Browsing Tag

New Wave Indie

The masters of funked indie rock melodicism Kinda Joke questioned ‘Where Is Home’ in the shimmering nostalgia of their latest single.

Posted on 18 September 2023

Kinda Joke brought a touch of playful panache and lashings of shimmering 80s nostalgia to their standout indie funk pop single, Where Is Home, taken from their debut LP, Cat Alarm.

If you can envisage the middle ground between Reverend and the Makers and the Midnight, you’ll get an idea of what awaits from the masters of indie rock melodicism and funky rhythms. With an atmosphere that enraptures from the first groove pocket-carving bassline and enough hooks to necessitate the hook, line and sinker metaphor, Kinda Joke’s ear candy couldn’t be more radio-ready.

Where Is Home is the sixth single to be released by the international trio; the German, Italian and Spanish flags all fly under the banner of the outfit which originally formed in Munich, where they discovered after jamming with each other that their sessions were somewhat reminiscent of an intoxicated Phil Collins-Coldplay-Dave Grohl amalgam.

Where Is Home is due for official release on September 15; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Budapest indie-rock troubadours Dirty Slippers are back on our radar with their latest electrically melodic hit, Wide Open

Posted on 23 August 2023

Ahead of their Abbey Road Studios-recorded fourth album, the Hungarian act that is breaking serious ground in the UK, Dirty Slippers, unveiled their latest single, Wide Open.

By wearing their heart on their jangly expertly melodised hooks and putting an angularly exhilarating spin on 00s indie rock so that it bridges the gap between emo and indie new wave, Dirty Slippers transcended indie landfill to reach a new plateau of nostalgic yet refreshing aural euphoria.

While traversing the trappings of life from love to loss, Dirty Slippers painted across the entire spectrum of human emotion in Wide Open to deliver an anthem that you’ll be able to verse from the top of your lungs in the sanctity that the vindication delivers.

After being introduced to the four-piece via their heart-in-throat hit, Honest Kid, it is a pleasure to have the Budapest indie-rock troubadours back on our radar. Although, seeing how far they have come since releasing that single is even more gratifying.

To name a few accolades and achievements, they’ve been lauded by the international press, aired on international radio stations, and even sealed spots on the weekly charts. Something tells us that the best is yet to come for them; you just *cant* help falling in love with them.

Wide Open will debut on the 22nd of August. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fosh. Gazed Into the Void with Their New Wave Indie Release, Staring Into the Dark

Posted on 13 August 2023

Ahead of the release of their debut 15-track LP, Up with the Sun, the New Wave Indie brother trio, Fosh., teased the blissful tones to come with the release of Staring Into the Dark.

With 90s emo inclinations brushing up against the cruising guitar chords and angular lead work, Staring Into the Dark sonically strides across familiar territory while facilitating your arrival at a brand-new destination. Their honeyed brand of melancholy is instantly palatable as it oozes from the harmonised vocal lines that sugar coat ennui with soul while the melodies easily make an earworm out of the single.

If you can’t get enough of Staring Into the Dark, you won’t have long to wait for the release of the debut album, which is set to drop this fall.

Staring Into the Dark was officially released on August 4th; you can stream it on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LOST and SOUND weaved an illusory indie pop-rock fantasy with their standout single, Weekend

Posted on 5 August 2023

The Fairfield, CA six-piece alt indie pop outfit, LOST and SOUND, has perfected the art of crafting addictively sticky melodies that effortlessly carry the escapism they deliver via their lyricism.

While the indie landfill pile climbs higher than Everest, LOST and SOUND transcend it all with their assimilation-free sonic fantasies; take their synthy new wave-influenced hit, Weekend for the perfect example. Living forever for the weekend may not be a feasible possibility in tangible reality, but with the meta lyrical phrases and the illusory instrumental arrangements, the romanticism of the notion will reel you in, razor-sharp hook, rhythmic line, and smooth vocal sinker.

To date, Weekend has racked up over half a million streams on Spotify. If their debut album, THE SILVER LINING, contains just a slither of ingenuity in Weekend, LOST and SOUND could easily become one of the biggest bands in Cali in 2023.

Stream Weekend on Spotify and keep up to date with future releases by following the powerhouse via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Motel TV is in ‘Cruise Control’ on their cerebrally poetic new wave indie single.

Posted on 17 July 2023
MOTEL TV (EP) by MOTEL TV

The Chicago, Illinois indie evocators, Motel TV, are fresh from the release of their eponymous debut EP, featuring the introspectively transcendent single, Cruise Control; with one half of the four-piece outfit employed as successful psychotherapists, the single unravels as poignantly as expected.

With the post-punk-y electronic drum fills snapping against the ethereal reverb that spills from the accordant synth and guitar lines, a beguiling atmosphere is created for Motel TV to induce you into a deeper hypnotic state with their cerebral lyricism.

Just when you think you’ve got Motel TV all figured out, Cruise Control evolves from the psychedelia-instilled new wave dream pop synthetics to immerse you in a riff-powered chasm of garage rock as a reflection of the living discordance we all have to resist to keep on a path towards inner peace.

Naturally, any and all reminiscences are fleeting in Cruise Control, but fans of The Smiths, Joy Division and The Psychedelic Furs will easily accommodate the single in their playlists.

Stream Cruise Control which is part of the Motel TV EP on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Immaculate Crows held a mirror to human-derived harrow in their psychedelic alt-indie single, Dolly

Posted on 10 June 2023

The Immaculate Crows never fail to strike all the right chords with their sympathetic sensitivity and superfluous arrangements; their single, Dolly, was no exception to the rule. With a Southern country folk twist to psychedelic new wave indie, they orchestrated the ultimate soundscape for profound reflection.

A tale of torment-driven suicide and domestic violence could have easily sat heavily on the soul, but with the rich tapestry of psych, folk, indie, pop and country rock, The Immaculate Crows efficaciously advocate for a reality that gravitates around compassion and kindness.

The sonic olive branch may be small, but sometimes, all it can take is one push in a more positive direction to create a ripple effect of change, and therein lies the beauty of The Immaculate Crows’ discography. It holds a mirror to human-derived harrow before melodiously illustrating the capacity for tenderness, which lies in us all.

Stream Dolly on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mark Docherty rode the crux between new-wave and no-wave in ‘Reckless Abandon

Posted on 3 June 2023

Liverpool’s Mark Docherty created a brand-new wave somewhere between new-wave and no-wave in his latest defiantly distinctive single, Reckless Abandon, which is set for official release on June 3rd.

By bringing distortion-heavy buzzsaw riffs into the post-punk arena, the innovator, who will undoubtedly become renowned for the dualistic tendencies in his vocal performance, succeeded where very few artists of this era do; by drenching the airwaves in originality. From Nick Cave-ESQUE croons to raw rock magnetism, it all lingers in Docherty’s vocal arsenal.

Fans of Pixies and Depeche Mode alike will want to clamour all over Reckless Abandon, which is a sonic depiction of just what it says on the uninhibited tin.

Stream Reckless Abandon from the date of release via SoundCloud, and stay tuned for the debut LP, which is set to drop on June 16.

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

The Elegant Chasers went off-kilter with the grungy panache in their sophomore single, Sunshine Mourning.

Posted on 4 February 2022
The Elegant Chasers

The Elegant Chasers brought their grungy panache back to the airwaves with the release of their sophomore single, Sunshine Mourning. We’d scarcely lost the earworm that was implanted through their debut single, Lets Ride, but we found ourselves gripped by Sunshine Mourning in a completely different capacity.

This time, the post-punk tinged track is as caustic as one of Sonic Youth’s most discordant releases in the verses and hooky enough in the choruses to give that stadium-filling effect that resonates as volatile gravitas once you get caught up within it.

The one-man powerhouse is taking full advantage of his independent artist freedom. Instead of attempting to appease moguls by pandering to the mediocrity in their tastes, he opted for an off-kilter track that splices together Nirvana-reminiscent drums, cleverly distorted vocals (we are talking Mike Patton level clever here) and guitars that are pliant enough to make your head spin. It is the epitome of an alt 90s aural riot. We can’t wait to hear what follows in his debut album.

Sunshine Mourning will officially release on February 11th. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

London’s prodigal son John Lion returns with his latest indie rock hit, ‘The Sun is Up’

Posted on 7 July 2021

London-based singer-songwriter John Lion has followed on from his lockdown debut with the stellar slice of alt-rock, The Sun is Up.

With a slight post-punk snarl to the vocals that find themselves in between the stylings of Cornell and Gallagher along with the definitively British jangle pop indie guitars that are laced with Seattle-style-sludge, The Sun is Up is a fiercely energetic revival of the alt-90s, we can’t wait to hear more. You fall into the scuzzed-up, cutting track, instrumental hook, line and sinker.

The Sun is Up is now available to stream via YouTube.

Follow John Lion via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast