Browsing Tag

Blondie

Marilyn Joy conjured affectionate innocence in her sticky-sweet synth-pop score. HeartSchool

Posted on 28 January 2024

Marilyn Joy’s latest single, ‘HeartSchool’, is a sticky-sweet journey back to the innocence of first loves and schoolyard romances. This London-based artist, known for her alternative pop/rock flair, has once again captured our hearts with her quintessentially quirky style.

The lo-fi polyphonic pop vignette is a sweet, nostalgic trip down memory lane, guided by tender melodies which evoke the simplicity of young love, untouched by the complexities of adult relationships. Marilyn’s playful vocal timbres weave through the melody like a gentle reminder of days gone by while bearing reminiscence to the uninhibitedly expressive air of the Legendary Pink Dots.

Marilyn’s influence in the London music scene is evident in her live performances, described as ‘exciting’ and ‘unpredictable’. The track is a testament to her ability to blend genres and influences, from Blondie to Starsailor, into her distinctive sound.

With her previous releases, including ‘Crystal D’Arke‘ and ‘Killjoy Was Here’, she has consistently demonstrated skill in crafting songs that resonate with a wide audience. ‘HeartSchool’ continues this trend, solidifying her place as a significant voice in the alternative pop/rock genre.

HeartSchool is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Super Love showed us the light side of ‘The Moon’ in their latest 80s-inspired polyphonic alt-pop single.

Posted on 15 April 2022

Here with another slice of polyphonic 80s alt-pop nostalgia is the indie power couple Super Love; their synergy and chemistry more than translated in ‘The Moon’.

Oscar Wilde may have created the old gutters and stars adage, but why get your interstellar bliss from anyone else but someone already living it? Metaphorically speaking, of course, but you get the gist.

Despite the instrumental minimalism, The Moon is radiant under the polyphonic keys, the low and almost dreamy basslines and vocals that effortlessly exude a Blondie-level of cool while wrestling with sticky-sweet lyricism.

The Moon will officially release on April 15th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Frances Gein has released her infectiously antagonist proggy grunge-pop hit Lest for Stress

Posted on 11 February 2022

The 90s-inspired LGBTQ+ singer-songwriter, Frances Gein, made her debut in 2021 after learning guitar during the pandemic – not that her latest single, Lest for Stress, will let you believe it.

The stellar grungy sad-pop hit will remind you of how sweet it was to discover your reigning rock icons as you lose yourself in the choral energy of the guitars and realise just how infectious The Scotland-based artist’s magnetic attitude is.

There are a few hints to hole in the lyricism, but sonically, Lest for Stress carries the same angsty soul as Blondie and The Pretenders while teasing hints of prog rock that lend themselves to the unpredictability of the earworm.

In her own words

“Lest for Stress is an angsty sarcastic social critique of being broke. It’s not a revolutionary song, but it’s a fuck you to everything, everyone, and even myself”.

She’s the icon we never knew we needed.

The single is due for official release on February 11th, 2022. You can check it out for yourself on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Louise Aubrie has released her soul-filling hook-laden indie rock earworm, ‘Last’.

Posted on 11 June 2021

If it has been a while since you encountered a truly authentic indie rock artist, hit play on the latest single from London and New York-residing artist Louise Aubrie.

The pop choruses make an earworm out of Last as the definitively jangle-pop guitars earn Last its indie rock stripes. It has all of the soul-filling appeal of Umberto Tozzi’s ‘Gloria’ track paired with the enliveningly energetic progressions found in the not-so-morose hits by the Smiths.

Blondie references are easy to make, but discernibly, Louise Aubrie has her own authentic voice; it just happens to exude the same ability to leave you utterly captivated by the imagery in the lyrics.

So far in her career, she’s pulled in acclaim from BBC 6 Music, recorded in Abbey Road Studios, played in multiple big-stage-venues in New York and London and worked with some of the biggest names in Indie Rock including Andy Woodward, Tom Edwards, James Knight, and Dave Collins. We’re fairly sure that the accolades won’t end there.

Whichever side of the pond you’re on, you’ll want Aubrie on your radar for her live performances. You can follow her via Facebook.

You can check out the official video to Last by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Swipe right on Coupdekat’s latest synth-pop single, ‘Love Online’.

Posted on 13 April 2021

UK-based singer-songwriter Coupdeka brought narrative pop to the next level with her latest single, Love Online, which optimistically captures the potential for love during Covid times, even if it has to be digital.

Under the influence of 80s indie icons such as Mazzy Star, The Slits and Blondie, Coupdekat brought a comforting feeling of familiarity to the track as she runs through the dystopic pitfalls of dating in 2021; if you know, you know. And if you know, you’ll undoubtedly find plenty of resonance in lyrics such as “we only make love online”.

Any fans of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Shiny Toy Guns will appreciate Coupdekat’s indie approach to contemporary pop with Love Online.

You can hear Coupdekat via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stranger Girl show us their ‘Bad Side’ on their glorious new single.

Posted on 28 November 2020

Last year’s trio of singles from South East-based indie darlings Stranger Girl saw them, amongst other accolades, hitting BBC Introducing’s Track of the Week. Now, despite Covid, lockdown, and the dearth of gig opportunities currently threatening the music scene across the UK, they’re back with 3’10” of gorgeous, glittering alt-pop in the form of new single ‘Bad Side’.

Take a large portion of Sleeper and Elastica and a little of an imaginary female-fronted Candyskins, mix them up in a huge Britpop cauldron with a liberal helping of Blondie and The Strokes, and add in some ‘21^st Century’ flavouring for good measure, and you’ve pretty much got the recipe for ‘Bad Side’. It’s sublime, an absolutely perfect slice of classic, chart-ready indie-pop. Singer Melissa sounds like Louise Wener with a side-order of Saffron from Republika and a little of the obvious Debbie Harry, the guitars shimmer and sparkle, and the sparse-but-snappy rhythm section powers and bounces the track along. There’s rawness but humour in the lyrical storytelling, but amidst the melancholy and geekiness there’s a hook that sticks in your head alongside the shouty gang vocal chorus. It’s upbeat, poppy, and just a little bit fantastic.

Check out Stranger Girl on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Approaching music in a fashion key: Emily Daccarett drops her new single Growin’ Addiction

Posted on 17 May 2020

Up and coming artist Emily Daccarett has dropped her new single Growin’ Addiction.

If Blondie had revisited her own music in a 2020 fashion key, she would be totally what Emily Daccarett sounds like. To her likes, Growin’ Addiction is an avant-garde experimentation of synth-pop that shapes out of an outright artistic creativity, proper of someone who’s grown into art.

Not a coincidence, Emily Daccarett graduated from Istituto Marangoni in Paris and Ecole De la Chambre Syndicale de La Couture Parisienne where she studied the French techniques of draping, and later the Musicians Institude in Los Angeles. This academic background allowed her to combine music with fashion in a powerful synergic effort, where her style is knitted out of shapes, textiles and sounds; her main tools to handcraft riveting storytelling through an innovative sound.

If you’re eager to follow where this artistic process will lead her, do not wait to listen to Growin’ Addiction on Spotify.

Review by Jim Esposito.