As another year winds to a close, more diy/indie music videos from our submission box are being uncovered.
Here are some more of our favorite 2021 indie music videos that came from the box.
Check out our latest video posts for more and subscribe to IndieRockTV.
This playlist features 2021 video singles from PLSR; Adar Alfandari, POENO, Braison Cyrus and Fortitude Valley.
WHO: PLSR featuring Brandon Mordecai (Keys and Synths); Andrew Royal (Guitar); Joel Kaiser (Vocals)
WHAT: Video/single “Heat” from Pleaser
WHERE: Nashville, TN
WHEN: Aug. 28 2021
GENRE(S): rock,pop,lofi,synt,altr
Nashville-based virtual band, PLSR, presents the fourth single, “Heat,” off of their upcoming EP, Pleaser.
The song integrates synthetic elements from Mordecai and wonderfully mangled guitars from Royal to create a bubbly, lo-fi bed for the vocals of frontman Joel Kaiser.
According to the band, “Heat”‘s lyrics “explore the sudden onset of claustrophobia in a close relationship.”
Self-identified as “a dadaist alt-rock group” the trio formed PLSR in 2019 to write songs about three fictional characters living on a space ship PLSR.
The songs chronicle “the various misadventures of Zyon, Jasper, and Dez” caught in a dystopian future. The bands top influences include Gorillaz, Radiohead, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
instagram.com/plsrmusic
WHO: Adar Alfandari
WHAT: “Wonder” single and video from Gold Dust
WHERE: Rehovot, Israel
WHEN: July 31, 2021
GENRE(S): pop,folk,altf
Adar Alfandari is a 25 y/o singer-songwriter from Rehovot, Israel who writes music in both Hebrew and English in various genres- mainly indie-rock and folk.
His debut album, Gold Dust, is an anthology of writings revolving around Alfandari’s languages and genres. He says “Wonder” is “the album’s "love song" written in my own kind of way, and is more of an indie-pop song, with a C part that gives it an alternative twist.”
Alfandari previously played with Dor Hamabul along with his brother. They released an album, gigged around Israel and received a number of good indicators.
He is a fan of, and influenced by, musical artists and bands like Hozier, The tallest man on earth, The Arcs, Arctic Monkeys, and Father John Misty.
instagram.com/adaralfa/
WHO: POENO
WHAT: “Alive” Song and Music Video (Lived by… (EP))
WHERE: Dublin, Ireland
WHEN: June 6, 2021
GENRE(S): alt, rock
“We are outsiders done with old, useless, ill-fitting moulds,” says Dublin guitarist and vocalist Adam Matthews together with his bandmate and multi-instrumentalist Liam Corbett.
“We find turning points even in the most difficult of times. We can take control and cast-off oppositional forces. We can declare that we are here, awake, and new. We can begin again, alive.”
That sounds like a pandemic breakdown, and breakthrough, of sorts.
“We write songs out of our own necessity. There is an urgency in the expression… simmering in electronic soundscapes while anthemic statements coalesced.”
The duo dropped their Lived By EP in August. They are influenced primarily by Kate Bush, Matthew Good, Joni Mitchell, Trent Reznor, Depeche Mode, and Radiohead.
instagram.com/phoenomusic/
WHO: Fortitude Valley featuring Laura Kovic (vocals, guitar, key); Daniel Ellis (lead guitar); Greg Ullyart (bass); Nathan Stephens Griffin (drums)
WHAT: “Cassini” music video
WHEN: September 24, 2021
WHERE: Durham, United Kingdom
GENRE(S): rock,pop
The video single “Cassini” is a scorching mix of slacker-rock and power-pop that the band says recalls “the eponymous satellite’s lonely final days and fiery self-sacrifice,” referring to the 2017 expiration of the Cassini-Huygens space research mission that began in 1997.
The four-piece band, known as Fortitude Valley, is a dynamic outlet for the songwriting talents of Durham-based Brisbanite Laura Kovic.
Having spent the majority of her musical career playing keyboards in various bands, Kovic’s awkward power-pop sound will likely be welcomed by fans of The Beths, Weezer or The Weakerthans. Martha’s Daniel Ellis on lead guitar and Nathan Stephens Griffin on drums along with Night Flowers’ Greg Ullyart on bass.
instagram.com/valleyfortitude
Braison Cyrus – “Disappear”
If you’re looking for an easy-going Americana-flavored singer-songwriter, and you don’t already know Nashville artist Braison Cyrus‘ music, check out this track and more of his music online.
For us, the fact that his parents are celebrities – and he is one himself in his own right – does not calculate into assessing his music one way or another.
The opening energy of his song, “Disappear,” is touching, but once the steel guitar and the piano enter the picture, well then, it’s a different level of good – it’s great.
Altogether, the track feels like it’s from another era but with a modern production aesthetic that really makes it pop beautifully. The story is about faithfulness to someone in the midst of the everyday grind – its salt-of-the-earth philosophy and country-rock charm make it a keeper.
