standout single, Traveling Face, which she uses to confess that home is not a place to her. The sonic signature in Traveling Face almost finds the middle ground between Phoebe Bridgers, Amy Winehouse, Nora Jones and Adele but all reminiscences are extremely fleeting in the presence of the artist’s distinction.

The singer-songwriter has been writing songs since the age of 8, along with the influence of her musical parents; she also took influence from the likes of King Crimson (that would explain the artfully entrancing elements) and Coldplay for her authentically ambitious sound.

Traveling Face is now available to stream on Spotify along with ViRa’s debut EP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast
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Audrey Scout turns visceral emotion into ethereally hazy vibes in her indie single Sunday.

Posted on 21 January 2022

SoCal-born and raised artist, Audrey Scout, is here with her recently released single, Sunday. It’s the perfect introduction to the indie singer-songwriter’s indulgent ability to turn visceral emotion into ethereally smooth soundscapes.

Any fans of Tom Odell, Daughter, and Phoebe Bridgers will find themselves equally as enamoured by the quiescence in this stunningly poised release that lets the emotion flow as though the Hoover Dam has just burst. Audrey Scout may still be finding her feet in the industry but on the basis of her stellar songwriting skills, ability to spin a soul-wrenching bitter-sweet melody and create a captivating atmosphere with her vocal timbre alone, she’s definitely one to watch. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Sunday is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alternative singer-songwriter Laura Lang shares artful introspection in her debut single, Lithium

Posted on 3 January 2022

Tennessee-based independent singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Laura Lang is fresh from the release of her debut single, Lithium. With a voice as arresting as Angel Olsen and Phoebe Bridgers and the artful baroque nuances, you can’t help getting caught up in the captivating chord structures paired with the pop-inspired melodies.

After a melancholy bleeding intro, Lithium shifts into a testament of Lang’s introspective intellect, creative imagination and ability to create an ethereally captivating soundscape from the unravelling of her emotions.

With her debut album, All Downhill from There, which promises to echo suffering, beauty and nature due for release in January 2022, saving space on your radar for Laura Lang will undoubtedly pay off. Her debut single, Lithium, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast