Intoxicating ambient indie folk, enchanting world rhythms and layers of harmonised female voices, like a Church choir lost in a trance – Denis Sedov captures something brilliantly beautiful, with the depth and rhythmic grip of Winter (Зима).
Rebecca Cullen
Simple but striking, nostalgic country folk with lush vocals and short lines rising through the joys of romance and wonder. Joshua Jamison ignites the modern country flame, with this raspy and catchy acoustic gem.
Dark and cinematic production meets with intriguing vocals and piercing poetic statements. The energy builds, the ambience engulfs, and meanwhile, the song slowly but surely tightens its grip with vivid, unignorable imagery.
Italy’s OP reflects artistically on the emotional and societal weight of global turmoil – war, elite profit making, and the moral stance of the many.
An absolute jam, in my own reactive terms – Michael P O’S captures an instant earworm and groove, with the infectious energy and reggae vibes of Words.
Following on from his single Play It Again, Darnell recovers from the fall out of post-Big Brother life, and leans into the world music festival energy of the moment, with the catchy hook and high-octane production value of Follow.
Great songwriting, good vibes, a seamless voice that’s born to perform and connect in this way. Maria Monroy brings back the upbeat and colourful energy of indie pop’s past, with the catchy and live-band-backed Getaway.
Slowly increasing the ambient details, the melodic resolve of Swan is easy-going but effective, ‘the swan is down’ feeling almost unfinished every time it appears, and adding a kind of alternative, perhaps Damien Rice-like melodic uncertainty and ache to the music.
Gentle lo-fi synth notes and the quiet strum of an acoustic guitar, an intimate vocal and writing style that feels diary-like in its tentative expression and longing. Chris Pannella delivers the closing song from his EP The Four Seasons of Her, and its a sleepy to euphoric and heartbroken story of love lost and fading passion.
French duo Riatto & The Dog captivate in seconds, with the breathy harmonies and lyrical poetry of this heartfelt and melancholic but hopeful indie folk stomp.
Good songwriting stands tall, something authentic and well-built – a strong acoustic backdrop, a lush groove and lush vocals, a sense of meaning at its core. Wyoki delivers an alternative earworm on that front, with the strangely enthralling, imperfect but beautifully addictive Hotel.
Something cool, calm, and uncompromising – a strong groove, alternative but all-consuming, with delicate vocals that are intimate and honest in their self-reflective realism.
From the Riverside EP of gorgeous instrumental originals, Serbian guitarist and musician Zarko delivers a crisp and captivating acoustic composition, for the wonderfully impressive and moving Vilino Vrelo.