Browsing Tag

shoegaze

LT – How Would it Feel: The Ultimate Melancholic Dream-Pop Track

Posted on 17 September 2021

Award-winning singer-songwriter, LT (Leanne Tennant), has poured her spellbinding talent into yet another evocatively ensnaring single, How Would it Feel; by all accounts, it’s the ultimate melancholic pop track. Expect a similar sonic palette to the likes of Beach House, Deerhunter and Slowdive through the shoegazey angular guitars and hazy reverb paired with uplifting elements of folk.

LT delivered familiarity and alchemic distinction in the same package; her soulfully provoking, tender indie vocals command the soundscape in the same hypnotic way as London Grammar, Daughter and the XX. The reminiscences are great for reference, but to truly appreciate her exceptional songwriting skills, you’ll need to experience the soul of How Would It Feel first-hand.

How Would it Feel was officially released on September 13; you can check it out for yourselves via her website or SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Sleepy Palms shone the Cali sun into their debut shoegazy garage rock single, You’re Gonna Be Just Fine

Posted on 4 September 2021

Garage rock, surf rock and shoegaze entwine in the synthy debut single, You’re Gonna Be Just Fine, from the California-based pioneers, The Sleepy Palms. They shone plenty of Cali sun into the optimistic in spite of crushing dread soundscape that will allow you to imagine what the Verve could have been if it wasn’t always raining in Manchester.

Their clever hooks, captivating choruses, velvety smooth vocals and glassy synths are arresting from start to finish as the Sleepy Palms set an innocently amorous scene that celebrates fleeting intimacy.

The way the bitter-sweet lyrics “I never liked the taste of cigarettes, I just wanted to be around you, and after all this time there is nothing left, but I’m still so glad I found you” fall into the surf rock rhythms, shoegazey reverb and clean vintage garage rock tones left me feeling like I’d hit the aural jackpot. Enrichen your soul by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Metrophobia chase ghosts in their Alt-90s inspired single, How Long

Posted on 31 August 2021
https://www.metrophobia.net/pictures/silent_treatment_800.jpg

If Metrophobia’s 2021 debut album, Silent Treatment, was marketed as a lost relic from the alt-90s, I’m fairly sure that no one would raise an eyebrow. The best introduction to their sonic palate that amalgamates shoegaze, noise, indie and grunge is the nostalgically ethereal single, How Long.

Around the catchy hooks, the tender vocals fall into the discord that spills from the scuzzed-up over-driven guitars, allowing you to see a softer side to the discontent How Long was inspired by.

The two forming members of Metrophobia met in Geneva, Switzerland; they worked on various projects together before turning their attention to their bitter-sweet cocktail of alt culture that will be a hit with fans of Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Teenage Fanclub and Sebadoh.

Metrophobia’s debut album is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Broken Nation: Seoul-based band Narotic bring the total truth package with ‘Nothing Has Changed’

Posted on 22 August 2021

Released off their latest twelve-track album with meaning called ‘KindA‘, Narotic are totally honest beyond the norm and bring us an eerie reminder us that ‘Nothing Has Changed‘.

Narotic is an indie post-rock/dream-pop/shoegaze band from Seoul, South Korea. They have a style of music which has you thinking deeper about the world, as you sense that things are not what they seem to many.

On a sparkle-filled ambiance which has you nodding your head to their unique soundscape that seems different to the rest – as they drive in melodic vocals that are clearly made with true introspection- shines through beautifully to capture your attention like a striking Polaroid, you will never forget.

This is the sincere story of knowing that something is quite off with the world as the milk is actually sour but so many still drink it, the kids are suffering and so many just ignore the real truth, hidden behind their phones of endless distraction.

‘Nothing Has Changed‘ from the rhythmically stimulating South Korean-based alt post-rock band Narotic, is a stunning display from a self-aware outfit who see the world from the ground right now. They hope that things may change for the better but see our precious planet falling apart at the seams, as violence, greed and desperation takes over, when peace and common sense should be the guiding light for us all to grow with.

Hear this fine new single on Spotify and see their journey on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Checkout Rhaina Yasmin’s sonic indie alt rock hit, Grocery Store

Posted on 13 August 2021
Rhaina Yasmin

‘Grocery Store’ is the latest single from 21-year-old indie alt-rock singer-songwriter, Rhaina Yasmin which captures just how small our lives became in the months preceding the release. Anyone who went solo through lockdown will find it all too easy to get caught up in the grips of the stunning shoegazy release that doctors in hints of jazz and 90s pop in the style of the Cranberries as it explores our innate fears of self-obsession and alienation.

From a Slowdive-Esque prelude, Grocery Store progresses through tumultuous sonic storms while offering nothing but sheer tonal bliss. Her defiant yearning lyrics dominate the release, and the hooky chorus gives the track plenty of earworm potential.

Grocery Store released on August 13th. Check it out by heading over to Rhaina Yasmin’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Latin artist Aaron Andreu takes on shoegaze art-rock with ‘Piedra Solar’.

Posted on 13 August 2021

With his EP, Luna, Latin artist Aaron Andreu proves that shoegaze and art-rock aren’t exclusively just for UK and US artists. The standout single, Piedra Solar, consistently and seamlessly switches between cuttingly angular guitar notes that any fans of Slowdive will feel familiar with and effect-laden chords that bring an evocatively tumultuous gravity to the release. Long after the abrupt intro, Piedra Solar will stay with you, Unilingual minds won’t be able to abstract the poetry from the lyrics, but the artful alchemy that melodies spill is blissfully universal.

Aaron Andreu’s debut EP, Luna, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nolle has released her deliciously morose shoegaze single, congratulations

Posted on 6 August 2021
Nolle

Any fans of Mazzy Star, Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen will want to experience the deliciously morose tones in Nolle’s latest shoegaze single, congratulations, which comes with absorbing dissonant turbulence as it explores the effects of gas lightning through arrestingly poetic lyrics.

The concluding line, “now you can laugh at my art like my pain, guaranteed I’ve already done the same to myself”, affirms just how vulnerable of a release this is and without vulnerability, art is essentially meaningless.

At the age of 21-years-old, the Calgary-born, Vancouver-based expressionist and songwriter is already outshining the competition in terms of lyrical maturity and ability to sonically reflect the jarring instability of the emotions we can walk away from relationships with.

Congratulations officially released on August 6th; you can check out the single by heading over to the artist’s official website.

Wohn delivers a sonic blast of alt-90s nostalgia in his scorching hot alt-rock single, Junjito.

Posted on 28 July 2021

Up and coming alternative artist, Wohn has released his relatable EP, Waiting for Life to Happen; the lead track, Junjito, is an arresting amalgamation of shoegaze, post-punk and garagey psych-rock that any fans of the alt-90s will want in their ears.

After a shoegazy prelude, the mostly instrumental release starts to centre around the artist’s ability to lay down riffs at blistering speed and his ability to make a soundscape fraught with tumultuous tension with his over-driven angular lead work.

After an ebb in the veracious momentum, the pensive vocals make an eerily captivating appearance before Wohn lays down a scorching-hot, seemingly endless solo that is leagues apart from other contemporary alternative artists. We truly can’t rate Wohn highly enough. He not only evokes angsty grungy 90s nostalgia, but he also puts a visceral signature spin on it. We can’t wait to hear more of in the future.

Junjito is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Door Is Locked: Brooklyn’s monroe and she want to break free from this burning world on ‘Crash Over Me’

Posted on 15 July 2021

Taken off their unmistakable four-track debut EP called ‘White Hot Fire‘, monroe and she edge bravely towards the slippery waters edge to smartly get far away from the heat-filled world of fiery disillusionment on ‘Crash Over Me‘.

monroe and she is a Matt Monroe and Lea Leone-created Brooklyn, New York-based indie trip-hop duo who fuse in sensational shoegaze and dream-pop into their stupendous sound.

”In spherical lightness, Lea Leone describes how the world burns, over a crashing guitar she sings how she can hardly breathe – only to then ask herself if that doesn’t simply mean to live.” – monroe and she

You feel their astonishing soundscape that feels like you are watching the world heat up with them, as they try and heal up our imagination with a carefully penned and totally captivating song for the ages, that is up there with the best of 2021. Being challenged daily seems to be the new normal when it shouldn’t, as they elegantly show us into their wildly creative consciousness.

‘Crash Over Me‘ from the Brooklyn-based indie monroe and she, is a quite magnificent display from a truly elite outfit who put on quite a remarkably transfixing performance. The beat is so terrifically crisp and spellbinding, her vocals strike vividly into your mind, as you are wrapped beautifully inside such a supremely stunning track.

Hear this new single on Spotify and see more on their growing IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

OFFtrack – Too Dumb for Your Guns: Trippy Ethereal Alt-Electronica

Posted on 12 July 2021

‘Too Dumb for Your Guns’ is the electrifyingly ethereal latest trip-hop single from the mesmerising alternative artist OFFtrack. The Bahrain-based band formed in 2019 to rapturous acclaim before COVID-19 called time on the live music scene.

Their love of post-punk and trip-hop classics worked its way into the latest release which captures the disjointedness we feel trying to connect in anything in our dystopic world through trippy rhythms pulled together with dreamy guitar melodies, cutting overdriven shoegazey discord and glassy synths.

The single questions the ulterior motives of those driving society to destruction through seductively demure vocals and strikingly dark meta poetry serving as lyricism.

Any fans of Warpaint, Policia and Portishead will want to make room on their radar for OFFtrack.

Too Dumb for Your Guns is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast