Browsing Tag

Indie Electro Pop

Steve Twinley – Time Has Always Been a Friend of Mine: Hear the Latest Collision in Indie Electroclash

Posted on 14 December 2022
Sunsneezer (2022 album) by Steve Twinley

Taken from his 2022 album, Sunsneezer, Steve Twinley’s standout single, Time Has Always Been a Friend of Mine, is an indie electroclash earworm awash with 90s nostalgia. With a beat that pulsates with the same ferocity of Emerge by Fischerspooner paired with melodic choral increments that allow you to appreciate Twinley’s softer side, his seminal single inspires you to delve into it time and time again to re-appreciate the seamless shifts in tone and emotion.

The DIY Alt-Rock singer-songwriter hails from the South Coast of the UK and takes his influence from the alt-90s greats, including Weezer, Radiohead, Green Day, Eels and Feeder, but clearly, their inspiration was just a fraction of the creativity of the single that concludes on a psytrance-Esque outro in the same vein of Infected Mushroom.

Stream and purchase Steve Twinley’s single, Time Has Always Been a Friend of Mine, on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

London’s True Being pulled us from polarity and put us ‘Back on Track’ with his alt-pop jam

Posted on 22 November 2022

True Being took us back in time with their latest single, Back on Track, which reminisces on the less polarised and partisan days when we could see the world in full colour instead of through the divisive prism of black and white.

What it will take for people to get back there isn’t quite clear, but Back on Track is certainly a step in the right direction. The quirky alternative single which plays with mystical eastern rhythms and playfully polyphonic electro-pop layers is an efficacious reminder that things haven’t always been this way, and there is no good reason why they are engrained in our modern cultures the world over.

The London-based artist makes a habit of holding a mirror to the absurdist facets of our world through his assertion that artists have a role to play in the shaping of our future to take the power away from Musk and his kin, politicians and celebrities. He’s been likened to LCD Sound System, Nick Cave, Talking Heads and John Grant, but all reminiscences in his flamboyantly eccentric sound are incredibly fleeting.

Stream Back on Track on YouTube and Spotify.

Review by Amelie 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

Noah and the Sound embodies the epitome of inertia in his indie-pop electro hit, Stuck

Posted on 27 March 2022

Swedish singer-songwriter Noah and the Sound has released his post-punk-tinged indie-pop earworm, Stuck. In a time when momentum is hard to find but not as hard as the grip of inertia, it has all the makings of an electro-indie pop playlist staple.

With an arty approach to cinematic production, Stuck finds the perfect balance between intimacy and intensity. Especially with the contrast between the vulnerability in the hushed and honeyed indie dream-pop vocals and the deep percussive throbs that ensure the momentum ironically remains perpetual. There’s also no aurally evading the sense of romanticism that resounds around the bitter-sweet candour.

Stuck is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hands in Shadow has released their avant-garde indie hit, Hater, Fighter…Lover?

Posted on 23 July 2021
https://m.soundcloud.com/soundboard_music/hater-fighterlover

Hands in Shadow’s latest single, Hater, Fighter…Lover? is an ingenious mash of indie post-punk, funk, grunge and avant-garde. The prelude delivers Nirvana-Esque sludgy tones before the playfully polyphonic keys allow you to imagine the aural result if the Residents and Kraftwerk produced together.

Hands in Shadow found the perfect balance between obscurity and melody, the eerie magnetic pull of the single makes you feel at a loss when the short and sweet psychedelic indie hit suddenly comes to a close. We will definitely be keeping the Yorkshire-based artist on our radar for future releases; we advise everyone with a penchant for avant-garde indie to do the same.

You can check out Hands in Shadow’s latest single for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 5 June 2021

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

V!V passes the vibe check with her electronic funk-pop earworm, ‘MY NRG’.

Posted on 2 June 2021

Funky moody pop may sound like a paradox, but that’s exactly what will greet you when you hit play on the latest single released by alt-pop singer-songwriter V!V.

MY NRG is the sophomore single from the Detroit-born Chicago-raised artist that delved into Chicago’s music scene by collaborating with up and coming rappers and vocalists. After taking plenty of inspiration from Tyler, the Creator, V!V started to create her grooving loops to flow with her vocals that can only be described as radiant.

MY NRG comes with a smorgasbord of attitude, but it is all in the name of demonstrating the importance of protecting your energy and knowing your worth. It is an infectiously empowering track that you will need on your summer pop playlists as soon as you hear it.

MY NRG is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Moontown Project evoke dancefloor nostalgia with their indie electro vignette, ‘Mademoiselle’

Posted on 14 May 2021

The UK duo The Moontown Project is back with their indie vibes, post-punk lyrics and genre-evading electronic beats with their latest single, ‘Mademoiselle’.

Ingeniously, the Moontown Project captured club atmosphere in a way that doesn’t give you that stir-crazed desperation for life to return to ‘normal’, but in a way that allows you to vividly revisit the times that came to you on a dancefloor and will stay with you forever.

With their second single, the Moontown Project’s sonic palette consisted of two step rhythms, funk-riding bass and synth lines that tie the track together and create an immersive electro house vignette of dancefloor culture and euphoria.

The duo that consists of Will Swain-Smith on guitar & lead vocals and Guy Molony on keys, bass & lead vocals made waves in London prior to their recent relocation to Leeds which marks a major shift in their career and determination to allow their sound to resound far beyond the districts of London.

Their debut single has already received attention and airplay from BBC Introducing: London, Amazing Radio, Hoxton Radio, Independent Music News and Soundwave Magazine. After signing with Stogey Records, they are set to truly come into their own in 2021.

They have major plans to take their fusion sounds on tour across the country, and thankfully, fans won’t have to wait for long before another ethereal release from The Moontown Project. Don’t just get them on your radar, get them in your gig diary.

Mademoiselle officially released on May 14th; head over to Spotify to hear it.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The future of indietronica is here with Krane Alis’ latest single ‘3 GODS WE KNOW’

Posted on 24 March 2021

Indietronica fans will want to pay serious attention to the rhythmically commanding latest release, ‘3 GODS WE KNOW’ from up and coming artist, Krane Alis.

By dipping into a myriad of genre pools with their subversive synth-driven, 80s-inclined sound, Krane Alis brought individuality to the airwaves, seemingly with ease. The major distinction radiates from her warmly enigmatic vocals which pay ode to retro-style dance pop while projecting you far into the future of indie dance pop.

The Bay Area solo artist takes inspiration from everyone from The Talking Heads to Blondie to Hot Chip and Daft Punk. Her eclectic aural affinities ensured that the debut album which is set to follow 3 GODS WE KNOW will be one that you definitely won’t want to miss out on.

3 GODS WE KNOW is now available to stream via SoundCloud and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AYGYUL exudes strength through her emboldening electro pop single ‘I’ll Be Alright’

Posted on 20 January 2021

Vienna-based, Russian-born singer/songwriter/producer Aygyul mixes up the genres on her new, bilingual single “I’ll Be Alright”, throwing in Indie-pop, Electronica, and a little dash or two of R&B, to produce a classy little dance-pop track.

Created during lockdown from Aygyul’s bedroom music studio, and working with poet Pati Avish (who writes all the lyrics for Aygyul’s songs), this is a reminder that, no matter what’s going on around us, we need to look internally, to our inner resilience and strength, and to take the time out to care for ourselves and give ourselves time to recover; ‘I’ll Be Alright’ is a strong track, dance-oriented but still poppy and uplifting.

Hear ‘I’ll Be Alright’ on YouTube. Follow Aygyul on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes