Browsing Tag

Indie Anthem

Alley Eyes Mainlined Digital Exhaustion Through Stadium-Sized Indie Euphoria in ‘Punisher’

Posted on 6 June 2026

Alley Eyes are unrivalled when it comes to sticky-sweet supersonic indie hooks, and yes, that includes Sam Fender. In their latest single, Punisher, the band launch their own adrenalized-to-the-nines philosophical inquiry, digging into how nihilism has become the crux of the collective psyche, as our overstimulated minds try to keep pace with relentless stimuli, propaganda, and the digital pointlessness of modernity.

Born in the band’s home studio, Punisher captures the isolation-craving desire to escape it all while still turning that tension into a release built for live rooms. The chorus lands like a cathartic rupture, transforming modern dread into the kind of alternative anthem that feels engineered to open a set and detonate the room before anyone has time to brace themselves.

With sharp enough songwriting chops to slice their way to the top of the indie charts, the sheer force of the vocals sugars the serious swagger of the stadium-ready instrumentals. Alley Eyes are a rare band whose talent translates into pure euphoria-laced adrenaline, turning frustration, exhaustion, and existential static into something dangerously playable.

Punisher is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Barrelly Ego drenched indie alt-rock in euphoric melancholy with Wither Weather

Posted on 5 October 2025

Vocal fervour has long been stripped away from the mainstream veins of indie, but it came back with sticky-sweet vengeance in Barrelly Ego’s latest single, Wither Weather. Drenched in existential questioning and iridescent doubt, cut through with fragile hope and yearning, the track pulls the listener across the full emotional spectrum. Any shadows of melancholia are quickly transposed into sheer euphoria, pushed higher by anthemics that barrel towards a crescendo capable of lodging your heart in your throat. It has the momentum of indie’s 00s golden hour, the kind that hits you like a Catfish and the Bottlemen-esque tidal wave, leaving you powerless to resist its pull.

The Romanian-born, Germany-based singer-songwriter Ion, who founded Barrelly Ego in 2017, channelled the unease of a long-distance relationship into the single. First penned almost twenty years ago and left unfinished, Wither Weather has now found its resolution, with the story closing in a happily ever after ending. In its fully realised form, the track is a raw diary entry reworked into a grungy, alt-rock exorcism. The layers, produced in collaboration with Angi Seserman and mastered by Tides Audio, carry a nostalgic weight while never feeling derivative, echoing the spirit of 90s grunge and the raw charge of early 2000s indie rock.

Wither Weather takes its place on Barrelly Ego’s upcoming debut EP, 43VR, a record promised to unpick turbulent skies and uncertain storms with the same poignancy. After finding a spot on Spotify’s Fresh Finds GSA playlist with his 2024 single Pleasant Conversation, Barrelly Ego is no stranger to striking a nerve with listeners, and this latest release only strengthens his footing.

Wither Weather is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Giftorm Inject Nostalgia and Disorientation into Garage Funk-Psychedelia with ‘Don’t Know Where I Am’

Posted on 29 July 2025

Giftorm submerged nostalgia into a melting pot of garage rock, funk, and stoner-tinged psychedelia in their sophomore single, Don’t Know Where I Am. There’s no escaping the pull of the hooks as they’re catapulted from the vintage-laced overdriven guitars and rallying, infectiously unpolished vocals. It’s the kind of record that draws the line between pretentious posturing and assured songwriting, and Giftorm implant themselves firmly in the latter camp.

Don’t Know Where I Am captures the pure disorientation of a generation looking for a foothold in a world that feels rigged to fall apart, but instead of succumbing, Giftorm channel that energy into an anthem powered by the percussive pulse of nirvana and guitar lines that are far from pale in comparison to Hendrix – all the right alt-rock boxes ticked, then some.

Hailing from Stockholm, Giftorm have made their presence known with a raw, riff-driven sound rooted in classic rock and punk, yet always pushing forward with a fresh, modern edge. United in high school through a shared compulsion for music, distortion, and sonic experimentation, the band’s early singles have already laid down a mission statement – World Unknown saw them dig deep into chaos and human destruction with snarl and swagger, while Don’t Know Where I Am feels like the pulse and confession of a collective youth.

Produced by Mika Pollack, the song delivers that live, ragged energy, and nails the tension and humanity that Giftorm are staking out as their own.

Don’t Know Where I Am is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 


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

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

Dolly Mavies – I’m All Sugar: Get Your indie Anthem Fix

Posted on 24 March 2023

Oxford, UK singer-songwriter, Dolly Mavies, set the indie anthem bar impossibly high with her latest single, I’m All Sugar, which surges with the same rhythmic and vocal energy of Somebody to Love by Boogie Pimps in spite of the folky flavour.

Taken from her debut album, The Calm & The Storm, the stellar single from the artist who takes influence from the likes of Patti Smith, The National and Daughter, created a uniquely exhilarating listening experience that makes no bones about pulling you through an ardently visceral arrangement where a curveball lies on the edge of every progression.

If Dolly Mavies isn’t as big as Mumford & Sons by the end of the year, someone may as well scorch the earth of the music industry so we can start again. It’s punk as fuck, yet, Mavies still maintains that ever-addictive girl-next-door appeal.

I’m All Sugar will officially release on March 24th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast