Browsing Category

Top Indie Music Blog

Indie Music Blogs UK

 

The term ‘indie’ in the music industry has become so ambiguous it has practically become as subjective as the meaning of life. Whichever way it is defined, it is still a massive part of the music industry in the UK and across the globe.

Originally, indie referred to how an artist distributed their music. Over the decades, it became a catch-all term for artists sharing the same sonic off-kilter edge; and, of course, the same moody yet inexplicably cool aesthetic. Indie, as a genre, only came around as the result of experimental artists in the 70s wanting to bring a new sound to the airwaves; instead of solely hoping for commercial success after appeasing one of the major record labels.

Indie artists adopted punk ethos they started to push the boundaries of pop. Instead of commercialising their sound, they pushed it into post-punk, shoegaze, synthpop, Britpop, avant-garde, noise rock and dream pop arenas. For all that separates bands such as Sonic Youth, the Cure, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Elliott Smith and Radiohead, there is still so much that ties them together, namely their attitudes and the loud discordant style.

Along with the bands, iconic venues such as the 100 Club in London, the Hacienda in Manchester, and King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow had a pivotal part to play in the traction of independent artists and music. New Indie labels, such as Rough Trade and Factory Records, were amongst the first record labels to truly embrace and encourage experimentalism and authenticity in the artists they scouted and signed – taking New Order and Joy Division as a prime example.

It may have been a while since there was an indie breakthrough act as successful as the Arctic Monkeys, but indie music has far from lost its resonance. Besides, Monkeys won over 42 awards and sold over 20 million records, so that’s going to take some beating, and they’re certainly not the only indie artists currently thriving.

The Welsh indie rock icons, the Manic Street Preachers, celebrated their first number 1 album in 23 years with the release of Ultra Vivid Lament in 2021. The Tarantino-Esque Liverpool outfit, Red Rum Club, released their debut album in 2019, and got to number 14 in the official album sales chart with their album, How to Steal the World, in 2021. Perhaps most impressively, the world’s first CryptoPunk rapper, Spottie Wifi, made just under $200k in album NFT sales in 90 seconds this year.

litesleeper unveiled a pulsating prism of euphonic euphoria in their organic electronica release, Hertz

Posted on 26 July 2024

Hertz by litesleeper surpassed sound to become a sophisticated statement that carries the evolution of electronica on its pulsating back. The Northampton-based collective’s objective to arrest rhythmic pulses while simultaneously stirring the soul was efficaciously achieved through their amalgamation of organic instrumentation and powerful basslines.

Vocalist Shannon Kait honed the release with a razor-sharp indietronica edge; her soulfully ethereal and emotionally charged harmonies floating above intricately layered production ensured that Hertz had all the potential to become the definitive sound of the summer.

With a production that’s as lush as it is meticulously arranged, the transcendent quality of the seminal single strikes a perfect balance between bass-fuelled momentum and hypnotic serenity. The seraphically utopic hues are enough to liberate you from the mundanity of material reality.

Keen to orchestrate tracks that resonate with seasoned clubbers and casual electronica fans alike, the only thing that is more monumental than the cross-over appeal of the single is the synaesthesia which will ensnare you from the first tonally rich progression.

Hertz will be available to stream and download on all major platforms from July 26th; stream the single on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Diehard Romantics Will Meet Their Match in Kaleb Cohen’s Bluesy Indie-Folk Release, Our Eyes Met on Friday

Posted on 26 July 2024

Kaleb Cohen is set to become the second biggest Cohen in folk after the release of his bluesy indie single, Our Eyes Met on Friday.

After opening with an introspectively tender extended prelude, inviting listeners into a defining moment that captures the essence of a soul finally finding its home the song unfolds through increments of upbeat folk elements reminiscent of the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons which surge through the ingenuity within the genre-bending energy.

This release showcases Kaleb’s profound ability to make loungey piano keys bleed pure raw emotion, complemented by his seraphically timbered vocals that masterfully blend the gruff with the smooth. The continuous sonic reinventions throughout the track play havoc with rhythmic expectations, yet each new arrangement is as euphonic as the last, exhibiting the devilishly playful innovation of an artist who could easily skate by on his larynx of gold but chooses instead to go the extra aural mile to beguile.

Kaleb Cohen, an indie-folk-rock prodigy from Connecticut who writes, records, and self-produces his music is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television Production. As an omen of the illustrious path he is destined to pave, his first-ever show in New Haven was a sell-out with fans coming as far as Pennsylvania to witness one of Indie Folk’s most promising names etch their legacy.

Our Eyes Met on Friday will be officially released on July 26; stream the single on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Urban Café Crew cruised through 80s nostalgia and became sonic heartthrobs in their latest single, Movin’ Down I39

Posted on 24 July 2024

It’s all gas and no brakes in Urban Café Crew’s latest single, ‘Movin’ Down I39’, which exudes a striking blend of 80s Hollywood glamour and heart-throb vocals that make the driving anthem impossible not to groove with.

With the opening sounds of engines revving against strident piano chords that are augmented by Blockbuster nostalgia, you’re instantly susceptible to the lyrics that compel you to seize the moment while the rhythmically magnetic progressions seize your pulses and evoke panoramic images of a guy driving to get the girl. The propulsion of the pulsating beats transcends auditory ingenuity to craft a visual masterpiece that you’ll never get tired of revisiting.

We didn’t need any more evidence of the Australian-based collective’s cultivated songwriting stripes after hearing their Christmas earworm and the eternally endearing single, Hey There Boomer, It’s Not OK. Yet, now that Movin’ Down I39 is here, it only cements their ability to produce hits that sweep you up in their infectiously soulful intensity; it’s the most syncable single I’ve heard this year.

Movin’ Down I39 was officially released on July 17; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bang emotional ambiguity cascades into Bang’s alt-indie lullaby, HOLD ON

Posted on 24 July 2024

In his latest single, HOLD ON, the alt-indie visionary, Bang, plunged his eternally expanding following into a pool of lush reverb-swathed ambience, intersected by sharp, reverberant trap beats that push momentum into the hazy lullaby which envelops the senses with wavy dream-like soul.

With this seminal release, bang captured the essence of affection as the harbinger of comfort and the precursor to uncertainty and confusion. The exposition of the dangers of letting down your walls is intricately crafted into the thematic visualisations of the introspective lyrics that are filled with late-night longing.  The sensory expedition into the heart of emotional ambiguity is an irresistible invitation to escape into the delicious delirium.

The seraphically disorientating release marks the Michigan-raised Asian-American artist as the Thom Yorke of his generation while becoming a milestone stride in his set-to-be illustrious sonic journey which was chartered after early exposure to Bollywood rhythms and 00s hip-hop beats.

As the architect of hits that pulsate with modern indie rhythm and find superlative equilibrium between evocative and innovative cultivation, Bang is elevating the airwaves with his solo work and his role in the genre-defying collective, Rarehearted.

HOLD ON will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify, from July 24th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Classic songwriting meets contemporary cultivation in Col Gerrard’s debut, Sun & Sky

Posted on 23 July 2024

The heat of 90s Britpop summers shimmer through the debut single, Sun & Sky, by Col Gerrard, who is already well on his way to becoming synonymous with seraphic soul-imbued sonics.

Nostalgia-filtered warmth radiates through the magnetic melodies which cast away shadows to invite a spectrum of sepia-tinged colour into your senses as the guitar-driven rhythms in Sun & Sky reverberate in the middle ground between Springsteen, Bryan Adams and the Manics.

The scintillatingly lush synths perfectly round out and modernise the euphoric atmosphere of the classically written single which was produced by the GRAMMY-nominated producer and Brit Award winner, Chris Potter, best known for his work with Blur, Kean, U2, The Rolling Stones, and The Verve.

Inspired by the way Bowie affected his fans, Gerrard has imbued the same soul-affirming stardust into his own work. Yet, when the tonal bliss of Sun & Sky washes over you and the tenderly compassionate lyricism that consoles the lost and pensive starts to resonate, there’s no mistaking that the alchemy within the promising debut is originated to its core.

Sun & Sky was officially released on July 12th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Her Motives Are Silent delivered darkwave redemption in his spectrally lush orchestration, Running

Posted on 23 July 2024
Running by Her Motives Are Silent

In the latest single from Her Motives Are Silent, the marked-to-be illustrious Calgary-hailing innovator, Michael Valenzuela, looked into the shadows of introspection through a darkwave electronica lens that invokes Glenn Branca’s avant-garde obscurity.

‘Running’ meticulously stitches distorted vocals into the fabric of its production, ensconced amidst formidable percussive lashes flowing through syncopated rhythms and crafting a sonorous web capable of placating the macabrely-minded and unsettling the comfortable.

By implanting orchestral motifs and the spectral qualities of Porcupine Tree into the middle ground of NIN and Radiohead the single, which challenges the listener to confront their anxiety instead of simply evading it by any means necessary, is a deeply reflective score which acts as a compelling precursor to the solo artist’s upcoming debut album, Love Muse.

As the track unfolds, it pensively guides its audience towards resolution, encapsulating a journey through emotional turbulence with a promise of catharsis; the oscillating momentum ebbs and flows around the evocatively vulnerable pull of the vocal delivery, resulting in a cinematically lush auditory extension of redemption.

Running was officially released on July 19; stream and purchase the single via Bandcamp.

For more info, head over to the official Her Motives Are Silent website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flames of funk and soul lick JANAYAH’s latest indie rock earworm, Can’t Get Enough

Posted on 22 July 2024

Janayah’s latest rhythmic revelation, Can’t Get Enough, mainlines funk-licked soul into indie rock euphoria through a filter of ’60s and ’70s nostalgia to breathe life into timeless tonality.

Born and raised in Auckland and now based in London, Janayah has graced stages from a tender age and has left lasting impressions with her dynamic live performances. Her sophomore single, imbued with the raw vocal power of Christina Aguilera with moments that oscillate back to old-school soul around rhythmically magnetic melodies is an embodiment of her soul-rock fortitude.

The single, which testifies to the insatiability of desire, showcases her signature style that crosses boundaries from pop to rock and dance, with each genre succumbing to the weight of her powerful vocals. Her previous works, including collaborations with EDM artists and features in prominent music venues, have all paved the way for this riveting return to her roots.

Ironically, every note in Can’t Get Enough promises to leave Janayah’s audience wanting more from the one-woman powerhouse.

Can’t Get Enough was officially released on July 12; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Oh doom! orchestrated a sonic dichotomy in their tone-setting post-rock debut, All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad

Posted on 20 July 2024

Oh doom! set the tone for their forthcoming discography with the release of their elegiac debut single, All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad; but given the artistic intensity within the inaugural release, expecting the unexpected would be safer.

The release ensues from an ambient post-rock composition filled with art-rock motifs and reverb-drenched choral guitars that pull textures of shoegaze into the production until the track steadily builds in momentum throughout the extended 8-minute duration.

While attention spans may be waning and artists are churning out 2-minute pop tracks left, right, and centre, Oh Doom! exhibited the beauty of foregoing instant hooks for mind-shattering crescendos, cinematically constructed by distorted walls of noise, powerful enough to reverberate right through you.

The kinetic alchemy within All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad is a visceral attestation to the raw, creative power of Oh Doom!, who have the potential to rise to the same heights as Low and Mogwai. Not pedestrian enough for unoriginated post-rock assimilation, the single broadsides with Grandaddy-esque polyphonic synthetics which infiltrate the paradoxically tender yet monolithic production.  Yet, perhaps the most striking beauty in the single lies in how, regardless of the intensity of the instrumentals, the pensively diaphanous vocals maintain imperturbable innocent serenity.

From the ashes of frenetically-paced projects, Oh doom! banded together to filter hope into despair in their releases which utilise spatial effects to let emotion manifest between the notes. As the first single from the debut EP, set for release on July 26, All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad became an irrefutable sign of even bigger things to come from the North London/Hertfordshire band.

All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad was officially released on July 5; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie synths drive the soul in ‘Our Story’, the latest chapter in the organically originated artistry of iinz

Posted on 19 July 2024

‘Our Story’ is yet another chapter in the organically originated chronicle of the Alt-RnB trailblazer, iinz. With an innate ability to traverse the lesser-explored corners of RnB and the human experience alike, iinz introduces a fresh, experimental approach to her euphoniously stylised narratives.

Born from a visceral moment of heartbreak, Our Story is a profoundly personal vignette which epitomises the authentic and introspective essence of the independent artist. The single touches on how even if you share the most intimate parts of yourself, that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll share the same reality.

The loungey, pseudo-jazzy rhythms interspersed with indie synthwave touches create a lush, immersive soundscape which testifies to the nuanced sophistication within the artistry of iinz. Her collaboration with producer Taiina elevated the sonic complexity and evocative resonance to the nth degree.

With iinz on your playlists, you’re never short of a refuge of solace and understanding. The LA-hailing Israeli-American soulstress’ ability to find the alchemic intersections between old-school soul and alt-pop is beyond compare. Yet, there’s an aching sense that when it comes to iinz, expression will always be prioritised over competition.

Our Story will be officially released on July 19; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: ‘Find Out’ and Fall in Love with Dilly Dally Alley’s Indietronic Jazz Infused Earworm

Posted on 19 July 2024

As lightness meets lyrical depth, Dilly Dally Alley’s latest feel-good earworm, Find Out, opens a doorway to rhapsodic bliss with a juxtaposing key of edgy off-beat style and an all-consuming sense of jazz-collective-next-door soul.

Straight out of Minneapolis, the ensemble, led by Sophia Spiegel, spun every-day awkward moments into sonic sugar for the soul; the single pulsates at the crossroads of indie-pop and jazz-inflected alchemy and unravels as the ultimate affirmation that you’ll always be free to shed your inhibitions and embrace your idiosyncrasies in front of the people who matter.

If there was any definitive formula for indietronica pop perfection, Dilly Dally Alley found it with Find Out; the kinetically weightless rhythms pull together to form a dance-worthy anthem that is equally as liberating for the mind and soul.

With Find Out, Dilly Dally Alley doesn’t just step into the limelight—they grab it, twist it, and weave it into a tapestry of infectious grooves and raw, emotive energy. The track is a testament to their journey from late-night jam sessions to becoming the heartbeat of Minneapolis’ vibrant music scene.

Dilly Dally Alley Said:

“Find Out is about the silly, clumsy moments in a relationship that grow to be the very reasons why you fall in love. It’s a song about running into your crush when you’re too drunk at a bar, or the grocery store without your makeup on or being completely tongue-tied trying to ask them out.

It’s about the love that nevertheless persists between two people because it’s meant to work out. This tune is to dance to – maybe a bit clumsily – so long as you’re doing it with someone you’re crushing on.”

–

Find Out will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify, from July 19; shortly followed by the next single in Dilly Dally Alley’s line of sonic succession, This Just In, on August 23.

Review by Amelia Vandergast