Browsing Tag

UK Indie

Turncoat Billy sang the worn-in blues in their latest indie single, Hand Me Downs

Posted on 14 August 2023

After enamouring us with their psychedelically vintage single, Kaleidoscope, the Tottenham-hailing prodigal sons of indie rock nostalgia, Turncoat Billy, are back on our radar once again with a definitively infectious sound that carries all of the feel-good grooves of a Ray Charles hit single.

The jaunty honkytonk piano keys stab their way through the theatrical flair of their brass-infused cosy new single, Hand Me Downs, which boasts swathes of 70s pop swagger and evidence that Turncoat Billy is no longer the band equivalent of the girl next door.

It is safe to say they’ve come into their stride, and wherever they go from here, we will be keen to follow, especially if their singles continue to run in the same quirkily romantic and self-deprecating vein as Hand Me Downs.

Hand Me Downs will officially release on August 14; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stone Branches reached the pinnacle of intimately introspective indie rock with The Way Out

Posted on 4 August 2023

With angular indie guitars that will sucker punch the soul as viscerally as the ones crafted by Interpol and The Toxic Airborne Event, mixed with a Mogwai-esque ethereal atmosphere, the up-and-coming indie outfit, Stone Branches, is undeniable in their latest single, The Way Out.

The intricacies of the artfully intimate lead guitar work will speak volumes to anyone on the introspective side of the spectrum as the lyrics portray the value of hindsight and coming to terms with the past. The sporadic touch of twee indie twang to the reverberantly rich vocals brings a sense of purity to the melancholy that is superlatively laid out by the art-rock outfit that is currently being hailed as one of the most original live acts on the South Coast.

After releasing their debut EP, Mantra, in December 2022, the emotionally intelligent Southampton-hailing outfit has proven to be an unreckonable force in the local scene and far beyond after receiving airplay on BBC Introducing and reaching the Grand Finals of the Isle of Wight New Blood Competition against 5000 other artists.

The Way Out will officially drop on August 4th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Q-Days – Underboard: Alt-90s Nostalgia Has Never Been Kaleidoscopically Sweeter

Posted on 7 April 2023

The Brighton-based alt-rock outfit, The Q-Days, is driving nostalgia into the next generation of British guitar music with their dreamy kaleidoscopic 90s Britpop-kicked tones and cathartically honeyed vocal lines. Their latest single, Underboard, is sweeter than Sally Cinnamon under the duress of the choral progressions that lick anthemic soul into every honed note.

With escapism, freedom of expression and euphoria as their triadic ethos, they stand for everything we should be giving an ovation to in the UK right now. It’s the pits, but one thing is for sure, our polluted waters are the perfect breeding ground for prodigal sons of rock n roll that salvation seekers will want to flock to.

After spending their foundling days developing their craft before it reached the airwaves and live stages, The Q-Days were always going to be primed to make a killer debut. So far, they’ve opened for Youth Killed It, The Rifles, and Bilk, but if any breakthrough act is definitively headliner material, it’s The Q-Days.

Underboard will officially release on April 7th. Check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dolly Mavies – I’m All Sugar: Get Your indie Anthem Fix

Posted on 24 March 2023

Oxford, UK singer-songwriter, Dolly Mavies, set the indie anthem bar impossibly high with her latest single, I’m All Sugar, which surges with the same rhythmic and vocal energy of Somebody to Love by Boogie Pimps in spite of the folky flavour.

Taken from her debut album, The Calm & The Storm, the stellar single from the artist who takes influence from the likes of Patti Smith, The National and Daughter, created a uniquely exhilarating listening experience that makes no bones about pulling you through an ardently visceral arrangement where a curveball lies on the edge of every progression.

If Dolly Mavies isn’t as big as Mumford & Sons by the end of the year, someone may as well scorch the earth of the music industry so we can start again. It’s punk as fuck, yet, Mavies still maintains that ever-addictive girl-next-door appeal.

I’m All Sugar will officially release on March 24th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Turncoat Billy looked through a ‘Kaleidoscope’ in their psychedelically vintage debut single

Posted on 18 March 2023

Indie nostalgia peddlers may have created a massive stink pile of indie landfill on the oversaturated airwaves after realising they can string a few chords together in a way that references the Strokes or Oasis; with their debut, Turncoat Billy is the refreshing soul-stirring antithesis. Familiar yet awash with endearing autonomy, anyone that wants to enliven their playlists with contemporary ingenuity can get a jump start from Turncoat Billy.

With their influence range casting a net over everyone from Big Thief to Chas n Dave to T.Rex to Warren Zevon, the outfit, born in a brewery in Tottenham, will pull you into vivid vintage colour with their debut single release, Kaleidoscope.

Their ruggedly sweet indie rock flavour is addictive from the first taste; with the 60s psychedelic kicks paired with the 70s renegade rock swagger and hints of the Maccabees, there’s no sweeter way to evade the malaise of modernity.

Kaleidoscope is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whitefeathers are an ethereal dream (pop) come true in their debut, As Always ft Mike Watt

Posted on 25 February 2023

For their debut single, As Always, the up-and-coming alt-rock UK/Czech artist, Whitefeathers, collaborated with bassist Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehouse, Stooges) to orchestrate an artfully atmospheric feat of ardent indie melancholia.

Filtering pensive art pop panache into the eloquently composed release created a superlatively reflective soundscape for the lyrics that traverse the theme of losing love and finding yourself. The dreamy melodicism abstracts the ennui that accordantly rings from the scorned stabs of minor piano keys as the aloofly harmonised male and female vocals sigh from the soul.

It’s an impeccably strong offering from Whitefeathers, who undoubtedly have a luminary career ahead of them if they continue to create in the same vein as As Always.

As Always will drift onto the airwaves on February 24th – you won’t want to miss it. Catch it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Versonic twisted the melons of 90s Britpop with Come On (Up for Air)

Posted on 19 February 2023
Come On (Up for Air) by VERSONIC

The acclaimed indie rock act, Versonic, has twisted the melons of early 90s Britpop yet again with the anthemic angular melodicism in their bitter-sweet latest single, Come On (Up for Air).

With a bassline that will make any Pixies fans palpitate over and the opening lyric, “how does it feel to be suffocating on your own again”, which grabs your attention by the throat, it’s safe to say Stephen Connor’s award-winning writing skills are as sharp as ever.

How he managed to pull the euphoria from “cos no one’s gonna save you, no one’s looking for you and no one’s gonna make it alright (for you)” was nothing short of genius. The painfully honest yet lyrically liberating nature of Come On is just one of the reasons to delve into the artful reinvention of the 90s Britpop wheel.

Come On (Up for Air) was officially released on February 17th. Hear it on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Hybridic indie punks Junior Bill painted an anthemic picture of injustice with ‘Boys from Jungle’

Posted on 4 February 2023

With socially conscious lyrics as hard-hitting as the ones penned by Bob Vylan, Kid Kapichi, Meryl Streek, Junior Bill are way ahead of the trend of cuttingly observational and compassionate lyricism in their latest single, Boys from Jungle. Punk boomers who bemoan the wokeness of contemporary punk may want to save their blood pressure spiking by looking away from the hit that advocates the rights of asylum seekers and paints a stark picture of the injustice that greets them when they arrive on our blighted shores.

Rather than skating by on their lyrical wit alone, Junior Bill concocts awakeningly volatile alt-indie instrumental ensembles that are lightyears away from the usually brashy swagger of UK indie rock. With off-kilter guitars that wouldn’t be out of place in the alt-90s no-wave movement and the post-punk nuances tearing through the rhythm section, getting wrapped up in the hybridic punk aesthetic is non-optional.

Boys from the Jungle is the first single from their forthcoming debut album, Youth Club!, which more than has the potential to become the UK alternative album of the year.

Boys from Jungle officially released on January 27th. It is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SOHLER philosophise their vexation in their cerebral alt-indie hit, More Blood Than Sweat or Tears

Posted on 11 January 2023

UK-based,  internationally-comprised indie alt-rock powerhouse SOHLER sparked an instantaneous obsession with their scathingly seminal single, More Blood Than Sweat or Tears. With one taste of those high-octane riffs, their superlative devil-may-care swagger and anthemic instrumental hooks, we knew we were onto a winner. They will never fall into the arena of indie filler.

“What is a priest without a whore, are we just circumstantial?” is one of the most philosophically-sharp lyrical expositions of the current state of our society that decides who is sacrificed depending on our proximity to the breadline.

Line after line, the A-side on the single, SOHLER I, allows you to sapiosexually fall for the four-piece who direct their anger with pinpoint precision through this sludgy melodic indie alt-rock masterpiece. It is easily the filthiest earworm you will accommodate all year. With their faint reminiscence of Biffy Clyro, Hundred Reasons, and Arcane Roots with a touch of post-punk in the monumental rancour, it’s only a matter of time before the underground can’t contain their ingenuity.

SOHLER I was officially released on January 6th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Two cultures collide in Rob Carey’s consoling amalgam of Americana and proto-rock NEW YORK STATE OF PLAY

Posted on 3 January 2023

Any fans of Violent Femmes and the Psychedelic Furs will easily find a place on their playlists for the jangly proto power-pop guitars against bluesy twangs of Americana in Rob Carey’s latest era-spanning alt-indie single, NEW YORK STATE OF PLAY.

The blissful harmonies entwined with the enrapturing warmth of his nostalgic tones pushed into overdrive, bypassing innovation, around the Billy Bragg-Esque edge of everyman blues, are a melodiously amalgamated remedy for the soul.

By day, Rob Carey is a mental health nurse and counsellor. By night, he uses his understanding of the complexities of the human psyche in his compassion-driven singles, which efficaciously envelop you in their consoling melodicism.

NEW YORK STATE OF PLAY officially released on December 14th. Hear it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast