Browsing Tag

Indie Jangle Pop

Modern Day Miracle has released their sonic indie power-pop sophomore single, Falling in a Dream.

Posted on 5 August 2021

Modern Day Miracle’s sophomore release, Falling in a Dream, has already racked up over 370k streams on Spotify alone. The electronic indie pop-rock single errs on the side of melancholy lyrically but the feisty anthem energizes you away from apathy as you listen to the effervescent jangle pop guitars, playful synth-pop melodies and power-pop hooks.

If someone sugar-coated and stripped the years off the Strokes, we’re fairly sure that the aural result wouldn’t be all too far from Falling in a Dream. Even from just listening to one single, we’re filled with that instinct to back the blossoming powerhouse that could easily have main festival stage crowds eating out of their deft hands.

You can check out the punchy pop-rock hit for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

David Wakeling has released his grungy jangle-pop earworm, ‘Extraordinary’.

Posted on 6 July 2021

One of Portland’s most notably virtuosic singer-songwriters, David Wakeling, has unleashed his latest absolving single, Extraordinary; a mellow yet sonically ardent aural invitation to simultaneously explore the golden eras of indie and grunge.

With the fuzz of Dinosaur Jr paired with the enlivening new wave indie jangle-pop guitars, it is a revival like no other.

With his love for rich and captivating vocal harmonies manifesting through Extraordinary that lamentedly explores expired romantic possibilities, the soundscape is one of those tragically rare cathartic hits that allows you to pour your own emotions into the progressions.

You can check out Extraordinary for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-punk pioneers, Tube Amp 101, are set to release their single, ‘Strawberry Smile’

Posted on 15 June 2021
Tube Amp 101

Perth, Australia’s most promising indie post-punk outfit, Tube Amp 101 are set to release their sophomore EP, True Friend which features their mesmerising lead single, Strawberry Smile.

Fans of Echo and the Bunnymen, Desperate Journalist, Big Thief and the Smiths are sure to appreciate the overdriven tones overlapping snappy, fervent percussion to create a bed for the dream pop-style vocals that add a stunning sense of vulnerability to the release.

Living in Manchester UK, I’ve heard my fair share of post-punk and indie jangle pop, but it is safe to say that nothing flows in the same lusciously dark vein as Strawberry Smile.

You will be able to check out Strawberry Smile from June 18th via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lazy Daze asks the question we’ve all been thinking with their surfy indie rock track, ‘What is Real?’

Posted on 12 April 2021

If the last 12 months have left you questioning the nature of reality, you’ll definitely appreciate the latest single from Lazy Daze that explores that very same existential question while carrying sweet yet sonic summer tones.

The LA-based artist, songwriter and producer cooked up a lofty indie jam that bursts with jangle-pop vitality, teases elements of indie post-punk and infuses modern elements of surf rock to stay true to his LA roots.

What is Real? is a mash of everything there is to love about Supergrass, the Beach Boys and Joy Division simultaneously unfolding around a deep questioning that never gives way to melancholy. Instead, Lazy Daze seems to take the Bukowski approach to life; laughing in the face of trepidation and chaos and inviting the listener to do the same.

What is Real? is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jangle Pop Meets Grungy Garage Rock in Juniper Avenue’s Latest Single ‘Disfunction’

Posted on 9 April 2021

With an intro that could rival the poppy jangly energy in This Charming Man, you’ll fall head-first into Juniper Avenue’s latest single, ‘Disfunction’.

It doesn’t take long before the feat of new wave indie quintessence slips into a darker, more despondent indie styling that takes hold of the same biting energy exuded by The Strokes.

Beyond reminiscence, Disfunction sits right on the contemporary trend of finding no shame in stating that you’re fairly close to losing the plot. With a touch of grungy garage rock to the vocals which still bleed soul despite their raucous nature, Disfunction offers everything you could ask for and more.

With vocals that will be a hit with any Chris Cornell fans, eclectically wild instrumentals and the raw lyrics which don’t just scratch at superficiality, Juniper Avenue is definitely worth putting on your radar.

Disfunction is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Katanak want us to be their ‘Valentine’

Posted on 3 April 2021

After supporting Pete Murray on his 2019 Summer Seasons Tour, Brisbane indie-pop artist Katanak was having a pretty stellar growth year prior to Covid-lockdownery; a ‘People’s Choice Award’ at 2020’s QUBE Effect awards, working with LMSUKmedia in the UK, and international radio play for his last single ‘Take Us Back’ are all justly deserved rewards for this upcoming indie-groove roller.

There’s a definite pop-influence to ‘Valentine’, like someone’s distilled all those harmonising boy- and girl-bands of the 90’s and 00’s, mixed them all together, and pushed them all through a blender of Wombats, 1975, and Vampire Weekend. With a beautiful, jangle-pop chocky-strummed guitar part and some delicious stop-start keys, all underpinning Katanak’s bouncy, upbeat vocal. Lockdown’s ending, spring is springing, and Katanak might have just delivered the first of this summer’s big indie-pop hits.

Check out ‘Valentine’ on Spotify; follow Katanak on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Michael Barrow & The Tourists – Clover: Sonically Strident Alt Indie Rock

Posted on 25 February 2021
Michael Barrow & The Tourists

Since making their debut in 2018, Indie Rock trailblazers, Michael Barrow & The Tourists have proven that they’ve got exactly what it takes to be the next iconic indie outfit. After amassing millions of streams garnering a hysteria-level of hype with their compassionately soulful earworms, it’s easy to see that as just the beginning. Especially on the basis of the first track to be released from their forthcoming album ‘Clover’.

After a tender prelude which pays nuanced odes to post punk, the title-single picks up the pace until it is as sonically strident as it is soulfully sincere. With relatable and exposing lyrics such as ‘I’m afraid I won’t get hurt this time’, and ‘heartbreak starts to feel like home’, Michael Barrow & The Tourists capture the fear of vulnerability and the necessity of it to navigate modern dating. It’s perception-shiftingly beautiful.

You can check out Clover for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Jonah Atkins – Not Ready: Chorally Consoling Alt-Indie-Rock

Posted on 24 February 2021
Jonah Atkins by Jonah Atkins

If you’re sick of your own lockdown-inspired introspection, delve into Ontario-based singer-songwriter Jonah Atkins’ through their latest single ‘Not Ready’ instead. Given that we’re all experiencing a collective period of stagnation where it’s safer to look back than it is to look forward, the lyrical resonance within ‘Not Ready’ is invaluable.

2020, and now subsequently 2021, is the never-ending New Year’s Eve, where you know what you need to do to move forward, you feel the guilt for what you haven’t done and the uncertainty of your capacity for success every day. Not Ready wraps all of those painfully shameful emotions together and still manages to unravel as an upbeat feat of alt-indie.

With vocals which are somewhere in between the Strokes and Kurt Vile breaking through a light layer of reverb, the accessibility parallels the distinction while rich choral tones weave garagey sonic indie new wave progressions to bring a shimmering sense of optimism to the soundscape.

Not Ready is available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Tapples created a convergently timeless hit with their indie jangle pop-rock release ‘Where You’ve Been’

Posted on 18 February 2021

Massachusetts six-piece, The Tapples, has garnered plenty of local hype since making their debut with their 2019 EP ‘Bus Recovery’, with their most recent indie jangle pop-rock release ‘Where You’ve Been’ they’ve proven that their convergently electric sound oozes international appeal.

With a touch of Rolling Stones-style swagger to the guitars, punchy bass growls, rancorous percussion and nuances of 60s psych pop to the high-energy vocals, Where You’ve Been pulls together a myriad of different styles and eras to create a timeless hit which will always be happy to feed you aural ecstasy. These may be dark and trying times, but there’s no amount of ennui which the fuzz-laden optimistically sweet track can’t dissipate. Take my word for it.

You can check out Where You’ve Been by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Did I Hear Dare? – timeless alt-rock with ‘I Can Feel (You And I)’

Posted on 7 February 2021

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Did I Hear Dare? smash out that brand of mid-Western alt-rock that seems timeless and at the same time bang up to date. ‘I Can Feel (You and I)’ could just as easily be from 2001 as the first month of 2021, and that’s no bad thing at all. Think Killers, Kings of Leon, and maybe a little Arcade Fire for good measure. There’s a definite Brandon Flowers touch to the vocal, a cracker of a bouncy lead guitar line, and a perfect pop-indie-rock lift coming into the chorus, itself an absolute earworm of a radio-friendly-unit-shifter.

The follow-up to their 2020 EP ‘The Ghost Stories’, ‘I Can Feel (You And I)’ is a perfect prelude to 2021 for Did I Hear Dare?.

You can check it out on Spotify now, and follow on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes