Browsing Tag

Cigarettes After Sex

Suni blended harmony, hope and heartbreak in his alt-indie dreamscape, Cherry

Posted on 5 March 2024

Suni’s sophomore single, Cherry, captivates with a cathartically melodious blend of dream pop, ethereal trip-hop, and 8Bit-esque synthpop, marking a distinct evolution from his debut single, At the heart of things, moving beyond the nostalgia of Elliott Smith and the influence of The 1975, into a realm uniquely his own.

In Cherry, the Edinburgh-hailing artist crafted a soundscape that reaches the epitome of mellow intricacy. The track synthesises its influences without becoming a mere pastiche, showcasing Steven’s skill in blending genres. The instrumental layers are a rich, future-forward tapestry; there’s an 8Bit charm which twines with sophisticated, ethereal synths, creating a backdrop that’s both nostalgically retro and cutting-edge.

The vocal harmonies are a standout feature. Light yet laden with emotion, his voice weaves through the Cigarettes After Sex-esque production, delivering lyrics that explore the complexities of affection and self-identity; it’s a lyrical journey that is fated to resonate with listeners, encouraging authenticity and introspection.

As he continues to evolve and refine his musical identity, Suni is far from a work in progress, he is already one to watch in the alt-indie-pop scene.

Cherry fell from the tree and onto the airwaves on February 23rd; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kaleidoscopic melodicism courses through Dons of Youth’s single, Rush

Posted on 29 November 2023

Dons of Youth, an indie-pop duo composed of Peter Moe and Kelly Matthews III, hailing from Nashville, TN, has crafted a dream pop reverie with their latest track Rush.

Rush is a pristine example of the indie dream pop genre, evoking the ethereal soundscapes akin to Cigarettes After Sex and Beach House and nodding respectfully to the Shoegaze pioneers. The textured tapestry of sound, with kaleidoscopically colourful melodies and harmonious timbres that weave through the air, creates an immersive auditory experience that you will want to be consumed by time and time again. The band’s artistry shines in the elemental melodic interplay, which complements the tranquil and honeyed vocal lines. There’s an intimate quality to the vocals that feels like a secret whispered in confidence, creating a strong emotional resonance that’s both personal and universal.

The duo, who began their collaboration at Belmont University, have matured into an outfit capable of bringing a cogent distinction to their self-produced sound, which puts them in good stead for their upcoming debut album, which promises to deliver a narrative journey through the labyrinth of young love, desire, and romance. These themes are palpable in the tender fabric of Rush, which not only showcases their technical prowess but also their ability to capture the nuanced emotions of coming-of-age stories.

Stream Rush on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BLOCKED personified stoicism in her ethereal alt-indie single, I Don’t Mind

Posted on 3 November 2023
BLOCKED

The Melbourne-based Singaporean singer-songwriter BLOCKED reached the epitome of ethereal magnetism in her artfully quiescent self-produced single, I Don’t Mind.

After some of the most accordant and assured acoustic guitar chord progressions I have ever aurally bore witness to in the intro, the single intensifies in ornate beguile through the introduction of quiescent chamber strings which swell around the shoegaze-y vocal lines, which will captivate fans of Cigarettes After Sex and Elliott Smith.

I Don’t Mind is just one chapter in the four-part story of growth and resilience told through the artist’s forthcoming EP, which encapsulates mastering the art of letting go. Socrates couldn’t have said it better himself.

I Don’t Mind will be released ahead of the highly-anticipated 4-track EP, no worries, which is due for release on November 17th. Stream I Don’t Mind on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lynden. accentuated the sweetness in his bitter-sweet indie symphony, You

Posted on 9 August 2023

Jumping off raw emotion as a precipice, the Manchester-based Indie singer-songwriter, Lynden. delved deep when orchestrating and writing his love song, You.

His husky-with-melancholy vocal harmonies make his porously impassioned lyrical proclamations even sweeter to fall into as they ring as assuredly as the gentle acoustic guitar chords against the angular guitar fretwork.

The Cigarettes After Sex inspiration is easily legible within the euphonic atmosphere, but Lynden. stopped at wearing the inspiration on his sleeve instead of assimilating the whole outfit in his quintessentially authentic hit that you’ll need to prise from my playlists from my cold, dead hands.

With John Davis (Blur, Jamie T, The Kooks, Inhaler) in charge of mastering, there was little chance of You falling flat. I always keep my ear to the ground for fresh original acts in my home city; Lynden. was the first artist in a long time that made me prick them up.

You will be available to stream You on all major platforms, including SoundCloud, from August 9th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bomb Voyage has debuted his compassionately choral RnB dream pop serenade, Serenity

Posted on 20 July 2023

With melodically intricate indie guitars and synths that wouldn’t be out of place in a Cigarettes After Sex single, Bomb Voyage created a hazily dreamy atmosphere for his classic RnB vocals to soak into in his latest single, Serenity.

Hedonistic and self-destructive behaviour may have been normalised to the point it has been glamorised in contemporary culture; instead of contributing to the acceptability of the toxicity of the trend, Bomb Voyage orchestrated a moody yet compassionate ballad to pay an ode to a female protagonist who has a proclivity towards excess.

Rather than painting a monster, Bomb Voyage used their lyrical empathy and beckoningly magnetic vocal lines to create a consoling release for anyone who needs the affirmation that even the most wayward souls deserve to be seen beyond their lifestyles.

Serenity is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slender Dan orchestrated a superlative existential meditation with ‘Time is Running Out’

Posted on 2 March 2023

With vocals as ethereally magnetic as Cigarettes After Sex atop cinematically intricate Aphex Twin-ESQUE beats and apocalypse-centred lyricism, the latest single, Time is Running Out, by Slender Dan, is the ultimate existential meditation.

With chilling vocal samples alluding to how our child-like proclivities are the main reason behind our destructive tendencies that have led the earth to the point of collapse, there’s no exaggerating the sombreness of the dream-like Avant-Garde score. Yet, Slender Dan simultaneously succeeded in creating a tranquil feat of electronic ambience that will quell your end-of-days fears.

The striking mindfulness within the layers of lush reverb allows the tonally transcendent single to unravel as one of the superlative feats of post-modernism you could add to your playlists.

The Nashville-residing duo comprising Heather Dickinson (vox, keys, guitar, bass), and Patrick Ahern (drums, production, vox) debuted their first EP on KEXP in 2021 and has had its fair share of successes since. Time is Running Out is just one of the singles to feature on the forthcoming LP, GESTALT. In their own words, here is what it traverses:

“GESTALT is a 1 hour long, 19 track, avant-garde electronic album. With 13 songs and 6 interludes, Slender Dan presents a sobering critique of modern Orwellian forces- commenting on such topics as propaganda, censorship, the lack of consensus on truth, and the attempt to remain sane in the midst of insane times.”

Time is Running Out will officially release on March 2nd. Hear the official audio on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

JRMR synthesised the ultimate ambient dream pop instrumental score with his latest single, wind dust.

Posted on 17 November 2022

‘wind dust.’ Is the latest stylishly synthetic single from the up-and-coming experimental music producer JRMR (Jon Munoz). The tranquil beguile of the ambiently dreamy textures allow you to key into transcendental Beach House-Esque tones for two short but sweet minutes as the shimmering reverb washes over you, bringing catharsis in every cinematic wave.

Since his 2019 debut, the Puerto Rican experimentalist has remained prolific by releasing a string of singles which set the anticipation for his first mixtape, death is an illusion that glows in the dark. With that titular nod to the philosophy of the enigmatic artist, you get a clue to the psyche from which his sonically spectacular singles were born. It is one that I, for one, can get on board with, and it seems I’m not alone in my penchant for JRMR’s experimental dream pop aesthetics. His most popular single, avarice. has clocked up over 17k streams on Spotify alone.

Head over to Spotify to add wind dust. to your playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chris Koehn processed grief following the loss of his brother in his ethereal elecro-pop single, Melancholia

Posted on 24 October 2022

Embracing the perpetual promise of change, Chris Koehn composed his most introspective single to date, Melancholia. If there’s any lyric that truly epitomises the proclivity of melancholy while advocating mindfulness, it’s the poignantly rendered line, “It’s only life, everyday we die”, that reprises through this gentle dream pop exposition of ennui.

The atmospheric layering of the male and female vocal harmonies above the swirling electronic synthetics and intense percussion creates a sobering soundtrack for reflection. But the sense of soul that matches the contemporary gravitas of Perfume Genius and Cigarettes After Sex ensures that the ultimate effect is an enlivening one.

Inspired by the death of his brother, Chris Koehn is helping others through their grieving processes while processing his own grief. As someone that has recently experienced the loss of their mother, I can attest to the efficacy of this stunning reminder to live in the moment; while we still have one.

Melancholia is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brikcs has released his dark genre-bending work of neo-classic melancholia ‘Coffers’

Posted on 9 November 2021

With its Cigarettes After Sex and Perfume Genius-level of artful magnetism, the cold ambience in Brikcs’ latest neo-classically-scored single, Coffers, is a rare reminder of just how sonorously beautiful music can be.

We scarcely felt that there was room for improvement the last time we heard Brikcs in December 2020 with his single, Water, but Coffers exceeded all expectations. With the lyricism falling into the sombre side of poetry and the grand piano melodies within the lush layers of reverb, Coffers is as elegant as it is haunting.

The extended instrumental interlude towards the outro is enough to affirm that Brikcs is one of the most criminally underrated artists of our generation. The beguiling mix of grandiosity and raw, gorgeously bleak emotion is nothing short of breathtaking.

The Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and electronica producer, Brikcs, cut his teeth in the music scene in rock and metal bands before turning his attention to genre-bending works of melancholia; a move that we will be endlessly grateful for.

Coffers is now available to stream on Bandcamp and  Spotify.

Follow Brikcs on Facebook 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pinecones – It’s Fine (I’m Fine): Bedroom Blues

Posted on 7 January 2018

If I told you that this track was created by two college kids home for Christmas, you’d probably swerve it right? But what if that’s where you’ve been going wrong? From the moment I hit play on the Pinecones latest EP, I knew that sounds don’t get much fresher than this. It may not have made it to Radio 1 yet, but these sweet charismatic indie sounds are exactly the type of melody that can keep the band scene alive. Their international sound is instantly translatable to anyone that doesn’t mind indulging their apathy through hauntingly rhythmic music.

Pinecones play as you’d imagine a contemporary reimagination of The Smiths would. Pinecones come across as steeped in humble humility, yet they could be forgiven for developing an ego after creating a sound so poignantly real.  With their soft yet playful sound, I have no doubt that they’ll be joining the likes of Cigarettes After Sex & Lou Barlow on people’s chilled out indie playlists.

I’m Fine is just one of the tracks off the band’s stunning 5 track debut EP ‘Summer in December’ which was released in December 2017.

Check out the Pinecones debut track and the rest of the EP by using the SoundCloud link below:

https://soundcloud.com/pine-cones/its-fine-im-fine

-Amelia Vandergast