Browsing Tag

the strokes

Emotional Chaos Unravels in the Melancholy of Magenta Wave’s Indie Rock Allegory, Why Am I In Love With You

Posted on 17 April 2024

Magenta Wave’s latest single, “Why Am I In Love With You,” vocally tears at the heartstrings with a fervency akin to Thom Yorke and Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchinson. This track is an atom bomb of melancholy that flips the usual narrative of romanticism upside down. It melodically implores listeners to explore the agony of falling in love when your relationship with yourself is on unsteady ground.

With the guitars sonically visualising the disorientation of losing control under another’s influence, and the rhythm section driving this tormented vignette forward, the vocals find an achingly affecting hallowed ground to project their agony over. The soaring, vintage-toned guitar solos resonate like a battle cry from a scarred soul, marking Magenta Wave’s unparalleled ability to shake up the indie rock scene with their ingenuity and sincerity.

This piece is the second single from their upcoming EP, “Sold My Soul,” mastered by Ed Brooks, known for his work with Pearl Jam and Death Cab for Cutie. It is an essential listen for anyone who still finds sanctuary in the candour and inhibition of indie rock.

Magenta Wave, having become legends in Bellingham, WA, before moving to Seattle, continues to blend alternative, indie, and psychedelic rock in their unique sound, making “Why Am I In Love With You” a poignant reflection on love and self-discovery

Why Am I In Love With You was officially released on April 12th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Messy Mike – Things Are Crazy: An Alt-Indie Remedy to the Malady of Modernity.

Posted on 21 March 2024

Messy Mike used the cinematic sheen of neo-doo-wop to add transcendent melodic ascendence to his vintage-toned alt-indie rock allegory of how darkness permeates the psyches of us all – regardless of how hard we endeavour to push away the shadows of ennui.

Things Are Crazy goes beyond unravelling as a sonic sign of the times, the kaleidoscopically colourful release that will be a hit with any fans of The Strokes goes one strident step further to deliver vindication and salvation in the same rhythmic breath.

Regardless of how much we know that this dystopia dogs us all, that doesn’t get in the way of bringing our sanity into question; if you can relate, Things Are Crazy will give you all the answers you’re looking for; sift through the layered instrumentals, gentle acoustics and sweeping organs and hone in on the soulfully caressing vocal lines for a remedy to the malady of modernity.

Stream Things Are Crazy on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Anxious affection resounds in The Good Neighbors’ synth-swathed synthesis of alt-pop and indie-rock, Room for You

Posted on 4 March 2024

The Good Neighbors borrowed a cup of earmilk from The Strokes for their latest single, Room for You, before pouring it into a synth-swathed production that eclipses the contemporary indie synthwave trend.

After moving away from their syntheses of alt-rock and punk, The Good Neighbors aligned their creative ambitions with their passion for painting across the alt-pop and indie-rock spectrum. Room for You not only exhibits the duo’s softer side; you can FEEL the authenticity, soul and delicious devil-may-care approach to constraint-less fusionism. The seminal single is uninhibited expression in scintillatingly melodic motion.

The jazzy neo-pop middle eight extends the experimentalism to the nth degree to assert the Buffalo, NY-hailing duo as genre fusionists that are a cut above the rest as they regale a vignette of anxious affection and explore the neuroscience of expanding our minds to accommodate people capable of turning our world’s upside down. Hit play and meet your new aural addiction.

Room for You will hit the airwaves on March 1st. Stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leah Nawy has unleashed her iconic indie pop rock playlist staple, Friend of Mine

Posted on 3 January 2024

We’ve been obsessed with the NYC pop rock pioneer Leah Nawy ever since sinking into her lusciously groove-pocketed debut single, NUISANCE, which has racked up over 46k streams on Spotify alone since its release in 2023. In the opening verses of her sophomore single, Friend of Mine, the singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist exhibited a softer and more vulnerable side in her confessional release which alludes to how opening yourself up to people is only priming for the scars that will be left when you inevitably part ways.

When there’s little to separate realism and pessimism after life experiences have taught you that optimism is the outlook of the naïve, sentiments which unravel with the same pensive sting as the lyrics in Friend of Mine are inevitable. Yet, by the time the track reaches the midway mark, it transcends into a soulful power ballad before metamorphosising into an indie rock anthem for the disenfranchised but tenacious despite the bruises masses.

By bursting the bubblegum pop bubble with spikes of cultivated indie rock, the melancholy within Friend of Mine adopted a brand-new ferocity as an attestation to how you can reflect on your shortcomings without falling into a trap of self-pity. With a voice as indomitable as Lady Gaga fused with a cutting-edge indie pop rock signature sound, she’s a rare artist whose work merits her being referred to as an icon. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Friend of Mine was officially released on December 22. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Crux sharpened their socially conscious knife in their garage rock protest ‘Dreamseller’

Posted on 1 December 2023

For their latest ensnaring alt-rock synthesis, Dreamseller, Newcastle’s breakthrough act, Crux, took a break from touring the Seattle sound through mutative prog-rock instrumental arrangements and left plenty of room to explore garage rock nuances, noted through The Strokes-esque vocal delivery which adds an element of precariousness to the deadpan croons Alex Turner wishes he could execute with such devil may care finesse.

As the basslines stab and roll through the electrifyingly vintage production, the angular guitar lines carve through the atmosphere and the percussion consistently works to the singular aim of adding an element of tension to the single that will pull you back in time after time. The magnetism within the refreshing distinction and creative confidence which sees the release swathed in swagger is far too addictive to quit.

Since emerging in 2019, Crux’s name has become synonymous with their fiercely uncompromising style and their ability to sharpen their grungy prog-rock signature with a socially conscious edge. With Dreamseller, the outfit revamped their sound and scathed at the commodification of musicians and the industry which sees no value within art, unless it can be exploited at the expense of the artist.

Dreamseller was officially released on November 24; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jake Kulak leaves nostalgia in the past with his stadium-filling Garage Rock/00s Indie Amalgam, Caution Tape

Posted on 24 February 2023

Garage rock and 00s indie converged in the latest radio-ready single from the breakthrough artist Jake Kulak & the Modern Vandals, who will undoubtedly reach even greater heights in their already accoladed career when this riff-soaked euphonic masterpiece hits the airwaves.

Attaching the word masterpiece to a review may sound like a hyperbolic stretch, but there’s no exaggerating the infectious energy in the vintage angular guitar melodies that pop even harder than when the Strokes hit the fretboard.

Caution Tape is the perfect introduction to Kulak’s signature stadium-filling guitar chops, which flood the track around the lyrics that lick resonance into the mix by alluding to the lengths we go to in a bid to evade stagnation.

So far in his career, the Connecticut-hailing artist has toured across the states and beyond, tearing up stages in Norway and Sydney, and picked up multiple awards and nominations along the way. On the basis of Caution Tape, it is all too easy to see why.

Caution Tape will officially release on February 24th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wacko Fest presents: “This Is Fine.”

Posted on 26 November 2022

Wacko Fest is a project with a truly one-of-a-kind sound and style. What makes the artistry of this musical act so special is that it all started in a very serendipitous way, just from friends having fun and jamming together. The spontaneity at the heart of Wack Fest is still a huge and vital component of this release and a really good example of why their formula is so exciting and always connects with people. Wacko Fest’s most recent work, “This Is Fine,” drops on November 25th, 2022. This is a great introduction to the band’s music and a fantastic example of the broad scope that fuels its artistic endeavours overall.

This release is highly recommended to fans of jangly, melodic and energetic indie rock.

Find out more about Wack Fest: http://www.wackofest.com/

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

New Jersey indie outfit Rabbit Dream delivered swathes of alt 90s nostalgia in their debut album, The Golden Gone.

Posted on 12 December 2021

New Jersey’s most promising alt-indie rock outfit, Rabbit Dream, have released their debut album, The Golden Gone, which pulls in nuances of grunge, indie, art rock, garage rock and unravels as the ultimate alt 90s fan’s aural wet dream.

The standout single, Stander, is the perfect introduction to Rabbit Dream’s indulgently distorted tones, massive stadium-filling guitars that are just as robust as the licks in the National’s most anthemic tracks and the vocals that embed authenticity in the progressive single. Before the first instrumental buildup, the vocals are honeyed and sweet; after, they start to gather reminiscence to Julian Casablancas as the guitars dial up the frenetic energy. It isn’t your average indie rock earworm, but you’ll be more than inclined to return to it and give it repeat attention. Rabbit Dream is definitively one to watch; for your own sake as much as theirs.

Stander is now available to stream along with the rest of Rabbit Dream’s debut album via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago’s Temple Drake move to a scuzzier territory with ‘Mexican Coke’

Posted on 1 December 2021

Queens of the Stone Age’s scuzzier cousin, Temple Drake, is set to release their gnarliest garage rock single to date with Mexican Coke. The hard-hitting manically vintage track is pretty much distortion porn for the way the guitars and basslines bounce – bounce being the operative word – between crunchy, rolling, fuzzy and psychedelic licks. Short of mainlining adrenaline, there are few experiences as energising as delving into this frenetically ingenious track.

Mexican Coke was released on November 27th as part of the Chicago-based duo’s EP, Transmission 2. It is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast