Tag: indie rock

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Aquafox Shares Chill Yet Danceable “Triggers”

Orange County, CA-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Rachel Mae Perry’s career started in earnest when she was signed to WME Agency, alongside the likes of Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber at just 15 years-old. And as a teen, she shared stages with The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Jan and Dean, John Stamos, Dick Dale, Jim Belushi, The Bangles, Berlin, and a long list of others.

Perry is also the creative mastermind behind the emerging indie, solo recording project Aquafox. Perry’s Aquafox debut single “Party Girl,” was written during a hospital stay and delves into her tumultuous years of drug and alcohol abuse with an unvarnished, raw honesty and captivating harmonies while offering a glimpse into her journey of self-discovery, sobriety and healing. 

Earlier this month, I wrote about the Jon O’Brien and Perry co-produced, 90s Riot Grrrl-like “Hurt You,” a lush yet cathartic and relatable revenge anthem about the desire for revenge after a bitter betrayal or a bitter breakup — or both. If you’ve been scorned, fucked over or done wrong by someone you’ve cared about — or loved — the sentiment at the song’s core, is both lived-in and deeply familiar.

Her latest Aquafox single, the Jon O’Brien and Perry co-produced “Triggers” is a mid-tempo and carefully crafted bit of pop with an arrangement that seemingly nods at Stevie Nicks’ “Stand Back,” and St. Lucia that’s chill but hook-driven enough to be danceable. And much like its predecessors, “Triggers” is rooted in personal and deeply lived-in experience — with the song being about Perry’s struggles with alcohol, depression and feeling hopeless while trying to get better and healthier.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay MAGON Shares Sweetly Romantic “The Wedding Song”

I’ve spilled a copious amount of virtual ink covering the remarkably prolific Israeli-born, Costa Rican-based singer/songwriter, musician and JOVM mainstay MAGON over the past few years.

Earlier this year, the JOVM mainstay released his eighth album The Writing’s On The Wall, an album that’s a bit of a return to form that saw him continuing to push his sound in new directions: According to the JOVM mainstay, the material is a fusion of hallucinogenic re-imaginings of 70s soft rock, oddball outsider jams and laid-back indie fare. 

Continuing upon his reputation for being remarkably prolific, the Israeli-born, Costa Rican-based artist will be releasing his ninth album later this year. The album’s first single “The Wedding Song” is a 70s Laurel Canyon/AM Radio rock jam anchored around shimmering guitars, a shuffling yet propulsive rhythm, a glistening and soulful guitar solo paired with MAGON’s long-held penchant for catchy hooks. Under the slick and seemingly effortless craftsmanship is a song that’s a contented sigh of one, who after much effort has found true, long-lasting love.

The song marks the one-year anniversary of MAGON’s wedding to his now-wife Alexa, and is dedicated to their love.

Filmed by MAGON’s wife Alexa at Establo San Rafael, Costa Rica, the video features a couple — Emily and Raymond Ulibarri — having a sweetly romantic moment, dancing to the song.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Shonali Shares Mischievous, Dance Floor Friendly Bop “Up All Night”

Shonali Bhowmik is a Nashville-born, New York-based singer/songwriter, actor, comedian, filmmaker, lawyer and writer, whose musical roots developed in Nashville, where she began making music on an 8-track recorder with her childhood best friend Michelle Dubois in Ultrababyfat, an act that opened for the likes of Pavement and PJ Harvey while she was in law school.

She was pulled into the NYC comedy scene by her close friend David Cross after touring with him during his Let America Laugh tour. Since then, she started the groundbreaking and influential comedy collective Variety Shac alongside Chelsea Peretti, Heather Lawless and Andrea Rosen, and she was the host of The Shac’s popular Upright Citizen’s Brigade live show. Bhowmik has also worked with renowned comedians like Fred Armisen, John Early, John Roberts, Nimesh Patel, Dave Hill, Wyatt Cenac, and Amy Poehler. She currently released comedy albums by rising comedians on her own label Little Lamb Recordings. And lastly, she co-shots her own live variety show podcast series We Don’t Know, which showcases comedians, artists and musicians.

Throughout her lengthy music career, Bhowmik has released nine albums with Ultrababyfat, including three with her current band Tigers and Monkeys and her 2011 solo debut, 100 Oaks Revival. The Nashville-born, New York-based artist steps back out into the spotlight again as a solo artist with her long-awaited sophomore album One Machine At A Time.

Slated for a July 26, 2024 release through Little Lamb Recordings, One Machine At A Time reportedly sees Bhowmik touting her clever songcraft and evocative lyrics while culminating in genre-bending material that feels ubiquitous yet unique to her own experience as an Indian-American woman from Nashville. The album’s songs playfully explore and mesh different genres and eras but within a cohesive, carefully curated musical universe — and overall, a well-rounded album.

The strength and bravery of Bhowmik’s artist drive is rooted in the steadfast support of her mother and father, professors who immigrated to the States and constantly encouraged her musical and creative efforts. For her, that support is a significant influence on why her music is so unabashedly emotional and fearless.

The forthcoming album sees Bhowmik honoring her father Dr, Dilip Kumar Bhowmik, who recently passed away after a full life of kindness, humor and academic achievement. The album’s cover art, a photo of a young Shonali, taken by her father demonstrates their love and lasting connection. That love and spark of her father’s life continues to fuel her artistic life. Now, she’s able to say “Farewell, sweet one,” while showing how, in the face of loss, how her delicate spark shines on.

For the album, the Nashville-born, New York-based artist wrote a personal statement on the album, which I’m including below:

“A year to-the-date, after losing my father in 2022, I came to the realization I had to share my music with the world again. My dad always encouraged me to take risks, to be true to myself and to ‘go for it.’ In an effort to embrace his wisdom, there was little thinking to be done; I went for it. Once I made the decision to record a new full-length release everything came together quickly. I had a stockpile of demos recorded on my GarageBand which I suddenly realized were worth sharing with the world. I left New York City to go record in Atlanta, Georgia with my OG musical family, friends with whom I formally started my musical career. In July 2023 in Peoplestown, Georgia, I sat with my insanely talented producer friend Dan Dixon, drummer Darren Dodd (along with other talented friends K. Michelle DuBois, Shannon Wright, and Jeff Holt) and recorded my album.

The result of our therapeutic time together is One Machine At A Time, out July 26, an album which combines aspects of all the music I am inspired by – indie rock, soul, psychedelic and retro sounds of the 70s, 80s, and 90s along with the folk singer-songwriter and country influences of my time growing up in Nashville, Tennessee. It takes you on a journey through many genres.

“One of my BFF’s asked his 24-year-old nephew to listen… to which he said “this is really fucking good. It’s like a different genre every song.” Another one of my favorite quotes comes from a friend who said “there’s something retro feeling about these songs that tug on my heart strings in the best way…without feeling retro or dated, if that makes any sense.

As the daughter of Indian professors who immigrated to the United States during the Civil Rights Movement and a woman who grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, I have always been drawn to stories that amplify voices minimized by mainstream media outlets – so here I am pushing myself to be louder and prouder. I considered sharing my music under a pseudonym, but realized that this album reflects my personal journey – pondering the meaning of our lives (including past loves), the state of our world, where love of machines has taken over love for each other, and the celebration and difficulty of life. 

My name is Shonali (pronounced Show-nalley.) I am a southern girl with Indian parents, who has been recording my songs on a tape recorder since childhood. My first doll was named Johnny Cash. My goal is connection – our goal should be connection – and I continue to be unable to resist the need to share my voice.   It’s my hope that this album fills in the gaps musically, sonically and emotionally for those who feel like they are watching life from the outside in.”

One Machine At A Time‘s latest single “Up All Night” is a disco pop-tinged bit of post punk anchored around squiggling guitar stabs, oscillating synths, propulsive polyrhythm and a sinuous bass line. The new single sonically channels a slick synthesis of Talking Heads “Stay Up Late,” Entertainment-era Gang of Four and Stevie Nicks‘ “Stand Back” but while evoking a mischievous coquettishness and achingly earnest yearning. The song also showcases Bhowmik’s uncanny knack for crafting ridiculously catchy hooks and larger-than-life, Karen O-like delivery.

Directed by Eleanore Pienta, the accompanying video is a much-needed joy bomb that follows Bhowmik letting loose and getting down while wearing a sparkly top, blue pants and neon green shoes and singing to the song. The video captures an unabashedly goofy and fun-loving spirit — while pointing out something we all do in our own homes, even if it’s singing wildly off-key.

Bhowmik writes on the video:

“At this point, I’m on a mission to continue to make every aspect of sharing this album a celebratory occasion. So asking Eleanore Pienta who directed the video for ‘Up All Night’ was a no brainer. She is the definition of celebration! She’s an actor, director, comedian, dancer, performance artist – yeah – we are all multi-hyphenates. She and I are long time friends who initially met through the comedy world. She’s a member of the incredible dance group Cocoon Central Dance Team (along with Sunita Mani and Tallie Medel.) I was especially blown away by watching one of her one-woman shows at Under St. Marks years ago – in which she’d shared some of her brilliantly kooky films. Our heads came together simultaneously regarding me just letting GOOOOO for this video! We are soul sisters when it comes to silly dancing. So we spent an afternoon at Wyckoff Windows Studios in Brooklyn with the goal of having a blast and our mission was accomplished. You can’t help but feel the joy of Shonali and Eleanore in this new video. Honestly, if you don’t – what’s going on with you? Ha!”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jack Manley Shares Hook-Driven “Save Your Own”

Jack Manley is a grizzled veteran music, whose career has proven to be the embodiment of resilience and rebirth: He has played in a number of projects, including Cosmonaut, The Jennifer Shop, and Spires. While touring in those projects, Manley struggled with depression and addiction.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the world came to a grinding halt, Manley spiraled downward. Two near-fatal overdoses served as a wake-up call that propelled him back to music. In the confines of a Poughkeepsie hospital room, armed with a broken guitar and sheer determination, Manley began to craft melodies from the threads of his experiences.

Fueled by a hard-won, newfound clarity, Manley reunited with his childhood friend, classically trained guitarist Billy Pierson. Andy Idol (bass), Josh Eppard 9drums) and Noah Sonenstein (drums) were recruited to be the grizzled indie artist’s backing band and collaborated. Since then, Manley and his backing band play regularly for audiences in and around Woodstock, NY.

Released earlier this year, Manley’s “Save Your Own” is a remarkably catchy song that nods at The Beatles, Elvis Costello and the like, that reveals a slick combination of craft, earnestness and lived-in experience.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: JOVM Mainstay Laura Carbone Shares Bittersweet “Silver Rain”

Berlin-based singer/songwriter, guitarist, photographer and JOVM mainstay Laura Carbone‘s third album The Cycle was released earlier this year. The album, which debuted on North American college radio at #19 on the NACC Top Adds Chart, is a concept album that explores the emotional turmoil, triumphs and transformative experiences that the album’s protagonist experiences through the course of the passing seasons of a year.

Each song of the represents an experience or inspiration associated with that particular season and the story of the album’s protagonist.

In the lead-up to the album’s release, I wrote about two previously released singles:

  • “Horses,” a slow-burning song built around lush and shimmering acoustic guitar, Carbone’s expressive and yearning delivery, paired with a supple bass line and dramatic drumming. Sonically bringing PJ Harvey’s “You Said Something” to mind, the song is set in the fullness of summer. The song’s protagonist is experiencing the heat, humidity and passion of the season — when fields become gold and heatwaves and wildfires turn them into ash. But there’s a reminder that Mother Earth will restore and reclaim burnt ground in time. 

  • “The Good,” a breathtakingly gorgeous song featuring shimmering and reverb soaked guitar, a supple and sinuous bass line, gently padded drumming and bursts of soaring organ serving as a lush bed for Carbone’s expressive vocal. At its core, the song is rooted in the lived-in personal experience and hard-fought, harder-won wisdom of someone who has lived a full, messy and complicated life. And a result the song is profoundly empathetic and understanding examination of human behavior that seems to say “I’ve been there, too.” Carbone explains that the track looks at our puzzling capacity for denial — not just of the truth, but of the embrace and love we owe ourselves. 

Building upon The Cycle‘s chart-burning momentum, the German JOVM mainstay shared an additional single from the album, “Silver Rain,” a bittersweet ballad anchored around a propulsive rhythm section, shimmering reverb-soaked guitars, a cathartic hook serving as a lush bed for Carbone’s expressive, soulful vocal.

While seemingly channelling Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea-era PJ Harvey, “Silver Rain,” as Carbone explains explores the relief a break-up can bring and the room in our hearts that such a bittersweet letting go creates.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Atlanta’s Rose Hotel Shares Lynchian Visual for Lush and Sultry “Fruit Tree”

Jordan Reynolds is a Bowling Green, KY-born, Atlanta-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose career started in earnest when she was 19 and playing keys in psych rock outfit Buffalo Rodeo. “We bought an Econoline van that didn’t even have seats in it for like $1,500. We fixed it up, and I learned how to be in a band,” she says. “I learned how to communicate with sound guys, how to fix a pedal board on the fly, how to be the only girl on a tour with 10 dudes. It was a super formative time for me. When rubber hit the road, I was like ‘oh, this is actually what I really want to be doing.’”

Since her time in Buffalo Rodeo, Reynolds has built a career as an in-demand side musician playing keys and guitar and providing backing vocals for Neighbor Lady, Susto, Faye Webster and She Returns From War, while being the creative mastermind behind the recording project Rose Hotel.

Reynolds collaborated with longtime friend Micheal Ruth to produce her debut Rose Hotel EP, 2017’s Always a Good Reason, which helped her build a following in small-town music scenes around the Southeast. Her full-length debut, 2019’s I Will Only Come When It’s a Yes received praise from Vice, as “a wonderfully collaborative LP,” where “Reynolds’ songwriting shines as she navigates the gray areas in love and life” and featured a cultivated group of DIY musicians in her then-newly adopted home base of East Atlanta.

Since then, Reynolds has released a double cassingle 2020’s “Drive Alone”/”Constant” and 2021’s The House That We Knew EP through Nashville-based Cold Lunch Recordings.

While her full-length debut, presented a coming-of-age story, the Atlanta-based artist’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, the 10-song A Pawn Surrender approaches adulthood with a genre-spanning yet cohesive approach that pulls from an expansive palette of psychedelic shimmer and jangle and Southern folk that was inspired and informed by a chess metaphor. “I was playing a lot of chess when I wrote this album, so I started to think about these songs as if they were all different pieces on the board representing varying aspects of my songwriting, personality, and experience,” Reynolds explains. “Each piece has its own specific purpose and its own strength to utilize, but you can’t play the game with only your queen or your knights, or whatever. That became such a comforting idea and ethos to operate within – not just accepting variety but finding its inherent value. I went into the studio without any fear of being all over the board. I wanted to be limitless in letting my influences shine through the music in different ways.”

The studio backing band for the A Pawn Surrenders sessions features a personally hand-picked group of players that Reynolds knows from DIY scenes across the Southeast and includes Rich Ruth’s and S.G. Goodman‘s Micheal Ruth (synth), Neighbor Lady’s, Night Palace‘s, and CDSM‘s Jack Blauvelt (lead guitar, drums), Margo Price‘s, Caitlin Rose‘s, and Orville Peck‘s Luke Schneider (pedal steel), Neighbor Lady’s Payton Collier (bass, drums), RumorsATL‘s and Nomenclature‘s Denny Hanson (bass, piano) and a list of others.

Reynolds co-produced the album with Standard Electric Recorders engineer Damon Moon and Mirror Mirror Recordings engineer Graham Tavel. She enlisted acclaimed Athens, GA-based producer Drew Vandenberg for additional production and mixing. “I brought Damon and Graham together to form one unified brain with me,” she explains. “Damon’s incredibly curated studio space has a certain crispness that I was after. He knows how to get that clean, beautiful, organic sound. On the other end of the spectrum, Graham comes from a background in Punk and DIY, and brings a really unique analog approach. Together, I think we found a sweet spot between HiFi and LoFi.”

Thematically, the album reportedly sees the Bowling Green, KY-born, Atlanta-based artist exploring relationships, feminine rage, lust, temptation, blissful ignorance, apathy, delusions, illusions and more.

A Pawn Surrender‘s latest single “Fruit Tree” is a lush and seamless synthesis of 60s psych pop and psych folk and shoegaze, featuring an arrangement of shimmering acoustic guitar and electric guitar, fluttering flute, atmospheric synths and thunderstorm samples. While seemingly evoking getting caught in a rain storm on a narrow stretch of two-lane blacktop surrounded by verdant greenery, the song is anchored by Reynold’s sultry, siren-like delivery beckoning the listener to come, come, come . . .

“I wrote ‘Fruit Tree’ towards the end of the album writing process — a time where I was thinking very much about what I wanted from music and my ‘career’ and if that dream was even possible anymore,” Reynolds explains. “I wanted to personify the temptation of success in music as something sensual and lusted over, which brought up the image of the forbidden fruit. The lyrics are written from the perspective of the Fruit Tree, but with the tantalizing voice of an alluring woman. Sort of a ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’ tune.”

Directed by Hannah Welever and her production company Good Trouble Films, the accompanying video is a gorgeously shot, Lynchian and eerily Southern Gothic tale of lust, longing, temptation and madness

A Pawn Surrender is slated for a June 7, 2024 release through Strolling Bones Records.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Lauren Ann is a young and rising, Belfast-based indie rock singer/songwriter and musician, whose sound and approach pairs garage rock exuberance, grunge dynamics and a dreamy pop edge, inspired by listening to Nirvana, Pixies, The Cure and others.

The Northern Irish singer/songwriter and musician signed to Faction Music the same day she completed high school, a massive achievement for the young artist, who only started writing songs a year prior. And with a handful of singles, the Belfast-based artist has landed opening slots with acts like Tom Grennan, NewDad, Twin Atlantic and the rapidly rising SPRINTS. She has also made the rounds of the global festival circuit, playing sets at SXSW, Ireland Music Week, Output Festival, and Stendhal Festival.

This year will be a big year for the Northern Irish artist: Her forthcoming EP is a concept effort with each song inspired by each of the seven deadly sins. “In a way I’ve created a character or alter ego who experiences all of the sins in some way,” Lauren Ann explains. “Some of the songs are also about the different types of people I have met in my own life. I feel like everyone has encountered negative feelings of greed, wrath, pride etc. at some point in their life.”

The EP’s latest single “Bite” slickly produced guitar rock anthem featuring glistening and atmospheric synths, thunderous drumming, fuzzy power chords and a throbbing bass line with Lauren Ann’s self assured, in-your-face delivery and enormous shout-along-worthy hooks and choruses. While seemingly channeling Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins, Celebrity Skin-era Hole and others, the song thematically focuses on the deadly sin of wrath. And throughout the song, its narrator openly speaks on the feeling of being wronged and the desire to seek revenge — at a risk of destroying one’s self.


Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Zoë Fromer is a New York-born and-raised singer/songwriter, who spent stints in Boca Raton, FL. Fromer can trace the origins of her career to growing up listening to and being inspired by her mother’s CD collection, which featured Blondie and Queen, before she found heaven in The Kills, The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age among others.

In pursuit of a musical landscape that could provide more space for her, Fromer relocated to New York, where she immersed herself in the city’s bustling music scene and honed what she has dubbed a toothsome,. emotional iteration of soulful indie rock.

Fromer’s sophomore EP, the four-song, John Young-produced Velvet was recorded in Ridgewood, Queens-based Magnetar Sound. The EP sees the Boca Raton-born, New York-based artist pushing her own boundaries emotionally, lyrically and sonically. Thematically, the material follows the pendulum of ill-fated flings and bleeding heart love, touching upon love, sex, anger, rage desire, loss and sorrow. The central message of it all: the power of feminine emotion — and of fully owning it.

The EP’s lead single “No Questions” is a slithering rocker featuring buzzing power chords, a relentless, chugging motorik-like groove punctuated with forceful drumming paired with rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses. The song’s arrangement seems to channel Desert Sessions Vol. 9 & 10 while serving as a gritty soundscape for Fromer’s sultry delivery.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Aquafox Shares a Cathartic Ode to Heartbreak and Revenge

Rachel Mae Perry is an Orange County, CA-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Perry’s career started in earnest when she was signed to the WME Agency, alongside the likes of Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber when she had turned 15. As a teen, she shared stages with The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Jan and Dean, John Stamos, Dick Dale, Jim Belushi, The Bangles, Berlin, and a long list of others.

The Orange County, CA-based artist is the creative mastermind behind the emerging indie, solo recording project Aquafox. Perry’s Aquafox debut single “Party Girl,” was written during a hospital stay and delves into her tumultuous years of drug and alcohol abuse with an unvarnished, raw honesty and captivating harmonies while offering a glimpse into her journey of self-discovery, sobriety and healing.

The latest Aquafox single, the Jon O’Brien and Perry co-produced “Hurt You” continues a run of remarkably crafted material. Built around a lush, arrangement of jangling acoustic guitar, bursts of twinkling glockenspiel, fuzzy power chord-driven hooks and choruses paired with a driving groove, the 90s Riot Grrrl-inspired track is a cathartic and relatable anthem focused on the desire for revenge after a bitter betrayal and breakup. If you’ve been scorned, fucked over or done wrong by someone you’ve cared about — or loved — the sentiment at the song’s core, is both lived-in and deeply familiar.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Nick Kizirnis Returns with 120 Minutes MTV-era Alt Rock Anthem “Through The Motions”

Nick Kizirnis is a Dayton, OH-based singer/songwriter and guitarist, who has spent the past two-plus decades writing genre-twisting and genre-defying material on over ten solo albums, while also collaborating and playing in bands like The Mulchmen, Tobin Sprout’s Eyesinweasel, Cage and others with a collection of up-and-coming local musicians. 

Over the past decade or so, the Dayton-based artist has been primarily focused on guitar-driven compositions, but his last solo album The Distance saw Kizirnis returning to writing lyrics and arrangements while also simultaneously being a step forward stylistically. As Kizirnis explains, he had a desire to push himself beyond anything he had previously done. “I wanted it to be new and different from what people had heard from me,” the Dayton-based artist said.

Kizirnis’ forthcoming album Every Moment sees the Dayton-based artist collaborating with an All-Star cast including The Breeders‘ and Guided by Voices‘ Jim Macpherson, Foxy Shazam‘s and Lung‘s Daisy Caplan, Tod Weidner and Kate Wakefield and guest spots from Trashcan Sinatras‘ Paul Livingston and Guided by Voices’ Tobin Sprout. Sonically, the album’s material reportedly builds on a range of influences including Link Wray, The National, Guided by Voices, Neko Case and others paired with Kizirnis’ probing lyrics and textured, guitar atmospherics throughout. 

Earlier this year, I wrote about album title track “Every Moment,” an anthemic track that recalls Starfish-era The Church and Reckless-era Bryan Adams-like rock featuring some big fuzz and distorted pedaled guitar riffs, a driving rhythm section, big, incredibly catchy hooks and choruses paired with Kizirnis’ easy-going yet earnest croon. 

Recorded remotely during the depths of COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions and later finalized in-person with Macpherson, Caplan, Wakefield, Weidner and Kyleen Downes, “Every Moment” as Kizrnis explains is about staying present during impending existential crises and the brink of collapse.

“Through the Motions,” Every Moment‘s third and latest single, continues a run of 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rockers, anchored around big fuzzy riffs, rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses paired with Kizrinis’ yearning yet easy-going croon. And much like its immediate predecessor, the song is deeply inspired and informed by the strangeness of our lives during the pandemic.

“Through the Motions” is about wanting to experience real wonder and possibility again during a time we were all living in isolation and watching both the mundane and unbelievable take place every day, while we just did our best to exist,” Kizirnis explains. “It’s also a song about finding love in the middle of it and the hope that it might lead to a way out.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Deriving their name from their favorite PJ Harvey song “Meet Ze Monsta,” Dutch indie trio Black Monsoon — Jacky (guitar, vocals), Marjolin (drums, vocals) and Teun (guitar, vocals) — have received attention across the Netherlands and the European Union for a sound that the cognoscenti have favorably described to early Nirvana, The Stooges and Sonic Youth.

2018’s Joes Brands-recorded, self-titled debut EP saw the band quickly establishing their sound, rooted in unusual guitar tunings and drill machine-like solos earned the band opening sets for Sonic Youth‘s Steve Shelley, L.A. Witch and Belgian JOVM mainstays Whispering Sons. They also earned sets at Popronde Festival, the touring festival for emerging and up-and-coming Dutch bands.

2019’s “Jabberwocky,” “Losing” and “Pantomime” were released to critical praise. Building upon a growing profile across The Netherlands, the trio released their Jan Schenk-recorded full-length debut, Pantomime in 2020.

The band adheres to defiantly DIY ethos and in the winter of 2020-2021, the band attracted attention through a unique album release tour: The band organized a video release tour, featuring live footage of the band playing the album’s material at unique locations for each song, including an art gallery and a skate park, to present the song within the most appropriate atmosphere.

Since then, the duo signed to London-based label Civil War, and have toured across Germany and the UK, while recording new material that reportedly sees the band pushing their sound in new directions. “Broken,” the first single from that batch of new material is a grungy, power chord-driven, mosh pit friendly ripper that will bring back memories of Bleach and Incesticide-Nirvana, Veruca Salt and others on your beaten up Walkman.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Bored at My Grandma’s House Shares Lush and Anthemic Ode to Love

Cumbria-born, Leeds-based singer/songwriter and musician Amber Strawbridge is the creative mastermind behind the rising British indie rock project Bored at My Grandma’s House. Strawbridge began recording music back in 2017 using the GarageBand app on her phone; she then updated her bedroom setup after saving the money to buy a laptop and Logic Pro. After a couple of years of self-taught production and recording, the rising British artist worked with Clue Records, who released her critically applauded debut EP Sometimes I Forget You’re Human Too, an effort that sold out two pressings before Strawbridge ever played a single gig.

Strawbridge’s Bored at My Grandma’s House full-length debut, the Alex Greaves-produced Show & Tell is slated for a June 7, 2024 release through Clue Records/EMI North. She wrote and recorded all the demos for the album in her bedroom, before heading to The Nave Studio, where she worked with Alex Greaves, who gave the material a proper studio polish.

Show & Tell sees Strawbridge exploring a broad range of heavy topics including anxiety, friendship, introspection, love, greed, mental health, loss, empathy and the lack of it thereof in the world. “The main overall theme of this album is connection. Connection with myself, connection with the world and connection to the people around me who I love,” the rising British artist explains. “This album is for me first and foremost and was a way for me to internally process. 

“The origin of these tracks all stem from me wanting to understand these connections and process my emotions surrounding them. The album covers topics such as the power of queer love, humanity and its ‘delusions of grandeur’,  reflection and purpose. 

It would be unwise to say that I haven’t developed and changed a lot since my EP,” Strawbridge continues. “I’ve experienced more, questioned more, felt more and allowed myself to be vulnerable more – which I hope translates throughout the Album.” 

Sonically, her full-length debut reportedly sees her establishing a sound that’s reminiscent of the likes of Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail and Alvvays, while displaying the ability to alchemize the wistful and hopeful into expansive, anthemic tunes rooted in a pop sensibility.

The album’s latest single “I Like What You Bring Out In Me” is anchored around a lush and ethereal sound and production in which glistening and reverb soaked 90s alt rock-like guitars, a steady yet propulsive rhythm section are paired with Strawbridge’s yearning, heart proudly worn on sleeve delivery and her unerring knack for rousingly anthemic hooks. At its core, is a song written from lived-in, personal experience and captures the woozy, goofiness of love with a sense of optimism and a contented sigh.

“This song is about all the gross cringey things that come along with being in love. It’s about the realisation of someone bringing out the best in you and making you feel confident in yourself at all times, something that I hadn’t really ever experienced prior to being with my girlfriend,” Strawbridge says.