Browsing Tag

folk

Jack Kendrick and The Broken Wonders Cut to the Core with the Folk-Punk Candour in ‘Spoke to My Doctor’

Posted on 28 March 2025

With an evocative sting sharp enough to cut through the coldest souls, Spoke to My Doctor pulls all the right emotively bruising punches. Jack Kendrick and The Broken Wonders are void of pretence as they put melodies to the maladies of the modern age, distilling the agony of a system designed to manage, not mend. The alt-90s aura bleeds through every chord, carrying the weight of raw emotion as the instrumentals fuel the energy and the lyrics lay bare the disillusionment.

Emotionally, the track pivots on a knife-edge, striking with unfiltered honesty. If you’ve ever stared down the tunnel, squinting for a light that refuses to show, or placed your faith in a medical system too ill-equipped to salve the wounds it barely acknowledges, Spoke to My Doctor will hit like a gut punch. The emotion isn’t just in the words—it’s in the way every note aches, in the expressive vocals that never veer into performance for performance’s sake.

After years of relentless gigging, sharing stages with folk-punk legends like Gaz Brookfield and Ferocious Dog, Jack Kendrick has built a reputation for no-frills, high-impact storytelling. This single only cements that further, proving their ability to turn personal turmoil into a cathartic anthem.

For anyone who’s ever felt unheard, Spoke to My Doctor makes sure the message is loud and clear.

Spoke to My Doctor is now available on all major streaming platforms.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ananda Murari – Desert in the Middle: A Mirage You’ll Want to Chase

Posted on 23 March 2025

There’s plenty of sanctuary to be found in the fluidity and flora of Ananda Murari’s spiritually expressive exploration of texture and tonality in ‘Desert in the Middle’; the instrumentals alone are enough to subdue you into its sublimity. When the call of Ananda Murari’s magnetically honed vocals enters and reverberates soul throughout the release as they melancholically spill poetica epiphanies, there comes an affirmation that natural-born singer-songwriters exist—exist in the form of Murari, who carries all of the grace(land) of Paul Simon.

As the single progresses, it transitions into a divine sonic expanse where catharsis is free to savour, to cling to as you envelop yourself in Murari’s ability to paint seraphic worlds through sonorous motifs that leave gilded imprints in the soul.

Rooted in eclectic indie folk, Murari’s work weaves ancient storytelling, raw emotional introspection, and spiritual depth shaped by his years spent living as a monk. Through his time in devotional silence, he discovered the tonal nuance and lyrical sensitivity now central to his music. The result is a rare kind of songwriting that doesn’t chase impact—it emanates it.

Drawn from his No Coins Needed project, which folds fatherhood and spiritual reintegration into every measure, Desert in the Middle reflects a new era of introspection. It is a sojourn worth taking time and time again. Whether performing solo or with his full-band collaborators, Murari makes music that doesn’t ask for your attention—it earns your surrender.

Desert in the Middle is available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alpine Jubilee Inch Closer to the Indie Folk Pop Throne with ‘Fiver on the Favourite’

Posted on 19 March 2025

Alpine Jubilee won us over with their debut, but with Fiver on the Favourite, they well and truly conquered. Folk-tinged indie pop has rarely sounded this expansive, with flourishes tinged with psychedelia and melodies that seem to ascend endlessly. The single instrumentally invites you to a state of transcendence, while the abstract lyricism filters in, almost serving as another instrument, adding texture to the euphonic tonal masterpiece that progressively enthrals with each new nuanced transition.

Born from the creative partnership of brothers Trevor O’Neil and Glenn O’Neil, Alpine Jubilee stretches across continents, with Trevor based in Toowoomba, Queensland, and Glenn in Geneva, Switzerland. Their sound pulls together an eclectic mix of instrumentation, featuring acoustic guitar, violin, trumpet, harmonies, ukulele, mandolin, mando-cello, tin whistle, harmonica, bass, percussion, synthesisers, and even a zither. Their influences range from 80s new wave and darkwave to twee-jangle pop, contemporary nu-folk, and alt-country, and it shows in the depth of their arrangements. Joining them on the track are Flavia O’Neil on trumpet and backing vocals, Nelson O’Neil on drum programming, and Oliver Liang on violin.

If you’re sick of folk artists who bring the same old pale imitations to the table, Fiver on the Favourite is a surefire antidote to monotony.

Fiver on the Favourite is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. For the full experience, watch the official video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Just Xris Painted a Sun-Soaked Memory With His Acoustic Folk Pop Debut, ‘Mother Leah’

Posted on 19 March 2025

With his debut single, Mother Leah, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter Just Xris turns nostalgia into melody, offering a vignette steeped in warmth and reverence. His folksy acoustic pop signature runs parallel to the introspective musings of Cat Stevens and Paul Simon, but the heart of his sound beats entirely in its own time. Every note lands softly, yet speaks volumes, unburdened by excessive amplification.

Rooted in childhood weekends spent on a farm called Leah near Ellisras (now Lephalale), Mother Leah is a sonic love letter to the people and places that shaped him. Those early days of exploring nature, working hard, and sharing unforgettable moments with family and friends fuel the song’s reverie-rich melodies. There’s nothing but love and adoration reverberating through the single, which allows you to imagine what Elliott Smith’s discography might sound like if it were soaked in serotonin, yet not drowning out the affecting quiescent vocal inflections.

Music has been a lifelong passion for Just Xris, first sparked at age 13 when his mother gifted him her old nylon-string guitar. After spending his teenage years playing in a band, he finally took the leap into music production, leading to the release of Mother Leah on January 21, 2025. Blending folk, country, and indie influences, his succinctly sweet melodies speak volumes without excessive embellishment. Whatever he delivers next, we will want to devour it.

Mother Leah is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Suite for Claddagh by Conor Churchill featuring Philip Bowen – A Love Letter Cast in Folk Gold

Posted on 15 March 2025

Conor Churchill doesn’t chase reinvention; he understands the weight of tradition and wields it with quiet confidence. Suite for Claddagh is unapologetically Americana to its roots-reverent core, with folk motifs threading an even more timeless touch through its sweeping production. There’s no pretence, no self-indulgence—just razor-sharp songwriting and grandeur born from restraint, allowing every note to breathe.

Philip Bowen’s violin work carves through the track like an autumn wind stirring old memories, lifting Churchill’s introspective storytelling into something cinematic. The rich imagery in the lyrics drives the song forward with the same contemplative solace found in watching water ripple—offering fleeting glimpses into something deeper beneath the surface. It’s a love story, but more than that, it’s an ode to finding meaning in the quiet spaces, the spaces that change and shape us even when we’re not looking.

As a glimpse into his debut album, Brand New Branches, Suite for Claddagh cements Churchill as a songwriter primed for a long-lasting legacy. With a sound that pays homage to the legacies of John Prine and Jason Isbell while staying firmly his own, Churchill captures the melancholy of change and the beauty in embracing it. His debut may be long-awaited, but with songwriting this refined, it’s clear he’s been growing into it all along.

Suite for Claddagh is available now on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Secondhand Smoke – Sinking Ships’ Twang-Soaked Hymn for the Wandering Soul

Posted on 14 March 2025

Sinking Ships by Sinking Ships

Sinking Ships doesn’t play Americana by the book—he stains it with Detroit’s garage rock grit and lets it linger in the air like Secondhand Smoke, which also happens to be the title of his latest single. With twangy, roots-reverent guitars cradling the intro, the track gently pulls you in before his gravelly, whiskey-soaked vocals take centre stage. Echoing the swagger of Dogs D’Amour and The Stones, his delivery balances rugged sincerity with a devil-may-care coolness.

The sepia-toned lull doesn’t last long. As the crescendo kicks in, the single shifts from dusky introspection to full-blown rock ‘n’ roll earworm. Winding guitar strings, steel guitar timbres, and brashy chords ensure the alt-country undercurrent never fades completely—it stays locked in, an uplifting presence coursing through the track’s folk storytelling heartbeat.

True to tradition, Secondhand Smoke paints a panorama of a portrait, tracing a beatnik attempt at self-discovery, where hope clings to the horizon like the last glow of a setting sun. Whether meaning is found or not seems almost secondary—the real story is in the search itself.

With this release, Sinking Ships proves he’s found his footing in the crossfire of alt-country, indie, and garage rock. His sound isn’t polished, it isn’t predictable, but it lands exactly where it needs to—right in the marrow of modern Americana’s restless spirit.

Stream Secondhand Smoke on all major platforms, including Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

James Pots Cradles the Right Words for Devotion in the Lo-Fi Folk Reverie of ‘Close My Eyes’

Posted on 10 March 2025

James Pots doesn’t waste a second of Close My Eyes trying to impress with grand gestures. Instead, he lets his whispered reverence do all the talking. The short and sweet burst of idyllic folk reverie is a love letter penned with unflinching adoration, performed with an impassioned quiescence that draws you into the centre of the intimately minimalist performance. With little more than the rugged pulls of his guitar strings and the warm reverberations of his honeyed harmonies, he strips romance back to its rawest form—delivered with the quiet conviction of someone who knows exactly what devotion sounds like.

Featured on his debut LP, Everybody’s Gonna Know Your Name, Close My Eyes is just a glimpse into the album’s broader meditation on love and commitment. Where so many artists overcomplicate what those three little words mean, Pots keeps it unpretentious and unguarded.

At just 18, Pots has already proven himself to be a master of understatement. With a growing catalogue spanning acoustic folk, pop, and even dance EDM, he’s building a reputation as an emerging Australian artist unafraid to explore his creative instincts. If Close My Eyes is any indication, he’ll be one to watch as his sound continues to take shape.

Close My Eyes is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Blue Rose’s ‘If I Had a Rose’ Finds Harmony Between Heartache and Hope

Posted on 21 February 2025

Chicago’s most authentically affecting singer-songwriter duos, Blue Rose, have etched their names into indie folk pop with a rawness that refuses to be polished away. Their latest single, ‘If I Had a Rose’, carries all the hallmarks of their sound—rootsy warmth, soul-deep sincerity, and a perfectly weighted electric guitar solo that teases technical skill into an emotion-driven production.

Originally penned by Adam Wright and recorded by Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, Blue Rose honoured its sentiment while making their own mark, writing a chorus and instrumental section, which is as euphonic on the ears as it is on the soul. Under their duress, the melodies progressions sweep up in the atmosphere around you, transcending sound to comfort you with the consolation that everyone has known the bittersweet beauty of longing.

If Blue Rose’s songwriting chops get any sharper, they’re gonna sear their way right through the earth’s core with their innovated odes to tradition; the duo’s chemistry is undeniable—Jori Griffith’s vocals carry a weight of lived experience, and Marcus Gebauer’s instrumental textures offer an unshakable foundation.

‘If I Had a Rose’ is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

your friend juniper’s ‘makesmehappy’ Builds a Bridge Between Fantasy and Fearless Living

Posted on 20 February 2025

What begins as a Disney-esque ballad in makesmehappy doesn’t stay in the realm of romantic fantasy for long. your friend juniper—Nashville-based singer-songwriter, producer, and videographer—obscures the whimsical with artful neo-folk instrumentation, her textured rhythm section syncopating beneath vocal lines that don’t just soar but ascend into something divine.

Seamlessly shifting from delicate reverie to something far more profound, this track solidifies her as much more than a vocal powerhouse; she’s an artist who doesn’t just perform but pours her soul into sound.

With a background spanning musical theatre, classical, and contemporary music—honed at Berklee College of Music—your friend juniper wields her vocal versatility with intent, never relying on sheer power alone. makesmehappy resonates with the same evocative energy as her inspirations Hayley Heynderickx, Madison Cunningham, and Regina Spektor, yet the emotional depth and spiritual warmth in her sound make this track unmistakably hers.

If any single can convince you to chase your happiness without hesitation, it’s makesmehappy, which only becomes more of a revelation with each repeat listen.

The first single from her upcoming full-length album is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Connor Bettencourt’s ‘House of Cards’ Stacks Emotional Intensity on a Shaky Foundation

Posted on 20 February 2025

With the fervour of acoustic folk punk and the raw magnetism of Americana, Connor Bettencourt’s latest single, House of Cards, bridges folk intersections while shattering the illusion of stability with frenetic strings and a vocal performance that drags vulnerability into the spotlight. His jaggedly chopping fretwork slices through bluesier angular notes, creating a duality that mirrors the push and pull between emotional defiance and confession.

While plenty of artists latch onto the concept of resilience, few acknowledge how brittle it can be. Bettencourt doesn’t try to spin triumph from hardship; he lets the cracks show, making House of Cards one of the most relatable folk releases of the year. Each note and lyric submerges you further into its storm while holding a mirror to the turbulence within.

The weight of Bettencourt’s honesty, paired with the kinetic energy of his guitar strings, ensures House of Cards leaves an imprint. His talent knows no bounds, and neither does the resonance of this track. Fans of artists like Frank Turner and Shakey Graves will find plenty to sink their teeth into here. House of Cards is now available to stream on all major platforms.

House of Cards was officially released on January 31; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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