Our latest indie music songs playlist, or ‘fresh tracks,’ features the following bands. If you like any of these artists, show your love! You can also stream all songs uninterrupted at the end of the post. Enjoy.
La Palma – Philadelphia-via-Washington D.C.
Para Lia – Cottbus, Germany
Natural History – Salt Lake City, Utah
Sleeptape – Brighton, England
Jarod Grice – Denton, Texas
Asila – Los Angeles, California
La Palma – “One Foot In”
La Palma is a musical duo of Chris Walker and Tim Gibbon, based out of Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, respectively. Their self-titled 2019 debut album weaves together kaleidoscopic layers of melodies and rhythms.
Working between two cities, the duo’s self-produced and self-released debut album was created correspondence-style, sharing recordings back and forth “to build textured compositions that glean from everyday sounds and experiences, steeped in beachy psych-pop and indie folk. ”
The first single from the release is the discordant, industrial-mocking and theatrical, “One Foot In,” which also has of course a macabre connotation. Oddly, for those who are familiar with the Hare Krishna ‘theme song,’ the latter part of the track sounds like but totally on acid. Very interesting, even at little more than 90 seconds. In fact, the release is very interesting and what we like to hear as far as bands being experimental and taking chances.
The two multi-instrumentalists and vocalists originally met years prior in D.C.’s music scene, while members in the bands Kittyhawk and Let’s French.
Para Lia – “The Man Who Went Away”
The release Soap Bubble Dreams is the electrifying debut album from the German indie/alt rock duo Para Lia. Based in Cottbus near Berlin, Para Lia’s release last week has been greeted with rave reviews across the web and with singles like the tantalizing love song, “Romancero,” and alt. rock wonders of “The Man Who Went Away” gaining radio rotations in the U.S., U.K., Europe and Australia.
All ten songs on the album come together to culminate in a recording brimming with towering, melodic guitars; colorful analog synths; textured, driving percussions, and a distinctive lead guitar sound that flows seamlessly from song to song. On top of all of that are the symbiotic vocals of husband-and-wife duo Rene Methner and Cindy Methner.
Soap Bubble Dreams celebrates the indie/alternative rock sound of the 1990’s along with the stylistic elements of 1980’s darkwave and psychedelic prog rock. Particular comparisons can be made to bands like The Cure, Dinosaur Jr., and New Order.
The guitar work and vocals are the trademarks of the duo’s songs; René Methner’s vocals stand forefront, enhanced by the near-ethereal vocals of Cindy Methner’s on songs like the new wave-heavy “Beautiful Delay” and “Over It,” to name just a couple.
Buoyed by such well-paired vocals, the album bubbles with melodic-atmospherics, ringing guitars, dark retro sounds and accomplished originality.
The other standout songs include the industrial-like murkiness of “Leaves of Grey”; the driving pulse of “Wait”; and the banging title track, which chugs along with a New Order-like tempo and haunting vocals and synth effects.
As with so many of the tracks, the lightning guitar riffs are just strong enough to be in the forefront, but smartly, the engineering is such that they don’t ever over-power the other song elements.
The standout closer, “Who Gets Fooled Again,” received a bunch of plays, likes, follows and positive comments via Soundcloud alone. Additionally, the wonderful “The Man Who Went Away” and “Why Higher and Away” have received play on indie rock radio stations worldwide.
Stream Soap Bubble Dreams on Bandcamp.
Natural History – “It’s A Start”
Formed in Salt Lake City last year, the indie trio Natural History has just dropped a pair of enthralling new singles from the debut album, The Long Mountain.
These include “We’re In Trouble” the indie folk of “Words and Verse” – which breaks into a full band effort in the second half of the track. Perhaps the most upbeat and accessible track on the album is, “It’s a Start.” Overall, the recording is tight, folksy and full of acoustics and piano.
The songs were recorded in a secluded winter cabin in the wilderness of Oakley, Utah. To get to the cabin, the band members had to haul their equipment up a ‘long’ mountain in a sled hitched to an ATV’ just to get to the cabin where they subsequently set up a temporary studio.
“We worked 14 hour days, stopping only for meals and the occasional ATV excursion to feel the cold mountain air and re-calibrate our minds,” says vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Austin Archer.
The other band members are drummer Whit Hertford and producer Chris Bjornn (Us Thieves, BOSS TV). Over the years, Archer and Bjornn have recorded albums together and played in other bands.
They describe their sound as a “rich folk sound drenched in Americana with a focus on driving beats, soaring anthemic melodies, and tight harmonic undertones.”
Sleeptape – “Midnight”
Brighton band SleepTape’s new single, “Midnight,” is an edgy, taunting blaze of rock guitars, tempting percussions, and snarly, dark vocals with stops and starts of exhilarating ferociousness.
And yet the choruses are a different matter, with soaring guitar lines, huge atmospheres and creeping close to anthemic proportions.
Bassist Elliot Johnson says the band’s new single is “about looking for self-validation or self-gratification through going out drinking and enabling the darker sides of a persona, projecting a false over-confident version of yourself.”
The band members – which also include Jonathan Lott (vocals, guitar); Luke Rogers (guitar) and Dan Butterworth (drums) – are heavily influenced by Biffy Clyro, Lower Than Atlantis, and early era Foals.
Last year the band made waves in the northeast UK with their debut single, “Benefit” and the follow-up “Nadir,” with rotation on BBC Introducing. That helped fuel a string of sold-out shows which continues into 2019 with the release of this track and last month’s exciting, “Run.”
Jarod Grice – “Signal”
Singer-songwriter Jarod Grice from Denton, Texas (outside of Dallas) has established himself among other artists like Norah Jones, Pearl Earl and Brave Combo.
Grice has just released his first single, “Signal,” with 6:4 Records – also based in Denton.
The song has a soft sadness about it expressed with slight acoustic contributions and quietly soaring synths until it builds into a more melodic and hopeful composition.
As the song blossoms, the obvious influences of folk, Americana, rock – and some soul and R&B – are etched in the strings, piano, bass and vocal expressions of “Signal” from start to finish.
It’s not surprising then that one of Grice’s influences is Gregory Alan Isakov, as well as Wilco, The Beatles, and Allen Stone.
Asila – “Paranormal”
Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, the female-fronted alt. rock band Asila, now based in Los Angeles, California, is making noise with their new and punchy single, “Paranormal.”
The song is full of blazing guitars, booming drums and bass and the raucous vocals of lead singer Hana Mutfic. The band plays with plenty of grit, heart, and soul. The production quality is also solid.
After recording a debut album under the band name Revery in 2016, the band felt a name change was due to reflects their change in sound and direction.
In March of last year, Asila released their first music video and single ‘Resistance’ and are in the processes of finishing up their debut album, Acid Rain.
The band members, all solid players, include, in addition to Mutfic, Richard Globisch (guitar); Adrian Patterson (bass) and Taryn Young (drums). They are fans of Halestorm, Evanescence, Incubus, Iron Maiden, Muse, and many other artists and bands.