Browsing Tag

Solo Artist

Ethan Senger augmented retrospective regret in his seminal single, Everything

Posted on 15 August 2023

Ethan Senger became the New Wave Indie Rock equivalent to Springsteen in his fastidiously manicured latest EP, Standing Still, featuring the standout single, Everything.

Balancing anthemic instrumentals with intimate proclamations of ruminative regret, Everything ticks all the right indie pop-rock boxes while setting the bar for any artist who wants to give their heart-on-sleeve lyricality galvanising propensities.

The lyric “I don’t know you but we talk all the time” just goes to show how honed Senger’s song crafting has come since he made his debut; as for the superlative guitar work, which has seen Senger revered by industry tastemakers as a virtuoso, you’ll have to experience it for yourselves to understand why the Atlanta-born-and-raised artist is an icon in the making.

You will often hear music fans moaning that they don’t make them like we used to, but the truth of the matter is that the music industry doesn’t produce global artists as they did in earlier eras. If they did, Senger’s poster would be on the wall of every aspiring guitarist.

Ethan Senger’s Standing Still EP is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Grand Nights descended with his demons in the orchestral pop-rock masterpiece, Falling

Posted on 8 August 2023

Render your heartstrings raw with the latest single, Falling, from the alt-pop evocateur, Grand Nights. The orchestral pop-rock outpour of artfully uninhibited emotion takes you on a cinematic cruise through the kind of introspection that only dares to visit you in the dead of night; hang onto the ornately atmospheric nostalgia tight as you’re driven through the 80s and 90s via a route never taken.

After cutting his teeth as a drummer in a metal band, honing his talents in rock, punk and pop bands, the one-man powerhouse behind Grand Nights was ready to take to the centre stage and exhibit his heart-in-throat lyrics that amplify in visceralism to the tune of his panoramically immersive melodies.

With his EP, South of Everything, in the pipeline, there has never been a better time to implant Grand Nights on your radar.

Start the descent with Falling, by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The lo-fi sludgy rock raconteur Reel Boy’s sophomore hit Julissa is just like honey

Posted on 30 July 2023

After making himself well known on the Utah touring circuit in the outfits My Dad the Astronaut, MoonSugar, Doll and A 1/2, and Indie Seoul, Jayson HaslamBrock took to the centre stage and went solo in his new alt indie rock project, Reel Boy.

With authentic and intentionally imperfect vocals that will be a hit with Teenage Fanclub and Dinosaur Jr. fans and simple yet hooky pop choruses that transpire after the minimalist chord progressions, his sophomore release, Julissa, is just like honey – literally. The same sweetly sombre textural distortion that made The Jesus and Mary Chain hit so indulgently unforgettable becomes the central gravity in Julissa.

It isn’t your average earworm, but it will stick with you long beyond the outro all the same for Reel Boy’s tenaciously songwriting chops that are sharp enough to seal his illustrious fate in the industry.

Julissa is now available to stream via Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Chandra’s Lighters to the Sky is a pop punk-hooked hit for the dreamers

Posted on 2 May 2023
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Holding your lighters in the air at rock shows might be a slightly nostalgic way to signify how much a hit has touched your soul, but it’s a pretty fitting parable for the vintage rock aesthetics in Chandra’s latest single, Lighters to the Sky, which will throw you right back to the early 00s.

If you can imagine what Glen Hansard’s single, Falling Slowly, would sound like if it was boldly augmented with pop-punk hooks, you’ll get a great idea of the songwriting chops the Bristol, UK-based solo artist possesses.

Lyrically, Lighters to the Sky is an ode to the big dreamers whose visions are often met with cynicism from people with smaller ambitions. It is a stunning reminder that no one will ever be able to see the future you’re painting in your mind until you reach your respective top and exhibit it all for all to see.

Lighters to the Sky will officially release on April 28. Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pop-Punk trailblazer, Brooklyn Belton, unveiled the ultimate adversity aftercare anthem, Just Fine

Posted on 27 April 2023

Starting with an instant hook that sounds like it came straight out of the Bowling for Soup arsenal, the debut single, Just Fine, from the Ohio pop-punk trailblazer, Brooklyn Belton, effortlessly became one of our favourite alt-rock earworms of 2023 so far.

With an instrumental arrangement so tight it is practically corseted, Brooklyn Belton polished the punk rock genre with her anthemic slice of stellar songwriting, which won’t fail to leave you galvanised for the way the exhilarant guitars wrap around her lyrics that compel you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and deal with the cards of adversity your autonomy has dealt you.

When the chorus comes around, you’ll lose yourselves in the euphoric energy while simultaneously finding yourself in the candid introspection that perceptibly oozes from the wounds of a personal battle.

Just Fine hit the airwaves on April 14. Check it out on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Positronic signed, sealed, and delivered a 80s synth-pop postcard with his latest single, A Long Goodbye

Posted on 31 March 2023
Positronic

With an edge of 80s synthpop sharpening the future-embracing textures in the ardently dreamy release that picks up plenty of visceral weight from the crooned harmonies, the latest single, A Long Goodbye, from Positronic will warm even the most sub-zero souls.

Odes to the 80s can often sound trite at best – there was never any danger of that with the reminiscences to icons of aural cool such as Editors, noted through the harshness of the snares, the chillier timbres and the sheer depth of emotion in the vocals.

The unassimilated gravitas of A Long Goodbye starts to make infinitely more sense with a glimpse at the artist and producer’s biography; the solo artist has been in the synth-pop scene since 1988, spurred on by the love of The Pet Shop Boys, OMD, Erasure and Depeche Mode. The Cali solo artist is just as talented as the artists he pulled inspiration from.

A Long Goodbye will officially release on March 31st; hear it on Positronic’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Beau James Wilding’s latest single, The Dove, spread its wings through artfully gritty folk-rock beguile

Posted on 10 March 2023

For his latest Waitsy roughneck folk-rock release, The Dove, the enigmatically captivating singer-songwriter Beau James Wilding collaborated with the violinist, David Stone, to create a gripping trip through unadulterated emotion.

With the folky strings bringing a touch of The Levellers to the single, the bluesy acoustic guitar tones and the devilishly innovative percussion, The Dove spread its wings through a fair amount of artful beguile while Wilding vocally riffed from his almost sermonic soul. The lyricality of the gritty release, which only lets the light in through the high timbres of Stone’s strings, is enough to make Nick Cave’s discography sound like Gospel.

Usually, Cali-hailing artists spill sun into their soundscapes; it is beyond refreshing to hear an artist resisting the atmosphere and perusing his affinity for dark Bukowski-ESQUE poetry.

The Dove is due for official release on March 10th. Hear it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get Your Audial Adrenaline Fix from Palmar Arch’s Searingly Hot Alt-Rock Single, Sunscript

Posted on 18 February 2023

The boisterous prodigal son of alt-rock, Palmar Arch (Robert James), is on bruisingly impactful form with his single, Sunscript, due for official release on February 17th.

Previously operating under the moniker Superbloom and operating as a full band, Palmar Arch has relaunched the project as a solo endeavour and proven that he is a powerhouse of high-octane ingenuity standing alone in the process.

With hints of pop-punk biting from behind the hard-hitting rock elements that always leave room for melodic hooks between the grungy riffs through the angular melodicism, Sunscript is enough to allow you to imagine what the Foo Fighters would sound like if they kept hold of their virtuosic talent and picked up some contemporary cool.

Between the lack of obvious influence, the adrenalized production and the sheer immensity, Palmar Arch is one to beat.

Watch the official music video for Sunscript on Spotify and YouTube

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jason Graham grunged up blues in his viscerally heightened melodic alt-rock hit, Trust

Posted on 9 February 2023

Tucson, AZ born, New Orleans-based singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Jason Graham added a refreshingly melodic vernacular to grunge with the bluesy standout single, Trust, taken from his LP, Soul for Sale.

With touches of Nine Inch Nails in the sporadically distorted vocals and Godsmack in the viscerally heightened outcries, which hammer home the intensity of the frustration stemming from dishonesty and deception, Trust amplifies the evocative immersivity with every high-gain progression.

The seamlessness of the tonal and vocal transitions stand as a monumental testament to Graham’s songwriting ability, which has already seen him go far in his career. The classic rock outro solo is yet another affirmation of his virtuosic flair that is nestled within his songwriting chops that are discernibly at the core of who he is as an artist.

Stream Trust, with the rest of Jason Graham’s LP, Soul for Sale, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Freak of the Sea provided the ultimate fix of pacifistic solace in his alt-indie anti-gun anthem, The Bullet

Posted on 28 January 2023

It is a disillusioning and confusing era for pacifists to be enveloped in; substantial consolation ebbed and flowed from the Avant-Garde-tinged indie single, The Bullet, from Freak of the Sea (Christopher Jacques).

The anti-gun anthem, which lyrically revolves around the resonant reprise of “I’d rather take a bullet than shoot a gun”, is, unfortunately, a necessity given how we’re numbed to the horrors of gun violence through over-exposure to massacre.

While the guitar melodies run in a crystal-clear vein, dark and torrid effects disrupt the quiescence to a disarmingly conceptual effect. If you could imagine what it would sound like if Modest Mouse drifted into the waters of post-punk, you will get an idea of what the Portland, Oregon-based artist triumphantly achieved with The Bullet.

When Jacques isn’t crafting aural comfort, he runs the Dandy Warhols’ recording studio, The Odditorium. He’s worked with everyone from The Shins to The Dandy Warhols to Slash to Cowboy Junkies and countless other icons of alt music. Yet, notably, his associations are one of the least impressive facets about him.

The Bullet will officially release on January 26th; hear it on YouTube. The new EP, Out to Pasture, which The Bullet was taken from, will drop on February 10th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast