Tag: indie rock

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: French Sibling Duo Legacy Share Anthemic “So Close To Me”

Legacy — Margaux and Alex — is a French sibling duo, who have developed a sound that they’ve dubbed “hyper rock,” which features elements of rock, metal, pop and electronic music, created through a mix of analog and electronic instrumentation. Thematically, the pairs work touches upon frustration and heartbreak.

The French sibling duo’s latest single, the breakneck-paced, anthemic “So Close To Me” is anchored around a propulsive backbeat, a strummed and looping guitar line and dueling boy-girl vocals paired with rousingly anthemic hooks. Sonically recalling Chicago‘s My Gold Mask and The Kills but with nods to post-punk and darkwave, “Close To Me” is a song that reveals a band with a bold and fresh take on a familiar sound.

Thematically, the new single, as the band explains is about the difficulty in finding your soulmate. “It’s a a subject we’ve been hearing a lot, and we felt it was important to talk about,” the French duo says in press notes. “In the end, what does it really matter if we don’t share our happiness? For the music, we took inspiration from Placebo for the guitar sound and tried to fuse alternative rock and EBM.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: S.C.A.B. Shares a Rousingly Anthemic Rocker

Led by Sean Carmago (vocals guitar), Queens-based indie outfit S.C.A.B. — currently Carmago, Cory Best (guitar, backing vocals), Alec Alabado (bass, backing vocals), Evan Eubanks (drums, percussion), Jordan Rich (synth, piano, production) and Sean Brennan (cello) — will be releasing their first batch of new material in two years with the October 25, 2024 release of the five-song Rose Colored Glasses EP.

Carmago’s lyrics see him searching for distortions and distractions from the truth, and the interplay between truth and love. And over the pat give years, the band’s work has slowly developed to reflect a worldview created from an awareness of the interplay between truth, love and illusion — and the great comedy of it all. The new EP thematically focuses on love, the uneasy nature of reality, depression, songwriting and being severely, acutely alive.

Rose Colored Glasses EP‘s latest single “IDK New Reality” is a woozy, 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock-like track track anchored around jangling and distorted guitars, a driving groove paired with rousingly anthemic hooks and Carmago’s earnest croon.

Frontman Sean Camargo offers some points of reference for the track “Losing grip on reality. Clinging to identity. A large crucifix in Bolivia guarded by the police. Sexuality. Don’t forget about me. Dancing in the rain. Accepting the present moment as it is.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Schande Shares Driving and Noisy “Gregor MacGregor”

California-born, London -based singer/songwriter and guitarist Jen Chochinov has been crafting catchy, propulsive rock in DIY circles since the 1990s as a solo artist and in a variety of bands. Solo and full adventures throughout her career have included […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: NYC’s Diary Shares Hooky “Acid Coffin”

Rising Brooklyn-based indie outfit Diary — Kevin Bendis (vocals, keys), Chris Croarkin (guitar, vocals), High Waisted‘s Jessica Louise Dye (guitar, vocals), Two Man Giant Squid‘s Yan Kogan (bass) and Adam Sachs (drums) — can trace their origins to a shared love of jangle-pop, shoegaze, dream pop and psychedelia.

The Brooklyn-based band is keeping the momentum going after touring to support their well-received Kanine Records debut, The Cutting Garden EP with their recently released follow-up Speedboat EP.

“Loosely inspired by Renata Adler’s novel of the same name, Speedboat is an EP about living in New York City and the neuroses that come with it,” the members of Diary explain. “We’ve always been an NYC band but never fully explored what that meant to us. Living here and playing music here there’s a ceaseless oscillation between anxiety and anticipation. Even as you sleep and dream about the buildings and the hum of the street.

“Musically, we turned to Sister-era Sonic Youth, early Dinosaur Jr, Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Methadrone, Swirlies and Drop Nineteens,” they add. “But at the end of the day, we just love big pop songs that run super loud and fuzzy.”

The recently released EP’s latest single “Acid Coffin” is a hook-driven synthesis of slacker pop, shoegaze and jangle pop that reminds me of 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock — but with a subtly modern production sheen.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Irrepressibles Share Joyous Visual for Slinky “Destination”

Jamie Irrepressible is a North Yorkshire-born, London-based singer/songwriter and producer. He’s also the creative mastermind behind The Irrepressibles. Throughout his career, the British singer/songwriter and producer has made sexuality — in particular, his sexuality — the centerpiece of his work.

2010’s full-length debut, Mirror Mirror featured “In This Shirt,” which was later included on the soundtrack for the short film., The Lady Is Dead. 2012’s “Two Men in Love” firmly cemented The Irrepressibles mastermind’s reputation for being fearlessly uncompromising in terms of song structure and thematic concern. In 2014, he sang the song at the first wedding between two men in the UK.

Adding to a growing international profile, “In This Shirt” received remixes from Norwegian electronic outfit Röyksopp, Hercules & Love Affairand Zero 7. The British artist would subsequently contribute lead vocals to five tracks on Röyksopp’s 2014 album Inevitable End — “Something in My Heart,” “I Had This Thing,” “Here She Comes Again,” “Compulsion” and “You Know I Have To Go,” as well as backing vocals on “Monument,” feat. Robyn. He contributed vocals on two tracks of Dutch progressive dance duo’s 2022 album In Another Lifetime, “You Take My Hand” and “I Am Free.” He also contributed vocals on three tracks of Röyksopp’s Profound Mysteries trilogy. 

As a solo artist, digital singles released between 2018-2020, “Submission,” “Dominance” and “Anxiety,” saw Irrepressible exploring a starker, darker and much more electronic direction, influenced by a relocation to Berlin, where he eventually wrote and recorded 2021’s Superheroes, “a concept album telling the story of a love affair that’s both set in Berlin and takes its musical cues from the city,” the British artist explains. 

The British singer/songwriter and producer’s forthcoming The Irrepressible album, Yo Homo! is reportedly the most direct, most sexual album of his catalog to date — and a celebratory, uninhibited and steamy rush of lust, love, honesty and community. “I want to make a record specifically for the queer community, to create a safe space where people feel they are being expressed. To contribute something to that soundtrack of our lives, both in the music and the videos.” 

Yo Homo! album single “Destination” is a slinky and sensual song anchored around a strutting guitar line, the London-based artist’s sultrily yearning cooing paired with a steady backbeat. The song ends with a Scott Walker-like orchestral coda, which adds a sexy and smart stylishness to the proceedings. Thematically, the song is about the longing for love in an era of hook-up culture and fast-paced intimacy. The song tells the story of a man living in isolation, going from one one-night stand to another, but desperately longing for deeper connection.

Directed by Jack Willoughby, the accompanying video follows a lonely and melancholic, latex muscle man. “Romance seems to happen in the most unlikely of places,” Willoughby explains. “So when a melancholic muscle man heads to a tropical aquarium to find his precious pet fish, he ends up impressing his own crush with an optimistic mating dance.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Mila Degray Returns with Confessional and Hook-Driven “Two Bridges”

Mila Degray is a Broward County, FL-born singer/songwriter and actor. Inspired by the likes of Pretty Sick, Alex G. and Melanie Martinez, Degray’s pairs brutally honest lyrics with a sound that blends elements of indie rock, alt rock, bubblegum grunge, streetgaze and pop rock. Her work reminds the listener that there’s power in self-discovery and vulnerability. 

Last month, I wrote about “Masculine Charm,” a track anchored around a hazy, lo-fi production, dusty and skittering beats, a fuzzy New Order-like guitar hook and the Floridian’s coquettish yet achingly tender delivery. While seemingly nodding at Soccer Mommy and Pom Pom Squad, “Masculine Charm” reveals an artist, who can craft an earnest, lived-in song with big, rousingly anthemic and catchy choruses hooks and choruses. 

Degray has had a rather busy summer: Along with the release of “Masculine Charm,” the Floridian artist opened for Isabel Larissa on her sold-out tour, and she made a cameo in the video for Charli XCX and Billie Eilish‘s “Guess (remix).”

Building upon a growing profile, Degray’s full-length debut, Silver Meteor 98 is slated for an October 18, 2024 release. The album’s first single “Two Bridges” pairs glistening synth arpeggios and industrial-like clang and clatter with Degray’s achingly tender delivery singing lyrics about a dysfunctional relationship fueled by distrust and betrayal. While being a stylistic left turn from its predecessor, the song sees Degray further establishing herself as an artist, who can pair confessional lyrics with a catchy hook, much like Soccer Mommy, Phoebe Bridgers and others.

New Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Seafoam Walls Share Woozily Meditative “Humanitarian Pt. II”

Formed back in 2016, the acclaimed Miami-based quartet Seafoam Walls — Jayan Bertrand (vocals, guitar), Josh Ewers (bass), Josue Vargas (electronic drums) and Dion Kerr (guitar) — quickly caught the attention of undgeround music and art communities across South Florida a unique sound that they dubbed “Caribbean Jazzgaze,” a mesh of jazz, showcase, rock, hip-hop and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

The Miami- based outfit exploded into the larger, international scene following a secret, all-ages matinee show with DC-based hardcore photographer Susie J. and Sonic Youth‘s Thurston Moore. Building upon a rapidly growing profile, the band released 2018’s R-E-F-L-E-C-T EP and 2019’s one-off “Root.”

2021’s full-length debut, XVI, which featured the A Storm in Heaven-meets-TV on the Radio-like “Program” was released through Thurston Moore’s The Daydream Library Series.

The Miami-based outfit’s sophomore album Standing Too Close To The Elephant In The Room is slated for an October 18, 2024 release through Dion Dia. The album’s title is partially derived for a metaphor for the often overlooked but significant challenges and complexes that people face in their lives. But it also is a warning about getting caught up in the details — at the risk of missing the bigger picture. “Everyone has an elephant in the room; an obvious problem in their life that everyone, including the person affected, knowingly looks past,” the band’s frontman Jayan Bertrand explains. “BUT, I say that one is standing too close, because the problem is more complex and their vision is too obstructed to see the bigger picture. So viewers are providing their skewed perspectives of the same problem. It’s an illustration of the areas in which intersectionality fails to meet.”

Standing Too Close To The Elephant In The Room reportedly represents a new chapter for the band: The album’s material not only showcases the band’s evolution as musicians, but it also solidifies their reputation as bounding-pushing artists, inviting the listener to a Technicolor mist of experimental influences and instrumentation. Continuing their commitment to full artistic autonomy, the band’s members took production duties, shaping an album that will reward those who will revel in its sweeping soundscapes, as thematically the material delves deeper into questioning the trappings of modern society and all of its contradictions.

The album’s latest single “Humanitarian Pt. II” is anchored around glistening guitar melodies and a relentless motorik-like groove and bursts of whirring synths. The arrangement serves as a lush and dreamy bed for Bertrand’s meditative vocal to sing philosophical lyrics that examines the motivation that makes us choose our paths — and how we go about those paths. Some people are drawn to the attention or superficial perks of an occupation, without understanding what it really entails. Through the song, the listener must face the very shitty reality that only certain efforts, from certain people get rewarded. Certainly, whether as a musician, a writer or a photographer, these observations are familiar, especially when you see others seemingly being much more successful at what you do, than you are.

“Before I picked up a guitar, I was simply a fan of music,” the band’s Bertrand explains. “Then, I began learning about the oppressive tactics of governments worldwide, and my world shattered. The entities of authority that assured me that everything they did was just were actually a key part of the problem. I started to believe that art was the only safe space in this cruel world. ‘Humanitarian Pt. II’ is about disillusionment. 
 
“I jumped into the music scene headfirst without realizing that the same tactics would exist. I then made it my mission to call out such tactics and question our societal norms like my favorite artists before me.
 
I’m still looking for an answer to all of my pressing questions, but it helps to be grouped with people with a similar mindset who have practical solutions. I gravitated towards Dion Dia records for our latest and upcoming releases because while everyone I admired raised great questions and awareness, Dion Dia presented a hopeful alternative.”

Shot on VHS, the accompanying video is a lo-fi, goofy and surrealistic romp that features the elaborately costumed band members playing different instruments in the studio — and it includes the group sing-a-along, clap-a-long montage.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Irrepressibles Share Slinky “Destination”

Jamie Irrepressible is a North Yorkshire-born, London-based singer/songwriter and producer. He’s also the creative mastermind behind The Irrepressibles. Throughout his career, the British singer/songwriter and producer has made sexuality — in particular, his sexuality — the centerpiece of his work.

2010’s full-length debut, Mirror Mirror featured “In This Shirt,” which was later included on the soundtrack for the short film., The Lady Is Dead. 2012’s “Two Men in Love” firmly cemented The Irrepressibles mastermind’s reputation for being fearlessly uncompromising in terms of song structure and thematic concern. In 2014, he sang the song at the first wedding between two men in the UK.

Over the course of the past decade, “In This Shirt,” “Two Men In Love,” as well as “The Most Beautiful Boy” were included on several films and TV shows internationally, including season two of Netflix’s Young Royals and Norwegian teen series SKAM.

Adding to a growing international profile, “In This Shirt” received remixes from Norwegian electronic outfit Röyksopp, Hercules & Love Affair and Zero 7. The British artist would subsequently contribute lead vocals to five tracks on Röyksopp’s 2014 album Inevitable End — “Something in My Heart,” “I Had This Thing,” “Here She Comes Again,” “Compulsion” and “You Know I Have To Go,” as well as backing vocals on “Monument,” feat. Robyn. He contributed vocals on two tracks of Dutch progressive dance duo’s 2022 album In Another Lifetime, “You Take My Hand” and “I Am Free.” He also contributed vocals on three tracks of Röyksopp’s Profound Mysteries trilogy.

As a solo artist, digital singles released between 2018-2020, “Submission,” “Dominance” and “Anxiety,” saw Irrepressible exploring a starker, darker and much more electronic direction, influenced by a relocation to Berlin, where he eventually wrote and recorded 2021’s Superheroes, “a concept album telling the story of a love affair that’s both set in Berlin and takes its musical cues from the city,” the British artist explains.

The British singer/songwriter and producer’s forthcoming The Irrepressible album, Yo Homo! is reportedly the most direct, most sexual album of his catalog to date — and a celebratory, uninhibited and steamy rush of lust, love, honesty and community. “I want to make a record specifically for the queer community, to create a safe space where people feel they are being expressed. To contribute something to that soundtrack of our lives, both in the music and the videos.”

Yo Homo! album single “Destination” is a slinky and sensual song anchored around a strutting guitar line, the London-based artist’s sultrily yearning cooing paired with a steady backbeat. The song ends with a Scott Walker-like orchestral coda, which adds a sexy and smart stylishness to the proceedings. Thematically, the song is about the longing for love in an era of hook-up culture and fast-paced intimacy. The song tells the story of a man living in isolation, going from one one-night stand to another, but desperately longing for deeper connection.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Two New Tracks from Aussie JOVM Mainstays RVG

Acclaimed and rising Aussie outfit and JOVM mainstays  RVG — currently Romy Vager (vocals, guitar), Gregor’s and Hearing’s Reuben Bloxham (guitar), Rayon Moon‘s Marc Nolte (drums), and Isabelle Wallace (bass) — have released three critically applauded albums:

  • 2017’s A Quality of Mercy, which was recorded live off the floor at Melbourne’s iconic rock ‘n’ roll pub, The Tote Hotel. Initially released to little fanfare, the album, much to their surprise received critical acclaim both nationally and internationally, landing on a number of end-of-year Best of Lists. 

  • 2020’s Victor Van Vugt-produced Feral was released by Fire Records globally, excluding Australia and New Zealand, where it was released by Our Golden Friend. The album received breathless praise nationally and internationally, with Rolling Stone Australia calling the album “the record of a lifetime.”

  • Last year’s  Brain Worms, which won the Soundmerch Australian Music Prize and the AIR Awards Independent Album of the Year.

Since the release of Brain Worms the band has been busy: they’ve made the rounds of the global festival circuit with stops at SXSW, The Great Escape, Golden Plains, Rising Festival, Dark Mofo and Splendour in the Grass. The album received applause from Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Uncut, NME, Clash Magazine, MOJO and The Fader. The album also airplay from KEXP, Apple Music 1 and countless other outlets across the globe.

Just before the Aussie JOVM mainstays are about to embark on a headlining UK and European Union tour, they shared a double A-side single “Don’t Take It Badly”/”Pet Sematary.” Recorded at Soundpark Studios with Andrew “Idge” Hehir and mixed by James Trevascus, “Don’t Take It Badly,” is a slow-burning bit of jangle pop anchored around the band’s uncanny knack for rousingly anthemic hooks paired with Vager’s heartbreakingly earnest delivery and lived-in lyrics. “Don’t Take It Badly is a song about how change isn’t always a romantic thing and can sometimes feel pretty ugly. It’s a winter song that I wrote in the summer,” Romy Vager explains.

The other A-side single is a jangling and breakneck, yet fairly straightforward cover of the Ramones’ “Pet Sematary.” “We all love the Ramones” Romy states “And started playing this in rehearsal and it instantly clicked. The lyrics are such an underrated part of Ramones’ songs, there’s a lot of imagery in this song that I love dearly.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Mister Sunshine Shares Meditative Rock Ballad on Aging

Ben Whetsell is a New York-based producer, singer/songwriter, musician and former lawyer, who has dabbled in music for over 30 years. In the wake of the pandemic, Whetsell decided to go all-in music, starting his solo recording project Mister Sunshine.

Whetsell’s latest single, “Day’s Half Gone” was written and recorded, on-and-off over the course of 10 months at Berklee NYC, where he completed his Masters studies. The song is a slow-burning and meditative anthem, anchored around twangy, country-meets-southern fried guitars and ukulele, big rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses and shifting meters paired with Whetsell’s dreamily plaintive delivery.

“Day’s Half Gone” describes Ben’s difficulties as a developing songwriter. “The parts about aging – feeling like I let music get away from me – are some of the first things I wrote in the program, but that’s a dead end: it isn’t a healthy headspace, and it definitely doesn’t make for a good song,” Ben said. ”Getting loud and getting over it is a lot more interesting.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Bristol’s Make Friends Shares Breakneck “I Lose, You Lose”

Rising Bristol-based indie outfit Make Friends — Tom Andrew (vocals, bass), David Thomas (guitar), Connor Crabb (guitar) and Max Lewin (drums) — have toed the line between buoyant indie pop and left-of-center indie rock since their formation. Their previous releases have received airplay from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Music Introducing, as well as coverage from Clash Magazine, Under The Radar, Dork Magazine, Wonderland Magazine, The Independent, The Rodeo and more.

The band has been very busy this summer: July saw the band bring their live show to an adoring, capacity London crowd, following sets at Dot To Dot Festival and The Great Escape Festival. They also played some dates opening for Sundara Karma and PYNCH.

Building upon a growing profile, the Bristol-based outfit will be releasing their Ed Nash-produced EP Loaded Fun through Ignition Records. Slated for a September 13, 2024 release, Loaded Fun reportedly sees the band drawing from Bombay Bicycle Club, Phoenix, MGMT and Everything Everything while simultaneously pushing their sound into a new territory.

“These past two years have really been about exploring and experimenting with our writing and production,” the rising Bristol outfit explains. “We’ve been writing a ton, and along the way, we’ve noticed our sound evolving into something we’re really excited about. We wanted the new material to feel fresh to us while still capturing the spirit and energy of our influences. Having the chance to work with Ed has been a big part of that. From a writing and production point of view, it’s been really enjoyable and fruitful for how we’ve developed. Loaded Fun is a culmination of that time spent.”

Loaded Fun‘s latest single, EP closing track “I Lose, You Lose” is a buoyant and rousingly anthemic breakneck bop that sees the band juxtaposing bright, sunny pop with the churning despair and heartache of a relationship coming to a bitter, uneasy end. The song’s slow-burning, mellower coda is meant to evoke the peace in acknowledging that sometimes both sides will lose — bitterly. But somehow, you move forward.

“’I Lose, You Lose’ is a song about losing (shock)! The lyrics take you on a journey through anxiety and realisation that actually the person you’re with, wasn’t all you thought they were,” the band explains. “The songs upbeat verses and build sections, symbolises that feeling of losing control over your thoughts, running through every situation that may have lead you to this breakup conclusion. But alas, you found solace in this breakup. Knowing you did all you could. That constant fact in your mind … ‘If I lose you, you lose me.’ And somehow that made me feel better.”