Browsing Tag

Ambient Indie

Take Graffiti Welfare’s lead in the soporifically ambient soundscape, Just Follow

Posted on 14 June 2022

Take Graffiti Welfare’s lead in their latest blip of transiently therapeutic bliss, Just Follow. The alternative artist takes the cosmic pop trend deeper into space than Bowie ever dared through a psychedelically smooth lens for the ultimate meditative effect.

The inventive samples lend themselves to the Avant-Garde nature of the release, while the dreamy, almost depersonalised, vocals aid the soporific effect of the atmospheric ambience.

As someone who grew up on a steady diet of Shoegaze records and was exposed to David Lynch soundtracks, I can safely say that Graffiti Welfare’s aptitude for artful electronica and cinematic gravitas is unmatched by most.

Just Follow is now available to stream on Spotify.

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

Doruk Doyran ambiently nods to celestial awe in his latest indie composition, Your Love Is Holy

Posted on 18 April 2022

Doruk Doyran’s latest ambient composition, Your Love is Holy, starts akin to a binaural masterpiece before eerie melodies bleed through the lush shimmering reverb that hums across the expanse of the soundscape.

At the 3-minute mark, desert rock, shoegaze, and fiery blues-rock start to artfully collide in the release through searing hot riffs and cavernous echoes before Doruk Doyran begins to build a hypnotic lead guitar rhythm that guides you through the spiritual outro.

I’ve heard my fair share of ambient soundscapes in recent years, none of which had the same gravitas-rich grip as Your Love is Holy. The title certainly isn’t the only nod to celestial awe.

Your Love is Holy is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slip into the choral catharsis of 8udDha bl0od’s ambient single, ‘3ye 0f 7he jAgUAR’

Posted on 24 May 2021

‘3ye 0f 7he jAgUAR’ is just one of the recently released singles from the prolific and unpredictable Brighton-based artist 8udDha bl0od; once again, he’s experimented with his style and instrumentation and achieved in portraying organic expression that benefits the listener just as much as the creator.

4-minutes of unadulterated catharsis may seem like a dream come true in the chaos of our frantic modern world, but that is exactly what you will find in this easy to surrender to surf-rock-inspired ambient track.

Where birdsong would be on your archetypal meditative soundscape, 8udDha bl0od implanted chirping electronic glitches to cut through the choral tones spilling from the dreamy minimalist guitars. It’s mesmerising from the first note to the last, for the sake of my own sanity, I hope to hear plenty more ambient tracks from 8udDha bl0od in the future.

You can check out 8udDha bl0od’s latest single by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Neal Gray invites you to drift into ‘A Beautiful Slumber’ with their ambient shoegaze single

Posted on 6 January 2021

Whatever your views on guitar music are, cast them aside before you hit play on the latest cinematically lush instrumental release ‘A Beautiful Slumber’ from US singer-songwriter Neal Gray.

With the same spacious soul-twistingly sweet tones as found in Slowdive’s most sedately compelling singles, the soundscape is absorbing from the first hit. The influence of Neil Halstead’s reticent yet ardently evocative quiescent guitar-style is more than palpable, but A Beautiful Slumber is so much more than just a feat of assimilation.

Neal Gray held back on the distortion and abrasive sonic effects to create a transcendent soundscape which is beguiling and cathartic in equal measure.

In a time where tranquillity is hard to come by, I sincerely recommend Neal Gray’s tracks as a staple for your playlists.

You can drift into A Beautiful Slumber yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Norwegian Alt Electronica Ben Alexander has released their celestially compelling single “Seek”

Posted on 27 April 2020

There was no forgetting Ben Alexander’s absorbing approach to production after hearing their artfully ambient electronica single Daybreak. Naturally, upon the release of their latest single Seek we were all too eager to delve into their experimentally bold, indulgently cathartic ingenuity once more.

This time, Ben Alexander used ethereally choral vocals which gave Seek a gospel feel, but even the impious will be able to appreciate this celestially stylistic single. There are also nuances of Indie weaved into the mix which amplify the accessibility and makes Seek all too easy to sink into.

It may be early days for the Norwegian artist, composer, and producer. Yet, their ability to orchestrate soundscapes which are simultaneously haunting and soulfully resolving indicates that Ben Alexander won’t be up and coming for too much longer. For your sanity’s sake, get them on your radar.

You can listen to Seek for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Purshink – Kid: An Ambient Indie Folk Playlist Essential

Posted on 20 March 2020
Purshink

Up and coming singer songwriter Purshink’s debut single “Kid” is an aural invitation to escape the trials and tribulations of adult life and sink back into childhood nostalgia.

While the instrumentals set up soothing and indulgently absorbing melodies, Purshink succinctly layers her vocals atop of the guitar-led soundscape to create a powerfully reflective listening experience.

After you hear it once, you’ll consider Kid an ambient Indie Folk playlist essential. The track’s ability to strip the tension from you as you listen to the ethereally light progressions isn’t something which we get to hear every day. We’re incredibly excited to hear what comes next.

You can check out Purshink’s debut single which was released on March 13th for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sätilä – Slow Down: Ambiently Transfixing Indie Soul Pop

Posted on 14 February 2020

“Slow Down” is the ambiently transfixing recently released single from up and coming Indie Pop artist Sätilä which will help you do just that.

With the instrumentals following a tension-stripping pace and Sätilä’s vocals running poised and steady over the mix, Slow Down almost becomes a dreamscape. Despite the gentle mellifluous feel of Slow Down, you’ll be hooked into each and every seamlessly melodic progression. And if you thought the prelude was arrestive, just wait until Slow Down moves into the outro and intricate finger picking guitar alchemy is weaved into the mix.

The serenity found in Slow Down is almost unparalleled. The Finnish-born London-based artist is undoubtedly one to watch in 2020.

You can check out Sätilä’s single Slow Down for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Keep up to date with new releases via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Den – Highway Bloodline: Tranquilly Evocative Indie

Posted on 6 February 2020

Ahead of the release of their debut 2020 album, Canadian Indie newcomers The Den have released their soulfully serene single “Highway Bloodline”.

By mixing elements of Neo-Soul, 80s Pop, and contemporary Indie, The Den has plenty of distinction to offer. But fundamentally, the essence of their sound lies in the tranquilly arrestive experience which will greet you as soon as you hit play.

With vocals somewhere in between what you can expect from Nina Simone and Angel Olsen’s more mellifluous singles, Highway Bloodline can only be described as hypnotic. Yet, overthrowing the ambience of the soundscape is the unbridled emotion which has been projected into Highway Bloodline which will hit you through both the lyrics and the gentle melodious downtempo instrumentals.

You can check out Highway Bloodline for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Keep up to date with the latest releases by The Den via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie Soul Pop artist Font Leroy has released their latest ethereally warming single “BUBBLE”

Posted on 29 January 2020

Up and coming Indie Soul Pop artist Font Leroy has recently released their latest tonally hypnotic, sublimely sensuous single BUBBLE.

Kicking off with smooth popping Indie Blues guitar licks, BUBBLE quickly evolves into an ethereally atmospheric rendition of rhythmic ambient Soul Pop which boasts a palpable amount of mature ingenuity.

If you’re anything like me, sometimes, you’ll feel a little like you’re living in a bubble, shielded from the world and all its varying atrocities and you’ll know just how sweet acknowledging that feeling is. That’s exactly the sticky-sweet vibe Font Leroy offers through this magnetic lullaby of downtempo Pop which carries the perfect pinch of Psychedelia which amps up the power of the trippy transcendent tones.

In short, it’s a flawless track and your blood pressure will probably thank you for having it on your playlists.

You can check out BUBBLE for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast