Browsing Tag

power-pop

Horizons lose all meaning in the ennui of Hello London’s indie rock reinvention of pop-punk, Garden

Posted on 25 December 2023
Patterns by Hello London

How infectious can melancholy be? Hit play on the latest standout single, Garden, from the Buffalo-hailing indie songwriter Hello London (James Froese) and feel the earworm burying into your psyche.

Embodying the same lamenting energy that made I Miss You by Blink-182 a cult phenomenon while experimenting with a fusion of pop punk, power pop, jangle pop and 00s indie ensured that Garden is a modernised sonic sign of the disenfranchised times.

As we all mourn that the landscapes of our lives appear the same but no longer bring us the same sense of meaning, we can all find ourselves in the resonance of the work of the solo artist, who has remained prolific since his 2021 debut.

3 EPs, an LP and a series of shows across the Northeast opening for the likes of Crimson Riot, Sincere Engineer and Covey down, the only way is up for Hello London and his command over nostalgically reinvented melodic lines. With a new LP in the works and ready for release in 2024, everyone who never fully grew out of their emo phase will want to save a space for Hello London on their radar.

Garden is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp as part of the Patterns EP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rooftop Screamers metamorphosed nihilism into euphoria with their power pop hit, Dead in the Water

Posted on 23 December 2023

With angular echoes of Interpol-esque lines feeding into the palpitatingly anticipation-rife instrumental arrangement, the prelude and opening verse in Rooftop Screamers‘ latest single, Dead in the Water, throws you into the depth of the earworm headfirst before the subsequent verses veer from Placebo reminiscence to exuding the fervid electricity found within the Manic Street Preacher tracks that know exactly how to melodically ignite the soul.

It is a significant sonic shift from the sound Rooftop Screamers used to gain our attention earlier this year. They’ve left the dreaminess and romanticism of Another Life behind the anthemic 90s Britpop adrenaline, but you’ll still be enveloped by the scintillating synths as they add colour to the guitar lines which may as well have been riffed by James Dean Bradfield himself.

The track featuring Rob Daiker is an impossible-to-ignore attestation to the cultivated gravitas of the Portland-hailing award-winning singer-songwriter who alchemically metamorphosed nihilism into euphoria for superlative power pop catharsis.

Dead in the Water was officially released on December 15; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Diablofurs’ Vampires of Rome will sink its teeth into the heart of any power pop fans.

Posted on 21 October 2023

Imagine Sonic Youth came to fame on this side of the Atlantic, they displaced their distorted guitars with analogue synths, and punky power pop ran in the veins of Goo, and you will get an idea of what Diablofurs consummately concocted with the lead single, Vampires of Rome, from their forthcoming album, Welcome to the City of Fun.

The deeply affecting atmosphere in the verses of Vampires of Rome, which holds an alchemic candle to Echo and the Bunnymen, makes the crescendos even more sonically transcendent to experience. While just about anything with a hook gets labelled as an earworm in these lazy days of music journalism, the infectious appeal of Vampires of Rome is far too intoxicating to experience once. From the first shoegazey rings of euphonic bliss from the guitars in the intro to the Teenage Kicks-y energy when the track reaches its momentum, the nostalgic sense of fabled romanticism will sucker diehard romantics and those whose souls haven’t been stirred viscerally since the 80s.

After receiving critical acclaim from Vive Le Rock, being lauded and spun by 6 Music and BBC Introducing and performing unforgettable shows at Rebellion, the Nottingham-based outfit is set to take the scene by storm with their sophomore release.

Pre-order the sophomore LP, which is due for official release on October 27, from Rough Trade and ensure it sells out as fast as the debut album.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get your teenage kicks from Sweetboy’s latest indie power-pop installation of nostalgia, Day in the Park

Posted on 14 October 2023

If you are looking for a new indie-pop outfit to get your teenage kicks from, or reminisce from kicks from yesteryear, get ready for the impact of Sweetboy’s latest single, Day in the Park.

After finding each other on Craigslist in 2018, the founding members, Anna Barnett and Jon Flores, put momentum into their dream of pursuing a music career; armed with classical piano training and a background in English Literature respectively, Sweetboy took the NYC scene by storm when they started to tour the live circuit and amass more members.

With the demureness of Debbie Harry, the vocal lines will draw you right into the nostalgic gravity of the release, which bolsters itself with soaring riffs between the cutting angular guitars and a solid backbeat that feeds you all the power pop furore you could ask for.

A Day in the Park is the first single to be released from the debut LP of the same title; if you like your vibrato vocals to be affecting and instrumentals infectious in their sticky-sweet retro glamour, save a space on your radar.

Day in the Park was officially released on September 22; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Snir Yamin genre bends and transcends boundaries with the alt-pop aesthetic in Aftermath

Posted on 5 October 2023

With an eclectic synthesis of pop influences and an ability to weave them into a stunning pop aesthetic, Snir Yamin refreshed the airwaves with his euphoric take on pop-rock when he released his sophomore single, Aftermath.

The power pop licks tend to the wounds inflicted by a bitter-sweet heartbreak where promises were broken and dreams were left unmanifested while the new wave synths bring the track right up to speed with the contemporary curve before his heartfelt authenticity superlatively surpasses it.

The viscerally tender release is the perfect introduction to the indie singer-songwriter’s determination to stir the souls of anyone who ventures onto one of his expertly crafted sonic landscapes. It’s an earworm that you will never want to let go of.

Aftermath was officially released on September 21; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Strange Neighbors grooved to a ‘Quiet Beat’ in their latest power pop single

Posted on 21 August 2023
Quiet Beat - Single by Strange Neighbors

NYC power pop outfit Strange Neighbors gave their vocal melodies all the country twang of an early Taylor Swift record in their latest single, Quiet Beat while allowing their retro sonic aesthetic to strip away the past few decades and safely transplant you into the sanctum of the 90s.

Between Aidan’s vocals and Zach’s guitars, there’s a sticky-sweet brand of alchemy that won’t fail to intoxicate you when the jangly chorus, which reminisces with the tones popularised by the Psychedelic Furs, is in full swing.

Quiet Beat is just one of the meticulously manicured singles crafted by the groove-driven outfit which has been spilling colourful aural euphoria onto the streets of New York City since 2018 by staying committed to their MO of orchestrating earworms you would need a concussion to forget.

Quiet Beat will officially release on September 14th; until then, stream and purchase the single via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fantastic Shams walk the ‘Crooked Line’ in their latest psychedelic proto-punk trip

Posted on 20 July 2023
Crooked Line by Fantastic Shams

Nostalgia may be a factor, but by no means is it a solitary driving force in the latest single, Crooked Line, from the Indianapolis-hailing prodigal sons of psychedelic proto-punk, Fantastic Shams.

The vintage-toned rhythms take the wheel in the feel-good hit, which allows you to revisit by-gone eras by a path never taken, while the kaleidoscopic colour that spills across the unpredictably wild progressions gives the soundscape the sticky-sweet propensity of an infectious earworm.

With catchy power-pop guitar hooks to draw you into the centre of the release, Fantastic Shams will have any fans of The Heartbreakers, The Stooges, and Velvet Underground eating out of the palms of their melodic hands.

Crooked Lines is taken from the forthcoming debut LP, Play Fantastic Games Win Fantastic Prizes, which will traverse themes of loss, love, and alienation through a social commentative lens.

Stream and Purchase Crooked Line via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marc Ambrosia is over sentimentialism in his devilishly clever post-breakup single, Cold Shoulder

Posted on 16 October 2022

Born and raised New Jersey native Marc Ambrosia created the breakup track to end all others with his latest single, Cold Shoulder, which captures the sweetness of freedom in the spicey lyrics which go in the opposite direction of sentimentalising.

With resonantly devilish lines such as “Misery loves company, but I hate that you’re so close to me” and “too much of a good thing, was it any good at all? you can’t help but fall in love with his realist uninhibited candour.

With the same fiery energy of Pat Benatar’s Hit Me with Your Best Shot in the chorus, the intricately bluesy rock meets power pop single is a surefire way to pull anyone out of a self-pity pit. His lyricism is god-tier level, and his hooky instrumental loops aren’t far behind that celestial plateau.

Catch Cold Shoulder on SoundCloud and await the third LP, EDGE, which is set to drop on October 28th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The transatlantic duo Post Suitcase unpack heartbreak in their debut single, Under This Hood

Posted on 30 September 2022

The debut single, Under This Hood, from the British/American indie-rockers Post Suitcase, euphonically bridges the transatlantic sonic gap. With blisters of Britpop bursting between the American overtones in the post-breakup track, it’s impossible not to get entwined in the narrative, which explores the tendency of others to put the token effort in when it comes to consoling and checking in on the recently heartbroken.

We’ve all been there, although notably, we’re not all capable of forging lyrical gold, “I’ll walk where the grass still grows, where my friends still smile but they really don’t know that, under this hood, is a lot of dead wood.” With the momentum ebbing and crescendoing through the release, which comes with the meditatively artful ease of the trumpet glossing over the angular indie guitars, Under This Hood is as cathartic as it is heartbreaking.

Debut releases don’t get much more promising than this. We’re hoping that Post Suitcase has more emotional intimacy and intellect to unpack in future releases.

Under This Hood will officially release on September 30th; catch it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MOVIE MOVIE shine on in their glamorously cinematic single, Bright Lights

Posted on 11 September 2022
NOW PLAYING by MOVIE MOVIE

Psychedelic Furs fans will want to clamour around the latest glamorously cinematic rock n roll meets power pop single, Bright Lights, from NYC’s new-found finest, MOVIE MOVIE.

With the psychedelically upbeat melodies that come with a swoon-some bite and Beach Boys backing harmonies, objectivity quickly falls to the wayside while Bright Lights is tonally shimmering into your synapses. While the lyrics set up the narrative of a lonesome wannabe starlet, the synths transport you away from this intrepid era and plant you into one where James Dean and Hepburn reigned supreme.

Bright Lights was officially released on July 22nd. Check it out for yourselves on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast