Death Cab for Cutie, David Byrne, Yo La Tengo, Japanese Breakfast, Sharon Van Etten and the Flaming Lips.
A festival line-up?
Nope. Rather the group of top indie artists all came together for the new album Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono a compilation tribute album “imagined and curated” by Death Cab’s Benjamin Gibbard and set to drop Feb. 18, Ono’s 89th birthday.
Also featured on the album of covers are US Girls, Jay Som, Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields), Thao, Deerhoof; Sudan Archives, We Are King and Amber Coffman.
Byrne and Yo La Tengo’s cover of “Who Has Seen the Wind” is out now:
A portion of the album’s proceeds will go to WhyHunger, a non-profit organization Ono supports. WhyHunger builds social justice and food networks to combat the roots of hunger and poverty.
Over the years, Ono has released a sizeable number of her own singles and albums that have made a variety of charts.
“As an advocate, the tallest hurdle to clear has always been the public’s ignorance as to the breadth of Yoko’s work,” he continued. “To put it into context, this is an artist whose output has run the gamut from avant-garde to bubblegum pop, often across a single album.
“For years, it has been my position that her songwriting has been criminally overlooked. She has consistently created melodies as memorable as those of best pop writers. As a lyricist, she has always written with poignance, sophistication and deep introspection.””
While we typically prefer instrumental post rock, Ward swayed us to change our mind. For “What is it Now”, the artist provides a sweeping sound that is only made better by his ethereal vocal parts. The track is a bit of mindfulness; a reprieve from a world burning with doubt. What Ward does so well is crafting a building space of peace and intention, while providing a sonic space to dream and even hope. We were reminded of 30 Seconds to Mars when we hear this track and cannot wait to hear more.
Flying Gravity – “The Rain is Coming”
Inspired by a coming storm, “The Rain is Coming” is a sweeping piece of sonic creativity. The artist offers a metaphoric soundtrack for the “storms” of our lives, while offering a small piece of shelter. The compelling bass offers a throughline sound in which the drums and guitars thrive. If we were to expose listeners to one track to properly showcase the style of post rock, it would be this one. The track soars and impresses.
November was not just a great month for regular single releases and album drops from more ‘mainstream’ and well-known indie/alt/rock/pop artists and bands, but also for DIY tracks submitted to us that most people haven’t heard.
If these DIY singles, skimmed from hundreds of submissions, did not have something interesting, redeeming or exciting about them, they’d never make our Top 10.
Don’t miss the Top 10 Indie Songs November 2021, featuring Holly Humberstone, Snail Mail, Black Marble, Courtney Barnett, Ovlov and Matt Pond PA, among others.
For the most part, we base our DIY picks mainly on what is submitted to us throughout the year. Sometimes it’ll be months after we first start listening to a song that it grows on us (or holds up as much as the first few exciting listens) – or weeks or months since the official release – and we become convinced of its place on the top of our DIY lists.
Of course, there are plenty of songs that we know right away whether we dig them or not.
Every song has been chosen for one good reason or another – it just feels/sounds good; the lyrics are impressive; the total production of the track is noteworthy; it has a hook; the song is a preview of an artist or band to watch, or all of them combined into one powerful track.
The one to ten format is not necessarily meant to be scientific or even decisive – it’s more of a loose assocation but we think the order is pretty solid.
* label-associated and/or ‘popular’/well-known
In This Installment of the Top 10 DIY Songs, November 2021:
#1 – Barrie BROOKLYN, New York
#2 – Cloud Vincent LONDON, England
#3 – RVST PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil
#4 – Drive NEW CASTLE, England
#5 – Dear Other STEUBENVILLE, Ohio
#6 – Atlantic Canyons MANCHESTER, New Hampshire
#7 – Remote Control RICHMOND, Virginia
#8 – Adam Stall COLDWATER, Ohio
#9 – Jarod Grice DENTON, Texas
#10 – Jared Rabin CHICAGO, Illinois
#1 – “Frankie” – Barrie
BROOKLYN, New York
Indie enthusiasts may – or may not – be familiar with Brooklyn indie band Barrie. For the past few years, the band has been ‘band to watch’ favorites for many blogs, especially thanks to singles like “Canyons” and “Drag” and 2019’s “Dig,” – Barrie’s last single until now.
The band’s latest drop is the melodic single “Frankie” swirling synths and a driving hook. Check out the video above.
According to the band, “Frankie” was inspired by songwriting legend Glen Campbell.
“Glen Campbell had just died and the radio was playing ‘Wichita Lineman.’ It felt relevant to the social justice movements at the moment, to the push for democratic socialism, or at least a rejection of capitalism and where it’s gotten us,” Barrie explains in a statement.
“The Wichita Lineman has a shitty oppressive job that isolates and overworks him, as many Americans do, and instead of feeling outraged on his behalf we honor and lionize his commitment to labor. The song is a great litmus test. People either find the character really heroic and noble, or find the whole situation sad and fuk’d.”
#2 – “Can You Get Over Him?” – Cloud Vincent
LONDON, England
“Can You Get Over Him?” is for people who love a bit of indie, pop, and rock, with some singing/rapping, and an infectious groove. The song focuses on this summer sound, while detailing a story of a new relationship.
The single comes byway of Cloud Vincent a 23-year-old musician born in the U.S. and currently based in the U.K.
His sound revolves around catchy cheeky lyricism and warm vibes – “for sunny days with an indie-pop take on capturing summer nostalgia.” This new track is the first single from his upcoming 2022 EP.
#3 – “My Violent Friend” – RVST
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil
The powerful powerpop anthem ‘My Violent Friend” from Brazilian band RVST delivers a catchy and contagious chorus with a theme that ” celebrates the taking of the streets and the fight between the distorted views imposed by ultra-conservative rulers.”
RVST is the cryptic rubric that has been around the few rock venues and music-friendly spaces in Porto Alegre, Brazil, since 2015. Idealized as Rust Costa Machado’s solo project, the singer-songwriter has dedicated his efforts to tiny-lenght minialbuns (EPs, if you will), where he finds room the creations of his short trajectory.
Whether for his manipulation of duo vocals, on the combination of nostalgic and fresh melodic designs, or on the employment of the second language (English, the one he works with, as a teacher for Brazilians), RVST presents on his discography an original style of making the music he loves – ambitious, universal, yet bedroom pop.
Spot somewhere between the solemn and visceral, his third release Electrified dropped in October.
facebook.com/rvstmusic
#4 – “The Rain” – Drive
NEW CASTLE, England
The nostalgia-tinged single, “The Rain,” from the 80’s-influenced New Castle, England duo of Jake Fletcher and Andy Bell is “an 80s-inspired track reminiscent of some of our favourite coming-of-age movie soundtracks.
“It’s about coming of age in a small town which no one really gets out of,” Bell adds.
On FB, the duo announced: “‘The Rain’ is out now!! This is the first song we wrote as Drive and really think it captures who we are as a band.”
Influences include The 1975, Arcade Fire, Bleachers and “anything remotely 80s sounding.”
facebook.com/drivethebandofficial
#5 – “Houses Hallowed” – Dear Other
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio
“Houses Hallowed” is the lead single from Ohio indie rock/lo-fi folk band Dear Other‘s latest release "The Wizard Clip.", a recording that explores a 1794 exorcism in West Virginia.
“The Wizard Clip addresses dead friends, eternal life, and the ghosts we live with,” the band said in a statement, adding “House Hallowed” was “recorded in the attic of Marc and Marua Barnes, the vocalists for the track, on a Tascam 4-Track. This song is an apocryphal summary of the text, exploring our relationship to the other, to the poor.”
“Our music tends to be folkloric throughout, blending elements of indie rock, folk, lo-fi, with catchy hooks throughout tying it all together”
facebook.com/DearOther
#6 – “One More Minute” – Atlantic Canyons
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire
New Hampshire indie band Atlantic Canyons recently achieved the “number one most added EP” – See The Hue – on The North American College & Community Radio Charts. Behind the moniker is Andrea Levesque and apparently unnamed band members (unless she’s a one-girl band?).
Anyways, the top track, “One More Minute,” from the EP is dreamy, lush, and perfect musical soundscape for Fall.
“It bears witness to feelings of fear and loneliness, and there is catharsis in acknowledging unpleasant emotions,” she reveals. “By allowing myself the freedom to experience these feelings without judgment, I became unburdened by them.”
A fiery passion for playing music was lit within Levesque in childhood as she learned to play piano and violin.
“I really love feeling a sense of personal connection when the music resonates with other people,” Levesque shares. See The Hue is Levesque’s debut EP, written, recorded, and produced in her rural New Hampshire home. She constructed her project remotely with the help of some session musicians she met in online music chat rooms.
OK GO drummer Dan Konopka mastered the album, adding the finishing touches before the release. Orchestral elements combine with delicate vocal melodies, ethereal harmonies, and frequent lyrical references to the ocean.
Virginia indie band Remote Control began at the start of the pandemic and thus, their first batch of songs are influenced by pandemic-related issues.
The new single, “Blow For Blow,” is a “reflection on the futulity of arguing with people online in the way that we have seen recently,” says band member Bob Spires. “The song is a self-critique of the trap we all sometimes fall into.”
While the band calls its headquarters Richmond, Virginia, band members come from the Richmond, Philly and Athens (Georgia) music scenes: Spires (the Possibilities, Nutria, Jack Logan band); Nick Bergheimer (Sea of Storms, Landmines, Volunteer); Casey Martin (Sixer, Landmines) and Adam Caldwell (Fire in the Radio).
The band combines punk, garage, rock, and indie sensibilities with a classic two guitar, bass and drums setup.
Although it’s been touch and go for live events over the past nearly two years, Spires says the band loves the “fast, hard, loud, heavy, rocking, punky, poppy or catchy bands” they see play “as they combine all of those elements into a hybrid eclectic style. With a song by Remote Control, you can expect loud guitars, bashing drums and catchy vocals and lyrics.”
#8 – “Two Beaches” – Adam Stall
COLDWATER, Ohio
“Two Beaches” is the second track from Ohio artist Adam Stall‘s independently produced debut EP.
“A love song of everlasting and longing faith and hope, inspired by the picking patterns of John Denver and dramatic transitions of classical music,” he writes. ” Alternative rock with classic rock influences, an emphasis on vocals and bass guitar.”
His hometown of Coldwater Ohio, surrounded by friends and family playing music Stall is trained in classical piano and trumpet and is now a “fully realized, independent musical effort utilizing all my past experiences and influences.”
An upbringing with the legends of the 60’s and 70’s, classical music, and the blues influenced with antique flavors, but the production and soul behind the music is striving for a new and accessible sound of rock.
facebook.com/stallmusic
#9 – “Weary Hands” – Jarod Grice
DENTON, Texas
“Weary Hands ” is the first track from Texas musician Jarod Grice‘s forthcoming album, Cradle the Songbird, which debuts in March 2022.
“The song is about struggling with your own brokenness,” says producer Chris Howell. “It starts out with the idea of feeling worn down like a rusty machine…and moves into the realization of seeing that brokenness rooted in a common birthplace. We’re all being called back to the dust; we all struggle like our fathers/mothers/generations before us.
“This type of imagery haunts many of the songs on the new album, which will most likely find an audience among the indie rock/Americana crowd.”
The band members are: Jarod Grice – vocals, acoustic guitar, keys, songwriter; Bill Campbell – drums; Paul Alexander – bass and Joseph McClellan – electric guitars.
facebook.com/jarodgricemusic/
#10 – “Cold Rain and Snow” – Jared Rabin
CHICAGO, Illinois
Jared Rabin‘s arrangement of the traditional song "Cold Rain and Snow," the title track from the new album released this year is painted with down-home Americana bluegrass colors.
The album is Rabin’s first all-acoustic record and follows 2020’s acclaimed No Direction.
The album is a mix of bluegrass standards and "New Grass" originals and finds Jared playing all of the instruments (save for drums) and handling a majority of the vocals.
The new Netflix film Don’t Look Up may be getting more love for its music than the star-studded flick itself.
The film’s score was composed by the immensely-talented composer Nicholas Britell.
Britell’s other film score credits include Succession and If Beale Street Could Talk.
His style is distinctly orchestral, mixing together lush, sweeping string movements which are evident on the standout film track, “Second Nature,” in which indie star Bon Iver layers bright sounds and a breath of magic with an inspiring choir of background vocals.
Over the past few years, Bon Iver has really expanded his musical boundaries. His work with Taylor Swift has revealed a more introspective, even gloomy, side to Justin Vernon that fans haven’t seen in such fashion for a while.
The track includes contributions from yMusic’s CJ Camerieri (French horn and trumpet) and Rob Moose (strings), as well as vocals from Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner (vocals).
The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Ariana Grande, and Timothee Chalamet, among others.
Legendary folk-rock outfit Band Of Horseshas dropped the second single, “In Need of Repair,” from the upcoming new album Things Are Great.
The new single should make Band of Horses’ fans very happy: it oozes with breezy, lilting melodic riffs from Ian MacDougall, bumbling bass lines from Matt Gentling, sweeping and touching choruses, and the signature vocals of Ben Bridwell.
The track was premiered yesterday by Zane Lowe on his radio show and follows the release of “Crutch” earlier this year.
The new album, slated to drop in January, will be the band’s sixth studio album and the follow-up to 2016’s Why Are You Ok?
In the official lyric video for the newest single, a man lounges by a fire with his dog, writing out the lyrics with a marker on a pad.
Gentling had previously toured with the band in 2007 and rejoined as member in 2017. That same year, MacDougall was brought in as a replacement for Tyler Ramsey.
The band is scheduled to tour Europe and the U.K. in the beginning of the new year.
So much terrific indie rock and alt rock music – from well-known to lesser-known to brand new artists and bands – crosses our wires and desks each week. Here is just a small selection of some of the best in recent weeks. More amazing posts – Best of 2021 Indie Rock; Best of 2021 DIY Songs; Best 2021 Indie Albums, are in the works.
Sea Power (formerly British Sea Power) – London, England Colleen Green – Los Angeles, California Sundog – Chugiak, Alaska Katherine Priddy – Birmingham, England The Wonderfool – Athens, Ohio
Sea Power – “Two Fingers”
The members of Sea Power, formerly British Sea Power, veterans of the U.K. indie scene for two decades, have officially changed the band’s name with new material.
“The band name was intended with a kind of wry humor. The idea of British sea power in the historical sense was an obsolete thing. It was now just the name of a rock band… Now, 20 years later, we’re recasting the name.”
It’s quite a crazy thing to really take in that this incredible band is 20 years on. Wow, the years really do fucking fly on by too fast.
Anyways the band’s newest album, Everything Was Forever, has spawned its first single, “Two Fingers.” The track has a strong modern alt. rock feel that should be interesting for the band’s long-time fans. The new album is set to drop in February 2022.
Colleen Green – “Someone Else”
Los Angeles singer/songwriter/guitarist Colleen Green‘s third 2021 single from her recent album Cool, “Someone Else,” is a deep, thoughtful track we really dig.
“This song is about double standards within a relationship, and how they can go both ways,” she said in a press release.
“It’s about coming to terms with you how you actually feel about something and taking responsibility for how that affects you. It’s about taking back power in a one-sided relationship and not letting someone else dictate your happiness. It’s about choices and the act of making them.”
From Hardly Art Records: “The track is a paean to power in which Green lets a lover know that double standards can go both ways. A groovy bass loop and zig-zagging guitar lines underscore her realization that happiness is in her own hands, and the vibe is set.”
Previously Green shared Cool’s first single, “I Wanna Be a Dog,” via a video for it. She is best known for the mini-Spotify hit, “Deeper Than Love.”
Cool is Green’s fourth album and the follow-up to 2015’s I Want to Grow Up. Green co-produced the album with Gordon Raphael. The LP was mixed by Brendan Eder.
Sundog – “Millennial Man”
The minimalist-driven “Millennial Man” from Chugiak, Alaskan funkadelic band SunDog grooves on 70s-inspired garage-rock psych. The airy vocals of frontman Abi Sparkman along with the soaring chorus stir with powerful guitars, driving drums, and bass from Deven Lind and Philip Giannuli.
The unconventional single is gripping and potent, one of a few on the band’s most recent album, Cabin Fever.
Katherine Priddy – “About Rosie”
Based in Birmingham, England, folk artist Katherine Priddy is a hypnotic singer-songwriter who encapsulates the rich and often solemn side of artists gone by such as Nick Drake and John Martyn, delivering each word with genuine warmth and charm. This is her latest single, “About Rosie.”
(From GratefulWeb) The Wonderfool – the recording project of Ohio singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Matt Vinson —has released “Cool Shade.”
American Songwriter unveiled The Wonderfool’s single raving that “Cool Shade” “evokes a hypnotic dream state…a shimmering texture, creating more melodic depth to the summertime song…‘Cool Shade’ furthers his folk agenda, moving with ease into a dynamic new soundscape.”
Notably one third of the chart-topping folk group CAAMP, Vinson says: “‘Cool Shade’ is a song about finding a nice quiet place in your mind & observing all the good in the world around you. We all share the feeling sometimes of thinking that there’s more work to be done; love to share – But chances are everyone around you probably thinks you’re doing just fine!”
We are continuing to push out strong tracks submitted to us from indie/DIY/alt. rock artists and bands across the country and around the world.
Gushh – Bristol, England Julia Gomez – Nashville, Tennessee Parents – Los Angeles, California Scotch Mist – New York, New York The Stupors Arizona – Phoenix, Arizona
Gushh – “As Thoughts Float On By”
Weeks afterward, we are still marveling at this soaring, inspirational, and downright gorgeous instrumental. Built on shoegaze-fueled post-rock, the listener is immersed within this amazing composition’s sonic love-making.
The track, “As Thoughts Float On By,” is from Bristol, U.K. one-man-band Richard Stockley who records with the appropriately-chosen moniker Gushh.
Shimmering layers of warm guitars blend with lightly bumbling bass. Lush keys add gloriously to the track’s uplifting ambiance. This is the kind of piece that is perfectly suited for an enlightening scene in an adventure film or drama soundtrack.
Julia Gomez – “Grapefruit”
Julia Gomez is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.
A recent single “Grapefruit” has a fantastic good-feel summer vibe, melody, and rhythm.
Gomez says the drumbeat and whistles reference “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John and the guitar tones were inspired by “When You Were Young” by The Killers.
Her impressive vocal performance on “Grapefruit” evokes and emotes color, strength, and nonchalance. Her influences include Alvvays, Willow Smith, and Girl In Red. Gomez’s recordings range moods and genres, lending jazz chords, driving percussion, and soulfully alternative vocal performances to her collection, often accompanied by electronic instrumentations.
Her latest single, “Late Summer,” proves further her unique talent for songwriting.
Parents – “Birthday Party”
We don’t know what went on behind the scenes during the production of Parents‘ new single, “Birthday Party,” but it positively and unapologetically soars, full of vibes and flows of energy that cannot be ignored.
The musical project was founded by Los Angeles musician Garrett Hazen together with Ryan Calauan and Blake Vallotton.
Picking a band name like ‘parents’ makes it hard for fans and press to find information. We had a hard time finding anything on this band, so the best connection is the members’ names.
Milano Sun – “Tough Sailors”
Members of the Stockholm indie band Milano Sun threw their hearts, minds, and burning guitar fingers out there, to the big nowhere, and now they’ve returned to your ears. Like a boomerang.
Storm kissed, salt-sprayed indie track “Tough Sailors” is the first to be rescued from the once missing ship.
“Drenched with in-your-face guitar licks, psychedelic sound effects, and 90’s clothing – it’s reusing sprinkles from all your favorite pop/rock decades from the 20th century.” – Johan Jonasson (guitar, vocals)
The other members include Love Sivik (bass), Zackarias Ekelund (drums), and David Wikberg (keys, guitar, vocals). The band was formed in 2010.
Musical influences include The Beta Band Beach House Air Tame Impala Unknown Mortal Orchestra Blood Orange
https://www.instagram.com/milanosun/
Scotch Mist – “Operator”
New York City-based indie project Scotch Mist turns on the 70’s pop vibe on the new track, “Operator,” with sweet vocal harmonies, soaring strings and thick percussion.
The project is the work of solo musician Eduardo Zighelboim.
The Stupors Arizona – “Done”
The recent single release, “Done,” from the former Phoenix indie rock band The Stupors Arizona is dynamite.
Guitarist and vocalist Juicy Newt Dibbs says the song is “an in-your-face-from-a-she/her-perspective on a bad breakup,” apparently which is autobiographical.
Formed in 2005, the band broke up in 2011. However, they occasionally perform at a concert or festival, having gained a local fanbase. Recommended for fans of Pixies, The Gories, and The Coathangers.
London all-female band All Day Breakfast Cafe present their incredible 8-minute piece.
This composition, dedicated to two legendary music innovators, blends influences of funk and Afrobeat, the ‘70s vibe, and contemporary presets.
The nimble rhythms move from the Khruangbin-esque groove to dancey bass loops under the disco ball glow, meeting a variety of jazzy twists of the brass section and the psychedelic flute jam in the vein of Quintessence. With the third minute, the very pleasant, melodic vocals appear over guitar desert lounge.
“What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends” is saturated in a very surprising way, it’s a smooth and lively fusion.
Scottish indie rock/new wave band The Ninth Wave has dropped a new video single Maybe You Didn’t Know.
The Glasgow-based band’s new video is centered around car racing with the band members standing on blocks, dressed in car-racing uniforms as race cars drive in circles around them. The track is a mix of electro pop with intense percussion and under-stated keys that allow Haydn Park-Patterson’s vocals and chorus to blossom.
“The song is about finding comfort in the uncomfortable and being able to hide yourself behind an overbearing and engulfing undefined fear.”
Rolling right along with the best new DIY/indie tracks from our mailbox in this installment No. 3 of the Best New 2021 DIY Song Submissions, featuring artists and bands from Arizona to France, and Brazil to Israel. These are the best new DIY indie songs we’ve received via our mailbox.
Máquina Delírio – Florianopolis, Brazil Rosesleeves – Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom Breakup Films – Tel Aviv, Israel Clint Slate – Paris, France Victims of the New Math – Phoenix, Arizona
Máquina Delírio is an indie DIY duo from Florianopolis, Brazil. The duo’s new EP has just landed and it’s an interesting listen with a wonderful mixing of genres and influences. The opening track, “Cetacea,” is gripping and seductive, as well as timely, considering this is the year of the cetacea’s return.
Delírio adds and it “counts with the very special participation of a humpback whale, who kindly sang in the chorus.”
The duo features Erica Jung on drums and effects and Ricardo Marcin on vocals and strings. They’ve been playing and crafting songs together for four years.
After countless metamorphoses, the duo finally decided to record some of their tracks. The EP was recorded DIY after ‘countless metamorphoses.’ Major musical influences include Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Girl Band, Latin Music, IDLES, The Oh Sees.
Rosesleeves – “Growing Pains”
Rosesleeves is a 17-year-old experimental pop artist and producer from Buckinghamshire, England.
He delves into the boundaries between indie, alternative, EDM, and pop to create unique tracks full of feeling that take interesting new turns on tracks like his latest single, “Growing Pains.” The ambient pop-leaning track, Patel says, is based on a painful breakup with his best friend.
His musical influences, he says, are FKA Twigs, Bon Iver, Shrimp, Radiohead, and Purity Ring — as well as his friends and frequent collaborators Ezekiel and Noahh. Patel has also previously joined forces with upcoming artists such as Osquinn (formerly known as P4rkr), Midwxst, and Suckerpunk to create tracks that have been enjoyed by many.
About the track, he says: “The song doesn’t waste a second and starts with delicate vocals glistening against unorthodox piano samples and synths that bursts into a flood of alluring textures; thunder respresenting the storm of the last few days of friendship.”
Breakup Films – “Just Whenever”
Breakup Films‘ new single, ‘Just Whenever,” according to frontman vocalist and guitarist Ron Herscovici, “is a melancholic party song, incorporating musical themes borrowed from disco, dream pop and emo into an energetic ghost train, aspiring to create an atmosphere you can both dance and dissociate to.” That’s actually a great description that is evident after listening to the track a couple of times.
Breakup Films is a Tel Avi-based young band that formed in 2019 and have now released the debut EP My Head Is Always Somewhere Else .
The band infuses reverb-filled textures with straightforward, indie pop songwriting and has gradually gained a steady fanbase across the globe and nearly a half-million streams.
Major musical influences include Turnover, DIIV, The 1975, Neck Deep, The Smiths. Other band members are Hai Barbi – guitar, Shelly Reizis – vocals & bass, Noam Debel – drums. The band was founded in 2019.
The Paris-based indie musician Clint State has just released his latest single, “No Way Out.” The track blends a number of genres, including rock and folk, and is sweet and touching.
“Rock, pop, folk, electro and more fusion into a very personal recipe born out of guitar improvisations and spontaneous melodies,” Slate writes, adding that the new EP, The Silent Sea EP, “showcases a true team at work…to encapsulate all their influences and embark the listener on a unique and personal journey.”
Clint State was founded in 2015 after a Scottish nurse and a French musician meet by chance to write a song for a radio contest and things evolved from there. The duo’s musical influences are Queen, U2, Kate Bush, Clannad, NIN, among others. Clint Slate (vocals, instruments, production, songwriting) is backed by Iona James (vocals, piano, songwriting).
Victims of the New Math – “You’re Swimming”
The Phoenix-based lo-fi music of indie musician Thomas Young (vocals, guitars, bass and drums), aka Victims of the New Math, is greatly influenced by classic rock and indie rock, including artists like Guided By Voices, Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and The Kinks. His memorable new single, “You’re Swimming,” is great for a summer afternoon.
The band writes about the track: “You’re Swimming’ is a song about trying to see the best in things, to have a better outlook. I tend to get bogged down in the melancholy, and really wanted to write something more positive and uplifting. It’s still got some melancholy, but it’s got a really encouraging message.
Young has been making music since his teenage years in the late 1980’s, and has been releasing music since 2006. Originally a duo, with Thomas being joined by his brother Joe, the band was formed with hopes of capturing the great AM rock sounds from their childhood. Never much for learning other people’s songs, the brothers almost immediately tried their hand at writing. And, with a few small gaps, pretty much never stopped.
His new album, Heading to the Suburbs, is out now.
If you follow music closely in the past few years, then you have heard a track or two from upstate New York recording artist Clairo.
Her new single, “Amoeba,” is already making the rounds across the webs and socials. The song is plated with soft, fragile vocals, boosted by reverb and other effects, and a fun, funky groove. The key here is the vocal work, which strays a bit from her previous singles because her voice is more dense and melancholic.
The New York Times wrote: ““Amoeba,” a highlight anchored by funky, insistent keyboards and a steady beat — a song that manages to brood and saunter at the same time. ”
Clairo, or Claire Elizabeth Cottrill, rose to indie stardom back in 2017 with her viral DIY YouTube music video for her lo-fi single “Pretty Girl”. Cottrill is one of many artists in the past two decades who started out in a bedroom and propelled to fame without a label, producer, agent or band.
It is a thrill every time a talented young person in somewhere USA, or anywhere in the world, writes, records and distributes a terrific original song that catches on/takes off in the right places and goes viral, establishing that artist almost instantly.
Cottrill signed with Fader quickly, and dropped her debut EP, Diary 001, in 2018, followed by the widely-acclaimed debut album, Immunity, in 2019. That album contained the hit songs, “Bags” and “Sofia”, the latter of which is her first single to hit the Billboard Hot 100.
The final of Unknown Caller‘s summer releases, “Borderline,” caps off the impressive run as a funky pop success.
Hazy synth pulses, funky rhythms, and charismatic vocals lead, reminding fondly of Toro y Moi’s aesthetic.
The NYC-based artist builds upon the funky suaveness with satiating results, the “I’m the boy,” rise captivating with heightened guitar and rhythmic emphasis. A smooth bridge around 02:20 — “can’t stop feeling paranoid,” — adds the feeling of a slowed-down jam to the mix, thoroughly succeeding, as the rest of the track does.
The track follows up “Waste Our Time” and “Sometimes” (feat. Noah Chenfeld).
Unknown Caller explains more about “Borderline” below:
“It’s about that transitional period of a relationship when you’re getting to know someone and everything clicks, but you’re both figuring out if a relationship is something you can balance. It’s also more broadly about being on that midway point – on the borderline of switching jobs, moving cities etc. My mid-20s often feel like a changing phase of my life and I wanted to capture that feeling.”
The final of Unknown Caller‘s summer releases, “Borderline” caps off the impressive run as a funky pop success. Hazy synth pulses, funky rhythms, and charismatic vocals lead, reminding fondly of Toro y Moi’s aesthetic. The NYC-based artist builds upon the funky suaveness with satiating results, the “I’m the boy,” rise captivating with heightened guitar and […]
