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Indie Folk Rock

tongueshy Mapped the Agony of Existential FOMO on a Post-Punk Folk Frequency in ‘Come Along’

tongueshy

If Debbie Harry took her vocal talent on a sojourn to folk-rock territory and tinged the tonal atmosphere with the chill of 80s post-punk, it would result in a soundscape as phenomenally original as Come Along, by tongueshy which sets the bar for how much life can be poured into sound.

While there’s some brashy discord in the mix and a frenetic folk pulse joined by searing angular guitar lines, Come Along still paradoxically instantly feels like a consoling home as you listen to tongueshy pour out her rejection angst into the release, which is by far the most authentic sonic signature that I’ve seen scribed across the airwaves this year.

tongueshy is the solo vehicle for Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jazeen Hollings, who layered the track from the ground up with rhythm guitar, synth, bass, lead, and vocals. While her studio work delivers raw lo-fi urgency, her live sets are stripped bare. Just her, an acoustic guitar, and whatever she needs to get off her chest. Her commitment to confronting heartbreak and self-discovery with sardonic transparency folds into her sound as tightly as the heartbreak that birthed the project. After a break-up, a cross-country move, and a crash landing back in her childhood bedroom, Come Along didn’t arrive—it demanded to exist.

If you get the opportunity to see her in an intimate space, consider yourself blessed. With her ability to speak beyond her lyricism and lock straight into the soul, she’s a diamond in the rough.

Come Along is now available to stream on all major platforms. Find your preferred way to listen via the artist’s website. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shane J. O’Dwyer Let the Wreckage Speak – An Interview on Solitude, Sound & Starting Over

From painting houses to painting emotional landscapes through melancholic indie pop, Shane J. O’Dwyer laid everything on the line for his solo debut CALL ME BABE. After navigating heartbreak, band breakups, and the daily weight of sobriety, his debut transmits unfiltered emotion forged in isolation and resilience.

In this interview, Shane opens up about the emotional gravity behind the single, his raw recording process at CYBERSOUND Boston, and the pivotal moment when California stopped being a pitstop and became home. Whether he’s pacing train platforms with a demo in his headphones or finding solace in LA’s psychedelic rock undercurrents, Shane refuses to hold anything back — not from himself, and certainly not from his audience.

Welcome to A&R Factory, Shane J. O’Dwyer — we’re glad to have you here and excited to talk about this new chapter in your music career. The circumstances leading up to your solo debut weren’t easy — how did those experiences shape the emotional weight behind CALL ME BABE, and did they change how you approach your songwriting?

I definitely had a shift in perception for most things leading up to this debut. I had walked into it absolutely heartbroken for a handful of different reasons, my lady, my band, sobriety, but underneath it all was this inevitable force I finally felt myself lean into. No matter what, when the lights go down, and there’s nothing left, music is always there for me, and it’s the only way I can translate my feelings into something that can justify the struggles I find myself tumbling through. In terms of songwriting, not much has changed besides me finally sharing what I write and being more patient with the process.

There’s a striking euphonic authenticity in the track — it doesn’t shy away from raw sentimentality, yet every note feels refined. Did you always envision CALL ME BABE sounding the way it does now?

Honestly, no, the original demo of this song sounds different, and part of me enjoys the energy more in the raw bedroom tapes, but I’ve always looked at these songs like my own little Frankensteins, so however they grow is ultimately out of my control — I’m here for the organic magic. I more or less let the song itself take the wheel, and I find that a lot more satisfying from an artist’s perspective.

After such a disheartening fallout with your band, was stepping into a solo project freeing, daunting, or both?

Both — I was looking forward to finally doing my own thing, but it was a bit of a trip going into a studio alone for the first time, it’s a lot easier to deal with the environment when you have your close pals with you, but the experience was great, and I’m really lucky I worked with Rob at CYBERSOUND in Boston. He made the process really pleasant, and I’ll always be grateful for that. I honestly think Rob is a big part of the reason I’m more comfortable with the position I am in.

The production in CALL ME BABE carries a sense of adventure while still sounding fully realised. Were there any moments in the process where you thought, “This is the direction I’ve been chasing all along”?

There were moments at South Station waiting to take the train home, I’d listen to the demo from the day, and sort of pace back and forth, dissecting what we had done, and what I needed to do next. It’s a funny question for me because I did have a moment where I went “thank god I like this so far”.

What was the point where you decided your return to LA wouldn’t just be temporary, and did that shift mentally push you into finishing and releasing your debut?

Ironically enough, I did my final recording session a couple of days before I flew back to LA for my “little break”, so Rob was able to polish up the song without me in the room. I initially presumed that when I returned, I’d finish it, but after being in CA for a couple of weeks, the anxiousness of releasing the song grew, and I was no match for patience. Rob and I chatted through text, and after 2 sessions without me there, it was ready to go. It was perfect timing. I had a moment with myself out here in Malibu, and simply just didn’t look back to Massachusetts, there was too much smoke to try and see through anyway, whereas in California, there was just a clear road ahead, which I needed.

I feel at home in California, and that presence I find from within when I am here is something I treasure, and I’m at a place in my life where I’m not going to let go of that, or look back for nothing, or anyone, sincerely speaking. I knew, though, I had to come out with something immediately, and that was an already pre-embedded thought. If anything, this song should’ve been out months ago, but I had to save the money to record, and that required more disciplined time getting side jobs painting houses, and extra hours at work.

You’ve said you’re doing everything you can to let your music bleed into new places. Are there any specific spaces or listeners you’ve felt most drawn to since releasing this single?

I’ve been really drawn into the local psychedelic rock scene out here. I would like to start a new band on the side, and that solely came from the inspiration of seeing some really great local bands, and meeting some great artists out here, like The Snares & Rainbow City Park, they made me feel right at home. Although they are both from the Bay Area, it was my first local show this time around with this mindset in place. I saw another LA band that night as well, Babe Ruthless — they f***** ripped. I really recommend checking them out. As of late, I have only been listening to LA WITCH; they have been my favourite band for months now, and I’m hoping to catch their show next weekend here in LA. I found LA WITCH through the recommended artists tab on Spotify through Death Valley Girls, another LA-based band as well.

Has going solo changed your relationship with music in any way? Do you find yourself writing from a different emotional register now that you’re not considering a group dynamic?

Yes, and no. More pressure applied, but fewer things to worry about. At the end of the day, I’m just doing what I do, I haven’t put much thought into comparisons.

For anyone hearing CALL ME BABE as their introduction to your work, what do you hope they take away from the tonal bliss and the lyrical depth in the track?

Nothing but a picture, and a space where they can feel good even about the things that hurt most. I really enjoy the thought of everyone hearing the same song, but the place they go to is as unique as a snowflake, and I find it a privilege that those can be made between my sounds. It’s really cool.

Stream CALL ME BABE on Spotify now.

Follow Shane J. O’Dwyer on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Kaitlin Cassady – Home Away from Home: A 12-Part Panorama of Indie Folk Rock Candour

Kaitlin Cassady’s inaugural album, Home Away from Home, is an emotive expedition into the heart of indie folk rock, through which she secures her place in the lineage of songwriters who stir souls with their harmonies and strings.

Home Away from Home unfolds over twelve tracks that promise to resonate with anyone harbouring a penchant for profound storytelling wrapped in melodious harmony. It’s an exploration of self-discovery, articulated with a candour that soothes as it sears. Cassady, drawing on the narrative depth reminiscent of Aimee Mann and the tender, plaintive tones akin to Kacey Musgraves, crafted each song as a chapter in an intimate diary of longing and introspection.

The album’s inception, nurtured within the confines of an Oakland apartment, mirrors the personal and unpolished stories that Cassady chooses to tell. Supported from afar by her father, a seasoned songwriter, her work not only explores her roots but also the bittersweet sting of leaving them behind.

With nuances of country, jazz and melodic rock, all adding evocative motifs to the work, the album can’t be acknowledged as anything less than a profound triumph. The inclusion of notable musicians such as Thad Polk and Julia Floberg touches the anthology of growing pains with dynamic tender strokes without overshadowing Cassady’s raw, narrative sonic signature as she scribes through sonic diary entries covering love, loss, addiction and mental health, turning personal plight into universal themes which speak to a generation grappling with similar issues.

As the streams and accolades accumulate, it’s clear that Cassady’s Home Away from Home asserts her as a vital voice in the indie folk-rock scene. Her ability to convey depth, connection, and haunting nostalgia ensures that this album will resonate with listeners long after the final note has played.

Stream Home Away from Home on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Follow Kaitlin Cassady on Instagram to stay up to date with news of her sophomore LP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bask in the ‘Alpenglow’ of Lounna’s latest alt-indie folk rock rendering of poetic yearning

Louanna

Lounna’s latest single, Alpenglow, panoramically expanded indie-folk with a sound infused with the ruggedness of Big Thief and the euphonic beauty akin to the works of Gregory Alan Isakov and Boygenius.

The song unfurls with swathes of soul that seep through every note, achieving a séance of seraphic serenity with its Grammy-worthy craftsmanship. Louanna doesn’t just sing; she commands a profound respect that transcends typical genre confines, pulling listeners into a bask-able warmth.

The traditional folk instrumentation intertwines with ornate crescendos, crafting one of the most stirring aural experiences of 2024. The composition breathes the very essence of wonder, reminiscent of breathtaking landscapes, stunning beyond compare. Each note and lyric in the track feels like a brushstroke on a vast sonic canvas, portraying mental health struggles, difficult life circumstances, and the enduring human spirit.

Brenna Slate, under the moniker Lounna, is not new to the music scene. With fifteen years of songwriting, performances at notable festivals, and opening for nationally touring artists, Slate’s voice has matured into a poignant echo of indie folk innovation, which is exemplified in Alpenglow, which will leave you thematically alongside her, yearning for the nostalgia of lost love.

Alpenglow is being primed to debut on September 20th; purchase the single on Bandcamp; for more ways to listen, visit Lounna’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Casino Moon boiled the human experience down to birth, sex, and death in their indie folk-rock revelation, Fearless

Casino Moon, the South London-based Americana folk-rock ensemble, has distilled the essence of the human experience into their latest single, ‘Fearless’, which unravels as a journey through life’s most primal elements – birth, sex, and death – wrapped in a melody that’s as infectious as it is profound.

‘Fearless’ grips you with its upbeat folk instrumental arrangement, setting the stage for a musical expedition that’s both exhilarating and introspective. The chorus bursts forth with a fearless tenacity, its lively rhythm a stark contrast to the more contemplative alt-indie verses that invite you to delve deeper into the song’s candid narrative.

Casino Moon’s cultivated sound, recognised by icons like Tom Robinson and Robert Smith, shines through in ‘Fearless’. The band’s talent for transforming untold stories into addictive sounds is evident in every chord, lyric and harmony. The vocals seamlessly switch up in energy, mirroring the dynamism of the instrumentals. From the resonant vibrato in the lower registers to the fervour and zeal in the soul-augmented choruses, the vocal performance is a masterclass in raw, unadulterated emotion.

Consider ‘Fearless’ a blueprint for living life with unbridled passion; the crescendos and echoes of evocative wisdom fuel the listener with invincibility. As Casino Moon continues to garner acclaim, with standout performances at festivals and alongside notable artists, ‘Fearless’ stands as a testament to their burgeoning legacy.

Stream Fearless as part of Casino Moon’s Woody Bay EP on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rossa Murray & the blowin’ winds will warmly render your heartstrings raw with ‘Who Really Wants to Get Clean’

Rossa Murray & the blowin' winds

The hype around the Irish alt-folk/rock outfit, Rossa Murray & the blowin’ winds, may be louder than the melancholic quiescence in the title single from their latest EP, but the accolades are far from hyperbolic.

Who Really Wants to Get Clean is a cutting- with razor-sharp precision – exposition on society’s issues around addiction; so much pressure is put upon the people numbing themselves by any means necessary to change, while the societal issues that make it a necessity for so many get ambivalently swept under the rug.

I can’t even remember the last time a track hit me this hard. The evocative delivery, the desperation in the vignette, the agony that lingers in the tempo of the minor keys, the profoundness in the strings, it all synthesises into a tear-jerking performance that leaves you in a sombre state of contemplation.

Fans of Bill Ryder-Jones and Frightened Rabbit won’t be able to tear themselves away from the Rossa Murray & the blowin’ winds’ discography after Who Really Wants to Get Clean has warmly rendered their hearts raw.

The Who Really Wants to Get Clean – Part 2 EP will officially release on September 29th. Stream it on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skittish became the ultimate purveyor of folk-rock nostalgia with ‘Mannequin’

The LA-residing indie folk-rock artist Skittish is fresh from the release of their eclectic era and genre-spanning seventh LP, Midwest Handshake. Genre-fluidity may have become the default position for artists in the 21st century, but few succeed in making a smorgasbord of style as cohesively electrifying as Skittish.

Midwest Handshake is a route back to the golden era of emo via a road never taken. Jeff Noller’s vocation in film sound production in recent years allowed him to sonically visualise his concept in panoramic colour.

This time, Skittish enlisted Ben Etter (Deer Hunter, Kaiser Chiefs) to mix and master the album in his analog-centric studio, resulting in a project that draws you in with nostalgia and quells modern malaise with lyrical resonance that could have only been rendered in our blighted with dystopic blues era.

With the Weezer-esque guitars lending themselves well to the earwormy hooks and the drawling with deadpan attitude vocals in the verses evolving into adrenalized harmonies in the standout track, Mannequin, you couldn’t ask for more serotonin from a single. The raucously riled deliverance of unity is the ultimate olive branch to the disenfranchised by ennui outliers. After one hit, you will want to devour the cinematic album whole.

Mannequin hit the airwaves on August 25; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The UK orchestral folk duo River Knight is on melodious form in their sanctuary spilling single, Unsprung

The folk duo River Knight has been fairly quiet since their 2021 album, Grow. They are back on melodious form in their latest orchestral folk single, Unsprung, which borrows fractions of the melody to Take on Me, but with such a stunning orchestral string ensemble and hints of the Verve and 90s Britpop in the verses, who is complaining?

The earworm brings the ragged and rough timbres through the acoustic guitar strings and percussion while the smooth can be found in the gloss of the orchestral crescendos, which are as close to heaven as the impious are likely to get.

Each new progression is a brand-new opportunity to fall in love with the duo who banded together in 2017 as a form of therapy for Darren Knight after the tragic passing of his wife. Stone River was there for unwavering support and to offer the Ying to Knight’s songwriting Yang. The duo are well known on the London, Portsmouth and Southampton live circuit, but it’s only a matter of time before they take their international-level approach to indie folk rock to the status it beckons.

Unsprung officially released on December 16th. Catch it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Frontier Station’s latest folk-rock single is ‘Mediocre’ in title alone

Frontier Station

Frontier Station wove a masterfully enticing tapestry with the close-knit boy-girl harmonies in their latest single, Mediocre, taken from their upcoming debut album, The Birds, The Stars & The Chimney Sweeps, which is due for release on January 20th.

The London-based folk-rock six-piece married Americana rock swagger with the roots of Irish folk and modernised the soundscape with The National-Esque production on the cascading guitars – to awe-inspiring effect.

With Frontier Station, there is the promise that every song tells a tale; with Mediocre, they put a swoonsome romantic epic into melodic motion as they set a scene in a mining town in Thatcher’s England. That name may make everyone with a semblance of empathy cringe, but her cursed capitalist legacy doesn’t stand a chance against the soul impassionedly poured into Mediocre.

Mediocre will officially release on October 28th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sanchez. delivered an off-kilter folk-rock confessional masterpiece with his latest single, Feeling

Sanchez

Following his debut 2022 album, Burgundy, which was produced by the legendary Pete Maher, the already iconic singer-songwriter Sanchez., is here with his latest single, Feeling. With that title, the artist set the evocative bar high; he heart-wrenchingly transcended it with his folk-rock-inspired confessional.

In the cavernous intro that consists of little more than rugged folk-rock pulls of acoustic strings, names like Cohen, Waits and Dylan spring to mind. Yet, Feeling steadily grooves into its own distinct and artful gravitas as the soundscape is enriched by ascending melodies, raw and off-kilter choral sonic power and blisteringly luminous organ notes. It’s Richard Hawley meets Pixies. It is also the aural evolution that melancholic outliers have been waiting for.

Feeling is due for official release on March 2nd; dive into it yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Connect with Sanchez. via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast