Tag: indie rock

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Charm School Shares Krautrocky “Happiness Is A Warm Sun”

Louisville, KY-born and-based singer/songwriter and musician Andrew Sellers, a.k.a. Andrew Rinehart has paid his dues in both New York’s and Los Angeles‘ DIY music scenes. His various bands have played with acts like Joan of Arc, Grizzly Bear and At The Drive-In.

Sellers’ latest project Charm School, which features longtime collaborators Matt Flip, Drew English, Brian Vega and Jason Bemis Lawrence signals a move away from his previous efforts, including his recent duet with Bonnie Prince Billy, and towards a much darker, more aggressive sound that sounds a bit like 70s post punk and No Wave with a bit of 90s post rock.

Charm School’s debut EP, Finite Jest was released earlier this year to praise from Queen City Sounds & Art and Post-punk.com among others. Building upon a growing profile, the project’s full-length debut, Debt Forever is slated for a January 24, 2025 release. The album’s latest single “Happiness Is A Warm Sun” is reportedly even more of a departure from an aesthetic that’s more along the lines of METZ and Protomartyr, and sees the band locking into a tight and jammy krautrock groove with swirling guitar textures paired with Sellers’ adopted Lou Reed-like singsongy delivery.

“This song is kind of an outlier on the record,” the band explains. It’s the only song that was basically improvised in the studio, and the only one where the lyrics were written sort of ‘automatically.’  They’re all ideas that have been swirling around in the collective unconscious for awhile now, pertaining to the intense state of the world: the rise of fascism, ongoing wars, financial pressure, overpopulation, media at a million miles per hour, the spectre of the algorithm, the total lack of empathy online, etc.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Hot Pink Sauce Shares Woozy “Don’t You Wake Me”

Hastings, UK-based musicians Evi Vine and Steven Hill have worked together in several different projects together, including EVI VINE and Silver Moth, a collective founded by Mogwai‘s Stuart Braithwaite.

The duo’s latest project together Hot Pink Sauce released their debut single, the  A Storm in Heaven-era The Verve-meets-Slow Air-era Still Corners and Beach House-like “Feel.”

Hot Pink Sauce closes out the year with “Don’t You Wake Me,” a woozy bit of synth pop anchored around Evi Vine’s expressive delivery and primal drumbeats that sounds like a synthesis of Beach House, Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush that evokes the conflicting sensation of heartbreak, loss and resiliency, which comes in the aftermath of a bitter end of broken relationship.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay MAGON Shares Dreamily Introspective “Circles”

Prolific, JOVM mainstay MAGON closes out 2024 with his third album of the year and 10th album overall, the recently released World Peace. And in the lead-up to the album’s release, I wrote about two, previously released singles:

  • The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses-era Madchester scene-like “Stoned Seclusion Blues” a track that saw the JOVM mainstay revealing another shift in sonic direction.

  • “Falling In Love,” a dreamy psych folk ballad featuring strummed acoustic guitar, bursts of buzzing power chords and ethereal flutes paired with the JOVM’s mainstay’s introspective and thoughtful vocal turn.

The album’s latest single “Circles” is a dreamy, post punk-meets-Brothers In Arms-era Dire Straits like tune anchored around a gated-reverb beat, bluesy and shimmering arpeggios and a soulful horn solo. Thematically, the song sees the JOVM mainstay reflecting on the seemingly unending cycles and endless changes of life with a weary acceptance.

The accompanying video for “Circles” features animation sourced from John and Faith Hubley’s 1986 film The Cosmic Eye.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Strange New World Shares Lush and Vibey “Escape”

South Florida-based musicians Nadav H. and Sunny Strange are two friends, who have a shared passion for music and desire to build their own sonic world, which led to their music project, Strange New World. Since its formation back in 2022, the South Florida-based indie project specializes in a approach that’s inspired by classic analog sound created by the use of an Otari reel-to-reel and API mixer and more, guided by a modern edge.

Their five-song, debut EP Escape showcases the band’s unique, fluid process and sound. The EP’s first single, title track “Escape” is a meditative and vibey ballad featuring a lush arrangement of shimmering Rhodes and guitar and gently padded drumming paired with Sunny Strange’s breathy delivery. The result is a song that sounds simultaneously indebted to Beach House and 70s AM rock rooted in a bittersweet yearning.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 50th Birthday, Nick Zinner!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Nick Zinner’s 50th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Noorani Shares Anthemic Yet Uneasy “oceans”

NYC-based sibling musicians Shane and Anya have been playing music together since they were kids. Over the past year, they started Noorani, an emerging music project, in which the pair mesh elements of shoegaze, dream pop, psych rock and alternative R&B.

The duo’s latest single “Oceans” is a slow-burning song featuring reverb-soaked, phased guitars, glistening synths and the sibling’s soaring harmonies paired with rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses. While seeming to nod at early Tame Impala, but with a bittersweet wooziness, the song according to the duo explores the inner conflict between the desire to escape emotional abuse and the fear of leaving an old life behind.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: HotWax Shares Anthemic Ripper “Wanna Be A Doll”

With the release of their first two critically applauded EPs, last year’s A Thousand Times and Invite me, kindly, the Hastings, UK-based indie rock trio HotWax — Tallulah Sim-Savage, Lola Sam, and Alfie Sayers — exploded into the national and international scenes. The trio played over 150 shows over the the past 18 months, including packed headlining shows in New York and Los Angeles, a North American tour with Royal Blood and showcases at last year’s SXSW. Building upon a growing profile. the trio have made the rounds of the European festival circuit, playing sets at Reading and Leeds Festivals and Mad Cool.

The rising British trio’s highly-anticipated full-length debut, Hot Shock is slated for a March 7, 2025 release through Marathon Artists. Co-produced by Catherine Marks, Steph Marziano and Warpaint‘s Stella Mozgawa, the 10-song album features blistering, adrenaline-jolted anthems that were meant to be played live to a crowd, loudly and with abandon. Described by the band’s Lola Sim as “an explosion of color,” the album’s material is visceral and immediately gets under the skin.

Lyrically, the material draws from Fontaines D.C., Autolux and Sonic Youth while reportedly anchored around a bold, groove-based sound with rich arrangements. In a “complete experiment,” as the band’s Alfie Sayers says, “the band recorded songs live in front of a crowd at London‘s RAK Studios, capturing the energy of a HotWax set.

Thematically, Hot Shock sees the band tackling a broad range of challenging topics — selfhood, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and more — while allowing for reach band member’s personality to shine. While the album’s material may traverse the unsettling terrain of entering adulthood, the album’s material has an underlying playfulness rooted in the band’s desire to nurture and sustain their personal and creative partnerships: The band’s Sim-Savage and Sam are childhood friends, who have been writing songs together since they were 12. Sim-Savage later met Sayers at music college five years later. Sim-Savage says. “We know how each other’s brains work so well. We couldn’t do any of this without each other.”

“Wanna Be a Doll,” Hot Shock‘s latest single is a rousingly anthemic ripper that immediately recalls 90s grunge and riot grrl punk but underpinned with a raw urgency and vulnerable pulse. “This is the first song we wrote for the album and we re-wrote it in so many different ways,” HotWax’s Sim-Savage says. “And it ended up pretty similar to the first version, which seems to be how it goes. It’s a song where I am writing about myself from someone else’s point of view, being self aware of my bad, sometimes destructive, traits.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The background world Shares Anthemic “it goes like this”

Skövde, Sweden-based indie outfit The background world was founded by primary songwriters Martin Platan (lead guitar) and Hanna Leijon (vocals) back in 2018. The pair met at a local bar and shortly after meeting, decided to start collaborating on a musical project. As they began amassing a collection of songs, they started playing live shows together. But they quickly began to realize that the material they had written — and had been writing — needed to be further fleshed out to fulfill their vision. The duo first recruited two old friends, who the pair had worked with in different projects over the years, Oscar Hjerpe (guitar) and Mikel Åkerman (drums). The band’s first lineup was completed with the addition of high school friends Edwin Muratovic (bass) and Tove Håkansson (backing vocals).

The band went on to release their debut EP 2022’s, It’s about a band. Paradise takes, Live at NSL, which they followed up with a handful of standalone singles that included 2022’s “Gasoline”/”I love you,” and last year’s “Love ends,” along with a list of others. This early batch of material saw the band crafting songs that thematically touched upon addiction, mental health, the search for something better and just the simple things in everyday life.

Since then, the band has gone through a massive lineup change — with the band currently as a trio featuring founding members Platan (guitar, bass), Leijon (vocals, keys) and Marcus Helmner (keys). They’re currently working on their highly anticipated full-length debut, which will feature “Why” and “Love ends,” a lived-in anthem about the dissolution of a relationship that’s slowly petering out to its embittering and inevitable breakup. Sonically, the song brought Til Tuesday‘s “Voices Carry” and Vancouver-based JOVM mainstays FRANKIIE to mind.

The forthcoming album will also feature the Swedish outfit’s latest single “It goes like this,” features what may arguably be the most anthemic hooks and choruses of the band’s growing catalog paired with a earnest, plaintive vocal and a crafted, classic shoegaze-meets-dream pop-meets college radio arrangement. But underneath the shimmering guitars and rousing chorus is a proudly defiant song.

The accompanying video for “It goes like this” features a super saturated VHS-styled visual that follows a woman dressed in white in a forest named
“Paradise.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 46th Birthday, Karen O!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O’s 46th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Cardiff’s Red Telephone Share Sleek and Brooding “Sentimental Dreaming”

Cardiff, Wales, UK-based quintet Red Telephone features two sets of brothers, alongside the first full-time drummer in their history. Their debut, a double A-side vinyl was released by Welsh cult label Popty-Ping and received praise from Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq.

Building upon a rapidly growing profile, the Cardiff-based quintet’s full-length debut, last year’s Hollowing Out, which saw them firmly establishing a blend of psych rock and darkwave, received attention from Clash Magazine, Under The Radar and others, as well as airplay from BBC 6 Music.

The Welsh band’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Delay The New Day is slated for a January 31, 2025 release. The album reportedly sees the quintet building upon their melodic blend of psych and darkwave while also drawing from cinematic influences.

Delay The New Day’s last pre-release single “Sentimental Dreaming” is an arena friendly tune anchored around a propulsive, hypnotic bass line, driving four-on-the-floor, glistening synth arpeggios, ad a brooding bridge paired with incredibly catchy hooks, a rousingly anthemic chorus. Seemingly drawing from Simple Minds, MGMT and 80s post punk, “Sentimental Dreaming” can trace its origins back to a 14 minute acoustic guitar session originally intended to fix the chorus of a different song, but quickly became one of the first songs the band worked on for the album.

The song eventually went through several iterations. including a foray into Robyn-inspired pop before finding its final version in a spontaneous late-night studio session. “We started listening back to practice recordings of all the different versions we’d attempted and there was this one phone recording with this really rhythmic, catchy bassline by Dom,” the band’s Declan recalls. “We were basically recording it ten minutes later on the fly and didn’t leave the studio until about 2am. There was definitely some late-in-the-day chaos as we scrambled to get it over the line, but it added a different energy & even brought about one of Kieran’s favourite guitar parts on the album, which he put down off the cuff going into the outro almost in some jaded desperation to get it done.” 

Thematically, the song focuses on the trials and tribulations of contemporary artists, touching upon the gaping chasm between romanticized versions of creative pursuits and the bitterly harsh realities of chasing one’s artistic dreams, including the exhausting juggling act of day jobs and creativity, the bombardment of conflicting advice on achieving success and more. The song subtly touches on the self-doubt, unease, paranoia and determination that it takes to make it in any creative field — especially music. But it also touches on refusing to compromise on one’s artistic vision, and the mentality needed to keep creating for the right reasons.

“There’s obviously this idealistic sentimentality in dreaming – it almost sounds like a sweet, harmless thing to do – but it’s deceptively powerful, because it can send us down paths that end up dictating not only behaviour but entire periods of our lives and ways of living,” Dom says.

Cardiff, Wales, UK-based quintet Red Telephone features two sets of brothers, alongside the first full-time drummer in their history. Their debut, a double A-side vinyl was released by Welsh cult label Popty-Ping and received praise from Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq.

Building upon a rapidly growing profile, the Cardiff-based quintet’s full-length debut, last year’s Hollowing Out, which saw them firmly establishing a blend of psych rock and darkwave, received attention from Clash Magazine, Under The Radar and others, as well as airplay from BBC 6 Music.

The Welsh band’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Delay The New Day is slated for a January 31, 2025 release. The album reportedly sees the quintet building upon their melodic blend of psych and darkwave while also drawing from cinematic influences.

Delay The New Day’s last pre-release single “Sentimental Dreaming” is an arena friendly tune anchored around a propulsive, hypnotic bass line, driving four-on-the-floor, glistening synth arpeggios, ad a brooding bridge paired with incredibly catchy hooks, a rousingly anthemic chorus. Seemingly drawing from Simple Minds, MGMT and 80s post punk, “Sentimental Dreaming” can trace its origins back to a 14 minute acoustic guitar session originally intended to fix the chorus of a different song, but quickly became one of the first songs the band worked on for the album.

The song eventually went through several iterations. including a foray into Robyn-inspired pop before finding its final version in a spontaneous late-night studio session. “We started listening back to practice recordings of all the different versions we’d attempted and there was this one phone recording with this really rhythmic, catchy bassline by Dom,” the band’s Declan recalls. “We were basically recording it ten minutes later on the fly and didn’t leave the studio until about 2am. There was definitely some late-in-the-day chaos as we scrambled to get it over the line, but it added a different energy & even brought about one of Kieran’s favourite guitar parts on the album, which he put down off the cuff going into the outro almost in some jaded desperation to get it done.” 

Thematically, the song focuses on the trials and tribulations of contemporary artists, touching upon the gaping chasm between romanticized versions of creative pursuits and the bitterly harsh realities of chasing one’s artistic dreams, including the exhausting juggling act of day jobs and creativity, the bombardment of conflicting advice on achieving success and more. The song subtly touches on the self-doubt, unease, paranoia and determination that it takes to make it in any creative field — especially music. But it also touches on refusing to compromise on one’s artistic vision, and the mentality needed to keep creating for the right reasons.

“There’s obviously this idealistic sentimentality in dreaming – it almost sounds like a sweet, harmless thing to do – but it’s deceptively powerful, because it can send us down paths that end up dictating not only behaviour but entire periods of our lives and ways of living,” Dom says.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Club 8 Shares Blissful and Woozy “Something’s Wrong With My Head”

Formed back in 1995, Stockholm-based duo Club 8 — Karolina Komstedt (vocals) and electronic music producer, artist and Labrador Records founder and label boss Johan Angergård — initially began as a recording project, before expanding into a full-fledged touring band. 

Throughout their nearly three decade history, the Swedish pop outfit has a long-held reputation for being sonically restless and notoriously difficult to pigeonhole. Their full-length debut, 1995’s Nouvelle saw the duo tackling Bossa nova. 1998’s The Friend I Once Had saw the duo exploring electronic pop and electronic dance music. The Swedish outfit’s next three albums — 2001’s self-titled, 2002’s Spring Came, Rain Fell and 2003’s Strangely Beautiful — saw the duo dabbling with old-school-inspired soul. 

2017-2018 may have arguably been one of the more prolific and busiest periods of Angergård’s lengthy career: With his solo recording project The Legends, he released Nightshift. Djustin, the Labrador Records founder and label boss’ collaboration with Rose Suau released their full-length debut, Voyagers. He closed that period out with Club 8’s 10th album, 2018’s Golden Island, which featured “The Hospital,” one of the most industrial/goth-leaning tracks the pair have ever released. 

Over the past year, the Swedish duo have released a batch of singles, including “Sucker,” which saw the Stockholm-based duo dabbling dance floor friendly, hook-driven 80s New Wave nostalgia.

The duo will be releasing their 11th album A Year With Club 8 through their longtime label home Labrador Records. And along with the album announcement, the Swedes shared the album’s latest single, “Something’s Wrong With My Head.” Seemingly nodding at Joy Division/New Order and The Raveonettes, “Something’s Wrong With My Head” continues a run of material dabbling in 80s New Wave nostalgia while being a woozy, blissful and downright escapist little bop.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: zzzahara Shares Intimate Yet Anthemic “If I Had To Go I Would Leave the Door Closed”

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter zzzahara will be releasing her highly-anticipated third album Spiral Your Way Out through Lex Records on January 10, 2025. Spiral Your Way Out finds the Los Angeles-based artist in the aftermath of a relationship spent trying to fit someone else’s mold, being jerked around by indecision and then hitting “emotional rock bottom.”

Written and recorded in a three-month burst that let the rising artist let all their pent-up frustrations loose, the album is partially a work of self-reclamation. But the album also marks both a sonic evolution and an emotional one. Much of zzzahmra’s work has always come wrapped in a warm glow that reflects how they were written — namely at home in their bedroom. They manage to retain that familiar glow while packing an ambitious streak and a gutsy punch.

Spiral Your Way Out sees zzzahara taking a more collaborative approach than ever before, working with a range of producers including Jorge Elbrecht, Sarah Tudzin, Alex Craig, and Halsey touring drummer Franco Reid to help them harness their intimate writing style and blow it up into something much larger.

The album’s latest single “If I Had To Go I Would Leave the Door Closed Half Way” is a sun-dappled track featuring jangling guitars paired with a chugging rhythm section, rousingly anthemic hooks and zzzahara’s achingly yearning vocal. Sonically, the song brings 90s alt rock and 90s shoegeze to mind but while being intimate and lived-in in a way that brings Soccer Mommy and others to mind. ​”​I was spitting. The guitar chords and the bass playing really meshed together, “says zzzahara. “I already had the lyrical content just built up inside of me. I was in love with the melody and we cleared it out real quick. I let it spit fire.”

The accompanying video for “If I Had To Go I Would Leave The Door Closed” is part lyric video and part music video that follows the rising artist rocking out to the song in their apartment and wandering around Los Angeles.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Rising Irish Trio Adore Share Mosh Pit Friendly Ripper “Can We Talk”

Rising Irish outfit Adore — Lara Minchin (vocals, guitar), Lachlann Ó Fionnáin (bass, vocals) and Naoise Jordan Cavanaugh (drums) — hail from Dublin, Donegal and Galway respectively. Influenced by The Breeders, Elastica, Echobelly, The Undertones, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sleeper, the Irish bonded over a mutual passion for melody and message, while developing a sound that pairs crunchy power chords and a driving rhythm section with incisive, thought-provoking lyrics that delve into pressing societal issues.

Since the release of their debut single, last year’s “Postcards,” the band has made the rounds of the Irish live circuit, opening for the likes of The Scratch, 86TVs, The Bug Club, Cardinals and SPRINTS. They’ve also played at Electric Picnic Festival and Whelan’s Ones To Watch 2024 showcase. Adding to a growing profile, across both Ireland the UK, the Irish trio have received coverage from the likes of So Young Magazine, DIY Magazine, Clash Magazine, The Line of Best Fit, Dork, Rough Trade and Nailler9, as well as airplay from BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and Radio X’s John Kennedy — with just a handful of singles under their collective belts.

Hot on the heels of September’s “Supermum!,” the rising trio’s latest single, the Daniel Fox-produced “Can We Talk” is a 90s alt rock/riot grrl-inspired ripper anchored around crunchy power chords, a chugging rhythm section, enormous mosh pit friendly hooks paired with Minchin’s delivery, which alternates between indignation and wry humor. For the old heads out there, this one will remind you a bit of 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock — but with a decidedly post-punk air.

“‘Can We Talk’ revolves around a pattern of abuse where one is picked up when broken, broken down even farther and is moulded into something subservient, meek and willing to please,” Adore’s Laura Minchin explains. “There is an awareness that one doesn’t get into these situations from a good start. In my experience there has been something unhealed in me that has made me lean into control in the past.

“It begins with not being allowed to disagree with small things, until dangerous patterns of behaviour come to the front and you are so beaten down and made to feel so worthless that you feel like there is no conceivable way you can leave.

It’s sort of like a horror film, where the threat is always there; it presents with small poltergeist acts, a glass is smashed, the dog keeps barking at seemingly nothing, until the force gains more and more power as it feeds from your livelihood. It’s only when it gets genuinely frightening that you realise that the threat has always been there.”