The third installment of top July indie singles includes the following artists:
Boundary Run – Omaha, Nebraska
Daniel Fallon – Newcastle, England
Neuromantics – London, England
Mercvrial – Multiple Locales
Sansha Blue – Los Angeles, California
Todd & Jingyu – Ballground, Georgia
Boundary Run – “Make It Out”
The comforting and airy new single, “Make It Out,” comes by way of the Omaha-based band Boundary Run.
The breezy folk track has been making its way onto various playlists for a couple of months now.
Artist Tim Halperin and writer/producer Billy Van formed their indie project “to explore a reflective style of expression” with songs that evoke “wonder and introspection through a warm landscape of strings, piano, and guitar.” The sound and vocals remind us of Bon Iver.
The track brims with warmth, emotion, and space to concentrate on lyrics and get lost in the coziness of the track.
While originally from Omaha, Halperin recently wed and moved to Nashville.
Daniel Fallon – “Death of an Anthem”
U.K. musician Daniel Fallon’s latest single, “Death of an Anthem,” is a brash lo-fi alt. rock/garage rock chugger.
This sizzling number is the first song from his new album, The Beginning, which has been making the rounds on blogs and playlists across the web.
Fallon says the song “represents a nostalgia for anthemic songs and a youth-centered on musical togetherness,” adding that the track “has its dark and light element, with an almost religious experience towards the end.”
Notice how the track transitions from an energetic rocker to a mellowed out blazer.
The album is first of what Fallon plans to be a trilogy of albums that have been in the works for years.
A quintessential one-man band, Fallon writes, records, mixes, sings and performs all of the instruments himself, including guitars and percussion.
Influenced by artists ranging from Vampire Weekend, Oasis The Beatles and The Strokes, Fallon’s decidedly Brit-pop/rock sound is bright and infectious.
Fallon describes his musical journey as one with the aim “to get the feel of an indie/alternative group, focusing on high energy, direct melodic rock. My project is a trilogy of alternative/indie anthems with a beginning a middle and an end.”
An experienced and widely-traveled globe-trotter, Fallon has lived and performed in various countries while his music itself remains distinctly British.
“I have lived, traveled and played in many countries and continents but I feel the soul of my music is very British.”
Mercvrial – “Carnival”
Originating from nowhere, but instead sprawled out across several states and Mexico, the eclectic indie group Mercvrial crafts dream pop and shoegaze elements to create heavy, shimmering layers of guitars, hazy vocals and booming percussions on one of the band’s newest singles, “Carnival. ”
The accompanying video uses a format similar to that of VH1’s pop-up videos. More specifically, the video for the track was inspired by the video “This Can’t Be Today” from the band Rain Parade.
Each of the band members filmed a part of the completed video in locales from Wisconsin, Virginia, California, and Mexico. Their musical influences include artists such as Ride, Slowdive, and The Chills.
“Carnival” and another single, “Otherworld,” will appear on Mercvrial’s upcoming EP titled The Stars, Like Dust, set for release on August 9th.
Neuromantics – “Clarity”
The London four-piece rock band Neuromantics’ new single, “Clarity,“ is an “existential power chord alt-rocker that makes it a perfect track for a warm summer day or night time party.
The track grooves with intricately woven guitar melodies, inspirational vocals, smooth bumbling bass lines, and upbeat drums, proving a catchy, memorable vibe.
Frontman Daniel Pye writes: “’Clarity’ encourages a path centered on facing your fears and inner demons; exploring and making the most of the opportunities that come along in life; and having the strength to engage in the life for you, not society’s expectations of who or what you should be.”
This is the new band’s third single from their debut album, Crimes of Passion, and is accompanied by the official music video. The video features the dream-like evening adventures of “two strikingly different yet potentially closely intertwined individuals” who end up together in the end.
The band’s previous singles have won the praise of some in the London music press and fans alike. In addition to Pye, the band members include Andrew Gambell (guitar/keyboards), Daniel Timoteo (bass/vocals) and Edgars Ozolins (drums).
The members come from diverse backgrounds, “originally hailing from various corners of the globe” bringing a more varied range of genres and styles that inform the band’s overall sound.
Sansha Blue – “Give It Time”
Chris Paraggio is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. In 2015, Paraggio began writing and recording a series of demos.
Initially, he founded a band called CAPTCHA, but dissolved the group to work solo as the recording artist Sansha Blue.
His new single, “Give It Time,” is a sugary sweet psych-pop track that has melodic and synergetic resonance topped with hypnotic layers.
After dropping his solo debut E.P., The Grey Area, Paraggio began to write and record with his friend and songwriting ally, Edward Smith. Together they recorded and dropped the E.P, Without Me.
Next, Paraggio asked long-time friend John Baggetta to help engineer and co-produce Sansha Blue’s last effort, beginning with “Give It Time.”
The live band includes musicians Trevor Jones, Finn Ruane, and Stephen Papa.
The single is from the LP, You Could Try If You Wanted To, set to drop this Friday. In addition to Paraggio and Baggetta, Trevor Jones, Finn Ruane, and Stephen Papa perform as part of the live band.
Todd and Jingyu – “Boy and Girl”
All we can say is this is different and interesting. Not sure what others will think; it’s definitely more than the regular submission we receive.
The musical interplay on “Boy and Girl” from L.A. based band Todd (Lerner) and Jingyu (Yao) is fun and enthusiastic and the fade effects on female vocals of Jingyu Yao in the chorus is really inviting; it’s a nice reprieve from the conversational core of the track.
Lerner is American and Yao is Chinese living in America. Their boy/girl pop duets are reminiscent of duos like She & Him.
If you listen in order, the album follows the couple’s own relationship story with the energies of falling in love, breaking down and soul-searching.
The music is captivating, charming, piano-driven and duet driven. The album apparently took a decade to write and record, according to the couple. They are giving away the album for free via their official website.