Best new indie rock songs, indie news, best bands, reviews
The top 10 indie songs playlist for June 2019 includes songs from exceptional artists and bands like Australia’s Strangejuice; Canada’s Culture Reject; Chicago’s Engine Summer, among many others.
The Top Ten Indie Songs for July will be coming soon. Enjoy this playlist of dope tracks!
The tracks that made it into this playlist came from the following posts from Indie Rock Cafe June 2019
Far away in the land of the Canary Islands, a rock band called Basic Needs crafts hard rock verging on metal tracks that are charging and chaotic, breaking the otherwise peacefulness of the islands.
The band knocks out good ole guitar-driven classic rock with a heavy dose of R&B reminiscent of U.K. and U.S. bands of the late 1960s. There also elements of punk and as mentioned previously, metal; even a bit of garage and grunge.
On their new album, As It Is, the band throws down uptempo songs with rock vigor as the opening tracks “Best Years” and the more melodic “What If” clearly demonstrate.
Juan Mayor’s lead guitar licks dominate many of Basic Needs tracks and when playing live get enthusiastic responses from crowds.
Arcadio Melian`s impeccable basslines, influenced by his virtuoso classical guitar playing, boom across the 11-track album.
This is the case on the otherwise standout track, “Lemons,” that has a metal-like charge and guitar playing. The song “Gotta Feeling” has a powerful and blazing sonic resonance that shifts and sways with chunky chords.
“Evolution” is one of the more indie rock-type tracks on the entire album, with more subdued guitars and richer melodies than other songs.
The next song, “Traveler,” rumbles along with garage-rock like guitar, rhythm, and vocals from Txetxu (no idea the guy’s real name) and later a guitar solo from Mayor and dah-dah-dah choruses.
Things slow down and get a little sentimental on “I Believe,” although there is still an underlying rock attitude.
The track, “Fun,” is the grungiest – and one of the most captivating – track on the album with siren-like, buzzsaw dual guitars and moments where it slows and quiets down only to rise again to a slow-burning rocker. On drums, Shane O’Mahoney takes charge throughout the recording.
The album closes with two similar-sounding songs, “Falling,” which is the most spacious and soulful track on the album, sounding more like a 1970’s soft rock song than any other song on the album, and the woozy “Too Much Beer” which sounds more like a southern country rock song from the same era. These two final tracks are some of the standout songs on the album.
Perhaps the biggest complaint I’d have about the album is that the mixing and mastering could have been better in spots; the same can be said for the vocals, wherein some tracks in the first half of the album they sound a bit out of key and uninspired.
Something that I also say about most albums over nine tracks – make sure they each count.
If they can be left off, eight or nine, even seven solid tracks make for a strong L.P. in an era when the long-play album is all but dead. Anything over nine tracks is asking for quite a commitment from listeners nowadays.
Basic Needs began its journey in 2016, when the band members got together to feed a “basic need” to play music.
Right away, songs started to take shape in jam sessions. Gaining confidence with local support, the band went into the studio to record the E.P. What If in 2018. The title track single was a top track for weeks on local radio.
Soon after, a label signed the band and got them into the studio to record to record their debut L.P.
We’re overflowing with great indie songs! We think you’ll agree there are some solid DIY indie songs in this newest playlist that you probably won’t hear anywhere else.
As summer heats up, these are just in time for July listening, and we’ve been listening and enjoying them immensely from the following indie artists and bands:
Damen – Gothenburg, Sweden
Whalers – Austin, Texas
LUTE – Manchester, England
Marty – Nottingham, England
Night Lights – Los Angeles, California
The Mayan Factor – Baltimore, Maryland
Movie Club – Venice, California
The full playlist is at the end of this post for those who prefer to stream while doing other things.
The indie band Damen (which means ‘lady’ in Swedish) hails from the former shipping port of Gothenburg, Sweden. They are fresh off an appearance at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton and the release of a hot new single titled, “Sagrada Familia.”
This song is one of the best surprise indie tracks we’ve heard so far this month. It’s impossible to miss – perhaps irresistible for some – thanks to its heavily melodic indie pop vibe flowing from fuzzy, shimmering guitars, upbeat drums and bass lines, and impressive vocals.
Vocalist and guitarist Danial Bin Ismail wrote: “It’s about coming to grips with the idea of starting a family; all of the doubts, but also the desires.”
Damen also features Adrian Gejrot on drums, David Nordell on bass and Gustav Bondesson on lead guitar.
The single is the first single from the forthcoming 10-track debut LP set to drop this coming October. We’ll be looking forward to the release.
Follow Damen on Instagram
In preparation for their first new set of songs since 2015’s Death Drive EP, Austin’s Whalers have released a new single, “Keep It Quiet.” It seems like a good follow-up to the Damen track.
The indie pop rock track “Keep It Quiet” drifts on top of a wavy, synthesized guitar hook, fat drum rolls, driving bass lines and the determined vocals of Gus Smalley.
The track is short and sweet clocking in at 3:11 minutes of raw energy. According to Smalley the musical parts of the track were written amidst a flurry of listening to post-punk/new waves acts like Wire, The Buzzcocks, and Talking Heads. (Great choices!)
Smalley says the song is “loosely” based on an “interesting evening” in which he was invited into a house party only to be threatened with physical violence. Thankfully, nothing happened.
Accompanying this single is the official music lyric video animated of a different sort created by guitarist Kyle Rother on an iPad. The video itself is a crazy and strange trip with surfing brains, man-eating whales and a defaced Mona Lisa.
Like thousands of other DIY bands we’ve featured since 2007, the Whalers have found their niche and built a following in the competitive ecosystem of Austin. They’ve performed on some of the city’s best-known stages, which is no small achievement in a spot like Austin where artists are always vying for any stage time.
The band members include guitarists Dan Martin and Kyle Rother; vocalist Gus Smalley; drummer Milos Bertram and bassist Todd Horner. The full album WxW will be out Fall 2019.
Listen to more Whalers on Bandcamp
Plenty of people, even these many years later, talk about the “death of rock music.” We’ve been hearing that for decades. This next track might just restore some folks faith that rock music can still be surprising, fresh and hard core.
Take the raging new single, “Fears,” from the Manchester prog metal rock band LUTE. From start to finish it drives forward like a buzzsaw with fast-switching guitar chords and signatures that create cinematic soundscapes amid the crunching rock backdrop.
The band is obviously not just your average band. They sound amazing and the overall production quality of the song is better than most we receive. We’ve played it at least half a dozen times in the cafe.
South Manchester songwriter/producer Ed Truscott, the founding member of LUTE, works tirelessly in his musical man cave experimenting with guitar chords, ever-changing time signatures and soaring vocal harmonies to produce cinematic soundscapes along the lines of artists like TOOL, Opeth, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Metallica
LUTE’s lyrics explore the daily routine of a 9 to 5 life and the anxieties it brings and to highlight “the ongoing desires of faceless workers in faceless offices to break out of endless cycles of repetition” and to “find…solace in LUTE’s musical dystopia.”
The track is also making the rounds on blogs and radio in the U.K. It’s time now to get these guys some U.S. love.
LUTE’s self-produced debut album is Learning Through Progression.
Hailed by the BBC and other outlets for their debut single, “Fame,” the all-female Nottingham band Marty have followed that up with an emotionally charged pop song.
This is evidenced by their packed shows, radio play and now their glittering follow-up single, “Worst Case Scenario.”
The sophomore single, “Worst Case Scenario,” drives forward with conviction and through rounds of insightful verses and glam-rock style harmonies and choruses.
Compared to their debut single, the trio’s newest single sounds more musically and lyrically mature while maintaining an accessible danceable, glimmering pop song.
“Fame” received enthusiastic reviews from radio hosts like the BBC Introducing’s Dean Jackson who said the song “really did set the email system a blaze; people love this track!”
The BBC has also been playing and hailing “Worst Case Scenario,” recently exclaiming that it’s “a glittering journey of indie rock goodness.”
Aimée Stones is the vocalist and guitarist; Rhianne Mee is on keys and vocals, and Krista Ford plays drums and sings as well.
The three met while attending Nottingham Trent University and bonded through a collective love of music. Previous to that, they had all been solo artists.
Since first meeting and rehearsing together, the three young women have worked on a bunch of material, they say, most of which will appear on their debut EP set to drop later this year.
The next track is from the L.A. indie band Night Lights. Based in Los Angeles, the indie-pop trio’s latest track is the summertime-feeling, sticky-sweet pop dance number “Talk to Me.”
Bursting with energy, fast rhythms, and bright colors, this track could also be a workout song.
Interestingly, the band members are all originally from other countries: Mauricio Jimenez (Mexico), Yusuke Sato (Japan) and Dag Hanken (Norway).
Many of us have an old friend from our high school or college days that we were attracted to, but the friendship was so great we just didn’t want to ruin it with something more.
In hindsight, as the song explores, things may have worked out as one wished if they had overcome their fears. The voice that keeps saying: “what if?”
Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the five-piece band The Mayan Factor has carved out their own niche in the area’s music scene over the years and have gone national and international with fan bases in the U.S. and Mexico.
That’s not surprising on the inspiration new single, “Hope,” accompanied by a dazzling animated music video.
The single is a solid recording all around and hard not to play again. It’s full of conviction and excellent instrumental and vocal work.
There are a number of carefully composed parts to it delivering soft, bright, acoustics that soon build into a full-on roaring crescendo marked by the versatile vocals of Lenny Cerzosie Jr. and the powerful chords and beats of guitarist and backup vocalist Brian Scott; bassist Kevin Baker; drummer Dan Angermaier and percussionist and back-up vocalist Jason Sage.
The band, which first formed back in 2002, experienced initial success with the release of their debut album, In Lake as well as their follow-up 2005 album release, 44.
Both albums, the band says, are big fan favorites at their shows. Sadly, in 2011, tragedy struck the band with the sudden loss of their original vocalist, Ray Schuler.
Encouraged by family, friends, and fans, the band regrouped and brought Cerzosie Jr. aboard. The following year, in 2012, they released their third album, Yesterday’s Son.
In the time since Cerzosie’s induction into the tight-knit band, TMF has released three singles – “Ascension,” “Whispers” and now “Hope.” They are currently working on a new EP to be released later this year.
Formed in October 2018 with Jessamyn Violet on drums and Vince Cuneo on guitar, the Venice, California-based indie duo, Movie Club, initially came together to perform a show at Fonogenic Studios on the same stage as legendary guitarist Robbie Krieger of The Doors.
Only three months after that, the band dropped their eponymous EP, Kraken, with producer Matt Wignall (Cold War Kids, Wargirl) and bassist Erick Coomes (Dr. Dre, Snoop).
Fast forward just a few months to June 2019: Movie Club just dropped their instrumental sophomore EP, Hammerhead, which features the fast-moving single, “Navy Seal,” a tribute to the late surf guitar legend Dick Dale.
The track harkens back to a time when surf rock became a national craze for a few years back in the early 1960s after Dale released his 1961 track “Let’s Go Trippin.”
Strangely enough, the same day that the band recorded the single they heard of Dale’s death. That’s freaky, huh?
The darker “Whirlpool” mixes electronic elements rich with textures and boosted by the heavy surf rock tones while the more intense “Rogue Wave” hums along with undulating tripped out guitars.
Psych surf rocker “Triland” has a demonic bass line and flowing guitars with hints of jazz-infusions and is one of the more accessible songs on the album.
If you’re a fan of lo-fi, retro surf rock, this might be your ticket.
Steeped in country music, British pop, surf rock, psychedelic rock, and many other influences, Seattle musician Rusty Reid grew up on the dusty plains of West Texas, a region that has produced many revered singer-songwriters.
West Texas is also where the South meets Cajun country, the Wild West, Native, and Mexican culture and history converge and overlap, mix and mingle as they have for more than a century. Growing up in such a rich place, Reid had plenty of material to work with for his new album, Head to Heart.
The first song, the album’s title track, is an acoustic country pop song. Reid’s emotional, crooning-like vocals remind many of Roy Orbison in parts.
In fact, the same is true for other notable songs like “To Find Me” and “El Dorado” – among two of the strongest tracks from the 15-track album. We love how the guitars swirl around the chorus followed by melodic guitar solos.
It’s no surprise, perhaps, that Orbison, also a native West Texan, is one of Reid’s top musical influences. You can hear it on track after track. However, other Orbison-like songs, such as “Who Do You Think You Are,” miss the mark. The timing and notes don’t sound right.
Yet he bounces back nicely with songs like, “The Story of Now,” which is more suited for country pop radio with its bright melodies and jangling guitars.
Then there are more alt. songs, such as the standout, “I Went Searching,” with funk-like guitars and rhythms wrapped in a dark, yet upbeat, composition. It’s just a track you have to hear. All things being alternative and indie in the cafe, we prefer tracks like this.
Another example is the one-minute industrial/punk jam number “Your Tummy” – a totally different cut from the tone of the rest of the album. But it’s interesting and cool, and other listeners may also be happy he had the courage to record it and put it on the album.
We only wished that he made the song a bit longer, and perhaps some really long tracks shorter, including wonderful experiments like the nearly eight-minute “Sat Cit Ananda.”
Satchitananda, or Sacchidānanda, represents “existence, consciousness, and bliss” or “truth, consciousness, bliss”, is an epithet and description for the subjective experience of the ultimate, unchanging reality in Hinduism called Brahma.
The use of the bongos and sitar set the scene perfectly for a trip back 50 years when Eastern music was regularly mixed with pop and rock music. Other tracks like the psych folk-oriented, “Ancient Stones,” also sound like they beckon the hippie era.
Reid dives into his activist and humanitarian side on other parts of the album, speaking out against injustice and oppression (as he has since he was a youth). These include tracks like the interesting organ-meets-Spanish-guitar instrumentation of “Too Many Poor Theme” and the immersive “The Meaning of Life.”
“There Is A Pleasure in the Pathless Woods” is a folk crossed with a country song that is one of the quieter, lazier songs on the album. The most pop-rock-oriented song on the album is “Passion For Fashion.” It sounds like 80s rock and almost reminds us a bit of The Kinks in far as song structure and sound.
Unlike many albums sent to us, the production level is solid here. But it is also noteworthy that Reid wrote, played and recorded all instruments by himself.
Throughout the album, the listeners can clearly hear the influences of the deep, western south, where many different roads of music genres intersect and intertwine, and have for nearly a century. And yet there are unexpected influences like indie, punk, funk and Eastern music.
There are enough interestingly, different and strong songs on here to make Head to Heart a worthy listen. There are other songs that could have been left off to make the album shorter; 15 songs is a big commitment for listeners nowadays.
Reid has a long record as a musician and singer-songwriter living and performing around the country, including cities like Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Lately, we’ve come across or received a batch of fresh dope songs from DIY artists and bands from overseas locales around the world.
There are some fire tracks down below that you’ll (probably) only hear on IRC. Keeping it real! Please share if you enjoy this post. The full, continuous streaming playlist of all songs in this post is found at the end of the post.
Andes Fellas – Bandung, Indonesia
Bee Bee Sea – Castel Goffredo, Italy
Black Midi – London, England
Corniglia – Perth, Australia
Pure Assassins – Bournemouth, England
Sandmoon – Beirut, Lebanon
These kids really sparked our attention with their recently dropped track, “Flick Away,” from the debut album, Spread The Love.
They are Andes Fellas an unlikely indie-pop trio from all the way in Bandung, Indonesia – half a world afar.
The trio was created last summer. Interestingly, they refer to themselves as “a pack of boys from Andes Cluster” – a neighborhood of Bandung.
The band members are somewhat mysterious: guitarist and vocalist Tama and drummer Octy are only known by their nicknames, while the bassist’s real name apparently is Roy Rexter.
The music is just DIY-good enough, and the locale from which it comes is just ‘exotic’ enough, that it added up to a must-include for this playlist.
Boy Pablo and Mac Demarco are big musical influences according to the band. They recommend their songs for “people who’ve been broken-hearted.”
The explosive Italian punk trio Bee Bee Sea have made their mark in recent years dropping slick singles and opening for bands like Thee Oh Sees, Black Lips and King Khan & The Shrines.
Bee Bee Sea’s newest single is the throwback-sounding and uninhibited track, “Be Bop Palooza.” It’s a brilliantly deranged song that you might have on repeat for days.
Mixing genres like punk, garage and glam rock with a little bit of The Cramps’ psycho-surf and some of Can’s hypno-funk, this punchy, three-minute romp will definitely get your attention. The band members are Wilson Wilson, Giacomo Parisio, and Andrea Onofrio.
High school friends, they hail from the historic northern Italian town of Castel Goffredo.
London’s young four-piece guitar band Black Midi was one of SXSW 2019’s “it” bands that had music industry insiders buzzing and music lovers swarming to their Austin shows.
They’d gained a rep in London and abroad for their direct, harsh, and dazzling live shows.
Their long-awaited debut album, Schlagenheim, dropped last Friday. The first single from the album is the trippy and raucous, “Ducter,” which has an accompanying anime music video.
Black Midi creates amazing post-punk experimental music that sounds nostalgic and yet feels refreshingly new, with a vocalist, frontman Geordie Greep, that stands out like few other frontmen, plus an award-winning drummer Morgan Simpson, and two brilliant string men – guitarist Cameron Picton and bassist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin.
Just a few days ago, the U.K. Guardian newspaper tagged Black Midi as the “most exciting new guitar band in Britain.” The band’s name is derived from the Japanese music genre Black MIDI.
Corniglia is the moniker of Australian musician Matthew Irwin who weaves shoegaze, dream pop, and psych into richly-textured, dark textures.
The Perth musician’s newest single is the bliss-heavy psych track, “A Lost Forgotten Dream,” from the album, On/Off, which drops on July 5, 2019.
The track oozes with melodies, hypnotizing guitar parts and reverb-laden vocals. According to Irwin: “It’s a rolling psych song. It’s dark dream pop…A dream of nature and of man – Conjoined twins long separated – both reunited and at war.”
“It’s the undulating, pulsing flow of surreal lyrics over rolling drums and guitars that drive and release like the rise and fall of the ocean…It’s waking in a primordial land. It’s waking from a dream.”
In the past, Irwin worked with his partner-in-music, Chloe De Paoli. However, this time around, he decided to go it alone.
The U.K. outfit Pure Assassins’ new anthemic single, “Get Down Stay Down” sports a syncopated groove stabbed and punctured by distorted guitars, drum and bass-like synths and standout vocals and chorus.
The one-man band behind Bournemouth’s Pure Assassins is songwriter and producer Chris Rush, formerly of the drum-n-bass duo Calyx.
Calyx achieved global radio play, including multiple airings on BBC’s Radio One for their unique styling of techno-step and neuro-funk that put Rush into a position where he could take more liberty to explore as an artist.
Now Rush returns to his musical roots on his latest recordings after working as a producer with a number of record labels.
In the studio, Rush gets help from a collective of musicians, including Terl Bryant (John Paul Jones), Chris Mears (New Volunteer), Simon Jeffery, and drummer Tom Hooper.
The abstract lyrics describe, Rush says, “the push and pull of wanting to take the harder things in life on but subconsciously wanting to avoid them.”
The hooky chorus is one of the main hallmarks of the song; one that you might find yourself humming hours later. Rush has created his own mini summer hit.
Rush is influenced by bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Beck, BRMC, The Black Keys, Radiohead, and Supergrass.
The new music video, “Fiery Observation,” from Beirut musical project Sandmoon, is more like a mini road trip movie set to an exciting and eclectic soundtrack.
In fact, it was inspired by Agatha Christie’s adventures and was filmed in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, reflecting, the band says “the emotional and raw vision they have for the [upcoming] album.”
Sandmoon is songwriter, vocalist, and musician Sandra Arslanian and a collective of revolving musicians. Arslanian is a multi-instrumentalist and plays instruments such as the ukulele and piano.
After a number of revamps, the band is now made up of guitarist Sam Wehbi, cellist Ribal Kallab, bassist Georgy Flouty, drummer Dani Shukri, and Arslanian.
In 2016 she wrote and recorded the soundtrack for director Philippe Aractingi’s film, Listen. As a result, Sandmoon received the award for best soundtrack at the Lebanese Movie Awards.
Additionally, their EP, Beirut-Berlin Session, was produced by renowned producer Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey). Additional releases like Home and In The End also received radio play and blog coverage in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.
Arslanian’s influences include David Bowie, Feist, PJ Harvey, Beth Gibbons, and Radiohead.
Song descriptions are key to connecting with listeners and getting featured in blogs and the press.
A song description by the artist is not meant to be a review of the song, nor a rehash of the lyrics, nor what the listener can hear for herself.
Instead, the purpose is to tell the story behind (the scenes) the song that the listener cannot possibly know: how it came about; what is the tale of the song; instruments, equipment and software used, and in any interesting or different ways or experimentation; technical methods, effects, and techniques used; how the melody, rhythm, and other parts came about and where put together; what equipment was used; what the instrumental goals were; any difficulties with the song; did it end up different than it started out? How?
That’s a great start to write a solid song description that is aimed to be consumed mostly by the press and other such interests like booking agents and venue managers; licensing agents; festival organizers; and so on.
Also, include who worked on the recording. Also, if the song is autobiographical, please briefly tell the listener the various things going on that they can’t decipher by themselves to provide a window.
Song descriptions should also be succinct and rich in detail. These are the things that can make the difference between being featured in a blog, on a radio program or in a playlist, or not.
For example: A young new musician and studying doctor from Ohio wrote a terrific song with a sweet melody during a trip to India where he was volunteering and researching health care access in remote villages.
While staying in one of the villages, he was even able to record, and later mix in, remarkable choruses of Indian children singing to his melody.
He described as well how it came about that the children began to sing the chorus. He did not plan it that way but the children liked the melody and chorus of his song so much that they learned it and in a couple of days treated the entire village to a performance. Now that’s a story behind a song that gets people’s attention and interest.
Another artist used unconventional recording techniques by capturing everyday sounds in his home and mixing them into his music. Another artist’s song is actually about his mother but he is playing the third person instead of the first person because it’s too painful.
With song descriptions, we want them to be detail-rich but also succinct. Anything too long will decrease the number of people that read it and the overall success of the track.
Song descriptions help the artist connect with listeners and fans and evoke emotions, memories, senses, and even actions – such as someone deciding to promote your song themselves on their socials because of what you wrote about it or for other bloggers to pick up and write about you because they have something compelling for the reader in addition to just the track by itself.
Interesting tidbits, facts, stories and triggering emotions are main points that get people to stop, listen and even care – for a minute. That’s hard to do in today’s millisecond world.
The aim is to get the listener not only to stop but to fully absorb the song. If they read the description, become even more intrigued, and start checking out even more music from the artist, that is a touchdown.
The fight for people’s attention is a true and serious one. We now live in a world where 24,000 songs are released every day on streaming services alone, according to a 2018 Gracenote study.
So, to get hundreds, thousands, or oh wow! tens of thousands (not bots, but real folks) listens online is a great thing. But it takes strategy, planning, smarts and knowing the ropes to rise even a little above the noise of 24K releases every day!
Want help to get there?
Get more information about professional music publicity, social promotions, branding, and other music services tailored specifically for promising and talented DIY artists and bands.
Daring to be totally different and off-the-wall is just part of the deal for the eccentric Perth-based indie rock duo Strangejuice.
Since the 2007 release of the debut album, they have built a cult following across Australia and beyond with the mission to “mix absurdist prose with conventional and unconventional musical instruments,” as they put it.
A decade since Strangejuice’s debut album, the prolific duo continues to release new material. So it is not a surprise that the duo’s latest, the 14-track album, Raising Cannibals, is recording No. 11.
Already the album is receiving accolades from critics, fans, and followers across the globe.
Among the numerous strange standout songs on Raising Cannibals include incredibly original tracks (that sound like a cross between Tom Waits and Frank Zappa on acid) like the unforgettable, “Big Jim Smoke,” which covers so much sonic territory it’s nearly impossible to make sense of it all – but it works and in wonderful ways.
Other memorable tracks include the seemingly more sinister, perhaps satirical, “Hey You,” with interesting time signatures, romping percussions, people shouting and swirling voices, guitars and subverted melodies.
The unexpectedly melodic and upbeat, “Diet Pills,” is an inspirational-sounding track with booming choruses and hippie-like refrains: “you promised me the sun.”
As the album progresses, the listener begins to understand the various intricacies involved and just how mightily rich the music, lyrics and production are.
Different people already have different favorite tracks. Other notable songs from the album include “Put The Television On”; “Bonnie’s Dress”; “Creatures of the Night” and “Surf’s Up.” It’s a tour-de-force grande!
All of the songwriting, as well as all of the instruments – including guitars, keys, drums, and vocals – is the work of musician and songwriter Mike Anderson. Bree Smith provides additional vocals.
One of Anderson’s signatures over the years has been his eclectic and creative mix of styles and genres ranging from alt. rock and neo-psych to folk and blues influences.
Fans and critics alike have compared his music to The Pixies, Ween, Beck and Tom Waits. This is all apparent on Raising Cannibals .
From banjo plucks, screeching birds and shuffling cards, StrangeJuice records and masters all of its work in “a secret studio in Perth, Western Australia overlooking the mountains where the alcohol flows as free as the natural rivers,” Anderson wrote.
There are also unmistakable cinematic, theatrical and carnival/circus-like influences going on throughout the album, whether intentional or not.
In and of itself, a 14-track album with this much lyrical and sonic content is impressive, but the fact that it was all reportedly created in ‘roughly two weeks’ makes it even more of an accomplishment.
It’s one heck of a trip for an album – strange; beautiful; trippy; freaky; unconventional; provocative; creative and interesting; a musical kaleidoscope – of so many sorts.
“During the writing and creation of this album, nothing was sober, everything was afternoon, and there was a constant background of live chickens,” Anderson wrote.
“The entire record was conceived and created in roughly two weeks, so nothing had long enough to be overthought, contrived, or to become stale.”
If you like child-friendly music the concept album, Catastic Odyssey, by the duo, Cats with Nice Faces, documents a day in the life of a house cat, whether they live in U.S. domestic households or human environments around the world.
From songs like “Wake Your People Up” to “Bedtime,” the songs on the album are written by humans, of course, but through an interpretative lens of the perspective of a cat’s daily life, from waking and sleeping to playing and eating. The songs also represent and educate about their moods, needs, and desires.
Other simply-titled and performed songs include the odd, “Feed Me,” (sounds like a Japanese alt pop song sometimes) or the lazy, “Naps,” the sweet “Paws” and the innocent “Playtime, Play Nice.”
The husband and wife musical duo features Chris Valenti and Amber Mattano. Their music is personal, insightful and made up of diverse influences such as alternative rock, acoustic singer-songwriter, Afrobeat and Krautrock.
Mattano’s vocals are safe and somewhat animated while Valenti’s musicianship drives and shines throughout the album with blazing guitars and stylistic solos. In a way, it’s an album that adults and kids can share.
An underlying message of respect for animals pervades the album without being preachy or militant.They wrote and recorded the album over a nine-month period in a spare bedroom with a digital workstation and their instruments.
While Valenti’s first love is rock and roll, he embraces various styles. While one may think this is just an album for cat lovers and kids, the truth is just about anyone can enjoy it.
Listen to the full album here on Bandcamp
Some 2019 DIY indie debut singles and albums we’re listening to and sharing. Please note these are all Bandcamp debuts (support DIY!).
Per usual, a full and uninterrupted streaming playlist of all of the tracks are available at the end of this post and via our Spotify channel.
Please follow and share to show your love. If you’re an artist or band, you can submit here.
In this installment:
Open Bar – Toronto, Ontario
Aftermidnite – Vancouver, British Columbia
Facekiss – Los Angeles, California
LJA – Los Angeles, California
Chemist – Denver, Colorado
Based out of the Ontario capital city of Toronto, indie band Open Bar made an impression on us a couple of months ago right off the bat with the exciting debut single, “Inner Monologue.”
We love the indie melodic sound with little else than a guitar, tambourine and the interesting vocals of skateboarders and DIY musicians Jordan Randal and Marc Glen.
Since that track dropped via their Bandcamp earlier this year, Open Bar has released three more accessible, lo-fi indie pop rock songs, including the terrific wordsmithing and vibe of “SurfBored”; the bright and upbeat, “Where’s Waldo,” and their newest single, the memorable, “Lazy J.”
MP3: “Inner Monologue” – Open Bar
The duo was previously known for a short period as Free Booze and before that, they were known as Radio Shack, but changed to Open Bar to avoid cease and desist letters down the road from Radio Shack the company.
Aftermidnite is a solo music project of Vancouver multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Alex Montenegro. The recent release of his debut album, which features the emotional title single, “Isla,” follows a period of drug abuse, divorce, heartache, and the birth of his daughter (Isla). That all happened within a year’s time, he says.
Now, Montenegro is on a path of recovery and rediscovery and music is one of the outlets helping him along. His biggest influences include artists and bands like Alvvays, Real Estate, Boy Pablo, Oasis, Hibou, and Day Wave.
MP3: “Isla” – Aftermidnite
The single definitely emits a sense of longing and of unconditional love; it’s inviting and warm lo-fi dream pop. Another track from Aftermidnite that we’re down with, and which Montenegro says is still in the works, is “12:16.”
“At 12:16 is a song about my wife. Growing up as young lovers, our “code” was 12:16. We are going through a long and hard process of rediscovering our love for one another. So this song was written with that in mind.”
The creator behind the one-man band, Facekiss, and pilot of his very own hippie time machine, is Los Angeles psychedelic musician and songwriter Michael Piccoli.
Other tracks from his debut EP, Not Listen To It, include the eastern-influenced tones and drones of the opening track, “Sunflower Girl,” with its rather long intro before the tambourine, distorted guitar notes and creepy dubbed vocals sneak in.
But for a song clocking at six minutes, the looping verse becomes a bit overly-repetitive. It would have been nice to see more effort on the lyrical side of things for this track.
MP3: “Revolution Waltz” – Facekiss
The fifth, and final track on the EP, “Let Me In” is quite different than the other tracks: darker, almost menacing with a bit of theatrical drama to boot.
After breaking up with his Boston band, Auva, Piccoli made the cross-continental move to Los Angeles where he started Facekiss and his own sound. We’re glad he did and look forward to hearing more as his project progresses.
Not surprisingly, Piccoli is heavily influenced by the sound of The Byrds, The Doors, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, along with modern psych-acts like Foxygen and Connan Mockasin.
Lead singer of the New Jersey indie band Bad Bearth, known as LJA, officially launched a DIY solo career in March (as LJA) with the release of his debut EP, Homely.
The EP is a mix of genres, styles, and sounds, including pop, soul, R&B, funk elements, but they are so finely mixed that it’s sometimes hard to easily distinguish them and yet you know they are there.
Moments of Beck-inspired sound effects also pop up here and there throughout, but never in an excessive or annoying way. Therefore, Ogawa is doing things that are not run-of-the-mill.
The EP features indie bedroom pop tracks like the experimental, hazy, lazy psych love song, “Across The River,” complete with tweaked out sound effects and somber vocals.
MP3: “Ginger Tea” – LJA
There’s also the interestingly-arranged “Creepy,” with its quick downbeat and repetition of the lines: “who’s watching me?” – similar, supposedly, to a mix between early-era Pink Floyd (when Syd Barrett was still with the band that he started) and Mac Demarco with bits of soul and R&B sprinkled in.
Others include the chilled, soulful, “Ginger Tea,” and the ironically – if slightly – brighter riffs and beats of “Dark Ice” and “Gloom.”
Nevertheless, the Hoboken musician prefers to describe his music as “DIY dark bedroom pop.” Ogawa played, recorded and mixed all of the instruments on the EP, qualifying him for ‘one man band’ status.
Ogawa’s top musical influences include Beck, Mac Demarco, Jakob Ogawa, and The Gloomies.
Chemist is a Denver rock band that has seen a steady rise in their fanbase and coverage since forming in 2017. That laid the way for the release of the band’s debut album, Reflect, earlier this year.
We’ve been listening to it on Bandcamp for weeks, and it’s still rocking. Is time the test of good music?
MP3: “Dissipate” – Chemist
The band’s fans agree. Standout tracks include “Dissipate,” with its heavy distortion, chunky rhythms, Tool-like vibe, and big rocking hooks.
The same is true for the explosive title track. Other tracks that will likely please their fans at live shows include “Jaded” and “The Road.”
The trio was formed when brothers Myles Cook (guitar) and Elliott Cook (drums) recruited bassist William Roland. The band’s influences include Incubus, Tool and The Beatles.
While on tour last month the band was in an accident while traveling across South Dakota. All of the band members are fine.
The first DIY indie rock songs playlist for May 2019 features fresh tracks from the following indie artists and bands. There is a full playlist at the end of this post for uninterrupted streaming of the featured tracks.
Note: For some reason the song files are not showing up in some mobile browsers. We’re working on fixing that.
J.B. Boone – El Paso, Texas
Summer Colds – Ashland, Oregon
Mini Trees – Los Angeles, California
The Engine Above – Vancouver, British Columbia
Holden Laurence – Cleveland, Ohio
Hausers – Milan, Italy
Ronan Conroy – Brooklyn, New York
Submit your music for review.
The Texan songwriter and musician J.B. Boone has released his anticipated new single, “The World Shrinker,” from his upcoming EP, Severe Adventures. The upbeat, almost joyously musical track is not one-dimensional, however.
“This song is about overcoming unhealthy dependence,” he said. “For some, your ‘World Shrinker’ might be a spouse, significant other, or family member. For others, like my father, it could be his past with substance abuse.” The single “pushes you to overcome the fear and anxiety that comes with chemical dependence.”
Born and raised along the U.S. border in El Paso, Boone is currently in L.A. working on his next release.
His experiences, combined with his mixed heritage (he is half American Indian and half Caucasian), give Boone a unique perspective on life. The songs on the EP “reflect his mixed heritage, spanning multiple genres, yet they all seamlessly tie back his unique sound.
Boone’s biggest musical influences, he said, are Lumineers; Bob Dylan; Shakey Graves; Ben Howard; The Head and The Heart; Dirty River Boys.
A graduate of Texas A&M, Boone grew up in a musical family. His musician father, who plays banjo on one of the EP’s tracks, helped him greatly to develop his skills and his own style and sound. He spent time studying in Jordan, where new experiences shaped his songwriting.
“I just think our lives here are severe adventures, with hurricanes and celebrations and ecstasy and deadly boredom with ourselves and others, with some people living through it while others don’t.”
Seeking to change musical direction from folk rock to indie rock and power pop, Ashland, Oregon guitarist and vocalist Nic McNamara formed a new band, Summer Colds, in 2018.
Since then, the three-piece band has worked on songs, rehearsing and recording. The result of the trio’s labors will be available on May 31st via the band’s debut LP, Here Comes Nothing.
The band’s intrepid debut single, “Whiteout,” is an upbeat, hook-driven chugger that blazes right out of the gates with driving layers of guitars, dope bass line and nicely timed drumming.
After leaving his former folk rock band, Black Bears Fire, McNamara set out “to bring to life a heavier sound” and recruited two musicians to fulfill that vision; drummer and vocalist Claire Burgess and bassist Nicole Swan.
Summer Colds has opened for other bands like Slow Corpse, Old Year, Calyx, The Juniper Berries, Yr Parents, and Glacierwolf. Their musical influences include Weezer, White Reaper, Surfer Blood, Pup, Brand New, and Wavves.
Mini Trees is the brand-new musical endeavor from LA alt and indie pop artist Lexi Vega. Her latest single, “Steady Me,” is a dreamy indie-pop track that shows her growth as a songwriter in just a year.
On “Steady Me,” she is optimistic about a new relationship and yet fully aware of the problems that inevitably befall all relationships.
While the song has a dreamy, “all is ok,” cadence to it, the instrumentation and Vega’s vocals display an underlying melancholy that sits right under the seemingly bright surface of the song.
Previously, Vega’s musical endeavors revolved around her role as a drummer. But during the past the past few months, she’s been dropping her own material.
The unveiling of Mini Trees, however, brings forth her skills for songwriting and melodies. Her self-titled debut will drop on May 24th.
The Vancouver progressive rock DIY band The Engine Above dropped its enthralling new EP, Savage Fingers, today.
The lead single, “System Paradigm,” is an aspirational track featuring a mix of prog rock, indie, and alternative. It has a theatrical quality to it with an early 1970s prog signature.
“It’s the second piece of a puzzle to a much greater picture of a nautical world with the introduction of new story elements,” said vocalist and keyboardist Jeremy Tardif (formerly Jeremy Tardif Band).
The Savages Fingers EP, the band says, is a “thematic continuation” of the earlier Pilot EP. The Engine Above mixes various subgenres of rock like indie, prog, melodic and alt. rock.
The rest of the band includes drummer Earl Heath; bassist Doug MacPherson and guitarist Kerry MacPherson. The band’s musical influences include Peter Gabriel, Rush, Tool, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa, Sibelius, Miles Davis, Monk
Cleveland indie artist Holden Laurence’s new sophomore album, Rewire, is full of big melodies and dark romance from a tapestry of 80’s-heavy rock, new wave, indie, post punk and alt. rock influences.
One of the lead tracks, “Shadows of Old Love,” is a mysterious indie rock love song with brooding percussions, mood-shifting guitars, and Laurence’s somber vocals. It’s interesting how Laurence conveys a balance of dread and optimism musically and lyrically.
Just like for his debut LP, Laurence once again worked with drummer Michael O’Brien of The Modern Electric. Rewire was engineered, mixed, and mastered by Shane Olivo, in partnership with executive producer Dr. Michael Bell.
With the exception of drums and percussion, McNamara performed all the instruments on the album. On Rewire, Laurence expands his musical and emotional palettes with walls of synths and glassy guitars and driving grooves.
Rewire is the follow-up to Laurence’s acclaimed debut, Wild Empty Promises. The album drops to drop on May 10th with a release show on May 17th featuring Niights and Punch Drunk Tagalogs.
Laurence’s debut album put him on the map of Cleveland’s music scene and garnered widespread praise for the unique combination of 80’s alternative and new wave together with “vivid, vulnerable songwriting.”
The band also has another single out, “Speaking in Tongues,” which it says is a ‘road trip song.’
Hausers is an anonymous outfit from Milan. This means they keep their names and faces hidden. But what’s to hide?
The band fuses indie-rock with art to make something unlike we’ve ever seen before. It’s ego-free music that worries about creating art – visual and audio – above everything else. It’s refreshing to see that approach in the current era of music.
“We take a different approach to music creation and how we present our band,” says the band. “But this is by design and we would like to see our music speak for itself. You can feel this spirit in ‘Tokyo’ and we look forward to seeing how it’s received.”
From what we know about Hausers, the band is a trio that started in 2016. The artists behind the music have rarely met in person and they do most of their work at their homes before fusing it together.
Brooklyn-based ‘dark indie’ songwriter and vocalist Ronan Conroy is set to drop his fifth solo LP, The Moment Is Gone, on May 30th.
The album, he says, “examines interpersonal and family relationships, the personal traits we inherit and develop and how we struggle with them, and the yearning for love and redemption.” The lead single, “Burn The Cane,” relates to the burning of sugar cane in the south, Conroy says.
The songs were written and recorded between September 2014 and October 2018, featuring musicians Ronan regularly works with Charlie Nieland (guitars, bass, keys, synth, drums) and Justin Wierbsonki (drums), with Ronan on vocals and guitar.
His first few solo albums, released over the past decade, were what he calls “dark indie”, is the predominant style on his records. For this sound, he draws from influences like The Band, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Bob Mould, David Gray, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan.
Growing up in Ireland with four brothers, his parents played everything from traditional Irish folk music to Simon and Garfunkel in the house.
He first started playing guitar and songwriting at the age of 15 and was introduced to a range of influences from 80s new wave to post-punk to metal and grunge.
He learned to play guitar from books, school friends and listening to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and John Lee Hooker records.
Conroy played in a number of bands previously including The Listeners, Lovemyth and Oh Halo from which he began experimenting with new guitar styles that inform his playing to this day.
Indie Rock Cafe’s latest new playlist of DIY indie songs from the following artists and bands:
FantasticBoom – Dallas, Texas
Jingo Kong – Bergen, Norway
Under The Rug – Los Angeles, California
Kris Kelly – Brooklyn, New York
Shockmop – Brooklyn, New York
Dusty Cubby – Everett, Washington
Having left behind work on a PhD in the philosophy of religion to pursue music, Dallas songwriter and musician Mark Cuthbertson established a moniker, FantasticBoom.
After many months of work, including help from some reputed fellow musicians, Cuthbertson emerges with the new debut album, How To Build A Hole, featuring standout singles like the impressive overall production of “Gabby”; the captivating “I Thought I Could Save You” and the intoxicating, slow-burn of “Meg.”
The songs for the album were “written purely on acoustic in order to ensure substance, then recorded as peculiar sonic colors,” Cuthbertson says. “The lyrics are about things that ache me: epistemology, theology, heartbreak and my substantial failings.” (Ouch, don’t be so hard on yourself dude.)
Cuthbertson, who plays almost every instrument but drums, received top-notch help from respected musicians like Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev and Midlake) on winds and acoustic piano; Bucky Wheaton (Land of Talk) on drums, and Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes) on production.
His musical influences include Talk Talk, Broken Social Scene and Radiohead while his music itself crosses genre lines from indie rock to alternative to indie pop. The album dropped in late January and is well worth a listen on Bandcamp.
Norweigan singer/songwriter and musician Per Vidar Staff has premiered his debut track, “Olivia,” under the new moniker, Jingo Kong, the former name of the long-time band PV & The Hehehes.
The song is a heartfelt, poetic and beautifully crafted acoustic track, featuring just Staff himself on guitar and vocals. “Olivia” has been featured on a number of Spotify playlists, music blogs and Norweigan radio.
In addition to performing in his native country and Europe, Staff has also performed in the U.S. as a touring musician.
It was then that he met Grammy-winning guitarist and producer Paul Nelson (Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy) in 1999 during the recording of Staff’s debut EP and invited him to the studio. During that session, Nelson ended up playing guitar on the track, “Summerdays.”
The song went on to become something of a hit record that summer in Norway and was used in a popular TV commercial.
Jingo Kong is set to drop more new and exciting singles throughout 2019. You can follow him on Facebook.
Based in the sprawl of Los Angeles, alt-rock DIY band Under The Rug’s signature sound is an eclectic mix of rock and 90’s grunge.
This is clear on the band’s latest single, “Manila and Grey,” from the band’s recent album drop, Pale King. The song is a slow-burning, angry rocker with psych and blues guitar influences and anguished vocals embellished by heavy percussions and organ grinds.
Bassist Jesse Holsapple says the song is about working a long day at the office and the frustrations it brings on people. “It’s a concept album about day jobs…[and an] honest complaint about the way it feels to be part of the awkward working class in the US at the moment.’ The band self-produced its debut album.
UTR first formed (originally under the name Moo) in 2012 when UC Santa Cruz students Casey Dayan (lead vocals, guitars), Sean Campbell (guitars) and Brendan McQueeney (drums, percussion) realized a shared love for classic rock, grunge and funk/soul music.
Holsapple met Dayan in another band before joining UTR. A few years ago the band moved to LA to be around a bigger audience and greater opportunities.
They are influenced by bands such as Alabama Shakes, Soundgarden, Jeff Buckley, Pearl Jam, and mewithoutYou, and say they blend “the do-it-yourself attitude of bands like Vulfpeck with modern alt-grunge rock.”
Brooklyn-via-Austin singer/songwriter and musician Kris Kelly moved to NYC at the age of 17 to attend New York University, where he majored in classical vocal performance and music composition.
During that time and in more recent years, Kelly has performed his compositions for a range of instruments from voice and flute to violin and guitar.
Now, some years later, he is reflecting back on his youth and his roots on the emotional song, “Birthplace,” from the new album, Runaways.
Throughout the song, Kelly explores the idea and concept of examing one’s birthplace and “what that means on a deeper level.”
The indie-folk elements nicely complement Kelly’s thoughtful lyrics and the official music video for the song (which runs six minutes longer) is provocative, strange and visually compelling.
Kelly then spent five years traveling through South America with just his guitar and a suitcase. Spending most of his time in Argentina and Brazil, he met his husband, and through his experiences, along with “love, loss, discovery, and growth,” wrote Runaways.
Contributing artists where many: John Philip Shenale (Tori Amos) on string/wind/horn arrangements; Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco) on bass; Brian Griffin (Lana Del Rey) on drums; Dave Levita (Alanis Morrisette) & Benji Lysaght (Father John Misty) on electric guitar, and Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple) on keyboards.
Kelly self-produced the album and it was mixed by Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Andy Shauf).
Shockmop is a three-piece indie rock band from Brooklyn that is taking on the DIY scene from all sides, including releasing a new, and original, video for the mainly acoustic track, “Condoleeza.”
Shot in Ridgewood, New York, the video follows band members through various scenes in an apartment complex without the usual editing of big-budget music videos. The effect works.
“[It] was One-take, one performance and all the happy accidents and limitations that come with it,” vocalist and guitarist Jacob Goldfine said. “Collaborating with New York DP Armaan Virani, the band broke into the drummer’s apartment, scaled ladders, and sprinted across rooftops to capture the live rendition on video.”
The other two band members are Sean Mowry (drums) and brother Sam Goldfine (bass, vocals). The band actively performs at venues across Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The band is currently in the process of recording a few new tracks which we plan to release over the course of Summer 2019. They also made a sweet cover of The National’s “Sorrow.”
While we have never been big fans of most emo pop, every once in a while there is some that filters through. Lately, we have been listening to some tracks from the new album, Town Story, by Seattle trio Dusty Cubby.
The tracks that have grabbed our attention the most are “Everett” (an emo ode to the Washington city of same name) with their rawness, lo-fi poeticism and emotions-on-sleeve brevity.
They also do a pretty interesting cover of Lil Yachty’s “Minnesota.”
The band members are Cade Miller (guitar, vocals); Danny Schwartz (bass) and Kade Samson (drums).
The new music video for Irish artist Hozier’s single, “Almost (Sweet Music)”, is out and has racked up over 600K views in less than 48 hours. The song is off of Hozier’s sophomore album Wasteland Baby.
The video also features the impressive moves of famed tap dancer Leo Manzari, also a musician and actor. It was directed by Blythe Thomas.
