The Best 2020 Indie Rock Songs playlist series continues with 10 more of our favorite tracks of 2020.* If you haven’t year heard the popular first 2020 best indie rock songs or the amazing second volume, you definitely want to start with those playlists first.
Highlights of this third volume of Best 2020 Indie Rock Songs include selected songs from popular indie rock veteran bands and newer DIY artists and bands you may have never heard of before. Local Natives scored an unprecedented second No. 1 for the year on IRC Top 10 Songs playlists, this time around for “Statues in the Garden (Arras)”.
Additional standout 2020 indie songs include releases by Sasha Raven; Dan Rose; Wire Crow; Hush! Noise; The Blue News; Bekim!; and Argonaut & WASP. Below the playlist, we added some general short notes about each track.
* Of the songs the staff has actually heard in 2020, including submissions from DIY artists and bands. This playlist also makes up the Top 10 Songs playlist for November 2020. See more Top 10 playlists here – but only after streaming this bomb mix.
Best 2020 Indie Rock Songs, Vol. III
1. Local Natives topped another one of our Top 10 playlists for 2020 with the second single, “Statues in the Garden (Arras)” from their spectacular new LP. 2. DIY discovery via IRC exclusively – the dreamy love pop of musician Sasha Raven 3. Lovingly stripped-down DIY single from (hints of green day; but not in an exploitative way) Dan Rose 4. A ‘new discovery’ for us in 2020; reminds us a lot of the NYC band The Rassle. Good stuff. 5. Stripped-down melodic acoustic strings with whispery, innocent-esque vocal iterations and sweet lyrics 6. We really came to dig this soft, spooky, mysterious track fit for a creeper soundtrack 7. Yet another spooky single; quasi-dark-psych that packs more grit and power; hints of Bowie 8. This track is a nice picker-upper leaning towards trop-pop with a memorable riff and rhythm 9. Folksy acoustic blues riff that puts the listener right in the thick of it; about as organic as it gets 10. Upbeat soul and R&B-inspired beats; sweet indie-pop with sugar and range-shifting vocals
Despite the pandemic, there have been plenty of great indie rock bands and artists dropping singles. The Indie Rock Bands Spotlight series includes a new indie music playlist that features the following indie bands and artists:
Moonunitt – Ithaca, New York (“Dragon”) Strangely Alright – Tacoma, Washington “Maybe If” Adam Hill – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (“Magnetic North”) Hundred Miles High – Yorkshire, England (“Shine On”) Annabelle’s Curse – Bristol, Tennessee (“Thunder”) Operocia – Stockton, California (“We All Fall Down”) Ison Ava – Utrecht, The Netherlands (“Like Lightning to Ground”) Desmond Grundy – Toronto, Ontario (“Fifteen of Fame”) Jerry Impini – Brooklyn, New York (“Been Bad For Me”)
Moonunitt – “Dragon”
The upstate New York psychedelic rock/avant-garde outfit are so-called “anti-heroes performing a mix of original tunes influenced by its favorite artists: Phish, Flaming Lips, and Mac DeMarco.
Earlier this year Ithaca‘s Moonunitt dropped a 10-track album, Like A Dream, featuring a collection of demo-like tracks spanning the spectrum of psych-rock, pop, folk, tropicalia, and offbeat. The tracks span the timeline from 2018 through 2019.
The vocals are rough and really need work in most spots. Some of the top tracks include the psychy number “Dragon.”
Tacoma’s quirky indie rock band Strangely Alright has been pumping out mini indie gems for the past couple of years that we’ve been listening to their releases on Bandcamp.
The Washington state band just released the woozy – and a bit scary – song, “Maybe If,” an eight-minute foray into the zanny and partially demented minds of band members like the lead singer and songwriter, Regan Lane, as well as guitarist/vocalist Sean Van Dommelen; bassist Ken Schaff; keyboardist/vocalist Raymond Hayden and drummer Jason Bair.
Earlier in the year, the band dropped the super track, “Here.” Clocking in at nearly half the time as “Maybe If,” the second track may be more succinct for some listeners.
The band describes itself as “sonic time-travelers” who “paint paisley patterned pictures that shimmer with the 60’s mercurial blend of darkness and innocence; mesh psychedelia and pop melodies together; run rock muscle through the most danceable of tunes…”
Hundred Miles High – “Shine On”
Hundred Miles High is an English rock band from Yorkshire, England, formed in 2020.
The band’s lineup consists of veteran musicians who have played on the northern U.K. gig circuit for the past decade: Will Dunk (lead vocals); Paul Blackett (guitars and backing vocals) and Jonno Iliffe (drums).
HMH’s self-produced debut album, Boxfresh, is a collection of energetic songs full of swirling guitars, booming percussions, and intriguing lyrics on songs like the lead single, “Shine On.”
Unfortunately, as has been the case for tens of thousands of bands this year, the band cannot tour due to the pandemic.
HMH’s music is influenced by The Alarm, Hard-Fi, Big Country, and Oasis.
Annabelle’s Curse – “Thunder”
Musician Tim Kilbourne has released a number of compelling indie tracks with the band Annabelle’s Curse. Bristol, Tennessee -based alt-folk band Annabelle’s Curse isn’t so much a curse as a happy accident. A series of accidents actually.
One of the original group’s founders guitarist Zack Edwards explains that he showed up on the porch of the other co-founder Tim Kilborne (vocals, banjo, guitar) six years ago after being introduced through mutual friends at Emory and Henry College.
“We started playing music and I just never went home,” Edwards remembers. “We did that for a little while, writing songs on the front porch and playing open mic nights.”
A third member, bassist Tyler Luttrell, joined the group after a night involving mucho whiskey and a little sleeping in a Walmart parking lot.
Other members include Travis Goyette (drums/auxiliary percussion); Kirk Bagnell (auxiliary percussion); and Carly Booher-Edwards (mandolin, vocals).
One of the many memorable songs on the album is the spectacular number, “Thunder.” IRC wrote up a post about the album a couple of months ago.
Adam Hill – “Magnetic North”
Canadian folk/roots musician Adam Hill doesn’t seek out perfection; the world’s too complicated for that. He’s liable to pound random clusters of piano keys with an open palm if it makes music that feels good.
Mind you, he’s no slouch on his instrument. He knows his way around a guitar and can saw the heck out of a double bass.
There are no out-of-tune notes he won’t sacrifice in the interest of making honest music.
The Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island, Canada) songwriter is also a multi-instrumentalist, performing all notes for the bass, guitar, and piano on this uplifting, keeper track.
Operocia – “We All Fall Down”
In California, the Stockton alternative rock band Operocia is comprised of five friends who grew up together through high school and the years to follow.
For the past decade, the band has been knocking out the numbers and attracting crowds at shows and festivals.
The band’s latest release is the impressive lead single “We All Fall Down” from Operocia’s self-titled EP.
Two initial members, and brothers, Chris Hunter (vocals/guitar) and Jeremy Hunter (drums) started playing music as kids.
In high school, they met Michael Olson (bass) and Danny Marks (guitar). That was the true start for the band, but they were only fully Operocia when keys were added, commanded by Mike Soria.
Playing songs with melodic structures and heavy drum patterns, the band members are fans of Thrice, Manchester Orchestra, Brand New, and the Deftones. Additional influences include Explosions in the Sky, Circa Survive, and MuteMath.
Ison Ava – “Like Lightning to Ground”
Ison Ava is the pseudonym for indie/alt. rock guitarist, songwriter, and singer Wiard Jorritsma.
A resident of Utrecht, The Netherlands, Jorritsma’s music is characterized by his atmospheric guitar playing, melancholic lyrical themes, and a touch of electronics.
This is evident in the striking single, “Like Lightning to Ground.” He also recently released another single, “Eternity.”
A multi-instrumentalist, Jorritsma plays guitar, synths, drums, and bass on his tracks and DIY mixes and masters.
Desmond Grundy – “Fifteen of Fame”
On the new album, Animals on the Farm, Toronto musician Desmond Grundy‘s straight-up, alt-rock guitar music creates and licking and keeps trucking on.
Tracks like “Fifteen of Fame” are seeded in the creatively-structured musical styles of the bygone British Rock invasion and throughout the wide spectrum of Americana and folk styles.
The song, Grundy says, is based on Andy Warhol’s famous quote about everybody gets 15 minutes of fame. Whatever the case, the track is sure to get your blood pumping.
Grundy has an accessible creative signature coupled with musical influences from the classic rock and new wave eras. The album will drop next month.
“This is a fun song of hope for troubled times,” he says. ” I would generally classify this song as modern pop-rock with an intellectual bent.”
Jerry Impini – “Been Bad For Me”
Brooklyn musician Jerry Impini is a classically trained pianist, singer, songwriter, producer, and recording artist. Impini is a multi-instrumentalist with proficiency on piano, bass, drums, and banjo.
The tantalizing single “Been Bad For Me” is the latest single from the release.
Impini was classically trained since the age of six. He took private piano, guitar, and voice lessons at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York and was accepted by audition into Fiorello LaGuardia School of Music and the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York City at age of 15.
He has opened for bands such as The Romantics, LA Guns and is primarily influenced by Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, the Stones, and many others.
Here’s another blazing indie rock genre-bending and blending playlist of new singles from indie bands across the U.S. and a featured new indie band from Glasgow, Scotland. Enjoy and please share with others. We appreciate it.
Art Feynman – Los Angeles, California (“I’m Gonna Miss Your World”) Ginger – Glasgow, Scotland – (“Gardens”) Magnum Dopus – Memphis, Tennessee (“Get Over It”) Easley Rider – New Orleans, Lousiana (“Mockingbird”) The Wind Chasers Cub – Long Beach, California – (“Gore”) Marcus Brookins – New Orleans, Louisiana (“So I Will”)
Art Feynman: “I’m Gonna Miss Your World”
Here We Go Magic frontman Luke Temple‘s new album Half Price at 3:30, under his moniker Art Feynman, first single “I’m Gonna Miss Your World” is making the rounds.
It includes the accompanying video directed by Caroline Sallee using stop-motion video. A press release lays out the Art Feynman persona: “As Feynman, Temple uses his dual persona like a needle and thread to stitch art pop, Nigerian highlife, worldbeat, and other less-heard genres into a musical quilt that displays his unmistakable guile and eccentric songcraft.”
Temple describes “I’m Gonna Miss Your World” as “a groovy number about missing someone and all the things that surround them.”
Sallee is also known as the musician Caroline Says. She had this to say about the “I’m Gonna Miss Your World” video: “I made this video during the first two weeks of quarantining. I think the lighthearted nature of it was my way of trying to stay positive during an unthinkably scary time.”
In terms of Temple’s solo work, this is his fourth album since 2013’s Good Mood Fool was released. In 2017 Temple released his first Art Feynman album, Blast Off Through the Wicker.
Ginger – “Gardens”
With a new booming track, the Scottish indie rock band Ginger was making waves in their local domain and beyond before the pandemic hit.
The indie band’s debut track “Gardens” was recorded at a small production studio in Edinburgh called Lost Oscillation and the video was filmed from the living room window of Robbie’s flat in the city center Glasgow during self-isolation.
“We’d initially planned on pursuing a totally different video concept out on location around Glasgow before the pandemic began to spread in the UK. I began to show symptoms and followed government guidelines to self-isolate, which put any plans of a location shoot out the window.”
During the lockdown, Orr asked the other band members to play their instruments in his front garden while he filmed from the window. “I interspersed some film of my garden, plants, and the neighbor’s cat, added vintage-style film reel effects, and we had a video.”
The band came together after meeting around the open mic circuit in Glasgow.
The outfit comprises of Robbie Orr on guitar and lead vocals; Alex Hesse on lead guitar; Garry Kyle on bass, and Claire Murphy on drums.
Ginger has played venues throughout Glasgow including King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Nice N Sleazy, The Old Hairdressers, and Oran Mor.
Memphis art-rock band Magnum Dopus quickly gained recognition in their hometown for their new wave indie groove rock sound. This is evident on the single, “Get Over It.”
“The track is our ode to disco,” says guitarist George Cole. “While there was a bit of Daft Punk influence musically, the song quickly became its own thing and a little rougher around the edges and rockier. The original idea was to write a song that would make people dance at our shows.”
“To flesh out the sound, Andrew also recorded bass and drum parts. Since the band didn’t exist at the time of recording, we didn’t have a particular sound we were going for, so the album is a bit of a hodgepodge of sound.”
The musical duo started out with Cole and vocalist Andrew McCarty who met through friends in a previous music project. After a year, the two recorded and released the recent full-length album, Hizumi.
The new album, Cole says, is a reconstruction of music and lyrics from a previous band that fell apart.
Easley Rider – “Mockingbird”
As a freelance pedal steel player, New Orleans musician Dave Easley has finally busted out on his own with the release of his new single, “Mockingbird”.
The track is brimming with various instrumentation and intriguing lyrics. Lead by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dave Easley, the band, Easley Rider, shines through as pros on this powerful track.
The other band members are Alfred Uganda Roberts (congas, frame drum, aux perc); Kass Krebs – vocals, aux perc; René Coman (bass); Doug Garrison (drums). Easley performs guitar, pedal steel, frame drum, aux perc. and banjo. Easley’s music is decidedly indie eclectic with influences of psych, folk and rock.
Easley has worked with a diverse range of musicians like Old And In The Way’s Peter Rowan (DharmaBlues); the Grammy-nominated Ruthie Foster; jazz drummer Brian Blade (Brian Blade Fellowship, Perceptual), and New Orleans blues musician Coco Robicheaux.
Easley is a veteran of the New Orleans music scene and has worked with local famous bands like Dr. John, The Meters, and The Wild Magnolias. He has also worked with Herbie Hancock, Leon Russel, Johnny Cash, and Elvin Jones. Easley’s lists his top musical influences as the Byrds, Grateful Dead, Dylan, Nick Drake, John Coltrane, and Dolphy.
The Wind Chasers Club – “Gore”
New wave/punk Long Beach band The Wind Chasers Club has released their new single “Gore” is a raging melodic kicker with a sugary punk edge.
TWCC was founded by Nicky Le Fou (vocals, guitar, synth) and is rounded out by GP Anderson on percussion and Josh Skinner on bass. Before the pandemic hit, the band was in Japan promoting their debut album Purgatory.
They have since released two singles, the most recent of which, “Gore” sugarcoats morbid lyrical themes with snappy melodies and masterful hooks. The band is known for its unique arrangements, demented tonal choices, and focused musicianship.
Based in the urban metropolis of Dallas/Fort Worth, musician Marcus Brookins gospel-leaning single “So Will I” is a blazing seven minutes of exploratory and experimental musings.
He enjoys writing and performing in different genres and writing music to inspire people. A strongly faithful man, his music is filled with messages and teachings of the good words.
As we slowly and carefully emerge, the newest batch of 2020 indie songs we’re listening to include the following artists, and most especially the newest from Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien. The full playlist for all of the songs in this post is featured at the end of the post for uninterrupted streaming. Please like and share this post (Like and follow on FB and Instagram )
EOB – London, England – “Olympik” Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – Los Angeles, California – “Phenom” State to State – Los Angeles, California – “Undead Love” Grenon – Manchester, New Hampshire – “Imaginary Friends” Alec Danger – Helsinki, Finland – “Ghost Notes”
Coming Up Next: Dream Pop Artists; IRC Indie Rock Showcase Hour; Top 10 and more album reviews from talented and exciting artists and bands you’ve probably never heard of before.
EOB – “Olympik”
EOB is the solo project of Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien who released his debut album Earth recently, featuring the new single “Olympik” that has a Zooropa-era U2 vibe.
He also recently shared the nine-minute long “Brasil,” via a video/short film. The song also featured Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, as well as drummer Omar Hakim and The Invisible’s guitarist David Okumu.
The was recorded in Wales and London and also features Laura Marling, Portsihead’s Adrian Utley, bassist Nathan East, and Wilco’s Glenn Kotche.
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – “Phenom”
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down’s new album Temple spawned the latest single and video “Phenom.” The video was shot via Zoom and features Thao Nguyen and various dancers broadcasting from their homes.
A regular music video was originally scheduled to be shot in late March but the covid-19 outbreak forced the team to improvise. Erin Murray co-directed and choreographed the video along with Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux and producer Victoria Fayad.
Nguyen issued this press release statement about the “Phenom” video: “We were due to shoot the video for ‘Phenom’ with Erin and Victoria in L.A. in late March. That shoot was of course rightfully canceled in mid-March, and the fate of any kind of video and release of ‘Phenom’ was very much in question.”
State to State – “Undead Love”
The new single, “Undead Love,” from the Los Angeles atmospheric alt. rock band State to State, is the latest booming track from the fairly popular southern California outfit.
The band was met with almost instant success thanks to their first hit singles “We Are The Reckless,” (featured on The Howard Stern Show) and “Get Away”, which spent seven weeks at #1 on LA’s legendary rock station, KROQ.
Another track, “The Shifter” is a crowd favorite and has some likeness you could say to the newest single.
Before the days of Covid-19, S2S sold out shows at the Troubadour and The Roxy and held residencies at The Hotel Café and The Viper Room. They also toured on the final Vans Warped Tour and appeared Milwaukee’s Summerfest.
Grenon – “Imaginary Friends”
Punk inspired pop-rock band Grenon consists of a rag-tag bunch of teenagers from Manchester, New Hampshire that says they suffer from “too many feelings”. That’s hard to tell on the new upbeat-sounding DIY pop single, “Imaginary Friends.” The band says the song is an “anthem for the lonely.”
The band is Kacie Grenon (lead vocals/guitar); Nick Turgeon (lead guitar, vocals); Zachary Stone (drums), and Spencer Gregory (bass, keys, vocals).
The single is the advanced track from the band’s upcoming five-song debut EP, mental hell[th]™, is set to drop in a few weeks.
It’s “edgy wholesome vibes” are likely to appeal to an indie rock audience that likes unabashed celebration and embrace of rock and pop sounds.
The song was released earlier this month, the band says, in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness month.
Alec Danger – “Ghost Notes”
A cosmic musiconaut residing somewhere between Helsinki & Berlin, Finnish musician Alec Danger operates at a rare intersection between prog rock, 80s-influenced pop, and electronic music.
With a sharp focus on the lyrics, he touches on themes such as the bleak and silenced nuances of human relations, anxiety, dystopian/utopian future visions & the dangers of the information technology. In addition to a failing marriage, Danger heart-broken and searching, wrote the new single “Ghost Notes.”
“I think the movie Her had a big influence on me as well as Orwell’s 1984. Back in those days, I felt like I had little control over my own life, neither in terms of technology, nor relationships, so I was mixing these themes while writing.”
The song started with a bass riff that he says “provided the harmonic frame” while the piano motif was built around the chorus. “It was originally just a power chord piano sample,” he adds.
At Kaiku Studios, in Berlin, he was “around the owners and industry stalwarts, Jonas Verwijnen and Janne Lounatvuori, and their support and advice helped me a great deal during the process. As a result, I cut out unnecessary parts of the song, worked on the structure & started using better, high-quality plugins.”
He also had access to vintage analog synths like the Roland RS09, Korg Trident, Roland Paraphonic 505 & Moog Taurus Bass Pedals.
“I thought that once I was in Berlin, I would be going all techno and using a lot of software but it turned out the other way around.”
Russell Ockmond and his wife are The Goldilocks Enigma, a musical ministry of sorts they say.
Their hippie-like new song, “Free Will Isn’t Free” is from a personal perspective of being outside and looking in on the current state of our world.
“Although humanity touts their superiority over the beasts of the field, we aim to wield our personal desire to be free to make any choices while discounting their obvious endings,” says Ockmond.
The single was recorded in southeastern Louisiana in a home studio with traditional stringed electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and drums using Sonar Platinum as the main DAW and mastered with Ozone 9 within Soundforge 13. It is just one of a 13-track album the duo plan to release soon.
“TGE stays away from utilizing auto tune although it can be tempting to ‘perfect’ our vocals we would like to keep the human feel of being sung in a shower, on a train, in a field, on a plane,” Ockmond says.
The newest indie rock songs playlist (#8) features a collection of talented DIY musicians and bands from around the states including:
Richard Berger – Los Angeles, California – (“It’s Not Gonna Go Away”) Anti Social Club – Washington, D.C. (“Empty”) Violent Vickie – Los Angeles, California – (“Serotonin”) Alejandra O’Leary – Portland, Maine (“Wires”) The Spiritual Leaders – Cavan, Ireland (“Picture on the Wall”) Jerry Impini – Dallas, Texas (“Coronavirus, God and the Devil”)
You can stream all of the songs in this playlist at once with no interruptions at the end of this post. Otherwise learn a little about these talented and exciting indie bands and artists first. Please share as much as you can. With think this is a good collection.
Richard Berger – “It’s Not Gonna Go Away”
A do-it-all wunderkind clearly influenced by other ‘one man band’ musicians, Los Angeles songwriter and musician Richard Berger draws from the psychedelic electronica of Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala and combines it with the soulful R&B pop of Stevie Wonder.
His newest psych-rock single, “It’s Not Gonna Go Away,” opens with soft vocals floating on dense, melodic layers of keyboards supported by a driving bass riff. Jangling guitars mix with Berger’s falsetto intones: ‘I wish I was younger’,
“It’s Not Gonna Go Away” is a languorous, dreamy take on synth-pop; the progression of the track is wistful and yearning, looking back at “the mistakes of youth and their imprints on middle-age,” he adds.
Berger was drawn to the piano and keyboards at a very young age. He started writing and recording music in high school with early influences like The Beatles, Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Tears for Fears, Level 42, and Ben Folds Five.
In recent years, he started listening to more indie artists like Tame Impala, Homeshake, Mac Demarco, Anderson Paak, and Bon Iver, and is constantly “looking for new music and other indie artists.”
“I don’t really think my music fits neatly into a single genre,” he adds, “it’s probably some blend of indie/alternative to psychedelic synth pop.”
His music clearly blends together elements from the wide range of his influences to create something new and unique. Currently, he is working on completing his first album.
The latest lead single “Empty” from Washington D.C. indie rock band Anti-Social Club went through nearly two decades of revisions before the final track came to fruition.
All of that time and work obviously made a difference. It’s a terrific song featuring entirely new electronic percussions; lead and backing vocals; fully-refined synths; ringing guitars and booming bass from Greg Guevara (lead vocals/guitars); Mike Murphy (bass); and Rachael Fuhs (backing vocals).
The band delivers a refined new 2020 single with expressive melodies and infectious beats alongside thoughtful lyrics and heartfelt vocals. These are the elements of their sound which the band describes as “indie/alt/goth rock, with a twist of synth pop”.
Keys and programming were provided by engineer/producer Peter Dowsett and mastering from Jer Olsen.
Their influences include The Cure, The Church, New Order, Depeche Mode, Love and Rockets, Pink Floyd, Joy Division, and Radiohead.
Violent Vickie- “Serotonin”
(Now the music changes and gets dark)
Los Angeles based darkwave/electro-punk artist Violent Vickie – who also describes her music as ‘witch-house’ – doesn’t pull any punches on her blazing new single and video, “Serotonin.”
On the gritty-like track and video, Vickie hits high and low vocal notes nicely against a wavy wall of droning guitars, booming beats, crunchy synths, and tight production.
The video is haunting and dark work of art melding her artistic and musical concepts into one. It’s smart, transfixing and raw.
The L.A. unit consists of Vickie (vocals, computer, synth) and co-producer/guitarist E. The track is the first single off of her new sophomore album Division.
Vickie has been largely influenced by the sounds of Crystal Castles, Skinny Puppy, Godlesh, Sunno ))), NIN, Yoko Ono and PJ Harvey.
She has also toured with indie bands and artists like Hanin Elias (Atari Teenage Riot), Jessie Evans, Trans X, Them Are Us Too, & The Missing Persons.
Alejandra O’Leary – “Wires”
There are not many women in rock n’ roll music, let alone women equally confident in pop or rock, in English or Spanish. Alejandra O’Leary was born to a Colombian mother and Irish father and her birth name seemed to check those boxes appropriately.
Having a different sounding name and being a woman of color both challenged and shaped her as she grew up listening to crashing waves and Beatles records.
Her newest single, “Wires” is a shoe-gazey twilight rock track from the album, Everest, which is full of distinctive ‘retro-nuevo’ sensibilities, “yet it’s all indicative of its creators spunky and soulful spirit.”
She refers to her band as a ‘pop-up project,’ asserting, “the improvisatory spirit keeps things fresh and thrilling. I find it to be the most enchanting way to create music.” The resulting recordings have a ‘live-wire’ feeling to them which is reflected in the songs on the album.
Growing up in Portland, Maine instilled feelings of being both a native and an outsider. “I’ve always been at home with messiness, big emotions, and uncertainty,” O’Leary adds. “I guess that’s why I like rock n roll.”
After moving to Santiago, Chile at age seventeen, she became infatuated with the idea of creating music and followed her muse across the world for a decade, releasing four albums of original songs, sharing the stage with Guster and Asobi Seksu, and drawing positive reviews.
The sound O’Leary cultivated during this time was an expansive mix of raw rock theatrics, anthemic Top 40 pop melodies, and soulful retro flourishes.
The Spiritual Leaders is an indie/alt. rock trio based in Cavan, Ireland with a vibrant sound, cool melodies and nearly unlimited energy.
The lads made a name for themselves around their region in recent years thanks to a local Origins scene and the band’s debut album.
Returning with the absolutely splendid new E.P. Albania Away, the lead single “Picture on the Wall” is one of our favorite 2020 DIY tracks from an overseas band to watch.
Multi-instrumentalist Fergus Brady (guitar, bass, keys), drummer Cathal Brady and vocalist/guitarist David Reilly are all solid musicians and definitely on the same wave length. Some bands are just lucky in that regard because it’s not always an easy thing to accomplish. Sometimes the chemistry is just not there.
The little three-minute indie gem is the opening track on the E.P. We recommend listening to the entire album; it’s simply that good. One of the best of the first half of 2020 (a year which will now always be remembered, alas, for one thing that literally changed the entire world within weeks).
Jerry Impini – “Cornovirus, God and The Devil”
The timely new single from Dallas musician Jerry Impini takes on the subject matter – coronavirus – that is part of all of our lives now whether we like it or not.
In an appropriate manner, Impini adds God and the devil to the mix, and for many, that is a too familiar, yet still surreal, thing.
Pianos and keys dominate this aptly suited piano rock and singer/songwriter track. Impini’s vocals, along with the lyrics, are somehow dark and aspirational at the same time. There are some 80’s-styled elements intertwined, including the mini guitar solos.
Impini began his musical education at the age of six years old and attended Fiorello LaGuardia School of Music and the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York City as a teenager.
He writes, performs, records and produces all of his own recordings.
These difficult times call for more and more great new music from DIY/indie musicians and bands that you’ve probably never heard of before in this indie songs playlist.
In This Installment:
Joneser – Kiev, Ukraine Delyn Grey – Toronto, Ontario Andrew Thoreen – Saint Paul, Minnesota Alex Izenberg – Los Angeles, California Falling Into Red – Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Joneser – “Miraline”
The Kyiv-based trio Joneser is the musical project of vocalist and songwriter Stas Verechuk. Joneser’s terrific new track, “Miraline” is something to behold and fitting for the times: dark but optimistic and hopeful.
The mix of indie electro-pop and R&B is done well; not a sound we often hear out of the Ukraine. The ringing of the calypso sound effect followed by warm synths and soothing choruses makes “Miraline” a standout track of the week.
“I wrote the song Miraline 3 years ago when there were terrible trials in my life,” says Verechuk.”At that time, after some very tragic events in my life and I started to have panic attacks and stopped sleeping. Waves of anxiety rolled one after another and I could not do my business.”
“I woke up at 5 in the morning, trembling under the covers and did not understand how I could survive this day,” he adds.
He realized that the only thing he could do is what he liked to do the most. “I paused the work for half a year, bought a motorcycle, installed Cubase 9.0 on my laptop and began to study it online eating tons of cherries.”
Verechuk produced a demo recording of the song, playing the guitar and singing all the vocals. In the ensuing three weeks, he wrote an album of 12 songs. “I was a lawyer from Kyiv (Ukraine) and I was 38.”
When he started the project in 2017, there was a “new wave of Ukrainian music based on indie and electronic sounds, heavy vocal lines and dreamy melodies. The trio also features Andrey Bogdanov (drums) and Alexey Yuriev (guitar).
The bold new single “Battle” the title track of Toronto singer/songwriter and musician Delyn Grey.
While strong and fearless, Grey’s music itself thinly veils an underlying darkness and vulnerability. Her sorrowful lyrics speak to the ‘battle’ of fighting things like depression.
Vibey alt-rock Grey’s distinct marriage of influences ranging from garage rock to R&B music makes for a revolutionary, angst-riddled, and compelling performance in-studio and on stage.
“I want to make music that’s fearless. I don’t want people to hear it and think I play it safe. I want people to listen to it and go, ‘That was heavy. Didn’t think it would hit me like that’ The cool thing is that I’ve had 12-year-old Disney-crazed kids and 55-year-old classic rock fans tell me they love it.
Her influences include mainly Nirvana, PJ Harvey, and Jeff Buckley. The other band members include guitarist Justin Abedin; pianist and keyboardist Joel Visentin; electric/synth bassist Kyle Tiexerira and drummer Chad Davis.
“When I turned 17 I fell into the heaviest depression, ever. I chose to take advantage of it, and what was trying to break me. ‘Battle’ is the product of my resistance, acceptance, and fight during that time. Vocalizing my frustration, fear, and anger is what eventually got me through it. My hope is that this song will find people that need it, just like it found me.”
Sound plays a much larger role in the ebb and flow of life on our planet than most people fully appreciate.
Andrew Thoreen – “Sum is On My Brain”
The moody track, “Sum is On My Brain” from the diverse and skilled Minnesota musician Andrew Thoreen is off of his E.P. Songs of Isolation for Rock Quartet.
“This song was written during a period of isolation,” Thoreen says. “It’s about the grief and anxiety that we all face in our number-driven world. Even though the sum of our progress and identity is important and gives us insight in many ways, ultimately the substance of the things we create is what gives us meaning.”
He says that he wrote the acoustic ballad-style number as a “reminder of the importance our culture seems to place on social media and ‘numbers’ – or ‘reach’ – that does not give us a meaningful identity or purpose. That has to come from somewhere else.”
Appropriate for these strange times, Songs of Isolation for Rock Quartet is a recommended listen for folks in isolation – a worldwide phenomenon affecting every country in the world; literally, billions of people share a common fear and change in behaviors because of Covid-19. We all know that the life we knew before February 2020 will never be again. This changes everything. T
Thoreen is a multi-talented musician and also an avant-garde traditionalist with outsider art sensibilities. He is involved in a number of other musical projects from the art-pop duo, Har-di-Har, to collaborations with J.E. Sunde, Eric Mayson, and John Mark Nelson, and his chamber-pop recording project, Andandending.
His music walks the line between experimental and pop, jazz and classical. Thoreen’s writing and arrangements in this group belie the depth and artistic temperament that isn’t often found in pop music — especially so early in a musician’s career.
Since 2015, he’s done session work and recorded for Eric Mayson, John Mark Nelson, J.E. Sunde, Kristin Andreassen, Sister Species, Adam Zahller, Waldemar, YYY, Caley Conway, Batteryboy, Eustace the Dragon, This is Daybreak, Dana T, and Brian Just.
Alex Izenbeg – “Disraeli Woman”
California indie singer/songwriter Alex Izenberg has dropped his first new song in years titled “Disraeli Woman.”
It’s the first release for the chamber pop/indie rock musician since his 2016 debut album Harlequin, and also features a B-side, “I Don’t Want You To Hurt Anymore”.
The Los Angeles-based musician said he “became emotionally unstable, beset by a failed relationship and inevitable post-debut questions about what came next” after his initial indie-level rise.
Izenberg went through a whirlwind of emotional difficulties during this time he says. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2012 and says music became his “lifeline.”
Regarding the accompanying video for the song, Giraffe Studios summed it up like this: “Our shoot was a joyride in a ’76 Cadillac gliding across Los Angeles with a Super8mm camera hanging out the back.”
“We started on a dewy morning in Chatsworth, Alex’s hometown, and ended 36 hours later with old friends under the pink glow of a magic Malibu sunset… We hope that this video serves as a peephole into the brilliant, spontaneous, and beautiful world of Alex Izenberg.”
Falling Into Red – “Reckoning”
Pennsylvania band Falling Into Red‘s blazing new single “Reckoning” is a dark, roaring rocker with cinematic arrays and blazing guitars that in some ways is fitting for the times.
The single is from the Pittsburg duo’s debut self-titled album.
“Don’t let the doubts creep in when your world is closing in,” says vocalist Amy Gainar. “The song combines the futuristic electronic sounds of the cosmos clashing along with more traditional hard rock instrumentation.
“These hard rock elements with supporting cinematic undertones are the core of Falling into Red’s sound,” she adds.
With a background in music theory and composition, vocalist and producer Scott Gainar worked diligently at recording, production, and mastering, while his wife Amy’s gifts include creative writing and lyrical abilities, in addition to her fine vocal work.
The duo’s influences include Breaking Benjamin, Alter Bridge, Starset, as well as various cinematic composers, including James Horner and Hans Zimmer. . Falling into Red’s tour plans are currently on hold and they are continually working on new music.
One of the best things to do when you’re cooped up inside is to give new indie music, artists and bands a spin. Many times, or some times (depending), you’ll be surprised how much terrific music and talent there is besides just the music and artists everyone knows already (which gets old fast).
Here we have music from our friends in Europe and across the U.S. The February Top 10 Songs playlist is late, but coming up soon.
Q-Bizm – Toscana, Italy Bif Naked – Vacouver, British Columbia Telamor – Boston, Massachusetts Empty Banks – Paris, France Philiac – Ibiza, Spain
Q-Bizm – “Warning”
Jazz-rock ensemble Q-Bizm, from Toscana, Italy, has shared some great mixed-genre jazz-rock with us, including the sizzling, if eerily titled, “Warning.”
Now we’d like to switch gears completely and showcase a great chill jazz track from the Italian musician Filippo Gaetani and the band Q-Bizm, who is also a member of the popular Italian indie-rock band SheLoom.
The wonderful jazz-infused rock of “Warning” is impossible to resist thanks to its upbeat and chill feel. The song was written and produced by Gaetani in Toscana with Thomas Murley assisting on vocals.
The band’s sound and style come from a diverse pot of homegrown funk, progressive rock, spaghetti western, film noir and acid jazz infusions and elements.
As longtime fans of jazz, it’s always nice to be able to sneak in a great track from a band that is not necessarily a rock or pop band, but also not a jazz band. The trio, which also includes guitarist ETN Hunyady and drummer Francesco Corrias first performed music together during the summer of 1996.
In 2003, Q-Bizm managed to record one album in 2003 (Vivid) with saxophonist Alessandro Riccucci, violinist Stefano Lunardi, and keyboard player Francesco Longhi (Dark Quarterer).
Q-Bizm’s musical influences include Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, Soullive, Jellyfish, Mezzoforte, Tauk, JagaJazzist, and Goblin.
Bif Naked – “Jim”
In the land north of America, Vancouver’s Bif Naked is known as a gold and platinum-selling rock star and songwriter, best-selling international author, cancer survivor, and one of Canada’s most recognized and well-loved celebrities.
The starlight’s new single, “Jim,” is the first single from her new album Champion.
Musically, the song delivers heavy layers of synths and sweeping rock guitars together with Bif’s impassioned, anthemic vocals -creating a feverish sonic effect.
It’s a song about loss and betrayal, she says – perhaps appropriate for our new world. “It’s about that disillusionment we all feel when someone turns into an imposter.
“It is the quintessential story of discovering a betrayal by ‘Jim,’ who is a villain. The song is totally about pain and facing it head-on.”
The accompanying music video for the single, directed by Doug Fury, features a blazing performance from Bif. For the entirety of her career, Bif has documented her journey in a deeply personal way – covering topics that allow her truths to be a source of empowerment and in alliance with her dedicated fans.
She has a blog on The Huffington Post and is a contributing writer to The Globe & Mail.
Telamor – “Wild Wild Weekend”
Boston musician and songwriter Telamor has been dropping interesting tracks left and right for years.
Telamor’s musical discography features a bunch of albums and songs that range from good ole classic rock to indie pop and borderline alternative rock. His passion for music seems to have no bounds.
His newest track is called “Wild Wild Weekend,” a raucous, energetic track. “In the studio,” he says, “I played the guitars, bass, and drums, and sang all the parts.”
Studio whiz Warren Babson co-produced, mixed, and mastered the track and guitarist Tony Goddess (ex-Papas Fritas), who contributed a killer guitar solo, also joined in. The song was arranged to have an alternative rock/classic rock sound, he says.
“I believe that songs are always works-in-progress and that a good song can be arranged in many different ways,” he adds.
As an example, he believes, every song should be playable with a super-simple “bare-bones arrangement.” There is also an acoustic version of the song recorded on a TASCAM 8-track machine.
Telamor says fans were suggesting he do a “heavier version” of the song. So, he got together with the same crew and re-recorded all the guitar tracks played through a Marshall stack. “Of course we saved Tony’s great solo! We also recorded a new introduction. On March 1, we released “Wild Wild Weekend (Metal Mix).”
“Now my fans have a choice of three different arrangements of “Wild Wild Weekend” – the original rock version, the unplugged version, and the heavy version.”
Empty Banks – “Where We Go”
Paris based/Missouri-raised folk pop singer/songwriter Bryan Taylor‘s new track, “Where We Go” is folk pop with emotions pouring out from the first notes. He records as Empty Banks.
“I often think about relationships from my past and what went wrong in each of them. What went wrong with me, them, or even just the circumstances? ”
“I look at the people that I have been with and I can’t say how lucky I am to have gotten to spend time with some of these amazing girls. But I was hard on them. I want to say it was because I wanted to get the best out of them, but I pushed too hard a lot of the time and wound up just being a dick.”
That is something that many guys wouldn’t say. The Kansas City-born and raised songwriter also found the writing and recording of the song a self-revealing process.
“The only thing I can think that I would ever want to do with my life is some good in the world… to leave it better than it is now,” Taylor says. “There are two ways I am going to do this, inspiring love and understanding through my songs, and making life better or easier for others.”
Taylor’s musical influences include Manchester Orchestra, Rancid, Matt Maeson, KALEO, Noah Kahan, Tom Walker, Pennywise, Dermot Kennedy, Broods, among others. In the past, he has volunteered to build homes in the Philippines for storm-ravaged communities.
Philiac – “Oil Wars”
Broadcasting from the Spanish island of Ibiza, the psych-rock band Philiac‘s new concept album, which they call “peyote rock,” consists of one long 39-minute composition titled “Oil Wars.”
According to the band, the E.P. is meant to be experienced in full, like a movie. The art-rock composition is in fact like a dream, complete with sequences, hallucinations, and nightmarish scenes. Altogether it’s a fantastic sonic journey and aptly fit for the times.
The band says the track “conceptually occurs during the ‘snooze’ period of sleep between alarm clock buzzers. It has been crafted to be a headphone ride on a thoughtfully lucid bad dream.”
The recording session took place at the infamous Rancho de la Luna Studio in Joshua Tree, California, with additional tracks recorded in Nagasaki, Japan, and Ibiza.
Philiac was dropped on Cassette Store Day and the cassette features two-color pad-printing directly onto the cassette shell. Each side holds the complete 39-minute composition of Oil Wars.
This week’s best new indie/alt/DIY rock songs playlist #4 features some exciting new, interesting and talented artists and bands.
As with so many of our playlists, this new batch of carefully-selected tracks once again shows that so, so many under-the-radar artists, bands and musical projects throughout the world don’t get a fraction of a fraction of the love that so many talentless Hollywood hacks with their cookie-cutter crap songs get every day. (Help us keep the fight going and submit your songs too).
Since 2007, IRC has easily featured thousands of indie rock, alt, and DIY artists and bands, as well as oodles of ‘sub-genre’ bands too, many who never saw as much high-level exposure as they have on IRC.
Commercial cookie-cutter music ain’t got nothing on the thousands of amazing and original songs posted on iRC during the past decade. Help spread great DIY music by sharing this post.
Alternatively, stream the full playlist uninterrupted at the end of the post. Enjoy!
In This Installment:
Bleach Day – Burlington, Vermont Nautics – New York, New York The Boring Tapes – Tokyo, Japan Joshua Ritchie – Toronto, Ontario Sonic Break – Vancouver, British Columbia
Bleach Day – “BBs in the Grass”
Vermont-based duo Bleach Day has dropped a slick new single, “BBs in the Grass,” the second from the band’s sophomore album, As If Always.
The gorgeous new track from the duo has a wonderfully jazz-infused vibe together with a shifting tempo and a smooth funky rhythm which altogether creates a warm chill experience. We just wish that the track went on for a couple of minutes longer.
This memorable 2020 track is buoyed by muffled, borderline chirred, vocals, plus moody piano keys, wobbling guitar techniques and audio morphing effects.
It’s no wonder why the duo, featuring musicians and producers Vinny Marksohn and Louie Kiley, are in demand among other artists and bands. They are not simply turning out tracks and throwing them over the fence. These are instead pieces of art.
The experimental, art-banquet-appeal of Bleach Day’s music has helped propel their reputations as cutting-edge musicians in Vermont, landed them a label contract, and increased their demand within the larger indie rock sphere of influence.
It only makes sense that a vivid and colorful song like “BBs in the Grass,” would be one of the first offerings from the band’s sophomore album. While the video is entertaining, the track by itself is simply golden.
As winter soon gives way to spring, all of the little pieces of the song and video production line up to make the timing nicely calibrated to the season. The band says the song “is reflective yet forward-looking.”
“It is celebratory, but accepting of the fact that you’ll soon be back in this very same spot – ending the cycle, so it can begin again.”
Nautics – “Post Madonna”
The sultry electro-pop track, “Post Madonna,” was recently featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds. While not for that reason, we couldn’t resist its infectious, pop-oozing grooves.
The track came by way of NYC indie pop band Nautics. It’s a gorgeous, heart-tugging track with thick melodies seeped in a traditional pop foundation.
The lyrics for “Post Madonna,” the band says, “speak to the idea of feeling lost but then finding oneself, whether you’re an alien taking in your new surroundings or a listener who’s coming to terms with self-awareness.”
Nautics was formed in 2014 by four high school friends: singer/guitarist Kenzo Repola and ably backed by Van Cameron on bass, Levitt Yaffe on drums and Amir Brivanlou on keys. The guys all met in high school and formed Nautics.
And they haven’t been just recording tracks. Nautics has performed at top NYC venues like the Bowery Electric, The Bitter End, Sidewalk Cafe, and Webster Hall – all before any of the members reached the age of twenty.
“Now I’m in a shitty teen rock band,” Repola sings on one of the band’s early songs, 2017’s “Cosmonaut.”
The band members continue to play gigs and record while attending college. While the track was originally released in 2019, it has found continued life into 2020. Their biggest musical influences are The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys.
Tokyo DIY outfit The Boring Tapes take us right into the big city nightlife with a woozy yet steely, clinical sound flowing with irresistible beats and synth feedback riffing.
caught our attention recently thanks to the amazing new track, “Butterfly”. If you dig synthwave and bedroom pop then you might just become a TBT fan/follower (you know, both those terms suck, but it’s all we have really).
The Boring Tapes was founded in 2018 as a bedroom studio project by artists Hiromu Koinuma and Sota Kodera. The duo is heavily influenced by U.K. and U.S. indie rock.
This is apparent on “Butterfly” as well as the duo’s experimentation with hints of shoegaze, lo-fi, hip-hop, and electronica, in addition to synthwave and dream pop.
Koinuma commands vocals, guitars, bass while Kodera commands chorus and percussions. Both add sounds on keys and programming. TBT music is influenced by bands and artists such as Washed Out, Tycho, New Order, Men I Trust, POP ETC, and Galileo Galilei.
Ontario-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Josh Ritchie breaks out on his own with the new drop of his solo debut single, “Louder.”
The fiery track lives up to the name with a forward-driving percussion, riveting guitar parts and an 80’s almost Jackson Browne vibe. This is the type of track that you put on to make you feel better in our troubled times.
“I was away at college, meeting new people, being out of the house for the first time and enjoying all of it,” Ritchie says.
“But it wasn’t the same. I was yearning for the familiarity of a close-knit group of friends; something I think all of us have felt at some point. So, really, ‘Louder’ is about that feeling of invincibility you get when surrounded by your people.”
“Louder” is the title track of Ritchie’s self-produced debut 10-track album. His instrumentation is full of blazing and stinging guitar rock coupled with poignant, care-free, and poetic lyrics.
In early 2019, Ritchie took to the studio to record his debut album. He was armed with the title track which he says inspired much of the album.
Ritchie’s recent album release party was sold-out as the title track was climbing into the Top 100 list of the 2020 CBC Music Searchlight competition.
It’s no big surprise that Ritchie gravitated to music; he grew up surrounded by music teachers, performers, and songwriters. Music has simply been a huge part of his life from a young age.
His love for music became a life passion and pursuit. Just 20 years old, Ritchie’s maturity and musical abilities are beyond his age.
He has also been working hard on his vocal skills, developing range and power in solo and choir and projecting from whispery vocals to boisterous roars. Ritchie is also a producer and engineer, and naturally as a one-man band solo project, he played, recorded and mixed all of the instruments.
Musician brothers Roary (vocals/guitar) and Jamie Mackay (vocals/guitar), together with drummer Ryan Grohn and bassist Ashish Shenoy, are the engine that powers the exciting Vancouver alt. rock band Sonic Break.
As apparent on the new single, “Spaceman,” from the band’s debut E.P., Is This An Intervention?, Sonic The band has a hard-edged rock drive with upbeat indie-pop elements.
In describing the origin of “Spaceman,” Mackay wrote: “We were making a conscious effort to write music designed to make the listener feel good and as soon as that first guitar riff hit [for ‘Spaceman’], we immediately knew we had something special.”
“The song is about that person you know in your life who is bursting with potential, yet has been struggling,” he adds. “It is an upbeat and hopeful song that chronicles that person’s refusal to let failure stand in the way of their dreams.”
The band teamed up with acclaimed Canadian music producer Darren Grahn (Metallica, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue), among others. With Grahn’s guidance, Sonic Break bursts out with lush, infectious indie rock/pop guitars, seductive percussion, and rich vocal harmonies.
Described as possessing a diverse and distinct sound, the band is keen on mixing components of other influences, including pop, grunge, and indie, but always with a rock base.
The band’s live performances have been described as exhilarating by fans and some press. Sonic Break’s debut single ‘Collide’ accumulated more than 50,000 streams on Spotify in just a few weeks.
IRC’s third new 2020 indie songs playlist selection series features artists and bands from across the eastern U.S. and the midwest.
In This Installment:
“Blud Muun” – Paul Traficanti (Brooklyn, New York) “Call Me” – Matt Alter (Charlotte, North Carolina) “Got No Luck” – The Black Mariah Theater (Kansas City, Kansas) “Shine For Me” – Castle Finn (Champaign, Illinois)
The haunting anti-folk single, “Blud Muun,” (“Blood Moon”) from Brooklyn musician Paul Traficanti, is a heartfelt homage to a life-long friend.
Strangely, this melancholy track weaves elements of a ballad, plus folk, rock, and lo-fi into an unconventional, comforting, albeit gloomy, recording.
Traficanti’s deep, gravelly vocals – which also have a touch of 70s AM singer/songwriter – are remarkably emotive without being over-the-top.
The echoing and reverb effects add a sense of distance, detachment, and suffering – thereby symbolizing Traficanti’s crushing pain. It creates an image of the artist stuck down in a dark well of mourning and loneliness.
Near the end of “Blud Munn,” the guitar and vocals kick into another gear as he expresses the confusing mixed emotions of angst and sadness for his, and others, sudden loss.
It’s not easy to describe how and why this song works because it is so different. It conjures up many musical adjectives and genres/sub-genres, and while it is unperfected, it is a beautiful anti-ballad.
Traficanti describes it as a “healing and introspection” piece that combines “the calm of a quiet valley breeze with the constant current that powers everyday life in the city.”
While the recording itself is brand new, the lyrics were first written five years ago after his friend suddenly and unexpectedly passed away.
“I was in shock after he died,” Traficanti told IRC. “It was the first time in my life where I had experienced grief and loss with no warning.”
For weeks, Traficanti could not pick up his guitar or do much of anything else. But, thankfully, time has a way of eventually softening the hard blows life serves up.
“A few weeks after he passed, I was finally able to pick up the guitar again,” he says. “It all started with the guitar part that has a kind of falling chord progression. I played that chord progression over and over because it made me feel better.”
According to Traficanti, the evening that his friend died, a rare blood moon adorn the canvas of the night sky. “If the skies didn’t say what the world had in play/the blood moon awaits on the night of the 8th.”
The vocal and guitar parts were recorded in Traficanti’s bedroom using a DAW with a cheap condenser mic. The DIY appeal is hard to miss, but not hard to love.
“I think that [the cheap mic] adds sincerity and rawness to the track and I’m glad it was done that way,” he adds. The demo-like aspect of the single is perfectly fitting.
The song was not meant to be all gloom, and in listening to it, that becomes oddly apparent. Traficanti says that he enjoys making music that leaves listeners “smiling through their tears.”
After teaming up with musician/producer friend Benjamin McCarthy, Traficanti was finally able to achieve the sound and affect that he wanted to convey.
Expanding on the themes and subjects of his idyllic, desolate songs, Traficanti writes: “[my songs] are personal anecdotes, inner demons, and conversations left unsaid” that are wrapped into “warm melancholic indie rock tunes.”
So far, he has just two singles: “Blud Muun” and “Letter for a Friend (I Never Sent).” The latter, and debut, track is a plea for reconciliation. Yet the sender is plagued with doubt and ultimately decides that the letter is best left unsent.
https://www.instagram.com/paultraf/
Castle Finn – “Shine For Me”
On these dreary days of February, as winter starts to wind down, indie rock band Castle Finn turns heads from the gloom to the light with the debut single titled, “Shine for Me.”
Illinois multi-instrumentalist (vocals, bass, guitar, keys, drums) and songwriter Patrick Murphy does it all on his new single complete with a twangy, ringing guitar, electro-pop keys, and an uplifting chorus.
“The song visualizes the return of joy after a spell of melancholia while on a day trip with friends,” Murphy says. “It’s about those special moments and people that make you smile and change your worldview.
The song adeptly conveys a place and time when and where sunny, oceanside and sand-filled memories of youthful happy times with friends are cherished, and desired once again, even though that is not possible.
Murphy played, recorded and mixed guitars, drums, keys, bass and vocals himself in his Champaign home. He derives inspiration from the natural landscapes and contours of his family’s farm, which just so happens to be the name of the band.
Castle Finn tours with bands like Woven Hollow and Nate Stauba across Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa. Murphy’s musical influences include Andrew Bird, James Jamerson, Tame Impala, My Morning Jacket, and Damien Jurado.
https://www.facebook.com/CastleFinn/
Matt Alter – “Call Me”
The introspective alt rock single, “Call Me,” from North Carolina musician and surgeon Matt Alter has an almost impossible-to-ignore vibe. The track is Alter’s first single from his commendable debut album, The Bitter Pill.
The song is a reference to a time when people used to call one another on the phone. Alter remarks that since his divorce a year ago, getting back into the dating game has been difficult and revealing.
“I have gone through a divorce,” he says. “It has been a while since I was back in the dating pool. Boy, has it changed.”
“Communication is mostly via text and messaging,” he adds. “It feels like no one picks up the phone to talk anymore. That was the inspiration for this song.”
Alter purchased his first guitar after high school, became self-taught after a few years and joined a band. But, as it goes for so many DIY musicians, life’s other priorities got in the way and the guitar was set aside. He went for his doctorate and got married.
“But the desire to play never left,” he says. “After I was set in my career, I found myself being drawn back to the guitar.”
Alter, who has also owned music schools in the past, said he has had opportunities to open for, and join, nationally touring bands. His biggest musical influences include Rush, Zep, Foo Fighters, and The Who. He also plays the bass and keys on the album.
https://www.facebook.com/MattAlterMusic/
The Black Mariah Theater – “Got No Luck”
With angst-fueled verve typical of young musicians with things to say, twin sisters, Analiese (vocals, drums) and Sophia (guitar) Motta, sping out a particularly enthusiastic brand of rock.
The Kansas City duo, known as The Black Mariah Theater, is a genre-bending force that mixes musical styles almost effortlessly.
Take their new single, “Got No Luck,” from the just-dropped L.P., Patron Saint. The sultry, moody and charged track is one of the standout songs on the album.
Their sparkly witch-rock sound, as it’s been described, is a brew of genre-bending “funky drum beats, jazzy guitar tones, and tell-it-like-it-is lyrics. Perfect for anyone who’s had a bad day, a lonely night or a broken heart,” as the girls put it.
“The mix of garage punk and jazz is something people would think might not work, but those were the styles of music we enjoyed playing and listening to,” Sophie says. “The incorporation of jazz into our music came from the idea that good music doesn’t fall into one genre.”
The sisters’ musical journey dates back to childhood when they were given an electric guitar and drum kit. Fueled by a love for The Blues Brothers, Green Day and The White Stripes, they had their own band by the time they were in middle school.
The duo is headed out for a two-week tour in March 2020 with shows in Denver, Austin, New Orleans, and Nashville.
