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skittish

Skittish became the ultimate purveyor of folk-rock nostalgia with ‘Mannequin’

The LA-residing indie folk-rock artist Skittish is fresh from the release of their eclectic era and genre-spanning seventh LP, Midwest Handshake. Genre-fluidity may have become the default position for artists in the 21st century, but few succeed in making a smorgasbord of style as cohesively electrifying as Skittish.

Midwest Handshake is a route back to the golden era of emo via a road never taken. Jeff Noller’s vocation in film sound production in recent years allowed him to sonically visualise his concept in panoramic colour.

This time, Skittish enlisted Ben Etter (Deer Hunter, Kaiser Chiefs) to mix and master the album in his analog-centric studio, resulting in a project that draws you in with nostalgia and quells modern malaise with lyrical resonance that could have only been rendered in our blighted with dystopic blues era.

With the Weezer-esque guitars lending themselves well to the earwormy hooks and the drawling with deadpan attitude vocals in the verses evolving into adrenalized harmonies in the standout track, Mannequin, you couldn’t ask for more serotonin from a single. The raucously riled deliverance of unity is the ultimate olive branch to the disenfranchised by ennui outliers. After one hit, you will want to devour the cinematic album whole.

Mannequin hit the airwaves on August 25; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skittish shows us the future of thorny folk-rock with their eighth release, House on Fire.

Skittish

LA-based alt-rock outfit, Skittish, shunted folk-rock further into the future than it has ever been with their 8th release, House on Fire. If you can imagine what it would sound like if Hozier did thorny post-rock synthpop, you can get an idea of just how alchemic the fiery release is.

With the female vocals projecting a sense of innocence into the progressively unpredictable instrumentals and the male vocals injecting plenty of raconteur energy into the sporadically symphonic track, even if you listened to House on Fire 100 times, you’d still be picking new fractures of ingenuity from the unforgettably refreshing track.

House on Fire is due for official release on November 19th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skittish – Nights Like These: The Folk Rock Band That Needs to be on Your Radar

Nights Like These is the latest aural offering of Indie Pop collective Skittish; before the first verse even ran through I was captivated by the resonant melodies on offer from the US based four-piece powerhouse. Their rhythmically delicate composition is one of the most poignant tracks from the Folk-Rock genre that I’ve heard in a long time. Skittish may draw reminiscence to bands such as Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men and Bastille with their sound, yet their prodigal approach to the genre is anything but archetypal.  Nights Like These is on the slower spectrum of Folk and doesn’t rely on overly amplified instrumentals to create evocative waves of emotion; that all boils down to the sweet vocal offerings which verse the straight poetic lyrics for the ultimate feel-good effect.

You can check out Skittish’s latest single Nights Like These for yourselves from July 20th, 2018 via SoundCloud, in the meantime, head on over to their page and check out their other mesmerizingly concordant Folk Rock masterpieces.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

If You Don’t Know: Binary Z drops no games track Devil’s Advocate (prod. Bloom)

Gripping through the mood-assisting spliff and feeling like things are turning heavy and cold outside, Binary Z will never hide and has chosen to move away from evil small-minded fools on Devil’s Advocate (prod. Bloom).

Binary Z aka Aziz Urrutia is a 27-year-old Westbrookville, New York-based indie hip-hop artist who is the kind of underground warrior who sends shivers inside the mind of most listeners.

My mind, soul, heart, sweat, and tears are what created this album and I hope that you guys feel and relate to my emotions.” ~ Binary Z

Revealing the sound of our skittish generation with a lost soul message which too many humans have felt in recent times, Binary Z tells it how it really is. Establishing distance to those who have let down a torched heart in the past, we find a proper ear-stinger amongst the jellyfish.

Devil’s Advocate (prod. Bloom) from Westbrookville, New York-based indie hip-hop artist is a monumental statement from a tortured soul who is in no mood to mess around. This is an underground track for those who love to claw deeper to a niche sound which will resonate with anyone who is tired of being thrown the fire.

This is the underdog message. Inside a world which will give many shivers as this is real life and not a movie.

Listen up on SoundCloud.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Mayshe-Mayshe sung an ethereal art-pop lullaby in her latest bedroom pop single, Indigo

Ahead of the launch of her sophomore album, the Yorkshire bedroom pop artist and producer, Mayshe-Mayshe (Alice Rowan), has painted the airwaves in ‘Indigo’.

With a sense of spirituality in her artfully hushed choral vocals as they meet the dreamy art-pop melodies weaved on vintage synths and the skittish yet absorbingly organic percussion, the ethereal allure of Indigo shouldn’t be underestimated. Lyrically, Indigo inspires the listener into embracing the uncertainties of life and reminds them that there is always another side to exhaustion and ennui.

Indigo may be technically lo-fi, but Mayshe-Mayshe created a feat of indie dream pop that could easily rival Warpaint, Beach House and Deer Hunter. It comes as no surprise that many of her fans return to her anxiety-quashing sound time after time.

Mayshe-Mayshe’s album, Indigo, will release across all major streaming platforms on November the 11th. Indigo, the single, is now available to stream on Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast