Baltimore-based singer-songwriter Dave Sheinin released their cathartically connectable Psych Pop-infused Indie single “Existential Dread” on October 9th. Hit play and experience the weight dropping from your soul as you embrace 60s Psych nostalgia, viscerally evocative elements of 90s Power Pop and timeless Americana.
The blissfully sweet tones felt like rays of sunlight breaking through the bleak ennui which I’m sure that we’ve all been feeling lately. Dave Sheinin playfully finds ways of conveying they’ve been dwelling in a pit of their own despair while never letting their own disdain resonate in the soundscape. So, if your playlists are crying out for feel-good hits which are still grounded in realism, you won’t go far wrong with Existential Dread.
You can check out Dave Sheinin’s single Existential Dread for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.
With each new release from Franklin Gotham, they surpass the expectation which their preceding single set. Their new evocatively powerful single Keeping On feels so timely it is practically serendipitous.
The Virginia, US-based Americana Power Pop artist has a tendency to craft melodies which are sharp and succinct enough that you’ll feel them scratching away at your soul. Keeping On is definitely no exception. The harrow of the previous 6-months has evidently had a profound impact on Franklin Gotham’s equally as profound production style.
The dreamy melodicism in Keeping Melodicism is enough to disrupt your rhythmic pulses as the angular guitar licks explore the full tonal palette. Optimism rings in the shimmering highs of the guitar notes as much as it does in Franklin Gotham’s gentle, reassuring and downright stunning vocals. It’s hard not to feel a little emotional while listening to the tender compassion contained in this choral Power Pop masterpiece.
You can check out Keeping On for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.
“This Dance” is the lead single from Indie Pop artist The Garnetts’ forthcoming EP of the same title. It’s also one of the most compellingly magnetic feats of Guitar Pop that we’ve heard this year.
With a sound which is somewhere between The Midnight and the 1975, The Garnetts’ sound moves in perfect parallel with the contemporary curve. It also unravels as the perfect Pop track to hit play on as Autumn starts to draw in with the shorter days and colder nights. Whether you’re amorously savouring the warmth of a season are a lover, This Dance is sure to hit you right in the feels.
You’ll be able to check out This Dance for yourselves from October 2nd, 2020 by heading over to SoundCloud.
Indie Rock/Avant-pop group from South Wales, Twin Stranger, are back with a fiery new song and it’s called ‘White‘.
Twin Stranger is a Welsh 5 piece power-pop project led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Alex McConnachie. The band’s sound is a mix of hooky bass-driven pop melodies, synth freak-outs and dreamy guitar soundscapes. Initially a bedroom recording project, McConnachie enlisted his multi-instrumentalist brother Liam as well as friends, bassist Josh Newington, Joe Tobin on keyboards and drummer Eric Karvik.
Following 2 successful singles so far in 2020 (‘Tears of Joy‘ and ‘Crushed‘), this is the new single that half of Wales have been waiting for. ‘White’ has a peaceful energy to it and I love the baselines here.
“The song is about the type of night where things start to go a bit pear shaped, people get intoxicated and one person says the wrong thing and the night escalates. I always end up being the mediator, trying desperately to defuse the situation.” This is Alex’s words and he is to be admired for this attitude. You always need someone who keeps the peace.
‘White’ from Twin Stranger is a strong new song from the awesome Welsh band who sound like a class outfit. With incredible riffs and flows, they are a quality UK act that must be bursting at the seams to play live again.
Ever since the earworm contained in Heavy Salad’s Psych Pop sophomore release Battery Acid made itself right at home, I’ve been psyched by the promise of the debut release by the Manchester-based masters of good vibes.
The wait is almost finally over. The Cult Casual LP produced by Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys) is due for release on September 25th via Dipped in Gold Recordings. Ahead of the LP release, they’ve released their psychedelically rapturous grungy Pop teaser track The Wish. It’s so timely it is almost serendipitous.
The Wish is an accessible introduction to the debut album which promises a smorgasbord of enlightenment-aiding experimentalism. The driving punchy Rock rhythms possess a convictive bite and drip with a bravado-less Alt 90s-style cool which will appeal to any fans of Pavement, Dinosaur Jr and Weezer.
With the feisty instrumentals perfectly paired by the exuberantly high-vibe vocals offering mantras such as “I cannot save you, I can’t even save myself”, it will be hard to determine what you fell in love with first, the powerful lyrics or the tone which shatters the Manchester mould. So many Manchester-based artists succumb to the ease in the process of assimilation for their sound. But with Heavy Salad, their sound is so revolutionary that if they were handing out invites to their cult, you probably wouldn’t need to think twice before accepting.
The massive choruses in the Wish go down like a euphoric storm as they allow you to consider the futility in attempting to rescue everyone in a world where we’re all without a compass in the chaos. If you’re as afflicted with empathy and nihilism as I am, you can consider the Wish a playlist essential.
You can check out the official video to The Wish via YouTube, add the track to your Spotify playlists, or download the single via Bandcamp.
Cult Casual will be available to stream on all major platforms from September 25th, or you can pre-order the album here.
Keep up to date with future releases via Facebook.
NYC Piano Pop Rock artist Filled To The Brim injected euphoria onto the airwaves with their latest soul-driven single “Turn Back the Time” which was officially released in on May 1st 2020.
Fans of emotive Power Pop definitely won’t want to miss out on the up-tempo, danceable feat of piano-led Rock. With the harmonically poised Pop vocals and the energetic instrumentals, Turn Back the Time is the perfect addition to any feel-good Pop Rock playlists.
The lyrics may revolve around regret yet Turn Back the Time unfolds as an anthemically visceral optimistic track. It provides an olive branch of connection as it offers aural consolation that everyone feels remorse. But ultimately, it proves that regrets don’t always need to be synonymous with lament.
You can download and stream Filled To The Brim’s latest single Turn Back the Time for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.
Soulfully captivating singles seem more essential than ever right now. While the world faces isolation, tracks such as BURN by up and coming Alt Pop Rock singer-songwriter My Dear Wendy provide a vital olive branch of connection.
The frill-free soundscape is all-consuming from the first verse to the last. Once the winding Rock guitar solos have pulled you into the light and upbeat piano Pop melody you’ll be immersed in a seamlessly progressive track. BURN is a rare single which offers just as much talent as it does ingenuity and authentic soul.
My Dear Wendy is definitely one to watch if you appreciate well-rounded earworms and striking vocal dynamics.
You can check out BURN for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.
Power Pop, Jangle Pop, and Surf Rock all converge in the energetically infectious latest single “Brother” from up and coming Sheffield-based Indie artist Micky Blouse.
The high-pitched vocals may invoke nostalgia for the time when Hanson dominated the airwaves but make no mistake when you hit play on Brother, you’ll meet soulfully bold aural distinction.
The punchy Alt Rock instrumentals carve out ensnaring melodies which find the perfect balance between momentum and euphorically arrestive vibrant rhythm. Brother is the ultimate Indie Power Pop earworm which you’ll be desperate to share with others once it wriggles in, which should be just about when the chorus hits.
Brother is just one of the tracks to feature on Micky Blouse’s debut self-titled EP which you’ll definitely want to delve into if you’re as sick of assimilative Indie acts as we are.
You can check out Micky Blouse’s latest single Brother for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.
Taking sensitive subjects and making light-hearted music inspired by them will always be a bold and dangerous move for artists. Yet, Boston-based Indie Power Pop band Kid Gulliver gave it a bash in their latest single “Susie Survived Chemotherapy”.
As Amanda Palmer (who is definitely no stranger to adversity) says, it is an artist’s job to make light from the dark. The Psych Pop/Surf infused single irrefutably does that.
And while I can guarantee that a fair number of people will find offence in the sunny Indie Pop single, there will undoubtedly be plenty of fans. Make your own mind up on Kid Gulliver’s latest single instead of automatically falling into a virtue trap.
You can check out the latest single from Kid Gulliver which was released on January 22nd by heading over to Bandcamp.
Michigan-based Rock artist Anthony J Fink has always had a distinctive approach songwriting, and the perfect introduction to their romantically rendered style is their recently released single “Ageless Minds”.
Ageless Minds kicks off with a stunningly pensive piano melody to introduce Anthony J Fink’s evocatively raw yet harmonically smooth vocals which make it all too easy to feel the weight of the lyrics.
The semi-orchestral single borrows a few elements from 80s Power Ballads, but the rhythmic intricacies found within the instrumental arrangement leaves it firmly in the realms of Rock.
I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to hear a Rock artist pouring this much of their soul into their sound. But I can tell you to experience it for yourselves. Go do it.
You can check out Anthony J Fink’s latest single via Reverb Nation.
