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Lo-fi

BREGN put the humanity in our collective anxiety with his reflectively expositional lo-fi folk single, YOU AND ME

Posted on 20 November 2022

Danish singer-songwriter, BREGN, gave humanity hope in his latest single, YOU AND ME, which was officially released on November 18th to dispel the disquiet anxiety spilling from each new global catastrophe.

BREGN’s minimalist soundscapes and the sonorous sense of soul in his quiescent harmonies always strike a visceral chord. With this new melancholic shift, YOU AND ME hit like a tonne of bricks. In the same way Slowdive can hammer home the emotion solely through their reverb-laced angular guitar notes, the guitars in this sombrely sweet single drive you to the brink of tears. Before the choral storm in the outro as a torridly dystopian crescendo pushes you over the emotional edge.

Here’s to hoping next summer gives us a chance to embrace the season free from an ever-pervasive sense of dread.

“YOU AND ME is a reflection of our times; a mix of summer, love, the insecurities imposed by war, political drama, and the deepening energy crisis. There is hope in the continuation of believing that there is still a “You and Me” at the end of the day, that is what I wanted to convey.”

Listen to YOU AND ME on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Follow BREGN via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tim Lukic orchestrated the soundtrack to love & loss in the grungy alt-indie single, YOU WERE HERE

Posted on 13 October 2022

‘YOU WERE HERE’ is the latest grungy lo-fi single released by the Swedish alt-indie artist Tim Lukic, which melds the ennui of Nirvana with the melodic style of Grandaddy to provide the soundtrack to the complexity of love and loss.

The rhythmically composited single, influenced by the likes of John Maus, Frank Zappa, and John Frusciante, allows bitter-sweet gratitude to transpire from the world-tilting loss of someone that provided stability in an endlessly giving relationship.

Lyrically, it’s a deeply personal cry into the void left behind, but one that is sure to hit anyone that has experienced loss will resonate with. The sense of loneliness that permeates our psyches artfully echoes in the intricately woven instrumental layers in YOU WERE HERE. It’s an evocative ride, but there’s some comfort to be found in the knowledge that you’re not alone in even the most harrowing emotions.

YOU WERE HERE is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Been A While: Sadbxylee x Eryn Nicole drifts through on that self-love journey while Rain Falls

Posted on 11 October 2022

Seeing that cloudy outlook even if you want to actually be happy, Sadbxylee x Eryn Nicole pours through and helps us see what is actually important on Rain Falls.

Sadbxylee is a Long Island, USA-based Lo-Fi artist/music producer/audio engineer who is joined by Canadian-based Lo-Fi hip hop producer/composer/songwriter Eryn Nicole.

Knowing now that time flies and the smiles will be hidden until you learn to love yourself, Sadbxylee and Eryn Nicole are quite splendid together and send through a scent that is rather incredible to witness. Forging through with so much introspection, this is a lovely effort that has been clearly made with care.

Rain Falls from the incredible Lo-Fi wizards Sadbxylee x Eryn Nicole is a rather terrific song that will send you into a whole new galaxy altogether. With serene vocals and a breathtaking soundtrack to get your veins ready for more, this is a stunning release, which is exactly what our thrilled bodies had been waiting for. There is a pulsating power at play here which will get your eyes alert and ready for finding that content place we are all seeking.

Listen up to this fine single on Spotify and see more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Tommy Freed and the Sound laments his ‘Waste of a Summer’ in his surfy no-wave anthem

Posted on 8 October 2022

The solo artist Tommy Freed and the Sound treated the airwaves to another off-kilter burst of violent optimism with his latest single, Waste of a Summer. The high-energy amalgam of sunny surf rock, garagey power pop, no-wave and ska is a subversive sonic palette for the titular entropy, but we certainly aren’t complaining.

The anthemically discordant hit perfectly encapsulates the bitter regret which creeps in with the colder weather that allows you to retrospectively lament your summer existence being leagues apart from the narrations in the plastic pop tracks. Ironically, Waste of a Summer is just as catchy as those try-hard hits endeavour to be; better yet, it doesn’t leave you with any FOMO.

Waste of a Summer was officially released on September 22nd. It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Is Our Children Learning dish out the satirical catharsis in ‘Little Sayin From Tennessee’

Posted on 21 July 2022
Is Our Children Learning

Like an infinitely breezier Beastie Boys, Is Our Children Learning’s latest single, Little Sayin from Tennessee, is a mellow meld of indie, hip hop and satire, sweetened by 70s analog warmth.

Unlike many satirists, Is Our Children Learning evade being as depressing and existentialism-evoking as the MSM. In their latest single, they tie together blissful catharsis from upbeat riffs and cutting witticism. Allowing you consider the true absurdity of hyper-normalised insanity being in every inch of the political spectrum while ensuring your rhythmic pulses are placated. To call it ingenious wouldn’t be all too much of a stretch.

Check out Is Our Children Learning on Instagram and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NKem went heavy on the poetic confessionalism in his alt indie debut, Ergo Sum

Posted on 20 July 2022

NKem describes his debut single, Ergo Sum, as a short, swift pact of artistic poetry; that is exactly how the production sombrely resonates. Opening with Elliot Smith-esque softly fingerpicked guitar notes, the single seamlessly transitions into a spoken word piece, with hints of melodicism in the raw confessionalism.

Attempting to pigeonhole Ergo Sum by genre is an act of futility. NKem lets his spilt ink lyricism lead the way and lets the instrumentals contextualise the expression. For Ergo Sum, there’s a monochromatic blend of ennui pop and indie with nuances of new-wave hip hop.

Recently signed to Quartz Collective Management, the Brighton-based model and artist has a bright creative future ahead of him on the basis of the emotion-evoking capacity of Ergo Sum.

The official lyric video was released on June 23rd; you can check it out here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Graffiti Welfare tells his anxious coming of age story in the trippy meditative alt-electro album, Revolving Shores

Posted on 23 June 2022

Revolving Shores is the gravity-defyingly meditative debut album from the up-and-coming artist and producer Graffiti Welfare. After appearing on the airwave in 2018 through his EP, Into the Soul of Space, which has been extensively playlisted & lauded by critics, the Austin-born, Denver-based artist let the world in on his coming of age anxiety.

Regardless of your age, there is ample resonance in the LP that explores the profoundness of loss in context to perceptions of reality. As someone who has only recently lost their mum after a long illness, I’m pretty reasonably qualified to attest to the efficaciously comforting gentle tenacity in the 10-track release.

Revolving Shores gently eases you in through the minimalist melodic opening score, To Be It, which almost rings with neo-classic cinematic atmosphere, then cruises right on into my personal favourite, Just Follow, which reflects the feeling of unravelling as you lose direction.

DejaBlue picks up a little more melancholy through its genius titular metaphor for carbon copy ennui before Good News flirts with elements of coldwave EDM. What is easily the biggest experimental triumph the album, Synesthesia, dips into far more indie territory, with nuances of post-punk in the chilling, stabbing and distorted angular notes. SeaShell as the closing single was an all too efficaciously entrancing way of ensuring that Revolving Shores doesn’t leave you without sticking to your synapses first.

Graffiti Welfare Said

“Revolving Shores evolved from watching my childhood fade into the unknown as grandparents and friends passed away while I was coping with coming-of-age anxiety. By day, I was trying to finish my thesis and escape the clutches of graduate school with my sanity intact.

By night, I wanted to make sense of everything by creating something sincere, unique and tangible. Each track represents a lucid perspective that builds from the last, guiding a quiet meditation towards the unknown and back into waking life. Rinse, float, repeat – cause who knows where you will wake up next?”

Revolving Shores was officially released on June 17th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify and SoundCloud.

To keep up to date with the latest releases from Graffiti Welfare, follow him on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Collie Wattz asks us to honk if you love Jesus on the Lo-fi single to turn up loud, ‘John Brown’

Posted on 29 May 2022

Released via his debut 5-track EP named ‘Down South‘, Collie Wattz tells us the story that so many understand rather deeply right now as the world appears to burn down but the Preacher man keeps trying to teach no matter what on, ‘John Brown‘.

Collie Wattz is a Birmingham, Alabama-born indie Lo-fi-Folk/Electronica Swamp-Pop solo singer-songwriter who is a creative soul who loves to push the boundaries on what is possible.

”He spent his youth living all across the United States. From Southern California to the crystal clear beaches of Destin, Florida. He spent his teens and 20’s exploring his musical roots creating resulting in his own unique sound.” ~ Collie Wattz

Reminding us that no good comes out of watching television all day and catching up on all the madness unfolding, Collie Wattz depicts that vital belief that shall help us all come through with a big smile, no matter what carnage is brewing like a percolated volcano.

‘John Brown‘ from Birmingham, Alabama-born indie Lo-fi-Folk/Electronica Swamp-Pop solo singer-songwriter Collie Wattz is a funky track that should entertain and also get you into a present headspace, to conquer whatever fears you have inside your head right now. Performed with a terrific style and oozing introspection, this is a single to lather all your senses inside and take heed of.

The world is falling over but if you keep your faith strong, anything is possible.

Stream the track on Spotify and check out the IG page for more news.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

ku:hu shows us that striking moment when you knew it was over on, ‘by your side’ (feat. wroi)

Posted on 28 May 2022

With an honest tone and introspective lyrics that have been made with such care and tenderness, ku:hu brings us into the picture that is content about the final decision to stop something that isn’t working on, ‘by your side‘ (feat. wroi).

ku:hu is a Vadodara, India-born London, UK-based queer non-binary RnB/Lo-fi musician and photographer who created this new single with a few mates while at Berklee College of Music.

”Their love for music stemmed from the influences surrounding them growing up, such as Hindustani classical music and pop/rock music. This love for music further blossomed through classical piano lessons under the instruction of Australian pianist, Elaine Fenn, where her speciality in performance was from 20th-century western classical music, especially serialist works by Arnold Shoenberg and jazz works by George Gershwin.” ~ ku:hu

Bringing us a single that is so distinctive and packed with a stirring vocal experience that might have you feeling somehow sad and relieved at the same time, ku:hu leads us into a new experience that so many of us shall relate to. Your ears might be perked up and your thoughts on overload, from an insightful artist who has that inventive style that you can’t help but admire.

‘by your side‘ (feat. wroi) from London, UK-based queer non-binary RnB/Lo-fi musician ku:hu is an enchanting track that brings us into a true moment that might shatter fragile hearts. The vocals are completely enthralling and shall change your mood altogether as there is such a reflective edge here, from an artist who is uniquely exhilarating and is always looking to make music that is completely real.

There is so much to close your eyes to as we are taken on a vivid journey, to where the moment is cherished but the closure is probably for the best.

Hear this wonderful new track on Spotify and follow the IG for more.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Marc Ambrosia gets visceral in his lo-fi indie rock ballad, When I’m Feeling Love

Posted on 13 May 2022

Indie-rock singer-songwriter Marc Ambrosia is set to release his Chris Isaak-Esque lo-fi single, When I’m Feeling Love, which progressively makes its way to a scornfully soulful 80s power ballad.

After the gentle and choral prelude and opening verse, the reverb starts to slip away as Ambrosia’s ethereal vocals pick up intensity and urgency to mimic the lifelines of new passions sparked; after a toe is dipped in the water, it isn’t long before you’re completely consumed. And that’s exactly the power Ambrosia has over you in When I’m Feeling Love. Ironically, we are infatuated.

When I’m Feeling Love is to be released on May 13th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast