Browsing Category

Lo-fi

Slip into the hypersonic vortex of Peach Giraffe’s latest experimental track, Intertwined

Posted on 21 March 2024

Peach Giraffe’s new single, “Intertwined,” is a masterful blend of skate punk, hyper-pop, trap nuances, and a touch of Arcade Fire, creating a vortexical kaleidoscope of avant-garde electronica. The grungy and antagonised vocal lines sink into this eclectic mix, stitching “Intertwined” with a mind-altering amalgam of aural aesthetics.

This daring combination cements Peach Giraffe as one of the most bold, indomitable, and fearlessly innovative artists in the alternative music scene. As genre lines blur in “Intertwined,” Peach Giraffe’s commitment to sonically visualising emotional themes shines through. The single is a lyrically poetic exposition of a relationship where distance doesn’t necessitate disconnection, despite the ambiguous parameters that could easily send the mind into a spiral with too much contemplation.

Peach Giraffe’s approach to music is an unforced journey of experimentation, spanning over a decade. His process involves piecing together a puzzle of sounds and ideas, driven not by genre constraints but by spontaneous inspiration. “Intertwined” is a testament to this organic and free-flowing approach to music creation. It’s a track that doesn’t just fit into the alternative music scene; it stands out as a bold statement of Peach Giraffe’s unique and unbridled creativity.

Intertwined reached the airwaves on March 10; stream the official music video on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Submerged in Sonic Turmoil: Microplanet’s ‘Painsucker’ is A Grungy Art-Rock Odyssey from Euphony to Agony

Posted on 10 March 2024

Indie art-rock was dragged under a riptide of grungy distortion in the standout single, Painsucker, from Microplanet’s sophomore LP, Submerge. After an intro of euphonically simple guitar chords, Thom Yorke-esque falsetto vocal lines, and tender lyricism, Painsucker quickly descends into a tumultuous onslaught of scuzzed-up rancour to mirror the lyrical transition into self-defecation.

It’s a compelling exposition of how quickly the mind can contort into dark corridors of despair, with the instrumentals exemplifying the agony the mind can inflict upon itself. The seminal release is also a reflection of the expressive talents of the San Diego-hailing band fronted by the multi-instrumentalist, Nathan Wilson. Their unparalleled ability to take personal antagonism and metamorph it into a universal reflection of the human condition via an intimate self-recorded lo-fi production will undoubtedly see Microplanet go far.

Stream Painsucker on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Never look at apocalyptic fiction the same again after losing yourself in McKay’s indie-folk earworm,  Last Man Alive

Posted on 28 January 2024

Staying true to folk roots while not getting entrenched in its antiquities, the Nashville indie folk quartet McKay made the genre relevant for this generation with their larger-than-life rendition of their latest single, Last Man Alive.

If you have ever immersed yourself in apocalyptic sci-fi media and wondered if you would have the determination to endeavour or simply submit to the same fate that removed the majority of the planet, you’ll hear familiar thoughts and questions echoed back at you. But McKay goes even further by touching on all of the ways that we make sense of space and time as society keeps on buzzing away. It’s impossible not to become caught up in a state of contemplation as you listen to the harmonica blow over the raw folk chords and Hudson Haining’s pontificating vocals, which bring you right into the introspective world the promising outfit constructed.

With the evocative pull of Deathcab for Cutie fused with the sonics of Neutral Milk Hotel, McKay’s sound is original as it is intimately affecting.

Last Man Alive will be available to stream on all major platforms from January 28; stream it on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kanyun sonically embraced the duality of December with the warmth in the chill of ‘Winter In Sight’

Posted on 24 December 2023

Kanyun’s seminal single, Winter in Sight, is a testament to the power of musical innovation; the journey through the heart of winter encapsulates its contrasting emotions with a finesse that only a cultivated artist like Kanyun could achieve.

The track opens with a haunting melody reminiscent of a Nils Frahm composition, setting a profound and melancholic tone. The minor keys speak volumes, hinting at the long, dark nights of winter and the introspection they bring as the lo-fi production shares the cosiness of intimacy, away from the biting cold.

The soft meandering guitars weave through the track like warm threads in a winter tapestry, creating melodies that comfort and embrace the listener. The guitar lines are an embodiment of sitting by a crackling fire or finding solace in the arms of a loved one.

Kanyun’s journey from a trap-beat producer to a lo-fi maestro is evident in this track. His ability to create a sound that resonates with a broad audience while retaining a distinct personal touch is remarkable. Winter in Sight is not just a song; it’s a feeling, a moment in time captured through the lens of a gifted artist.

As we look forward to Kanyun’s future projects and the evolution of his new record label, Amelia Grace Recordings, Winter in Sight stands as an attest to his artistic growth and the potential that lies ahead.

Winter in Sight is available to stream and purchase on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Peach Giraffe scorns the sands of time in his grungy lo-fi indie gem, Running Out of Time

Posted on 27 November 2023

Running Out of Time by Peach Giraffe is a lo-fi indie gem that marries the raw, emotionally charged vocal delivery of Kurt Cobain with a lighter, more melodic instrumental arrangement, which creates an entrancing dichotomy between the visceral vocal expression and the gentle yet complex, guitar work. The track is bound to captivate listeners drawn to the music of AJJ, Roar, Vundabar, and The Mountain Goats.

Peach Giraffe’s approach to music production—treating each recording session like assembling pieces of a puzzle—lends the track a sense of organic cohesion that’s both intimate and relatable. With genre conventions cast aside, the independent singer-songwriter channels pure and spontaneous creativity, evident in the sound and lyrical expression alike.

The lyrical content is a thoughtful reflection on the ephemeral nature of existence. The way Peach Giraffe intertwines the desperation of time slipping away with the soothing instrumentals is a beautiful contrast that keeps delivering the consolation, regardless of how many times you hit repeat.

Watch the lyric video for Running Out of Time via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Buddy J Francis – Paralysed by Fear: Avant-Warped-Garde Psych Rock

Posted on 22 November 2023

Adelaide’s most endearingly audacious artist, Buddy J Francis suited himself in pink and his sound in psychonautic scuzz for his latest installation of Avant-Warped-Garde psych rock, Paralysed by Fear.

Each of the kaleidoscopically fuzzed instrumentals you hear on the release was individually tracked, giving the progressions plenty of mind-melting volition to captivate listeners within the lo-fi production, which laments the stagnancy that being afraid to take life-altering leaps breeds.

Even with so many experimental layers to his work between his instrumental experimentation, tongue-in-cheek guises and lyrical conceptuality, it is all too easy to get on the same level as the artist, who has transcended parody to deliver deliciously delirious subversion.

If Paralysed by Fear racks up 10k streams on Spotify in the first week, Buddy J Francis has vowed to get his nipple pierced, allowing his staunch fanbase to get their sonic and sadistic kicks in one swing.

Thankfully, there are fewer conditions attached to the imminence of his forthcoming LP, which Paralysed by Fear snuck out of prematurely; it is set to arrive in early 2024. Keep Francis on your radar for it, and undoubtedly other outlandish antics via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

McKay exhibited cybernetic sickness in their indie folk punk single, Plugged

Posted on 14 September 2023
https://soundcloud.com/mckay-608898721/plugged/s-KL9ziCSNpVD?si=96964519eb94489d9d6a39b352cda082&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

If the Beatles psychedelically strode across Pavement’s indie rock obscurity and checked into the Neutral Milk Hotel, the sonic result would groove in the same vein as McKay’s single, Unplugged.

The indie folk punk outpour of raw striking rancour inhibits nothing as the track veers from kaleidoscopic psychedelia to gritty instrumentation and lyrical volition that allows you to feel the inward visceral frustration that encompasses our inability to be a perfect portrait when the landscape that surrounds us warped by increasingly digital dystopia.

I’m pretty sure we can all relate to the exposition of how toxic dopamine habits compel us to stay hooked up to all the wrong lifebloods and leave us at further odds with ourselves. Given the evocative immersion Plugged provides, it is no surprise that McKay has become one of the hottest indie acts in the Nashville scene.

Plugged will debut on September 14; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Put on Giancarlos Lopez’s latest cashmere smooth pop hit, Designer Clothes

Posted on 9 August 2023

If you want to slip into something comfortable, put on Giancarlos Lopez’s latest dreamy indie R&B pop hit, Designer Clothes. Far from an ode to capitalism, the cashmere smooth single is sweeter than honey for the way it undresses excess and celebrates the person beneath the wearable status symbols that become a façade.

The lo-fi bedroom pop feel to the release only serves to amplify the intimacy of the single that is dripping in romanticism instead of Gucci. If you don’t sonically fall head over heels for Giancarlos Lopez after hearing it, you may want to check your soul’s check engine light; his ability to create a hazy ethereal atmosphere with his vocal lines alone is second to none.

The independent Puerto Rico-born, Tampa-raised artist borrows plenty of inspiration from the Floridian culture before infusing it within soothingly nostalgic soundscapes that reminisce with the works of Mac Miller, Keshi, and Joji. If they are on your playlists, Designer Clothes should be too.

Designer Clothes hit the airwaves on the 28th of July; stream it on Spotify.

 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Silverhours reached the pinnacle of art-rock innovation with ‘The Miser’

Posted on 5 August 2023

With the artfulness of Radiohead, the arcane beguile of Bjork, the atmospherics of Mogwai, and the elevated ornate grace of Sigur Ros, the standout single, The Miser, from the sonic exploration of an album, Madeleine Moment, by Silverhours is a sensually multi-sensory firestorm of gravitas.

By amalgamating jazz and electronica in an intimately lo-fi production space, The Miser is the epitome of uninhibited expression, orchestrated by an artist enthralled by the geometry of musical rhythms. In full, the LP tracks a story that scarcely leaves any of the visceral emotions by the wayside; they’re all materialised in the juxtapositions between melodies, harmonies and memories to capture the haunting echoes of the past.

After getting kudos from Nick Cave after winning his online covers competition, Silverhours started to pick up traction in their career, leading to the launch of this drenched with evocative ingenuity debut LP. If it’s good enough for Nick Cave, it is good enough for your playlists.

Stream Madeleine Moment in full by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Folk-Punk Renegades Gaslighters.Anonymous Gave A&R Factory An Exclusive Preview of Their Classified LP

Posted on 30 July 2023
Gaslighters.Anonymous

The anti-establishment, for all intents and purposes non-existent and anonymous organisation Gaslighters.Anonymous have A&R Factory an exclusive preview of their highly classified 10-track LP, which features the rugged indie folk seminal single Hail to the Chief.

Just as traditional folk artists spoke for the oppressed and working class, Gaslighters.Anonymous carried on the conversation in their acoustic folk-punk portrayal of our atrocity of an era that is perpetually being underpinned by fascism and the threat of climate change. The riotously rancorous lo-fi single may traverse some uncomfortable existential themes, but as far as the listening experience goes, the rallying cry for awareness and action is emboldeningly sweet.

Hail to the Chief is currently protected from public ears; all will be revealed in due course. Keep your ear to the ground for updates and your eyes in the sky as Gaslighters.Anonymous light the smoke signals that will pave the way towards progress.

Review by Amelia Vandergast