Browsing Tag

BBC Introducing

Jenna Louise’s ‘Safe’ Opens Wounds Just to Show How They Can Heal

Posted on 26 February 2025

Jenna Louise strips back the glossy veneer of love songs in ‘Safe’, offering something far more valuable than sentimentality—understanding. The North East singer-songwriter, whose reputation has been cemented through BBC Introducing and international airplay, takes the worn-out phrase you have to love yourself before someone else can and reshapes it into something more compassionate. The standing ovation-worthy piano-led ballad explores the weight of past trauma in new relationships, showing gratitude for the kind of love that doesn’t demand perfection but instead cradles scars with care.

The classic pop stylings in Safe are pulled into the present by the sheer emotional intelligence in the lyrics and the affecting maturity in Jenna Louise’s expansive vocal range. Cinematically seraphic harmonies rise between honeyed verses steeped in introspection, turning a deeply personal reflection into a universally resonant moment. Every note is delivered with the kind of conviction that makes the difference between a song that’s heard and one that’s felt.

With her debut album My Journey already making waves, turning heads at HMV in Darlington, and featuring collaborations with Carl Pemberton (Journey South) and Sam Haynes, there’s never been a better time to affix Jenna Louise to your radar.

Safe was officially released on Valentine’s Day and is out now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jamie Beth Refuses to Falter in Her Indie Pop Earworm, ‘Don’t Change My Mind’

Posted on 23 February 2025

After lighting up the airwaves with her debut single, Streetlights, the indomitable force, Jamie Beth returned with Don’t Change My Mind—an indie-pop tour de force of a reminder that love still endures.

The nineteen-year-old Geordie singer has already made waves on BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, Tyneside Radio, and Spark Sunderland, and with this latest single, she’s taking no prisoners as she storms the scene.

Rather than merely narrating the off-kilter euphoria of losing power through romantic obsession, the anthemic guitar feeds the frenzy into the rhythmic pulses, sweeping you up in a hazily impassioned reverie. Don’t Change My Mind pulls you under the current of its rhythmic momentum, wrapped in a sticky-sweet Sabrina Carpenter-esque aura that makes the single effortless to devour.

Jamie Beth’s ability to deliver quintessential pop panache pierced with her authentic energy and sincerity is on full display in her sophomore release, which splices indie rock instrumentation with dreamy bubblegum pop vocals. With this release, she’s ticked all the pop boxes and invented a few of her own along the way.

Stream Don’t Change My Mind from 10th February on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt-Indie Raconteur Mickey Haimes Shines Light on Shadows in his Debut Single, ‘Sunlight’s Exposure’

Posted on 6 December 2024
Mickey Haimes

With his debut single ‘Sunlight’s Exposure’, Guernsey-based singer-songwriter Mickey Haimes signalled that supremacy in the alt-indie scene is his for the taking by blending jazz, blues, and indie rock with the swagger reminiscent of Nick Cave. Supported by BBC Music in the Channel Islands, Haimes offers a candid tale of questionable life choices via an unflinching descent into past experience.

With a distinctive, soulful voice, he could harmonise his shopping list and still leave listeners mesmerised. His rugged yet sweet harmonies infuse smooth grooves with a warmth that only a true conduit of soul can provide. While most artists have to resort to experimentalism for authenticity’s sake, with Haimes, there’s a rare sense that his distinction breeds from unfeigned expression as he exudes a rare originality born from sincere expression.

The intricate, organic layers of ‘Sunlight’s Exposure’ paint a vivid portrait of a soul guarding its own shadow, serving as the perfect introduction to an artist already making major waves before his first official release reaches the shores of the alt-indie arena.

Already recognised locally as Guernsey Street Festival Performer of the Year 2022 and having graced the BBC Introducing stage at the Guernsey Together Festival 2023, Haimes reflected on his songwriting with the observation that “A gritty insight is a useful one, but a playful slant is what brings it to life.”

Sunlight’s Exposure will be available to stream on all major platforms from December 6th; discover your preferred way to listen via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Worry People stripped bare with their visceral alt-indie anthem, Naked

Posted on 2 October 2024

The anxiously anthemic alt-indie duo, The Worry People, sharpened their hooks for their latest single and music video, Naked, while redefining what it means to wear your heart on your sleeve.

Sam Stewart and Ryan Dodd have made light work of trailblazing through the indie rock scene with their viscerally raw vulnerability since their debut release. This time, the cinematic production heightens the emotion to the nth degree, while the angular guitars slice through the moody, iridescent soundscape creating a sonic palette that only The Worry People could paint.

The track hammers home its message with each punch of percussion, pulling you into the thematic underpinnings which paint a vignette of the masochism love drives us to. As the duo lays bare the intricacies of intimacy, you’re left to confront the emotional bruises that come with leaving your soul exposed.

With their forte in crafting memorable memories infused with introspective depth, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more affecting up-and-coming indie artist in the UK scene in 2024.

Having recently graced the stage at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival and preparing for an upcoming BBC Radio Kent session, The Worry People are carving out a space that’s not only distinct but vital. With Naked, they’ve not just added to their repertoire—they’ve electrified it.

The official music video for Naked premiered on September 20; stream it on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Miss Terious exhibited the power and pain of alter-egos in ‘Misty’

Posted on 26 July 2024

Miss Terious’ latest single, Misty, bridges the gap between the tender indie pop magnetism of boygenius, the artful expression of Kate Bush, and the gothic sombre glamour reminiscent of Evanescence. This coalescence is perfectly interwoven in the arcane atmosphere of the indie piano pop ballad, where the sparse instrumentals allow Miss Terious’ emotionally heightened vocals to spectrally overpower the production.

Each verse tightens the heartstrings as you become consumed by the raw emotion conveyed through the confession of how pseudonyms can deliver confidence while concealing the person behind the greatness. The deeply felt pain of being wanted through association rather than true connection resonates throughout Misty; anyone who has experienced this pain will find the ultimate consolation within the candour.

Miss Terious is a British-born alternative musician from the West Midlands, known for her originated mix of electronic and classical instruments. Since debuting with her EP Bleeding Green in 2020, she has tackled topics such as abuse, mental health, and her separation from the ballet industry. In 2022, she was honoured as BBC Introducing’s Artist of the Month for Coventry and Warwickshire and performed at the Backyard Festival in Leamington Spa. Her contribution to the music scene earned her the Local Hero Award for AIM Awards 2022.

After hearing Misty, there isn’t an industry accolade we wouldn’t see her as fit for.

Misty was officially released on July 19; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AFTERDRIVE buried indie landfill under the immensity in their latest anthem, Gold Dust

Posted on 7 June 2024
AFTERDRIVE

The Ipswitch indie-rock breakthrough band, AFTERDRIVE, hit the wheel and blazed beyond contemporary trends with their latest single, leaving outfits in the vein of the 1975, M83, and The Neighbourhood in the ‘Gold Dust’ of their viscerally textured hit.

Ben Watts’ distinctive vocal inflections relentlessly hit raw nerves with the projections of vulnerability in the bitter-sweet release which embodies the band’s determination to bring small-town boredom blues to an international stage.

The instrumental evocative artillery shows little mercy; after showing melodic restraint within the verses, the choruses cascade into augmented alchemic chaos as the alt-indie-rock guitars construct walls of sounds to encase you within the brooding atmosphere of the intense narrative of affliction as the upbeat synths resonate as the last feign of hope in the outpour of ennui.

After their debut single, Stick Around, met critical acclaim and received regular airplay from BBC Introducing and more success was sealed with every subsequent release, we have no doubt that Gold Dust will seal the artist’s fate as one of the biggest names in the UK indie scene.

Gold Dust will be available to stream on all major platforms from June 7th. Discover ways to listen via the official AFTERDRIVE website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The UK’s hottest RnB trio, Y.Q.S, Harmonised Through An Interplay of Light and Dark Duality in Their Latest Single, No Angel

Posted on 24 May 2024

Y.Q.S’s latest harmonised-to-the-nines contemporary RnB single, No Angel, is a sublime equilibrium that delicately balances shadow and light, embodying the complexity of feminine energy and autonomy. This track emerges from the depths of personal scars and speaks volumes of universal archetypes, presenting itself as a bold declaration of independence against the backdrop of love’s darker, often unexplored side.

Y.Q.S, a supergroup hailing from the urban melting pots of London and Manchester, channels their rich RnB heritage into a modern narrative that will ensnare fans of iconic ensembles like 3LW and Destiny’s Child. No Angel is steeped in the trio’s signature style of lush, interwoven harmonies, elegantly layered over a trappy, contemporary beat that amplifies the track’s luxe feel.

The production, handled by Klaudia Keziah and Jojo Farinella at Southampton’s Red Room Studios, further refines the single’s polished fiery signature that carries the potent with empowerment lyrics, which create a resonant anthem for those who navigate the tightrope walk of self-sacrifice in relationships.

As Y.Q.S stands poised on the brink of further acclaim, having already graced platforms at London Fashion Week and received nods from BBC Introducing, No Angel promises to elevate their artistic trajectory even higher.

The release, scheduled for streaming on all major platforms, including Spotify, from May 24th, will coincide with the release of the official music video for No Angel.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Doolallys augmented the tribulations of banality in the indie rock anthem of the year, How Long Will This Go On?

Posted on 5 April 2024

Imagine how affecting a synthesis of the most stirring elements of Editors, Audioslave, and Arcade Fire would be, amplify the infectious appeal of that amalgam to the nth degree, then you will get an idea of what awaits you when you hit play on the single, How Long Will This Go On? From The Doolallys.

If any guitar-based outfit with deadpan lyricism deserves to reach the same heights of success as The Reytons, it is this Brighton-based trio, which is already making all the right waves in the industry.

After winning over BBC Introducing in 2018 and snagging a live radio slot in 2019 before honing their sound into a cultivated augmented with anthemics sonic signature, The Doolallys got to work on their upcoming debut EP; months after wrapping up the recording, the band suffered the tragic loss of their founding member and bassist Connor Kilbane in October 2022. After a hiatus, the band decided to honour Connor by moving ahead with the EP; if How Long Will This Go On, is a taste of things to come, it won’t just be a part of the band’s legacy, but UK indie’s legacy. Between the aching relatability in the lyrics which speak of relentlessly monotonous banality and the kinetic chemistry that cuts through the release, How Long Will This Go On deserves a perpetual place in the indie charts.

How Long Will This Go On is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JBRRMUSIC produced the visceral ‘Feeling of XTC’ in his latest EDM hit

Posted on 9 March 2024

JBRRMUSIC refused to follow in anyone’s footsteps with his latest hit EDM single, Feeling of XTC, which brings everything that it says on the titular tin.

The EDM track which unravels as equal parts progressive house pop and euphoric techno follows a series of critically acclaimed and relentlessly playlisted and airplayed hits from the rising UK EDM producer who always thinks forward and takes his fans into the future of electronica with his innovative approach to alchemising aural ecstasy.

Feeling of XTC broke the EDM mould with its short and exhilaratingly sweet 2-minute duration. The succinct whirlwind of massive beats, build-ups so intense you may forget to breathe, and gravity-defying crescendos created a kinetically electrifying platform for the crystalline-with-soul female pop vocals to allude to the immense power of falling in love.

If anything can come close to the feeling of surrendering to someone completely and the subsequent addiction to the way that person makes you feel, it’s this monolith of an earworm which carries endless cross-over appeal. The sporadic tumultuous touches to the production became an efficacious sonic visualisation of love’s capacity to shake you to your core, leave you head over heels, and out of touch with gravity.

Feeling of XTC was officially released on February 23; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mara Liddle has unleashed her pretty in pink (tonal hues) pop earworm, All Over the Place

Posted on 29 September 2023

Mara Liddle has lived up to her legacy after laying down a solid foundation for her hyper pop queen supremacy in 2022 and being selected as one of BBC Introducing’s curation of Big in 2023 artists list.

With her latest single, All Over the Place, created in collaboration with JB Thomas, she unleashed an upbeat floor-filler of an exposition of coming-of-age anxiety in a digital age when everyone is watching, and no one is listening.

After Gen Z have routinely been dubbed as the ‘lost generation’, Mara Liddle and her pastel-hued pop productions are a guiding light towards a semblance of sanity and inner security. With a few 90s Euro pop embellishments to the earwormy hooks, the nostalgia will grip you as fervidly as the contemporary resonance in the lyrics.

All Over the Place will be available to stream from September 29; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast