North Wales’ Kidsmoke released their single ‘The Bluest You’ back in April and it’s a wonderfully bright and sparkling slice of indie guitar pop that billows and cascades on the back of a pliable rhythm section and guitars that aren’t afraid to hit the effect pedals and soar above the clouds. “This song is a live favourite of ours. It is a fly on the … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Kidsmoke – The Bluest You
Hailing from Chicago Illinois, Koalra cut some fine indie rock shapes on this single ‘Dear Daylight’. There’s the rough and tumbling guitars – part jangle, part visceral screes – post-punk rhythms and a voice that hollers and sings with a beautiful melancholic angst. It all fits together just right on the single, one of many great tracks on their EP Surprise Lights. Koalra call themselves … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Koalra – Dear Daylight
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Sideways To New Italy Ivy League Since the release of their debut album, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever have traversed the globe, playing numerous headline shows and music festivals. Now those experiences and the associated dizzying dislocation have fed into their second record, a consistently superb collection of songs that matches the hit rate of their debut. All three singer/guitarist songwriters again … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways To New Italy
New Media are an indie rock quartet from who channel a shoegaze sound reminiscent of Ride, the rhythmic influence of Manchester and the heavier guitar sounds of bands like The Cure. ‘Tunnel Vision‘, their second single of 2020, winds its way around knotty drums and guitars that squeal and squall, adding to the rising sense of tension before it jumps the tracks in the last … Continue reading New Media – Tunnel Vision
Here’s a really nice slice of 60s-tinged, indie guitar pop from Portland-based artist Alex Schiff who records under the name Blue Canopy. The vocal layering in particular grabbed our attention with their tripped-out Beach Boys vibe. ‘St. Albans‘ comes from his debut EP Mild Anxiety which is out now. “St. Albans is about an old friend who I lost touch with, but consistently visits me … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Blue Canopy – St. Albans
UK psych and baggy indie combine with 60s melodies and 21st century psych-pop explorations on this new catchy and expansive track from Los Angeles-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Phil Danyew who played in Foster The People for six years before leaving to focus on his own music as Elephant Castle. Danyew calls the song “A tongue-in-cheek anthem for the underdog.” Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Elephant Castle – I’m A Loser
Australian band Bollard have released a video clip for their new single ‘Ziggurat’. It’s another distinctive piece of post-punk rock, where rhythm is king and the guitars fire off on tangents of noise and avant dissonance. They allow space to flow through the track as it ebbs and flows across nearly five minutes. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Bollard – Ziggurat
Last year we shared Prudence’s track ‘Smile & Nod’ and now the Sydney artist has released his first 2020 single in ‘Heart Sways’. It’s got a wonderfully immersive, dream-like quality with gently propulsive bass and climbing guitars. Think Ariel Pink in a hazy dream sequence with an 80s dream-pop/post-punk band. It’s that delightful blend of simple pop and arthouse sophistication – blurred and stirred. Prudence … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Prudence – Heart Sways
Straight outta Sydney come Key Out with their driving, insistent new post-punk single ‘Chorus‘. Their dark, melancholic and moody synth-rock is built on an insistent bass/drum machine combination and a melodic yet wistful lead vocal, bringing to mind acts such as Underground Lovers, Ride and New Order. Key Out is an indie pop trio from Sydney, Australia. Its members (Paddy Haid, Rohan Geddes and Caroline … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Key Out – Chorus
Sugar Factory (Greece) is the solo project of Stelios Gagaris, who has been releasing 7″, cassette and digital recordings for the last decade. ‘Birdie’ comes from the new seven song cassette release Home and finds him digging into some propulsive and angular instrumental psych rock sounds. It’s heavy but the dynamics give it weight and relief in all the right places. Elsewhere the release contains some … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Sugar Factory – Birdie
Strange Things from Vancouver, British Columbia recently released their Sunshine EP and one of its highlights is ‘I Feel Fine’, a tumbling cascade of distorted guitars and howled vocals that flies along on sustained notes of electricity and an endless groove. The heavier psych end of shoegaze is the order of the day here. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Strange Things – I Feel Fine
Fontaines D.C., who released one of our favourite albums of 2019, are back with a new single ahead of the release of their second album A Hero’s Death on July 31st. The album title-track is a great first single too – with that trademark energy and verve of the band and some added texture and melody thrown into the mix. Singer Grian Chatten has this … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Fontaines D.C. Release New Single and Announce New Album ‘A Hero’s Death’
Doubtful Sounds 