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Alternative

Baby Tap possessed the hardstyle genre with the maniacal aggression in DEMONS

Posted on 6 June 2023

Hardstyle got infinitely harder with the latest release from one of the most versatile Electronica artists and producers in any scene. Baby Tap’s latest feat of synthesised obscurity, DEMONS, is enough to rival the most visceral hits in $uicideboy$ and Wage War’s respective discographies.

The adrenalized aggression of the flawlessly finished released effortlessly resonates as galvanizingly chaotic energy, which won’t fail to leave you psyched by the UK-based experimental artist’s possession of the hot and heavy domain of electronica.

It may be different from what we have heard from Baby Tap before, but the cornerstones of subversion, darkness and cyberpunk harsh techno remain, and we stand firm on our position that asserts Baby Tap as one of the most seminally superlative acts in the UK right now.

DEMONS will officially release on June 6th; bastardise your ear canals with it by heading to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Euro Disco Claws Are Out in Miron’s Latest Single, Long Nails

Posted on 4 June 2023

With synth lines that will speak to your rhythmic pulses as fluently as the ones that made New Order’s single, Blue Monday, so iconic, the latest single, Long Nails, from the Parisian purveyor of dance-rock, Miron, is strong enough to bring in a new wave of exhilarant gloomy electronica.

The singer-songwriter has become one of the freshest parts of the Parisian touring circuit fabric with his high-energy live shows; his Euro disco hits resonate just as well on the airwaves for the way his authentic vocal lines command your attention while the synthetics lure you into sonically hedonist escapism.

He may not have reinvented the wheel with Long Nails, but he has certainly engraved his signature into it while ensuring the familiarity of his earworm never came at a compromise to his expressive autonomy.

“I wanted to explore a different genre and bring in some fresh elements, while still staying true to my sound. The 80s influence in this track represents a time that has always fascinated me. I wanted to bring that feeling back and share it with my listeners”.

Long Nails is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Drink Proverbial Cool Aid’s Latest Alternative Single, Sick & Pool Hall

Posted on 4 June 2023

While we expected some degree of ingenuity from an outfit with the moniker Proverbial Cool Aid, we immersed ourselves in more innovation than what we bargained for with their latest single, Sick & Pool Hall, featuring Vince B and J Q Music.

Waiting until the four-minute mark in the track that spans just over six minutes to bring in the vocals was a bold move, especially when the build to them consisted of little more than crunchily distorted vintage tones spilling from the guitars and staccato rhythms, but the progressive track stood as a testament to the good things come to those who wait adage.

After some Kyuss-esque interludes and a  funky bassline laid down by Jack Law, the rock meets rap vocals start slathering the single with a fire that will leave smoke pouring through your speakers long after the fadeout. Sick & Pool Hall may just be the most original entry into the nu-metal genre after the turn of the century. The Houston-based sludge up luminaries are clearly ones to watch.

Stream the latest single from Proverbial Cool Aid by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Partisan Way gave hope to the hopeless romantics in their indie synth-pop sugar rush, I Know What You’ll Say

Posted on 3 June 2023

It may have been almost two years since we heard Partisan Way, but there was no forgetting the artisanal sonic sugar that emanated from their blissfully affectionate indie-pop hit, Borrow Me.

In 2023, they’re back on the airwaves with their single I Know What You’ll Say, which starts in the middle ground of The Beatles and Elliott Smith before there is a smooth transition into a synth-kissed summer bop, which celebrates the agonising pain of pre-emptive anxiety before a romantic proclamation.

Ultimately, I Know What You’ll Say is a waltz-y indie psych-pop invitation to embrace the beauty of vulnerability. The entire single is a testament to that very beauty; hopeless romantics may even gain some hope by the time the big synth outro comes around, following the honeyed high vocal lines atop the pop instrumentals that meld classic and contemporary songwriting. Wayne Coyne himself couldn’t have hit those notes better.

Just when we thought we couldn’t have any more predilection towards the indie outfit fronted by Dan Tierney, I Know What You’ll Say, in all its polyphonic synthy glory, allowed our soft spot to become infinitely softer under the duress of the unassured soul in the vocals.

Stream I Know What You’ll Say on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mark Docherty rode the crux between new-wave and no-wave in ‘Reckless Abandon

Posted on 3 June 2023

Liverpool’s Mark Docherty created a brand-new wave somewhere between new-wave and no-wave in his latest defiantly distinctive single, Reckless Abandon, which is set for official release on June 3rd.

By bringing distortion-heavy buzzsaw riffs into the post-punk arena, the innovator, who will undoubtedly become renowned for the dualistic tendencies in his vocal performance, succeeded where very few artists of this era do; by drenching the airwaves in originality. From Nick Cave-ESQUE croons to raw rock magnetism, it all lingers in Docherty’s vocal arsenal.

Fans of Pixies and Depeche Mode alike will want to clamour all over Reckless Abandon, which is a sonic depiction of just what it says on the uninhibited tin.

Stream Reckless Abandon from the date of release via SoundCloud, and stay tuned for the debut LP, which is set to drop on June 16.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Holy Joe has made an eponymous indie debut and enriched Liverpool’s cultural tapestry once again after his THE DECEMBERISTS legacy.

Posted on 2 June 2023

After taking what was left of the city of Liverpool by storm after the Beatles tore through the cultural fabric of it in the 80s outfit, THE DECEMBERISTS (no, not the American band who coincidently go by the same moniker), the guitarist founded his new project, Holy Joe, to prove he still has what it takes to make an audience shake, rattle, and roll to the sound of his ingenuity.

In the wake of working fret magic in several revered indie bands, the integral part of the UK indie landscape has stepped to the centre of the stage and established himself as a stellar singer-songwriter in his own right with his self-titled single. The rambunctious record has all the making of a perfect indie-pop release and plenty more in its arsenal.

With the quintessentially affable air of Half-Man Half-Biscuit fused with melodies that will grip the nostalgia-loving senses of the La’s and the Seahorses fans, the single is rhythmic raconteurial earworm which leaves enough room in the indie tapestry for a nuanced Americana folk twang.

Stream the self-titled debut single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Go down the rabbit hole with Observe the 93rd’s histrionic alt-rock anthem, Mad as a Hatter

Posted on 2 June 2023

Observe the 93rd created the ultimate contender for the histrionic alt-rock anthem of the year with their latest single, Mad as a Matter. If you could imagine what it would sound like if Highly Suspect veered into the spooky symphonic cabaret arena, you’ll get an idea of what you are in for when you hit play, but bank on getting more than you bargained for with this maniacally exhilarant hit.

With whirling dervish-esque symphonic keys contorting into gyrating progressions and the industrial rock descent into deeper obscurity, Mad as a Hatter takes a common trope and stretches it out on a tightrope of experimental innovation. The syncopated pseudo-trap hit will be hit with fans of Tallah, Wage War, Stolen Babies, Fable Cry, Poppy, and Schoolyard Heroes.

Mad as a Hatter is as un-archetypal as tracks get, which makes it all the more impressive that Observe the 93rd effortlessly implanted earwormy choruses. So far in their career, they’ve been voted Best Alternative Rock Band and Best Male Vocalist at the Central Pennsylvania Music Awards in 2021. And they’ve supported Three Days Grace, Stone Temple Pilots, Seether, Puddle of Mudd, Drowning Pool, Saliva, Joyous Wolf, From Ashes to New, and P.O.D.

Stream the official music video for Mad as a Hatter on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Perry Lockwood prescribed comfortingly stoic ear candy in their soul-pop-rock serenade, What If Tomorrow Never Comes

Posted on 1 June 2023

While there are no good answers, what if tomorrow comes? At least the latest soul pop-rock serenade from Perry Lockwood, which titularly ponders the same inquiry into non-being is comfortingly stoic ear candy.

With the same ascending effects utilised in Crazy by Seal and Echoes of Faith No More in their Angel Dust era, noted through the smooth crooned vocal lines and grooves laid down by the guitars and bass, What If Tomorrow Never Comes is instantly accessible. But there was plenty of room for Lockwood to scribe his distinctive sonic signature in this deeply contemplative release, which will leave you grateful for the sentience you are granted today.

The official video for What If Tomorrow Never Comes is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Azure Kai went hypersonic with her latest alt earworm, Gotta Get the Girl

Posted on 1 June 2023

Utilising her inherent passion for creativity, the artist and Monmouth University student Azure Kai went hypersonic with her latest alternative earworm, Gotta Get the Girl. With a beatboxing and record-scratching prelude, it was an easier-said-than-done feat to keep the energy just as high through the release, but the momentum never falters in the melting pot of genre and style.

From frantic EDM synthetics to funk-dripping basslines to Eastern rhythms and classical strings to syncopated pseudo-trap, this amalgamated tour de force is an all too welcome attack on the rhythmic pulses. Let the track take control and you will soon feel as exhilarant as this declaration of determined passion sounds.

The honeyed and harmonised vocal lines which wrap their soul around the reprise, “gotta get the girl” create a quintessential magnetic centre of gravity in the turbulently pioneering hit.

Stream Gotta Get the Girl on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Strange Things became the heirs to sonic obscurity with their vintage psych rock tour de force, Witness to the Apathy Gospel / Approaching Mindfulness

Posted on 1 June 2023
https://open.spotify.com/track/7eU4A8Vyus13bRcoe503sX?si=c55e445e75874e47

With the same fuzzy psychedelic alchemy that would be tasted in the notes of a cocktail of The Zombies, Sonic Youth, and Wire, the standout single, Witness to the Apathy Gospel / Approaching Mindfulness from Strange Things’ LP, In That Light of Fading Day will leave you intoxicated from the first time you savour the vintage tones.

The melting pot of psych, shoegaze and experimental noise, influenced by the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Telescopes and The Stooges, ensured that the LP from the Canadian connoisseurs of sonic obscurity was far from the ordinary lockdown-born albums that proliferated the airwaves when amateur hour seemed to stretch out in perpetuity.

Beneath the sludgy swathes of effects are some serious songwriting chops, written in the way the progressions immerse you even deeper in the vintage psych outpour of grief for the victims of the Uvalde County shooting.

Closing the single on headily distorted Eastern rhythms was the cherry on the sonic dissonance cake. Stream Witness to the Apathy Gospel / Approaching Mindfulness for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast