Browsing Tag

Indie Folk Punk

Jayacus rose from the ‘Wreckage’ in his indie folk-punk debut

Posted on 26 October 2023

With all the magnetism, poetry, and soul of an acoustic B-side by the Manic Street Preachers and all the brashy folk-punk intimacy of Neutral Milk Hotel, Wreckage is a deeply affecting debut from the UK-based indie folk singer-songwriter, Jayacus.

After living a life of loss, alienation, and despair, Jayacus has finally come into his artistic stride with Wreckage which shares the message of resilience and hope while delivering an affirmation that as long as you are still breathing, you have reason to keep your dreams alive and pursuing what ignites your passion.

Following a stint in hospital, Jayacus picked up his guitar and recorded Wreckage in his bedroom; here’s to hoping the sophomore release is already in the works.

Wreckage was officially released on October 20; stream it on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get moving with Johnjames Bruce’s acoustic post-punk hit, Dance

Posted on 8 October 2023

After cutting his teeth as a bass player in the punk outfit The Irrelevants, the Lancashire-hailing rhythm-maker, Johnjames Bruce, found his voice as a solo acoustic artist and started to release his own indie-folk punk music in 2018.

His latest single, Dance, carries the raucous and cutting spirit of post-punk; heavy distortion was surplus to requirement with the swagger of the acoustic guitars, the snarl in the vocals and the snappy percussive backbeat.

If you’re a fan of Pleasure Heads, Youth Sector, and The Walkmen and like your punk hits raw, intimate and uniquely authentic, Johnjames Bruce’s discography will be your new favourite discovery.

Dance was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

McKay exhibited cybernetic sickness in their indie folk punk single, Plugged

Posted on 14 September 2023

https://soundcloud.com/mckay-608898721/plugged/s-KL9ziCSNpVD?si=96964519eb94489d9d6a39b352cda082&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

If the Beatles psychedelically strode across Pavement’s indie rock obscurity and checked into the Neutral Milk Hotel, the sonic result would groove in the same vein as McKay’s single, Unplugged.

The indie folk punk outpour of raw striking rancour inhibits nothing as the track veers from kaleidoscopic psychedelia to gritty instrumentation and lyrical volition that allows you to feel the inward visceral frustration that encompasses our inability to be a perfect portrait when the landscape that surrounds us warped by increasingly digital dystopia.

I’m pretty sure we can all relate to the exposition of how toxic dopamine habits compel us to stay hooked up to all the wrong lifebloods and leave us at further odds with ourselves. Given the evocative immersion Plugged provides, it is no surprise that McKay has become one of the hottest indie acts in the Nashville scene.

Plugged will debut on September 14; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

McKay versed indie-folk-punk poetry in their latest sardonically scintillating single, Bad Liar

Posted on 1 August 2023

Bridging the sonic gap between Neutral Milk Hotel, Mumford and Sons, and Bob Dylan is the confessionally exhilarant indie folk single, Bad Liar, from the storytelling four-piece, McKay.

While the vocal melodies prove all too well that McKay know how to hit their harmonised vocal notes with euphonic precision and honed cadence, Bad Liar favours the visceralism of raw spoken word expression, allowing the meta lyrics to hit harder than a candid meteor from space.

With each progression, the single drifts from different eras of folk, while the harmonica timbre will throw you right back to the 70s, the folk-punk energy and massive indie folk choruses fast-forward through the decades at breakneck speed.

The Nashville-hailing outfit may be best known for their passionate performances during live shows, but thankfully, for all of us across the pond, their insightful lyricism and dynamic presence resonate just as well on record.

Bad Liar will hit the airwaves on August 1st; stream it on SoundCloud and follow the affably rogue outfit via Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Knottie Boys released the ultimate punk-rock chagin soundtrack with ‘Sadsquatch’

Posted on 16 January 2023

Taken from their garagey punk-rock EP, A Face Fulla Dirt, the standout single, Sadsquatch, from The Knottie Boys is a melodically hook-rife exposition of reclaimed shame. By allowing the chagrin-deep lyrics to unravel as a series of confessions rooted in quirky indignity, Sadsquatch projects intimate disclosures in the same breath as lamenting about public knowledge of them.

It was an ingeniously bold move from the New York-hailing fourpiece, who have released two EPs and a studio album since forming in 2019. By pulling influence from CBGB headliners to folk-punk to the percussive fills of marching bands to the acts who made the 2007 Warped Tour infamous, the bitterly sweet powerhouse has carved out a niche and filled it to precision.

If Neutral Milk Hotel formed as a punk-rock outfit, they’d boast the same appeal as The Knottie Boys, who have exactly what it takes to be one of the premier NYC punk bands in 2023. Watch this space before they pour ennuitic resonance into it.

A Face Fulla Dirt is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hellwaffles has dropped their quaintly angsty Indie Punk Folk single “Audrey Hepburn”

Posted on 6 July 2020

After hearing Hellwaffles’ resonantly candid debut single “Training Wheels”, there was little chance we’d forget the Indie Punk Folk artist’s instantly endearing style. Upon hearing of the release of their second single “Audrey Hepburn”, we couldn’t help but dive right in and embrace the angsty quaint alchemy one more. It definitely didn’t disappoint.

The short and bitter-sweet track is as uncomplicated as they come. The frill-free Garage Lo-Fi-style guitar give the lyrics and vocals plenty of room to leave you transfixed by them as they playfully allude to Hellwaffles’ complicated relationship with the ultimate on-screen icon. It’s pointed, it’s playful, and it’s utterly ingenious.

We’re already stoked to hear what Hellawaffles serves up next with their unpredictably refreshing style.

You can check out Hellwaffles’ latest single for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast