Browsing Tag

The 1975

Expectation meets self-preservation in Aleandro Valente’s blissfully tropic indie pop hit, Not O.K.

Posted on 25 October 2022

The up-and-coming NYC-residing pop artist Aleandro Valente tore off his façade in spectacular fashion in his single, Not O.K. to expose the duality of his determination of being what others perceive him to be and staying true to himself.

The angular indie jangle pop guitars around the sun-bleached tropic RnB pop keys create the perfect platform for the high dynamic stretches of Aleandro Valente’s smooth vocal timbre that pulls you right into the battle of self-preservation and will.

It is Ariana Grande meets the 1975 in this vulnerable earworm that will see the Italian artist and his candour go far. It will undoubtedly be resonant for plenty of his listeners that feel the expectation to amplify their true nature to tick boxes that we never agreed to fill in the first place.

Not O.K. is now available to stream along with the debut album it was taken from, Bite on a Lemon, on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Soup and Cigarettes sweetened the sound of summer in their single, ‘Flower Dress’.

Posted on 19 August 2022

Here to make sure that 80s indie pop retains modernity is the Bristol, UK four-piece, Soup and Cigarettes, with their new album, UK DUTY PAID. The standout single, Flower Dress, makes a melodic indie ode to summer with its jangly kaleidoscopically colourful guitars, dreamy vocals, and sticky-sweet synths.

1987 had Sally Cinnamon; in 2022, we have Flower Dress, which effervesces around the lust for amorous life that magnifies in the heat of the summer. Fans of the 1975, PEACE and Jaws will also want to consider Soup and Cigarettes as a playlist staple band.

Check out UK DUTY PAID, which was officially released on August 19th here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Revel in the lovesick euphoria in Analog Beach’s synthpop-meets-indie-rock single, See You Tonight

Posted on 12 March 2022

80s synthpop grooves against angular indie-rock in the NJ-based up-and-coming duo, Analog Beach’s latest convergence of the past and future, See You Tonight. The vocal lines in the chorus easily become the sharpest of hooks, and that’s before you even get to the instrumentals that put white-hot guitar solos against colourful retro synths.

Fans of The Midnight, Wolf Club, and FM-84 will easily make a playlist staple out of this sweet affectionate hit, which doesn’t sugar coat affection. Instead, Analog Beach thrives while narrating just how emotionally crippling infatuation can be. Not all artists succeed in combining reality and romanticism, yet notably, Analog beach is anything but your average artist experimenting with tones and coming up with catchy lyrics. There’s substance by the smorgasbord in this euphorically bright hit that is sure to see the duo go far in 2022 and beyond.

The radio edit of See You Tonight is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bad Weather delivers an anthemic alt-pop reminder with ‘Caring Is Cool’.

Posted on 7 September 2021

Perth’s most promising alt-pop artist, Bad Weather, has released his stickiest earworm to date, Caring is Cool, which merges anthemic nuances of power-pop, pop-punk, 80s pop and contemporary indie-pop in the same vein as M83 and The 1975.

The sonic eclecticism is one thing, but Bad Weather (AKA Callum Robertson) has plenty more in his aural arsenal than just crumbling genre constraints with his sound. His ambition to bring the best out in people through his music rather than attempting to emanate the cool indie rock stereotype will leave you instantly enamoured. I can only imagine how hard the choruses of sticky-sweet high vibes, overdriven guitars and galvanising synths hit when hearing them live.

Caring is Cool is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cherry Vynil has released their optimism-imparting indie rock single, ‘Lights’.

Posted on 6 July 2021

Cape Town’s most promising indie pop-rock outfit Cherry Vynil released their latest single, Lights, which explores the meaning of life through shimmering melodies, vibrantly uplifting vocals and an anthemic level of energy.

With a sound that sits somewhere in between Bastille’s and the 1975, they’re seamlessly in line with the jangle-pop trend, but with their optimism-spilling lyricism, they well and truly set themselves apart on the airwaves.

Lights officially released on June 25th; you can check it out on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Aza Nabuko leaves us feeling anything but ‘Blue’ in her latest indie-pop-rock single.

Posted on 27 June 2021

After her latest single racked up over 200k streams on Spotify, indie-pop soulstress Aza Nabuko released her debut album, Indigo, on June 4th. The standout single, Blue, is a flawless feat of panoramic pop that will be a hit with any fans of Pale Waves, Wolf Alice or the 1975.

The Vancouver, BC-based 18-year-old multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter’s authentic indie-folk-pop fractured vocals bring a sense of intimacy and vulnerability to the otherwise sonic and high-octane hit that carries all of the emotion of a ballad and all of the energy of an anthem.

After Aza landed a sync placement with Netflix’s ‘Tiny Pretty Things’, her power-pop sound has earned her international acclaim. After the release of her deeply confessional and expressive debut album, the possibility of her becoming a household name matches the level of talent in the release. Hint, that’s pretty damn high.

Blue is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

In Reverse – Ready: Soul-Driven Indie Synthpop  

Posted on 30 January 2021
In Reverse

If you could imagine what it would sound like if the 1975 and the Midnight met in the middle while incorporating elements of soul pop in the style of Maroon 5, you’ll get an idea of the stylistic melding which took place for In Reverse to create their latest single ‘Ready’.

The Oslo-based Norwegian Pop band’s approach to Pop may break free of the usual constraints which Pop artists find themselves bound by when they’re writing tracks with commercial potential in mind, but their sound is all the more immersive for it.

The unpredictably progressive electronic pop hit blends elements of contemporary synthpop with hints of indie jangle pop which are palpable in the guitar progressions, yet, Ready still unravels without experimentalism being the main focus. It’s a track which makes sure that the sentiment it was inspired by is harmonically hammered home. It may leave you with a little bit of procrastination guilt, but if any track is going to leave you psyched to attack everything you have been deliberating on, it’s this one.

The ‘Rona may have hindered In Reverse’s plans of aural domination, but on the basis of Ready, we can’t imagine they’ll let anything as small as a global pandemic get in the way.

Ready was released on January 15th, you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to In Reverse’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Youth Antics grab ‘This Moment’ with some seriously catchy Indie New Wave glory

Posted on 26 January 2021

Poppy, upbeat, sparkling, jangly, and utterly, indecently catchy, ‘This Moment’ is the new single from Floridian quartet Youth Antics. Unabashedly retro yet bang up to date, wearing a bunch of 1980’s influences on its presumably pushed-up-suit-jacket sleeve, ‘This Moment’ is that rare beast of simultaneously ear-worm pop song and seriously credible indie-rock track.

Riding on the sunny, neon-and-dry-ice-loving tide of Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, The Cure, and their ilk, ‘This Moment’ is a proper New Wave track, trebly guitars to the fore, bouncy rhythm parts, and reverb-laden deep baritone vocals. Easily equally at home on any number of indie festival stages this summer as in a John Hughes or Daniel Waters film soundtrack, ‘This Moment’ is a genre-crossing, time-defying banger of a track; if ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ had a drunken night with ‘The Broken Hearts Gallery’ over cocktails and a couple of Blockbuster Video’s VHS finest, then ‘This Moment’ might well be the musical love-child outcome.

Listen to ‘This Moment’ on Spotify and follow Youth Antics on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

The Garnetts have taken Guitar Pop to a brand-new level with their romantically groove-soaked single “This Dance”

Posted on 3 October 2020
https://soundcloud.com/thegarnettsmusic/this-dance/s-GaaBZFzHwr3

“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.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Qeeran – More Than Enough: RnB-Infused Bedroom Pop

Posted on 25 August 2020
Qeeran

Even a global lockdown couldn’t stop Malaysian-born, Melbourne-based artist and producer Qeeran releasing yet another smoothly amorous RnB-infused bedroom Pop single.

Hit play on “More Than Enough” and you’ll sink into a hazy, atmospherically sweet soundscape which has plenty of familiar sentiments to share with anyone who has experienced conflict burning between insecurity and infatuation.

Any fans of The 1975, SG Lewis, Alina Baraz and ELIO will undoubtedly want to delve into this evocatively nostalgic melancholic bedroom Pop masterpiece.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out More Than Enough for yourselves. In the meantime, check out Qeeran’s equally as airy and resolving releases via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast