Browsing Tag

UK Indie

Rope Store take us to the pinnacle of 60s pop-rock with Get Me Out

Rope Store

Norfolk, UK indie duo Rope Store is set to make their comeback and hit us with swathes of 60s pop-rock nostalgia once more after a 2-year absence from the studio. Before their radio silence, their music featured on an Ivy Park Kids X Adidas advert, and they found themselves a fixture on Amazing Radio’s A-list alongside Goat and Frank Carter.

For any fans of the Velvet Revolver, the Beatles, Syd Barrett or the Stones will find plenty to love about the clean vintage tones, grooves that were made to disco dance to and harmonised male and female vocals in their seminal release, Get Me Out, that adds a touch of antagonism to the otherwise kaleidoscopically colourful track that is all too efficacious at pulling you from the confines of the 21st century and placing you into the soul of the 60s.

Stream Get Me Out on Spotify, support the band on Bandcamp or connect with them via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Henry Dukes wears his heart on his sleeve in ‘If I Die Tomorrow’.

https://soundcloud.com/dale-wills/if-i-die-tomorrow-m/s-fCOGtYSzqhj?in=dale-wills/sets/voicemail-henry-dukes-pre-release/s-o1Zf4BFhiny

If you spend your days wasting time, Henry Dukes’ summer love song, If I Die Tomorrow, might be what it takes to shake you from complacency.

The 17-year-old London/Wiltshire indie singer-songwriter released his debut single, Slow Down, for a mental health charity earlier this year. With If I Die Tomorrow, he created a hauntingly intimate narrative of introspection and romantic anxiety. There is always an inncecent need to know that our affection won’t just be a line in someone else’s story or a regretful blot on the page. Dukes perfectly captures this in If I Die Tomorrow.

With a steady heartbeat behind his acoustic guitar chords, when his vocals fall into the soundscape, they won’t fail to pull you in deeper. What starts as a minimal production with reminiscence of Tom Odell hits a sonic wall of shoegazey noise as it tumultuously brings in the outro.

If I Die Tomorrow is part of Henry Dukes’ upcoming debut EP, VoiceMail, which will be released via DukeVox on August 20th. Check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Birmingham’s most raucous indie punk rock luminaries Mild Headache have dropped their latest single, ‘Near Me.

Any fans of sticky-sweet vocal hooks and chaotic indie rock instrumentals will want to delve right into the latest release from the Birmingham-based raucous luminaries Mild Headache.

‘Near Me’ is a rhythmically fierce white-knuckle ride through ensnaring alt-indie elements, softened by the playful earworm potential of the anthem which is far reminiscent of the tones you’d hear from across the pond.

The last thing we needed was another indie-pop-rock assimilating act; Mild Headache put the unoriginal to shame. They have exactly what it takes to ascend in the ranks with Cabbage, SHAME, Gender Roles and Hot Milk and hit the same heights. If you get a chance to see them live, take it.

Near Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike Stoyanov has made their unmissable indie garage rock debut with ‘Star’.

After lending his talent to various rock and blues outfits, London’s Mike Stoyanov made his solo debut on February 12th with the punchy indie garage rock track ‘Star’.

With the vocal swagger of Liam Gallagher and his fresh take on garage rock, anyone still turning to indie for their aural euphoria fixes will undoubtedly feel the dopamine flood when hitting play. It’s an unapologetic feel-good track that couldn’t have hit the airwaves at a better time. If anything can dissolve the ego, it’s enduring 12 months of pandemic times that have stifled the arts, yet, Mike Stoyanov is here with an anthemic reminder that the rock n roll persona is still as fitting as ever. He’s pretty convincing too. You’ll want him on your radar for his sophomore release.

Star is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The real life of a stressed parent: Kathy Giddins and the Rolling Sevens tell it how it is on ‘Caroline’s Dream’

Caroline's Dream by Kathy Giddins and the Rolling Sevens

Kathy Giddins and the Rolling Sevens bring us an absolute gem of a single that parents will totally relate to on ‘Caroline’s Dream‘, which is off the forthcoming album called ‘Where Sweet Confetti Falls’.

A sweetly-sonic collaboration combining the undeniable talents of vocalist Kathy Giddins, songwriter Richard Clark, guitarist Jordan Humber and drummer Chris Allan; Kathy Giddins and the Rolling Sevens is a terrifically honest band from Nottingham in England. They are backed up spectacularly by The SwinglesEdward Randell, Joanna Goldsmith-Eteson & Imogen Parry to form a team that will make you take notice rather quickly.

Her voice tells you what life is like as you stroll around in a constant daze in this crazy world. The tender nature of her fine vocals make your ears wake up and turning up the volume is an automatic reaction. Being in a dream is the only way to survive the day and you feel like you can’t take much more of this madness.

The band are so tremendous and the whole package is so pleasurable here as you sway your head and sing with them. This is a song that shows you into the door of real life- where you can only think about getting away from it all and dream forever.

Caroline’s Dream‘ showcases everything good about the UK underground music scene as this is a song that is honest, lively and the soundscape is so electric from Kathy Giddins and the Rolling Sevens. The true story about how life as a parent can be so tough in the world, as you try and keep your head above water is such a emotional ride- especially if you don’t have the support of your partner.

Life can get a bit much sometimes but luckily through music, you can hopefully start to heal all cuts and bruises with the support of true friends- who have your back and will help you get out of an abusive relationship. Being happy and treated like you should, is the only way to inner peace.

Hear this exclusively Bandcamp track and see more on FB.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Gully has brought optimism with him into the new year with their single ‘Carpe Diem’

Seizing the moment may be harder than usual in 2021, unless that means grabbing the fanciest biscuits in Tesco, but it’s still possible to indulge in unforgettable experiences, such as hitting play on ‘Carpe Diem’, the latest single  released by UK Indie Jazz artist, Gully.

After gaining plenty of traction on the radio waves, thanks to Radio Bristol and BBC introducing, with his debut EP,  ‘Student Blues’, Gully, and his 6-piece band, teamed up with producer Jax Beats to create a mix as timeless as it is fresh. The contemporary Indie inclinations weave amongst the roots-deep flowing Jazz licks with such natural ease, it becomes impossible not to melt into the cathartic grooves of the shimmering soundscape.

If your soul melted at The Arctic Monkeys’ cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘You Know I’m No Good’, Carpe Diem will undoubtedly have the same evocative impact.

You can check out Carpe Diem for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Kid and I tackled the sufferance in grief with their Indie Garage Rock hit “White Feather”

The Kid and I’s latest Indie Garage Rock track, “White Feather”, is a tender extension of compassion orchestrated to reach out to anyone who knows how hard the grief hits while validating the struggles of anyone coming of age and attempting not to slip through the cracks.

Their exuberantly raucous Garage sound which is laden with scuzzy hooks amps up the energy while the imploringly empathetic vocals offer a grabbable olive branch of connection. I can imagine it will be a fair while befor the infectiously charismatic chorus stops reverberating around my mind, but the earworm to the epic infusion of Pop Punk, Alt Rock and indie will always be welcome.

You can check out White Feather which dropped on November 13th via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Versonic – Seen It All: An Indie Rock Anthem for the Ennui-Burdened

https://versonic1.bandcamp.com/track/seen-it-all

There was no forgetting Epsom, UK Alt-Indie artist Versonic after we heard their magnetic Indie Shoegaze track, A Second in Time in 2018. This time, they’re back with even more harmonic motion and sonorous lyrical depth with their single “Seen it All”.

Perceptibly, 2020 has had a profound effect on the already highly acclaimed award-winning songwriter Stephen Connor. If you’ve been fraught with ennui recently, it may just feel like the lyricism has been taken from your own unshockable mind which scarcely knows how to react to atrocity anymore.

Despite the resilient upbeat vitality of Seen It All, there’s no retracting the striking melancholy from the lyrics. But that’s not to say that you won’t find plenty of soul-soothing accordance in the driving, cavernous, radiant track which will definitely appeal to any fans of the Alt 90s sound.

Seen It All is available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alexander Joseph – Invincible: Hearteningly Essential Indie Pop

Alexander Joseph

From the first few dreamy notes in Alexander Joseph’s latest Indie single “Invincible”, we were hooked. The sincerity of the soul, the impact of the heartening lyrics and the ingenuity which lies within the modernistic Electronic Indie Rock soundscape ensures that Invincible unravels as a rapturously resonant single.

Alexander Joseph has a different approach to songwriting to most artists. It’s the same approach he uses as a Paralympic and Olympic sports coach. He uplifts and offers support for anyone brave enough to persevere through adversity.

People often talk about needing to be able to separate the art from the artist when arguing about cancel culture, but Alexander Joseph’s single proves just how impossible that is. His inspiring charisma shines right through Invincible.

Invincible is the 5th track on Alexander Joseph’s EP “Broken But Beautiful” which is due for release on September 4th. You’ll be able to check it out for yourselves from the date of release via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

That Hidden Promise – You Can Have the World: Captivatingly Sonic Alt Indie

Ahead of their debut album release, UK Alt Indie solo artist That Hidden Promise released their sonically anthemic single “You Can Have the World”. Be prepared for your preconceptions on Indie solo acts to be thrown out of the window when you hit play.

With nuances of 90s Britpop combined with soaring Post Punk guitar hooks, the single is as electric as it is accessible. Any fans of the Manic Street Preachers’ Holy Bible era will be as captivated by the guitar work as we were.

With a higher tempo than your average Indie hit, there’s an intensely momentous feel to You Can Have the World. Yet, none of the angular intricacies was lost from the Post-Punk style guitar progressions.

You can check out You Can Have the World via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast