Browsing Tag

Britpop

See You There: South London’s Martin Wapshott takes us honestly through the road he currently seems himself on with ‘Inside My Mind’

After the success of his recent single ‘When You Close Your Eyes‘, Martin Wapshott eloquently returns with more quality that is so easy to be spellbound by on his latest single called ‘Inside My Mind‘.

Martin Wapshott is a South London, UK-based indie Britpop solo singer-songwriter who sings with the inspiration of his heroes Oasis, The Jam, Paul Weller and Bruce Springsteen.

It’s so easy to get lost in his calming edge as his outstanding music shines through – to graciously grant us a real treasure here – during a period that most of us truly understand. The doors have been shut and the locks tight on the core of the world, as many of us, have been biding our time and waiting to meet someone special.

You sense that he has been rather frustrated recently, as these have been such tough times for us all. He pitches his voice to effortless appeal and there is much to like about these smartly-penned lyrics, that have clearly been made from the bottom of his heart.

Inside My Mind‘ from the South London, UK-based indie Britpop singer-songwriter Martin Wapshott, is that I-need-to-fly-right-now track – that is filled with an insightful glance – from a man who has felt rather isolated lately in this rather cold world. Sung with his trademark gritty vocals and with riveting guitar riffs to have your hairs standing up to full awareness, this is another immense effort from a fast-rising musician who is only just getting started.

Hear this exciting new track on Spotify and see more news on his IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Future-pop fuses with Britpop in Footless Kicks’ debut single, E1 2AM

Footless Kicks

In the ultimate pop-rock crossover, London-based rock guitarist, producer and songwriter, Footless Kicks sent us back to the Britpop era with his debut single, E1 2AM. The devilishly clever single carries the same blissful tones as the Roses along with the driving momentum of JBD’s anthemically charged riffs in The Manic’s most soul-sating hits. Vocally, Footless Kicks truly came into his own. The solo artist’s gruffly soulful vocal timbre is complemented by the dynamic range of the guest female vocalist whose dreamy harmonies sit between Mazzy Star and My Bloody Valentine.

With more singles in the pipeline and the teasing of an album, any alt-90s fan will want Footless Kicks on their radar.

E1 2AM is due for official release on November 8th; you can catch it for yourselves on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

No One Knows You’re There: South London singer-songwriter Martin Wapshott takes time to work out the right path on ‘When You Close Your Eyes’

Influenced by legends such as Oasis, The Jam, Paul Weller, Bruce Springsteen and more, Martin Wapshott has our usually over-stimulated minds thinking about where we actually fit in while others are sleeping with ‘When You Close Your Eyes‘.

Martin Wapshott is a highly creative South London-based indie Britpop singer-songwriter who performs with a mellow edge that is so thoughtfully aware.

With a chilled ambiance that takes you to a new place into your heart, this is the type of song to look outside with as you delve into your dreams and desires. In a confusing world – filled with so much temptation and hard-to-break obstacles – this is a welcome reminder that you can indeed take a timeout, to see where you want to really be at. Ultimately, its all up to you anyway.

When You Close Your Eyes‘ from the excellent South London, UK-based indie Britpop solo artist Martin Wapshott, is the story all about pondering your future in this weird world. You might feel a little bit lost and thinking about what is next, as he sings with such a reflective state – that will have you looking outside – and working out your next move as you meditate your soul to a better place.

Hear this new single on Spotify and see more via their IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Bryan Donoghue leaves us in a Summer Haze with his Britpop-rock hit.

Bryan Donoghue

Edinburgh-born, Ireland-based alt-rock solo artist Bryan Donoghue is set to release his debut album Nowhere Never, Somewhere Always, which features the standout single, Summer Haze.

If you hold the 90s as an era as dearly as you hold summer as a season, you couldn’t ask for a better playlist staple. Summer Haze comes swathed in summer pop rock tones and laced with lucid 90s Britpop nostalgia. The Manchester sound resounds in the psychedelically tinged instrumentals, while vocally, Donoghue will strike a chord with any James Dean Bradfield or Paul Draper fans.

His debut album will be available to stream and download on all major platforms in September 2021.

Checkout Bryan Donoghue on Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

FAVORITE released the filthiest earworm of the year with DIRTY MONEY

Atlanta alt-punk pioneers FAVORITE have released their stormer of a single, DIRTY MONEY; anti-capitalist rhetoric has never been more anthemic. With a touch of Mansun and Glasvegas to the frenetic punk-rock instrumentals and the massive production, DIRTY MONEY lends brit-pop and alt-90s tones before feeding them through their scuzzed-up riffs and ensnaring hooks.

The single may serve the stark reminder that everything we do is another act in the corrupt economic system, but it also shows that there’s until there’s an alternative, we should find pleasure in whatever we can. DIRTY MONEY is enough to bring hedonism back into trend. Oscar Wilde would be proud.

DIRTY MONEY is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Folk meets Britpop in River Knight’s latest single, She Came Round, featuring Ralph Walling.

https://soundcloud.com/river-knight-613028707/she-came-round-1

Americana meets UK Britpop in River Night’s alt-folk single, She Came Round, featuring Ralph Walling. While instrumentally, the semi-orchestral folky instrumentals run in the same vein as Dylan’s did in the 70s, there’s a touch of Oasis and the Stone Roses to the vocals that contrast with the accordant tones of the acoustic guitar progressions.

She Came Round is just one of the authentically original singles from the Southampton-based duo’s lockdown-born album, Grow, which released on June 25th. With plenty of tour dates in their diary, 2021 could very well be the year of River Knight.

She Came Round is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Finley Clark explores growing pains in her latest bitter-sweet alt-pop track, ‘Lessons from a Great Cult Leader’.

With her latest single, ‘Lessons from a Great Cult Leader’, Finley Clark paid ode to her greatest lyrical inspiration, Bob Dylan, in collaboration with guitarist Alex Bunghez and producer Stefan Paraschiv. The lyrics tell a coming-of-age story that explores rights of passages and paths to maturity; instrumentally, the bitter-sweet melodies capture the innocence and ecstasy of youth along with the growing pains that eventually kick in when we leave our naivety behind.

With the fiery rockabilly guitar solos, Lessons from a Great Cult Leader is blazoned with some serious rock stripes; with Finley’s effect-laden vocals and the dancey beats, you’ll be thrown right back to 90s Britpop. Any fans of Garbage, The Cardigans and the Cranberries will definitely want to experience this authentically infectious track for themselves.

Lessons from a Great Cult Leader released on May 24th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike Stoyanov has made their unmissable indie garage rock debut with ‘Star’.

After lending his talent to various rock and blues outfits, London’s Mike Stoyanov made his solo debut on February 12th with the punchy indie garage rock track ‘Star’.

With the vocal swagger of Liam Gallagher and his fresh take on garage rock, anyone still turning to indie for their aural euphoria fixes will undoubtedly feel the dopamine flood when hitting play. It’s an unapologetic feel-good track that couldn’t have hit the airwaves at a better time. If anything can dissolve the ego, it’s enduring 12 months of pandemic times that have stifled the arts, yet, Mike Stoyanov is here with an anthemic reminder that the rock n roll persona is still as fitting as ever. He’s pretty convincing too. You’ll want him on your radar for his sophomore release.

Star is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Leafs spliced classic rock with 90s Britpop in their latest single ‘Mr. Coffey’

Classic rock conservationists, The Leafs, dug up the roots of 70s rock and spliced them with elements of 90s Britpop in their latest single ‘Mr. Coffey’. With driving guitar tones as vintage as Keith Richards himself, the preservation of classic rock is safe in the deft hands of The Leafs – and so is the future of alt-rock.

With vocals which are sweet to the point of seduction, a psychedelic kick to the synthy euphoria-spilling instrumentals and tenderly romantic lyrics, you can expect your soul to be filled and your rhythmic pulses to be arrested while this earworm crawls in.

The Berlin-based artist may have only made their debut in 2020, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another 2021 release containing more commercial potential than Mr. Coffey. It’s an obsession-worthy track.

Mr. Coffey is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Divisions vent their ‘Quiet Frustrations’ on post-truth politics and social division

Divisions by Divisions

If UK alt-rock five-piece Divisions had scripted 2020, they still couldn’t have come up with a more appropriate time to release their eponymous second album (due out March 12th). In preparation, they lead in with this, the opening single from the ten-track album, available via Bandcamp and with an accompanying ‘lockdown-special’ video on YouTube.

‘Quiet Frustrations’ is a powerful track, a statement around social division, post-truth politics, the frustrations of pandemic-stricken Britain, and that horrible over-arching ennui and exhaustion that’s seemed to blanket us all for the last couple of years. It’s a great song, potent, intelligent, thoughtful, and unusual yet with enough commercial nous to appeal to a wider audience; think Thirty Seconds To Mars with a little more introspection and inner-city tower-block feel, and you’re pretty much on the money.

See the lock-down video for ‘Quiet Frustrations’ on YouTube. Buy ‘Quiet Frustrations’, and pre-order ‘Divisions’, from Bandcamp.