Browsing Tag

Indie Singer Songwriter

David Wakeling looks into the future of this dystopia in ‘Living at 45 Degrees’

Posted on 24 June 2022

With the melancholy of The Verve in their best years, the folky narrative introspection of Bob Dylan and psychedelic layers not all too far removed from the kaleidoscopic textures from The Legendary Pink Dots, David Wakeling’s seminal single, Living at 45 Degrees, hits a plethora of spots.

The Anthropocene-conscious single only runs on par with Amanda Palmer’s Drowning in the Sound in terms of the wit in the metaphors, which cleverly shine a light on the ridiculous state that humanity has shaped itself into.

It’s tracks like Living at 45 Degrees which truly prove the worth of music in society. It’s something for the minority of humans that are self-aware enough to see into the futility of existence to meld into and find reason within.

The official video for Living at 45 Degrees is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BREGN set the bar with his plateau-transporting ethereal indie-folk single, Summertime

Posted on 17 June 2022

Here to make me eat my words about the banality and predictability of summer singles is the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, BREGN, with his latest otherworldly feat of melodious indie-folk, Summertime.

With little more than strings and choral vocals to drive and structure the single, immersing yourself within the all-consuming mellifluous accordance comes with an immediate payoff.

Beyond the production that stands as a testament to BREGN’s creative originality, Summertime refuses to lyrically scratch at the surface. If Dylan Thomas himself rose from the grave and speculated on the season in relation to nature, freedom, past, future and present, I’m not all too sure that he’d be able to implant as much poetry.

Hear it for yourselves on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whatever the question, the affable indie-rocker, Sam Scherdel, has ‘The Answer’

Posted on 17 June 2022

As stunning as The Manics’ Gold Against the Soul album, as cinematic as the Hollywood sign, the latest single from the Britpop-inspired UK singer-songwriter, Sam Scherdel, is a slice of celestial sonic bliss.

‘The Answer’ is a humbling admission of human nature, the inability to know everything, carry intellect on every subject and find absolutes at every turn. With weary yet romantically honeyed vocals atop the orchestrally decorated indie-rock score that grips with the same gravitas as Ben Folds, I think I felt every emotion on the human spectrum on the first listen (and the 5th; it just keeps giving. I might be addicted).

With exactly the same vein of magnetism as Billy Idol’s Baby Put Your Clothes Back On, hitting play on The Answer is a surefire way of giving Scherdel permanent space in your psyche. It’s beyond an earworm; it’s an ear unicorn.

The Answer will officially release on June 17th, check it out for yourselves via Spotify. 

Check out Sam Scherdel on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Elena Louvis gave her latest indie-pop single This One’s on Me, the tender touch.

Posted on 6 May 2022

With the same tender touch as Bill Ryder-Jones, Daughter and Tom Odell, the NYC up-and-coming artist and indie record label owner Elena Louvis’ latest single, This One’s on Me, is a masterfully raw feat of downtempo indie-pop.

With the neo-classic nods, her vulnerably glassy vocal timbre and the immersive yet stripped back and meditative production, the mournfully humble single hits the evocative spot with bruising precision. The confessionally honest lyrics which spill the ink on idiosyncratic regret are so intimate and personal, yet, at the same time, the sentiments are universally recognisable.

This One’s on Me will be available to stream from May 6th. You can check it out for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Tim Jackson reached the pinnacle of tender tenacity in his alt-indie single, An Unusual Time

Posted on 26 April 2022

With his standout single, An Unusual Time, taken from his sophomore album, Litter in the Park, the London-based singer-songwriter Tim Jackson, proved that the most consoling tracks don’t evade the grittiest facets of our existence, they encompass them and deliver us from them with pure transcendent panache.

An Unusual Time is so soothing it’s practically medicinal for the way Jackson contends with the unrelenting uncertainty in all of our lives with infectious ease. Sure, there’s been no short supply on exports of lockdown-inspired singles, but Jackson’s Elliott Smith-Esque vocals and tender tenacity are something to behold time and time again. There is as much nuance in the endlessly unravelling lyricism as in the mellifluous complex time signatures that bring an organic dynamic to the indie alt-rock meets jazz sanctum of a soundscape.

Here’s what Tim Jackson had to say about An Unusual Time

“This song is something we can all relate to after several years of once in a lifetime events; it speaks to the sense of bewilderment I was feeling when I wrote it. The title is both lyrically straightforward and cheeky, given the odd 5/8-time signature.”

Litter in the Park is now available to stream in full via Spotify.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from Tim Jackson via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Jess Porter kindled kindred spirit sanctity in his ethereally ambient release, Overplayed

Posted on 24 April 2022

After the successful release of his 2022 single, Patterns, singer-songwriter Jess Porter has made an ethereal return to the airwaves with his latest single, Overplayed.

The inspiration behind the single lies within an anxiety-calming connection made during a flight from the UK to Australia mid-pandemic. The nuanced message that runs through the lush oscillating vein of the ambient release is that you can always find your tribe – no matter where you are.

Having experienced a similar kind of experience just weeks before, and although I try to stay in our material reality while drawing logical conclusions, Overplayed meditatively taps into the feeling of knowing your kindred spirits are dotted around out there waiting to find you at the moment you most need them. There is so few facets of the human experience worth celebrating now. Yet Jess Porter’s kindling of kindred spirit sanctity is enough to make you waylay any human-related existentialism.

Overplayed is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alex Krisi comes in as an evocative heavyweight in her ethereal knockout indie pop ballad, Mama Please

Posted on 24 April 2022

‘Mama Please’ is just one of the sorrowfully seminal latest releases from the up-and-coming indie singer songwriter Alex Kristi who tapped deep into the sense of innate guilt that we all carry after witnessing parental suffering. Whether that be through the juvenile way that we push them away through the surge of youthful rebellion or the soul-crushing feeling of knowing that a parent is sharing your pain – for any given reason.

Sonically, Alex Kristi ensured that the piano score carried just as much tension and tenacity as the classically poised yet indie-tinged vocals as they run through the mournfully eloquent lyricism. In every conceivable way, Mama Please is an ethereal knockout. Even more so with the gospel-Esque outro.

Mama Please will be available to stream from April 22nd. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Runner and Bobby has released his surfy and psych-tinged indie release, For Marcy

Posted on 21 April 2022

‘For Marcy’ is the latest sweet, surfy, and psych-tinged indie single from the Chicago hailing independent artist Runner and Bobby. The choral and blissfully sun-bleached single allows you to imagine what Pavement would have sounded like if they amped up the dreamy melodicism in their sound and met Velvet Revolver halfway.

After a mellow tape-saturated intro, the 100% DIY artist breezes in with his bright yet tinged with artistic and romantic existentialism vocal timbre. Butter wouldn’t melt on his harmonies against the uplifting chord progressions that carry you through the affectionally unforgettable release.

For Marcy is now available to stream via YouTube

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Timothy LaRoque has delivered his sun-soaked indie serenade, Rise and Shine

Posted on 20 April 2022

Romance isn’t dead. Timothy LaRoque is making its heart skip a beat with his endlessly imploring vocals, butterfly-inducing melodies, cinematically soulful production and sheer finger-picked guitar virtuosity in his latest single, Rise and Shine (This Song’s About You).

With Spanish guitars thrown into the mix for the extended instrumental interlude, this kaleidoscopically vibrant release is a sonic gift that keeps on giving. The 22-year-old Floridian would even leave Jack Johnson weak at the knees with his modern spin on the sounds delivered by the Beatles, Paul Simon and Cat Stevens and the artful gravitas in his melodies.

Not all too many contemporary artists can carry the hallmarks of *true* artists, but Rise and Shine is prolific with them. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Rise and Shine will be officially released on April 20th along with the Stuck in the Past EP. Check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Melancholy Goes Pop in Castle KYD’s Alt-Indie Single Melatonin

Posted on 8 April 2022

After leaving us infatuated with the brevity in “The Mess You Leave Behind”, the Rexburg, Idaho alt-indie artist, Castle KYD, has rekindled our penchant for his artfully affectionate sonic signature with his latest release, Melatonin.

Melatonin may have started as a proclamation against people who push you towards progress that you’re not ready for do more harm than good. But the jangly up-vibe single easily carries Castle KYD’s innocently defiant soul in the nuances of shoegaze and no-wave indie.

Castle KYD is by far one of the most promising artists on our radar. His artful inclination that reads in his sonic textures is one thing, his un-bittered sense of enlightened and reflective soul is another thing entirely. Melancholic indie-pop has scarcely been more infectious. Which goes a fair way in explaining how the independent artist has amassed over 54,000 streams since making his debut with ‘Menagerie’ in 2021.

Here’s what Castle KYD had to say on his latest release

“Most of the growth I’ve had happened when I just let the hurt flow through and let time do its healing.
I chose Melatonin for the title and overarching metaphor because it’s much like the hormone, or when you take melatonin pills. For me, I don’t want to move until it’s out of my system after I wake up, I usually wait, but it doesn’t help when I feel rushed, that’s how the concept for the song.”

Melatonin will officially release on April 8th, 2022. You can check it out for yourselves on SoundCloud or Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast