Browsing Tag

Indie Soul

Lylo Gold Spun Silk from Emotional Scars in the Ambient Reverie of ‘Knights in Vegas’

Posted on 6 May 2025

Knights in Vegas by Lylo Gold is a melodically melancholic cruise through the intersections of ambiently saturated downtempo indietronica and soul-drenched dream pop. If you caught the fever with Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood, you’ll feel your temperature rise with the euphonic etherealism that flows through this single with cathartic grace.

With vocals which drift with the same effortless elegance as the instrumentals while dripping with stylised soul, Knights in Vegas isn’t just the result of ticking songwriting and production boxes—it’s emotion expressed in its pure freeform; it’s enough to make your rhythmic pulses feel as though they’ve been reborn.

The East London-hailing artist is far from a passive presence in her creative output. Lylo Gold has poured herself into every aspect of her project, from production through to the final expression, informed by her musical upbringing and the influence of her reggae artist father. While her sonic roots may trace back to R&B, her scope spans far beyond the expected. In Knights in Vegas, she navigates emotional desolation and ego-drained affection with the poetic poignance of an artist unafraid to surrender vulnerability to atmosphere.

With her upcoming work set to push further into authentic introspection, Knights in Vegas proves she’s not interested in soft-selling heartbreak or masking the turbulence. She’s building sanctuaries from the fallout and cloaking them in audio opulence.

Knights in Vegas is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.


Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Under the Ephemeral Veil: DANIELA’s Sonic Resonance in ‘Waiting’

Posted on 26 November 2024

DANIELA’s latest indie RnB single, ‘Waiting,’ is as ethereal as slipping through a semi-lucid dream. The indie-tinged journey through stripped-back soul demands that listeners surrender to the seraphic sublimity of its dreamy atmosphere, which stands as an exhibition of DANIELA’s authentic to the nth-degree talent.

With every note, she demonstrates a masterful command over texture, tone, and melody, carefully curating each sonic element to immerse her audience into a vignette of dreamy, lovesick longing. The warmth of her vocal whispers serves as the gravitational core of the track, leaving the listener tantalised long after the music fades.

Originally from Italy and now enriching London’s diverse music scene, DANIELA draws inspiration from icons such as Amy Winehouse and Lana del Ray, weaving her rich, emotive vocals with contemporary production that hints at nostalgia. Her musical narrative is steeped in neo-soul, jazz, and Italian melodic influences, culminating in a distinct sonic signature.

With a background rich in performance—from London’s speakeasies to the jazz circuits of the Emirates—DANIELA has honed her craft on illustrious stages, contributing to her seasoned artistry. Her live performances resonate with the strength of her studio work, notably during standout gigs such as the WOW Festival at Southbank Centre, backing legends like Sister Sledge, and enamouring audiences in venues as diverse as the Grand Hyatt in Doha and the spirited bars of Soho and Shoreditch.

Waiting was officially released on November 15; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flames of funk and soul lick JANAYAH’s latest indie rock earworm, Can’t Get Enough

Posted on 22 July 2024
https://open.spotify.com/track/7LmRZmU0GQ0mkx8nZVeHgN?si=9e660a4f08a2452c

Janayah’s latest rhythmic revelation, Can’t Get Enough, mainlines funk-licked soul into indie rock euphoria through a filter of ’60s and ’70s nostalgia to breathe life into timeless tonality.

Born and raised in Auckland and now based in London, Janayah has graced stages from a tender age and has left lasting impressions with her dynamic live performances. Her sophomore single, imbued with the raw vocal power of Christina Aguilera with moments that oscillate back to old-school soul around rhythmically magnetic melodies is an embodiment of her soul-rock fortitude.

The single, which testifies to the insatiability of desire, showcases her signature style that crosses boundaries from pop to rock and dance, with each genre succumbing to the weight of her powerful vocals. Her previous works, including collaborations with EDM artists and features in prominent music venues, have all paved the way for this riveting return to her roots.

Ironically, every note in Can’t Get Enough promises to leave Janayah’s audience wanting more from the one-woman powerhouse.

Can’t Get Enough was officially released on July 12; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The soulfully-funked hues in Jeremy Hilliard’s single Lay Down Like Lovers captured the haze of utopic affection.

Posted on 23 November 2023
https://open.spotify.com/track/3262kGxZBqjiBB8Mc1MjQh?si=389fe9ae5b2e4e90

Taken from his LP, which is rooted in swathes of nostalgic funk and soul, Trouble for Another Day, singer-songwriter, Jeremy Hilliard’s standout folky neo-jazz pop single, Lay Down Like Lovers, is a fitting ode to the serenity of passion. The dreamy hues capture the haze of unconditionally all-consuming love as the groove pockets deliver oceanic depth, ensuring Lay Down Like Lovers is a release you can fully immerse yourself in.

If you can’t get enough of the lyrically driven song-crafting finesse of Paul Simon, Kurt Vile, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, you will be instantly enamoured with the poetically mellifluous beguile within Lay Down Like Lovers, which is hopefully the first of many hits from the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, who is coming into his own away from his successful band, PEAK, which has made America’s Northeast their touring circuit.

Stream Lay Down Like Lovers on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Murphy put her jazz and soul into existential philosophy with her latest single, Glitch

Posted on 9 October 2023

The NYC-hailing soulstress Murphy brought in a new era of indie soul pop and added a new trajectory to the evolution of existential philosophy with her latest slicked with jazz and hooked with funk single, Glitch.

Traversing everything from the meaning of life to its origin, Glitch is a deeply introspective hit which infectiously explores the potential of a society-shaking glitch to set us free. If the soberingly sublime single doesn’t leave you deep in thought, that may just be a sign you need to stop swimming in the shallows of perception and start swimming in infinitely more profound pools; diving in with Murphy is the perfect vantage point to take the plunge.

She’s got the voice, a mind that would make Sartre quiver, and a golden ear for a melody; it is safe to say that she’s the epitome of a triple threat; we can’t wait to hear what comes next.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Susie McCollum – New Year’s Eve: part love song, part soulful indie-folk ode to bitter-sweet tradition

Posted on 28 September 2023

If it isn’t too early for commercial stores to deck their aisles with items that prove we’re in the midst of a consumer-industrial complex, it isn’t too early to pontificate on what will be the staple fixtures on our holiday playlists, especially when the singles are as superlatively resolving as New Year’s Eve from the folk singer-songwriter Susie McCollum.

Part love song, part soulful indie-folk ode to bitter-sweet tradition, the loungey and luxe feel of the NYC singer-songwriter’s debut single allows you to slip into a reflective sanctuary of a soundscape. The gentle piano keys against the minimalist acoustic guitars construct an absorbing platform for McCollum’s endlessly sonorous harmonic notes to drift into as the lyrics go beyond the commodification of the holiday, which, whether we like it or not, forces us to take sentimental stock of the year gone by and anticipate what we’ll be grateful for next year.

However you choose to spend it this year, there isn’t a situation McCollum can’t elevate with her Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones and Janis Ian-esque sound.

Add New Year’s Eve to your Spotify playlists now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tre. Charles melded soulful undertones with resonantly mantric vocals in his ambient indie dream-pop single, Lately.

Posted on 15 March 2023
https://soundcloud.com/user-927736750/lately-2/s-0bEGiubGPfS?in=user-927736750/sets/tre-charles-currently-ep-demo/s-vyUjqvhKQ7t&si=b3399ccd97c44b2398eab32ecc2c9458&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

I’ve been around the shoegaze and dream-pop block a fair few times, but the latest single, Lately., from the alt-indie artist, Tre. Charles, is a strikingly crystal-clear cut above the rest.

With his soulful vocals bleeding into the choral amalgam of trip-hop, Avant-Garde RnB, ambient electronica and indie rock, the quiescently powerful release is a feat of unparalleled consoling alchemy.

Staying true to his brand of soulful undertones, resonantly mantric vocals, and evocative crooning, the East Coast-born artist orchestrated an efficaciously disarming hit that will make your soul as perceptible as the one poured into the lyrics.

Any fans of James Blake, Frank Ocean, Sampha, and Moses Sumney won’t want to miss out on this reverb-drenched opportunity to form a connection with the award-winning D’angelico Guitars-sponsored artist. We’re officially stoked for the upcoming EP due for release in 2023.

Lately. will officially release on March 15th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gothenburg singer-songwriter The Moniker painted a future we all want to embrace in his celestially soulful single, Someday

Posted on 2 December 2022
https://soundcloud.com/the-moniker/someday/s-ZRC2WdxLgEa?si=6ec15790cef14465bc77dab09efd5b97&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Gothenburg, Sweden singer-songwriter, The Moniker, used his optimism to look to a brighter future, where pure souls such as the one pertaining to his single, Someday, can experience more than just ephemeral bliss from fleeting connections.

He’s been elevating the Scandinavian music scene for the past decade since the launch of his debut album, Oh My God! It is more than about time that he started illuminating the airwaves in the UK with his secular gospel soundscapes and vocal range that rings with celestial beguile. If Purple Rain by Prince has the capacity to drive you to the brink of tears, Someday, with its resonant longing for meaning, will tip you right over the emotional brink.

The reverb-swathed production oozes class as it sweeps through the cinematic crescendos, leaving you more immersed in the shimmering orchestration with every progression.

Someday will officially release on December 2nd. You can hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The 80s legends, The Immaculate Crows, exude pure soul in their psych-tinged indie single, Another Day Gone By

Posted on 15 November 2022

Surrender to the pure soul in The Immaculate Crows’ latest impeccably impassioned single, Another Day Gone By, which features Jessica Shipley on lead vocals and Daphne Mae as the backing harmonist.

The melodically caressing single was written by The Immaculate Crows founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer Bruce Neilsen, when he was priming for an eagerly anticipated comeback after their phenomenal success in the early 80s.

Sharing similar lyrical propensities as Lou Reed’s Perfect Day, the mellifluous indie single gives you a ravenous appetite for life by reminding you how sweet it can be when you embrace the most beautiful facets of existence, such as the incandescently sweet piano score against the psych-tinged guitars in Another Day Gone By. Remaining lucid while this perfectly poised score is in motion is easier said than done. You can’t help drifting away with the compassionate soul.

Another Day Gone By is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Art Crimes Band painted in metropolitan soul in their latest jazzy synth-driven single, Neon Skyline

Posted on 10 October 2022

The Art Crimes Band have been lauded as Cork’s most promising new band; their latest single, Neon Skyline, affirms just why so much hype has been amassing around their soul-driven indie synthwave sound. If you can envisage Nina Simone’s vocals fused over The Midnight’s soundscapes, you may get a fair way to imagining what the Art Crimes Band have stirringly amalgamated in Neon Skyline.

To the tune of seductively jazzy sax, shimmering synths and ambient funk dripping rhythms, Neon Skyline metropolitanly unravels around the timeless female vocals that could have been recorded at any time in the last century, but they fit right into the juxtaposing classic temporary timbre of this artfully consuming serenade, which calls out into the cruel cold world to make it infinitely more accommodating and less alienating.

Neon Skyline is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast