Fiercely delivering a slice of iconic indie hard rock, with a twist of alternative grunge and something evocatively soulful, New Zealand four-piece Powder Chutes achieve a near-orchestral fullness with their heavy riffs, guitar solos, and faultless structural unity.
Singles
An alluring modern musical composition, soaked in the sentiments of an 18th-century Venetian composer, inspired by progressions allegedly recued from the ruins of a bombed Dresden library – Adagio is an expansive multi-track production, with a live orchestra and leading vocal performance that ultimately brings together two worlds of artistic expression, under a modern, cinematic and all-consuming creative light.
Futuristic progressive house champion Lord Conrad delivers a cinematic video and single that euphorically celebrates the meeting between fantasy and reality.
Returning with a gorgeous organic groove of classic acoustic guitar to full-band vibrancy, Ehson Hashemian delivers an absolute earworm of an anthem from his brand new album, with the angelic vocals and indie-anthemic charm of Anything.
Dark alternative vibes in strong supply but a beating heart of effective, engaging songwriting always provided as the centrepiece – pMad excel themselves with this album, and NineFortyFive is the fascinating and rather addictive new single that’s easily one of the most interesting, ambient and enjoyable post-rock tracks to hit the scene this year.
Unexpectedly evolving twice throughout its lifespan, End And The Start lights up the space with humility and charm, offering memorable riffs, a long-form chorus expression, a brilliantly unique placement of the title – at the end of an exciting then mildly dizzying lyrical and melodic downpour – and it captures affection for its softness and passion carefully intertwined.
Deeply introspective lyrics seamlessly blend Spanish and English with identity and depth, as moonlaw delivers an ethereal and quietly captivating new hip hop single, in the form of the boldly unique GLOSARIO.
Channelling rock sub-genres from throughout the ages, but leading with Sarah Beth Rose on gentle to gritty vocals, along with a clear sense of character and unrelenting passion and pace, Born To Break Even has the anthemic, engaging qualities of bands like Green Day, The Distillers and Lagwagon.
Don’t Bother Brother delivers a catalogue of music that’s perfectly in tune with the exasperation implied by his name, and with an elusive visual image to match, intrigue and deeply human sentiments prove notably enthralling.
From his upcoming album Anything is Everything, set to release August 7th, No Signal brings back Stephon Foster’s unmistakable falsetto RnB vocal, but this time weaves in an immersive floor-filler dance groove, complete with enchanting synths and an upbeat house rhythm, to really inject something fresh into the repertoire.
Classic indie rock grooves and good vibes a-plenty rain down from superb Toronto band The Get Alongs this season. Blending the passionate rasp and soulful grit of The Stones with the snappy and anthemic energy of 60s garage rock (and a twist of power pop alongside), Second To None includes timelessly addictive jams like Come … Continued
Romantically minded as ever, Fly Me To The Moon suits the nuance and tone of Simon’s quietly expressive voice, the song a comforting whisper of confidence and fantasy united, with less of the big-band bravado that first made it recognisable – more of a heartfelt plea under Simon’s guidance.