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Lo-fi

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

Johnny E Sullivan has made his vulnerably intimate indie hip hop debut with ‘Bedroom’

Posted on 6 May 2022

NYC’s young prodigy, Johnny E Sullivan, has been gradually garnering acclaim since the release of his debut 2022 single, Bedroom, which has now amassed over 40k streams on Spotify alone. The new generation of music fans couldn’t ask for a better voice to tune into and find relatable raw poetry.

The mellow indie trap beats flow seamlessly against the colourful melodies and the vocals that effortlessly switch between volatility and vulnerability as Bedroom draws you deeper into the melancholy that is all too resonant in our collective state of ennui. After such a successful debut, Johnny E Sullivan is undoubtedly one to watch.

Bedroom is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Noise Pop Biblical Provocateur Norman Lampeye Has Swarmed in With His Debut Single, Locust

Posted on 3 May 2022

NYC noise-pop antagonist Norman Lampeye unleashed his debut single, Locust, on April 28th; fans of Fidlar and other peddlers of escapist existential discord will want to pay attention to the biblical climate-change lamenting art-pop earworm.

The scuzz-swathed off-kilter production utilises harsh snares, distorted synth pads, jarring reverb and Sonic Youth-style chaos to set the savage scene of our slow-burning reality while the lyrics unravel as apocalyptic literary pornography. As debut singles go, there’s scarcely any topping “Oh, did you really have to make this harder? / We take turns holding the locust underwater”.

Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what comes next – summer apocalypses pending.

Locust is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Jess Porter kindled kindred spirit sanctity in his ethereally ambient release, Overplayed

Posted on 24 April 2022

After the successful release of his 2022 single, Patterns, singer-songwriter Jess Porter has made an ethereal return to the airwaves with his latest single, Overplayed.

The inspiration behind the single lies within an anxiety-calming connection made during a flight from the UK to Australia mid-pandemic. The nuanced message that runs through the lush oscillating vein of the ambient release is that you can always find your tribe – no matter where you are.

Having experienced a similar kind of experience just weeks before, and although I try to stay in our material reality while drawing logical conclusions, Overplayed meditatively taps into the feeling of knowing your kindred spirits are dotted around out there waiting to find you at the moment you most need them. There is so few facets of the human experience worth celebrating now. Yet Jess Porter’s kindling of kindred spirit sanctity is enough to make you waylay any human-related existentialism.

Overplayed is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Welsh singer-songwriter M’ Donwaite is an artful aural vision in his indie-folk single, Watering Can

Posted on 24 April 2022
Watering Can by M' Donwaite

Welsh singer-songwriter M’ Donwaite has released his achingly beautiful, orchestrally-scored indie folk pop single Watering Can. Its delicate intensity creates a beguiling paradox which may as well be pandora’s box for the way Watering Can unpredictably unravels.

With the naturalistic elements brought up against M’ Donwaite’s Tenor vocal notes and the contrastingly lamenting finger-picked guitar strings that bring a little lo-fi intimacy to the release, it is an artful triumph. Yet, it never dares to come close to the same air of pretension often affixed to the neo-classic Avant-Garde. To say M’ Donwaite is the most exciting act from Wales since the Anchoress wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Watering Can officially released on April 17th; it is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

uhforrest became one of the most original names in indie trap with ‘highrise’

Posted on 14 April 2022

‘highrise’ is the latest candidly sweet indie trap drop from the up-and-coming San Francisco based artist, uhforrest, who is setting himself apart from the rest by establishing himself as the Elliott Smith of the new wave trap scene.

Lyrically, highrise packs a pretty bruising punch as uhforrest runs through the cleverly morose wit; instrumentally, the intimate guitars bring the catharsis as they shimmer over the glitchy trip-hop meets trap beats.

To bring yet another addictive element into the prodigal mix, uhforrest is by far one of the most vocally original trap artists to appear on our radar in recent years. When you pair that with the indie tape-saturated warmth of the genre-defying guitars, highrise is as unforgettable as it is original. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Slow down to L!FE’s meditatively high vibe hip hop single, Take Your Time

Posted on 24 February 2022

On February 18th, the Philippines-hailing alt-hip hop artist L!FE released his most introspectively sweet single to date. Take Your Time instantly affirms that the up and coming artist’s sphere of influence stretches far past hip hop with the prominence of the piano melodies in the lo-fi mix and his hooky vocals which canter through the invaluable wisdom bombs. It takes an insane amount of humility to admit, “I’ve been doing it wrong in all of my songs”; from that point onwards, you greet his vulnerability with your own as you drink in the sound of birds chirping around the lush sun-bleached reverb.

With the chorus “take your time, you don’t want this to go away”, the damage that hustler hip hop has done on the psyche is instantly reversed. In essence, the track delivers a reminder that your worth can’t be reflected by your bank account and there is infinitely more to life than chasing status. It is all too easy to get onto the same zen prophetic page as L!FE, who started producing beats in 2017 before releasing his debut single in 2020. Fast forward to 2022, L!FE has seven stellar singles under his belt; it is only a matter of time before the rest of the world is as infatuated as we are.

Here is what L!FE had to say on Take Your Time

“Take Your Time is for everyone in the same situation as me, who feels driven towards their success and leaves themselves at risk of burnout. In this day and age, “motivational speakers” drive us towards it and away from our passion.

The track counteracts their holier than thou tropes while reminding the listener that we’re not one-dimensional beings, we deal with a great number of things in our lives, and sometimes, for things to work in our favour, we need time.”

Take Your Time is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK-based Lo-fi visionary Confidential drops transcendent single, ‘Lost Identity’

Posted on 24 February 2022

Gliding calmly with an instrumental message that needs to be heard far and wide, Confidential is courageously illuminated on his latest single about turning on your inner torch and never letting go with, ‘Lost Identity‘.

George Wakerley aka Confidential is a prolific UK-based Lo-fi Hip hop artist who lets us into his world that has him fighting with depression and raising awareness of mental health.

“I’m not really looking to impress anybody other than myself. I make the music that I want to listen to and I think being authentic is the greatest thing you can do as an artist and as a human being.” ~ Confidential

Bringing the world something so beautiful and meaningful on the gem that is ‘Lost Identity‘, Confidential might be one of the most important voices in the Lo-fi music scene globally due to his inspiringly honest demeanour and all-around top-class beats. You feel like you are in a kinder place that is urging you to keep your consciousness alive, as you look for something real in a world that can take your treasured soul away if you don’t look after it.

‘Lost Identity‘ from UK-based Lo-fi Hip hop artist Confidential, is a superb single that you will find yourself putting on repeat without even doubting your decision. This is a self-enlightened musician in his prime – who has shown the way to keep your mind in the right place – while following that passion and never stopping to overthink your decisions on this temptation-packed planet waiting for you to fall.

Listen in to this new single on Spotify and see more via the IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

The LA alt-indie duo, Doxy, speak to the psychologically detached in their debut single, Autopilot

Posted on 19 February 2022
Doxy

“Autopilot” is the latest jazzy avant-garde feat of lo-fi surfy punk rock from the LA duo Doxy. It’s a refreshing reprieve from the earnest tracks that force your subconscious into a state of lament; Doxy’s playful yet pessimist flair mixed with their ability to offer something that is truly euphoric and endearing, make them utterly infectious. Autopilot should be on every Pavement fan’s playlist. The angularly off-kilter guitar notes are just absorbing – if not more.

They poured plenty of the LA sun into the synthy jangly bop-worthy track. The discernible sweet spot hits when they declare a “freak out” interlude and follow with an absorbingly obscure breakdown which allows you to truly appreciate the jazzy nuances in this hazily blissful defiance against depersonalisation and detachment.

Check out Doxy on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Edmonton Lo-fi artist Johnny Johnny and the Johnny’s drop sensually-stimulating debut track, ‘Draft Punks’

Posted on 31 January 2022

Steering us into the first-ever release that sizzles enticingly like a tasty steak getting cooked to perfection on the hot barbecue, Johnny Johnny and the Johnny’s catches our attention with a tease-fueled release that will have you feeling like this is going to be something different to the rest with ‘Draft Punks‘.

Johnny Johnny and the Johnny’s is the Lo-fi synth solo project of Edmonton, Canada-based Luis Lamela who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

”He studied music in Berklee College in Buenos Aires and currently runs a home boutique studio where he releases his materials through his publishing company, LFL Music Publishing.” ~ Johnny Johnny and the Johnny’s

Displaying a real charisma and an effortless attraction, Johnny Johnny and the Johnny’s have a magnetic appeal that seems to coat your energies with skilful effect – as you close your eyes and imagine that night – you just knew you were with someone who radiates alluring captivation beyond comprehension.

‘Draft Punks‘ from Buenos Aires, Argentina-born Lo-fi synth solo artist Johnny Johnny and the Johnny’s, is a catchy new single that appears to be all about being so delighted you are with someone who you are so proud to be seen with. Mixed to a stunning level of enjoyment – this is a promising release from a talented artist – who is only just getting started and sounds hungrier than most to succeed where others fail daily.

Listen to this new single on Spotify and see more on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen