Browsing Tag

UK Indie

Britpop bites back with snarling teeth in JW Paris’ grungy no-wave single, Electric Candle Light

Posted on 25 March 2022
JW Paris

JW Paris, the UK-based three-piece that is quickly becoming revered for its pornographic guitars and biting Britpop swagger, have unleashed their stickiest alt-90s earworm to date with Electric Candle Light.

The Crampsy garagey prelude paves the way for surf rock meets no-wave indie hooks that won’t fail to reel you into the volatility of the sonic triumph. It easily matches the energy of Blur’s Song 2. Yet, notably, JW Paris is a caustic cut above the rest with their jarringly arrestive synth lines and subversive lyrics that acknowledges the rose-tinted glasses that nostalgia always filters through.

The single was recorded and produced at Buffalo Studios by JB Pilon and mastered by John Davis (Blue, IDLES, Foals, Primal Scream, U2). With that in mind, it never really had a chance of falling flat. Since making their debut, they’ve been a constant feature on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Absolute Radio X, and Radio X. They’ve also shared stages with The Amazons, Skinner Brothers, Yonaka and Avalanche Party.

Electric Candle Light will officially release on March 25th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Keep up to date with new releases and tours via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Following the release of Electric Candle Light, they’re set to hit the road again with Dead Freights.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

John Dhali took feel-good indie-folk to stratospheric new heights with his latest single, Taste

Posted on 20 March 2022

With caressing crescendos and swells of soul by the smorgasbord, the indie-folk singer-songwriter, John Dhali’s latest release, Taste, definitely isn’t an acquired one.

What starts as a gentle and euphonic offering of indie art-pop bliss transcends into a rock-licked all-consuming aural entity as you’re left to face the untamed passion in the lyrics and vocals and the equally as robust production.

When Taste reaches its anthemic peak, it is enough to rival Mr November by The National. Yet, I’m not sure The National could get away with the sweet and lofty ukulele melodies that John Dhali uses to amplify the high vibe soul. When he says his sound marries the feelgood accessibility of George Ezra with the evocative depth of Buckley, he more than backs it up with his viscerally euphoric discography.

It comes as no surprise that the Northwest, UK-born, London-based artist has already garnered attention from BBC Radio 1 and 2 and won regional awards for the best solo artist. We can’t wait to see his career blow up after the launch of his forthcoming album.

Check out John Dhali’s latest single, Taste, on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leroybroughtflowers cuts ties with hometown roots in his mournful wanderlust single, woodlark

Posted on 18 March 2022

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter, Leroybroughtflowers, brought a touch of cinematic neo-classic gold to his jazz-tinged alt-indie folk single, woodlark, which was released on March 18th, 2022.

The single stands as a bitter-sweet testament to his undiluted candour which attacks the more melancholic side of leaving hometown roots and relationships behind. Evocatively, woodlark is harrowing. Sonically, it’s an artfully tender ballad that almost recontextualises the minor piano keys. There is a stunning sense of innocence amongst the heavy poetic resonance that carries the breeze of summer sunsets through the minimalist progressions that prove that the Coventry, UK-based Greek artist has mastered the art of spatial effect.

Here’s what the artist had to say about his latest release:

“Woodlark is a coming-of-age ballad inspired by leaving my hometown and my first love. The protagonist has accepted his life as a wanderer, and his inability to stay for his loved ones.

It is the bitter-sweet feeling of wanting to forget but wanting to remember everything. It is a love letter to a life of endless wandering and teenage love.”

Woodlark is now available to stream via Spotify.

Keep up to date with new releases from Leroybroughtflowers via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Post-punk meets jazz blues in The Illucid’s defiantly protestive single, Stone Cold Soldier

Posted on 2 March 2022

Taken from their debut EP, Somebody Else, The Illucid’s jazzy post-punk standout single, Stone Cold Soldier, couldn’t have fallen onto our radar at a more sobering time. The catchy rock hooks from the British Indie band almost feel like an act of defiance in today’s chilling geopolitical climate.

On the basis of the frantic bluesy piano keys, the theatrical vocal lines and their ability to squeeze euphoria from darkness, The Illucid almost becomes the thinking man’s Nekrogoblikon while they deliver their Magazine-style enigmatic energy in the single that shames the cold inhumanity behind the eyes of stone-cold soldiers.

Not many bands can convince me that they’re worthy of seeing live with just one single, but the Illucid are easily one of the best outfits to come around since Melt Yourself Down. Get them on your radar.

Stone Cold Soldier is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Schoolboys have released their very 2022 new-wave-meets-proto-punk love song, Think About It

Posted on 2 March 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjps0bKXZZ0

So many of the greatest songs have been written on hard and fast infatuation. The Schoolboys evaded all the usual tropes that have long since been outdated in their latest new-wave-meets-proto-punk single, Think About It.

If I told you the track itself was as sweet as the lyrics, “Isn’t this just what you asked for? I see you give up too fast, you should never walk away when there’s still something you want” would you even believe me?

The Schoolboys originally formed in 2021 as an alt-rock band in Reading, England, under the influence of the Strokes and the Smiths. Based on Think About It, the nostalgically-minded outfit had no trouble finding their own warmly overdriven sonic signature. Any fans of the Violent Femmes, Joy Division and Modest Mouse will undoubtedly want to pay attention.

Think About It is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Elegant Chasers went off-kilter with the grungy panache in their sophomore single, Sunshine Mourning.

Posted on 4 February 2022
The Elegant Chasers

The Elegant Chasers brought their grungy panache back to the airwaves with the release of their sophomore single, Sunshine Mourning. We’d scarcely lost the earworm that was implanted through their debut single, Lets Ride, but we found ourselves gripped by Sunshine Mourning in a completely different capacity.

This time, the post-punk tinged track is as caustic as one of Sonic Youth’s most discordant releases in the verses and hooky enough in the choruses to give that stadium-filling effect that resonates as volatile gravitas once you get caught up within it.

The one-man powerhouse is taking full advantage of his independent artist freedom. Instead of attempting to appease moguls by pandering to the mediocrity in their tastes, he opted for an off-kilter track that splices together Nirvana-reminiscent drums, cleverly distorted vocals (we are talking Mike Patton level clever here) and guitars that are pliant enough to make your head spin. It is the epitome of an alt 90s aural riot. We can’t wait to hear what follows in his debut album.

Sunshine Mourning will officially release on February 11th. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Tim Nova turns plight into passion in his anthemic indie power-pop single, Far Away

Posted on 25 January 2022

The North West, UK-hailing indie power-pop pioneer, Tim Nova, is fresh from the release of his single, Far Away, which proves that there are few things in life more romantic than long-distance affection. It’s a beautiful testament to the fact that love perseveres despite peripheries; it’s a refreshing change to be confronted with the more positive aspects of the human experience instead of the negative.

Far Away merges Nova’s love for massive guitars and stridently balladlike vocals that make no bones about dialling the evocative potential up to 11. Anyone feeling a little love/person/homesick, couldn’t ask for a better track to seek solace in. Damn, it’s almost enough to make you embark on an international affair to truly appreciate this 80s-rock inspired earworm.

Far Away is due for official release on February 21st. It is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hip hop and indie-rock go pop-punk in Lewis Shepperd’s latest single, Take My Hand

Posted on 20 December 2021

Lewis Shepperd showed us the true extent of his versatility with the release of his latest single, Take My Hand, which obliterates the boundaries between indie, pop, rock and hip hop. The breaking artist hasn’t idled since we heard his last single, Follow You, which delivered a Kings of Leon style of cool and proved that his soulfully resonant talent should be as revered as Winehouse’s. Since then, he’s performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2021, received plenty of BBC airplay and garnered critical acclaim from across the board.

With rap bars mixed with his energised indie-rock vocals atop the instrumentals that continually shift through melodic grooves, tension-fraught build-ups and pop-punk style breaks, Take My Hand is a gift that keeps on giving.

As the garagey distorted rock licks towards the outro prove the value in the perpetual solidarity by depicting the chaotic state of the world, the lyrics remind you how sweet it is to have stunning souls around you. If that doesn’t hit the spot, you may want to check if you’ve still got a pulse.

Take My Hand is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mouth Culture has released their scathing high vibe indie emo pop hit Nobody Wants You

Posted on 28 October 2021

UK alt-rock act Mouth Culture takes no prisoners in their scathingly high vibe hit Nobody Wants You. The sniping lyricism, crunchy indie-rock guitars, indie-pop with a hint of emo vocals and jazzy nuances pull together to offer a potent shot of indie nostalgia. Yet, there is plenty more to Mouth Culture’s scintillating sound than assimilation.

Their determination to become one of the hottest bands in the UK in 2022 is by no means a pipe dream with over 1 million streams on Spotify and radio play from BBC Introducing, Total Rock, Kerrang and Radio 1. Since their inception in 2019, they’ve been honing in on their songwriting which shines through in Nobody Wants You with their ability to turn deep-seated hate into a catchy radio-ready hit that rivals Frank Carter’s I Hate You.

Check out the official video for Nobody Wants You on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie rock pioneer COLUMBIA breaks new psychedelic ground with ‘Keys to the Kingdom’.

Posted on 20 October 2021

Cardiff’s most promising act since Catatonia, COLUMBIA, put a psychedelic spin on vintage rock tones in their latest indie rock n roll release, Keys to the Kingdom.

As the kaleidoscopic guitars glide through the chords, the snarling basslines work with the anthemic drums to send the energy of the release into overdrive. Any fans of Frankie Teardrop Dead, The Kundalini Genie and Corvus & the Morning Star will want to save space on their radar for the rhythmically blessed raucous powerhouse. They may not have sold out stadiums yet, but their sound is already built for them. We’re stoked to see where their sound takes them next.

The lyric video to Keys to the Kingdom is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast