Here’s another batch of 2018 indie rock songs from talented DIY artists and bands, including:
Wax Statues – San Francisco, California
James Waves – Chicago, Illinois
Telamor – Boston, Massachusetts
Daniel Doorman – Toronto, Ontario
Joel Strauss – Kelowna, British Columbia
Wax Statues – “It Was All A Dream”
The San Francisco multi-genre-wielding indie rock band, Wax Statues, is set to drop its self-titled debut album on October 19 with a release party performance at Amnesia in San Francisco.
The band’s first single, “It Was All A Dream,” from its debut, is a dreamy psych-pop track that might just get you tapping your feet or getting up to dance. There is also a music video as well.
Wax Statues rose from the ashes of the dissolution of the band The Singing Limbs.
James Waves – Chicago, Illinois
The prolific Chicago indie musician James Waves got our attention a couple of years ago thanks to his studious songwriting and mainly acoustic songs and covers. We’ve been fans since the start.
Waves’ latest single, “This Is Love,” is a departure from his earlier singer-songwriter releases. In fact it’s a radical departure. Waves took a risk and plunged into a totally different genre.
His latest release is a suave mix of funky electro-pop disco that is indelibly energetic and memorable.
Telamor – “Rockin’ In The Free World”
One of our favorite Boston-area musicians, the notoriously reclusive rock veteran Tom Hauck, has been dropping singles and albums left and right since forming his moniker Telamor back in 2014. Since then, he’s gained numerous radio rotations for his singles and also received some blog love.
Telamor’s latest single drop, “Rockin’ In The Free World,” is a uniquely individualistic cover of the famous Neil Young original. The guitars are ringing and Hauck is pouring his heart into this compelling cover with respect for Mr. Young in the process.
Last week, Telamor also released the original song, “Go With The Flow” and man does it flow.
The cover was produced Hauck and Warren Babson – the latter who also mixed and recorded at Bang-A-Song studios. The newest Telamor effort was mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound studios in Nashville.
Daniel Doorman – “A Better Man”
Musician Daniel Doorman is a Toronto based singer/songwriter with a brooding, but uplifting indie folk sound. His songs are lyrically motivated by stories that are introspective, hopeful and heartfelt.
Such is the case with his newest single, “A Better Man,” a memorable song that is not the average track you’d hear at a coffee house performance (and that’s not putting down coffee house musicians at all). Doorman has a true and lasting emotional effect with his music. This song captures his best attributes perfectly.
His debut album, Contrition, he says “is a reflection on the human condition” that draws “wisdom from diverse sources” and themes of “despair; a desire for truth; a longing for home, and a need for personal redemption.” The album was produced and engineered by Brandon Pero at Inception Sound Studios in Toronto.
Doorman’s biggest influences include Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, David Ramirez, Noah Gundersen, Matthew Mayfield, Corey Kilgannon and Julien Baker. He performs on the regular and captivates audiences wherever he performs. His emotional and interactive performances are highlighted by his tenor vocals and folksy melodies.
Joel Strauss – “Crossing The Desert”
IRC first featured the talented young Canadian DIY musician Joel Strauss a few years ago following the release of his debut album, Don’t Lose That Feeling, featuring standout singles like the title track and “The New City.”
Strauss latest release, “Cross The Desert,” demonstrates a maturation of his songwriting and musical abilities and yet another confirmation of an artist who is under the radar. The track is from his upcoming album to be released this fall.
“The song is about going through all the stages of breaking through addiction,” Strauss says, “including boredom and self-loathing. There is a line at the end: ‘If something could be enough/I’d be alright’ that is sung repeatedly of someone crying out for help.”
MP3: “Cross The Desert” – Joel Strauss