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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.

Steady Owl melancholically howled into the cosmos with his orchestrally elevated alt-90s hit, MOONDOG

Posted on 13 October 2023

If anyone has what it takes to reignite the mainstream momentum of indie, it is the melodic fire starter Steady Owl with their debut album, They Are All Bastards Except Us, which is due for release on October 20.

As an appetiser, the alt-indie revivalist revealed the single, MOONDOG, which pays a mellifluously fitting ode to the icons of the 90s Britpop era. The orchestrally elevated melodicism echoes the legacies of Mansun and the Manics while the cosmically compelling single drips in Transatlantic magnetism with the striking reminiscences to the more melancholic work of R.E.M.

It feels as though the entire alt-90s aural ecosystem underpins this gravity-defying release, yet at the same time, the superlative song crafter conjured something completely new to render the hearts of all indie rock nostalgists raw. Lyrically, it will throw you right back to when Pearl Jam broke your heart for the first time with their single, Black, while the cosmos is torn through by the stunning angular guitars, which know which evocative impulses to strike with every pitch and pace-perfected progression.

MOONDOG was officially released on September 14; stream it on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emerge from the Shadows of Toxicity with JW Paris’ Clamorous Call to Action Against Digital Subjugation, ‘You’ve Got Me’

Posted on 12 October 2023

Even after growing accustomed to JW Paris’ exhilarating amalgams of grunge and Britpop, their latest hybrid synthesis, You’ve Got Me, still struck me as an ensnaring feat of tightly unhinged volition, delivered with electrifyingly dark tones, and liberating intent.

The cutting social discourse against the more interpersonal vignette slices is an affecting affirmation that JW Paris delivered a verbatim narration straight from the antagonised and agonised soul. Imagine the haunting melodies in The Holy Bible augmented by the rancorous swagger of grunge, and you will be close to getting an idea of what JW Paris delivered with this anthemically unshackling elucidation to the toxicity within the grip of algorithms and the seductiveness of social media.

Discernibly, the London-based three-piece have perfected the art of gnarled high-octane hooks and choruses that draw you right into the centre of their distorted chaos, which still doesn’t hold a candle to the dystopic chaos that consumes us when we’re in digital arenas that leaves us with desperation for validation-derived dopamine.

After experiencing the visceralism, in retrospect, it is almost laughable that we are so pre-occupied with fears of AI advancing when we’re already enslaved by the technology that keeps us hooked to a mind-numbing sedative which comes with insecurity and polarised hostility as side-effects.

JW Paris Said

‘With lines like “Can you sit inside the silence, reflecting on the shame,” the song paints a vivid picture of introspection, urging us to confront the uncomfortable truths that we’ve ignored. It delves into the paradox of feeling unwanted and pushing for constant attention.’

You’ve Got Me was officially released via Blaggers Records on October 11. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emerge from the Shadows of Toxicity with JW Paris’ Clamorous Call to Action Against Digital Subjugation, ‘You’ve Got Me’

Posted on 12 October 2023

Even after growing accustomed to JW Paris’ inventive and authentic amalgams of grunge and Britpop, their latest hybrid synthesis, You’ve Got Me, still struck us as a superlatively ensnaring feat of tightly unhinged volition, delivered with dark tones, and liberating intent.

The cutting social discourse against the more interpersonal vignette slices is an affecting affirmation that JW Paris delivered a verbatim narration straight from the antagonised and agonised soul.

Imagine the haunting melodies in The Holy Bible augmented by the rancorous swagger of grunge, and you will be close to getting an idea of what JW Paris delivered with this anthemically cathartic elucidation to the toxicity within the grip of algorithms and the seductiveness of social media.

Discernibly, the London-based three-piece have perfected the art of gnarled high-octane hooks and choruses that draw you right into the centre of their distorted chaos, which still doesn’t hold a candle to the dystopic chaos that consumes us when we’re in digital arenas that leaves us with desperation for validation-derived dopamine.

 After experiencing the visceralism, in retrospect, it is almost laughable that we are so pre-occupied with fears of AI advancing when we’re already enslaved by the technology that keeps us hooked to a mind-numbing sedative which comes with insecurity and polarised hostility as side-effects.

JW Paris Said

‘With lines like “Can you sit inside the silence, reflecting on the shame,” the song paints a vivid picture of introspection, urging us to confront the uncomfortable truths that we’ve ignored. It delves into the paradox of feeling unwanted and pushing for constant attention.’

You’ve Got Me was officially released via Blaggers Records on October 11. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Luce Cargo encompassed the alienation in existentialism in their shoegaze single, I Don’t Belong Here

Posted on 12 October 2023

Since the release of their 2021 EP, Paradise, the Australian shoegaze duo Luce Cargo have been honing their talents and attuning the authenticity in their sonic signature; I Don’t Belong Here is the first exhibition of their freshly manicured dream pop sound, and it is a sign that if any outfit is strong enough to stand at the vanguard of the 21st-century Shoegaze resurgence, it is them.

With soft angular guitars which echo Slowdive influences leading into My Bloody Valentine-esque walls of distortion, the progressive instrumentation sets the tonal shifts for the vocals which transition from bleeding into the reverb-laden synths with blissful accordance to bursts of primal candour.

The title gives plenty of clues to what the lyrics relay, but the resonance for anyone who feels alienated in their existentialism shouldn’t be underestimated. The compassionately relatable narration of loneliness holds a mirror to the fractures that splinter across society, leaving us all disconnected in an increasingly connected world.

I Don’t Belong Here was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

wych elm gave grunge a place on 21st-century airwaves with their pitchfork-permeated single, ‘Burnt at the Stake’

Posted on 11 October 2023

Wearing their Angel Olsen and Courtney Barnett influences on the sleeve of their guitarwork and their devil-may-care vocal lines, the Bristol-based trio, wych elm, gave their latest psychedelically sludgy feat of alt-indie, Burnt at the Stake, as much mainstream appeal as their hits that have surpassed the million stream mark.

The winding carnivalesque-with-macabre-glamour melodies are carved through by the angular syncopated notes to ensure the tension is succinctly taught before the breaks into the choruses that blister with catharsis.

Burnt at the Stake is the first single to drip from the forthcoming EP, Field Crow, which will drop on November 13th. Make sure wych elm is on your radar for the deliverance of it and in your gig calendar for when they embark on their UK tour from the same date.

Burnt at the Stake was officially released on September 30th; stream it on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pomaa – Wide Eyed: Painfully Sober, Sonically Celestial Indie Dream Pop

Posted on 11 October 2023

With a transfixingly astral vocal register layering harmonies over the retro reverb-swathed synths, Pomaa’s latest single, Wide Eyed, bridges the gap between Siouxsie and the Banshees and cutting-edge outfits in the vein of Wolf Alice and Desperate Journalist while allowing you to linger in a kaleidoscope of dreamy psych-pop tones.

From the first immersion, the artist’s unique talents in blending the spirit of her own hypnotically authentic expression with the mixer of era-spanning signatures from shoegaze, post-punk, psych, pop and indie to pour the perfect sonic mocktail becomes immediately apparent.

Through Wide Eyed, Pomaa narrates the isolation of being the only sober person at a party; starved of connection and wracked with unshakable sensations which embed the loneliness of growing at a different pace to everyone around you.

Wide Eyed will be available to stream on all major platforms from October 11; stream it on Spotify & SoundCloud. If you like what you hear, stay tuned for the release of her debut EP, Bridge to Somewhere, which will drop on November 15.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sadness plays the blues in the latest folk composition by Italian virtuoso, Stefano Manotti

Posted on 10 October 2023

A cosmically arcane air breezes right through the latest folk single from the Italian singer, songwriter, composer and guitarist Stefano Manotti. He may be only a few years on from the release of his Soulgem Records-distributed debut single, but he is already making major waves in the industry by climbing the charts and supporting internationally acclaimed artists.

The amorous melancholy that lingers in his vocal lines as they drift above the folky instrumental arrangement in Endless Road, which paints a panoramic picture of estrangement and wantonness for connection, invites you into an intimately electrifying and orchestrally ornate world. Sonically visualising the middle ground between Bowie & Tom Waits while orchestrating an exemplary manifestation of Italian folk, Manotti’s sound couldn’t be more refined in this odyssey of folk blues.

Endless Road is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The indomitable indie rock powerhouse, Sam Scherdel, rose-tinted bitter-sweet euphoria in his latest single, R.E.T.R.O.

Posted on 9 October 2023

 After a phenomenally successful year which has seen Sam Scherdel secure support slots for Two Door Cinema Club and receive critical acclaim from across the board, Sheffield’s indie rock spearhead has delivered another hit of exhilarant romanticism with his latest single, R.E.T.R.O. If the waves Scherdel makes with his ear for euphoric earworms get any bigger, we’ll all need to seek higher ground.

The retrospective take on gratitude is a stunning attestation to our proclivity towards tenderly holding the past while struggling to amass sentimentality for the present. The sepia hues of nostalgia will always bring rose-tinted light in our darkest hours, but as much as we want to re-manifest the past, as Scherdel did so sonically consummately with the shimmering new wave pop nuances atop his signature Springsteen-esque indie rock grooves, us mere mortals are confined to the present.

“R.E.T.R.O. was written in 2021 after the initial lockdowns. It’s a bittersweet pop record which contains the message to appreciate what you have whilst you have it, as the moment it’s gone is the moment it hurts.”

With producer Gavin Monaghan (Editors, Robert Plant, Paolo Nutini), the singer-songwriter who always knows exactly which melodically electrifying buttons to press to evoke deep emotion, demonstrated his versatility without watering down the authentic alchemy barely contained in his previous releases.

R.E.T.R.O. turned back the airwaves on October 6; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Murphy put her jazz and soul into existential philosophy with her latest single, Glitch

Posted on 9 October 2023

The NYC-hailing soulstress Murphy brought in a new era of indie soul pop and added a new trajectory to the evolution of existential philosophy with her latest slicked with jazz and hooked with funk single, Glitch.

Traversing everything from the meaning of life to its origin, Glitch is a deeply introspective hit which infectiously explores the potential of a society-shaking glitch to set us free. If the soberingly sublime single doesn’t leave you deep in thought, that may just be a sign you need to stop swimming in the shallows of perception and start swimming in infinitely more profound pools; diving in with Murphy is the perfect vantage point to take the plunge.

She’s got the voice, a mind that would make Sartre quiver, and a golden ear for a melody; it is safe to say that she’s the epitome of a triple threat; we can’t wait to hear what comes next.

Glitch was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get moving with Johnjames Bruce’s acoustic post-punk hit, Dance

Posted on 8 October 2023

After cutting his teeth as a bass player in the punk outfit The Irrelevants, the Lancashire-hailing rhythm-maker, Johnjames Bruce, found his voice as a solo acoustic artist and started to release his own indie-folk punk music in 2018.

His latest single, Dance, carries the raucous and cutting spirit of post-punk; heavy distortion was surplus to requirement with the swagger of the acoustic guitars, the snarl in the vocals and the snappy percussive backbeat.

If you’re a fan of Pleasure Heads, Youth Sector, and The Walkmen and like your punk hits raw, intimate and uniquely authentic, Johnjames Bruce’s discography will be your new favourite discovery.

Dance was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast