Dark atmospheric rock with thick basslines and tumbling rhythms, alongside whispered to softly passionate female vocals, carving out a thoughtful, ambient and provocative space – not unlike the peak sound of Portishead from back in the day. KEE deliver an edgy alternative take that’s captivating, and fully immersive, for Sound.
Rebecca Cullen
From Sea Gods to the solo life, Bolton-born musician and rock artist Jack Flint captures a moment quite beautifully, with the raspy vocals, short lines and smooth, soulful riffs of Dirty Road.
Clean contemporary production with catchy hooks and programmed vocals – a familiar sound with a brightness and story-central progression that meanders from genre to genre. Lawyer and family-man Beatzler has been producing music for over 15 years, and this year, he delivers a boldly eclectic album of high-quality original songs, as the aptly-titled new project FutureBreaker.
Smooth soul vocals and long-form RnB melodies meet with a minimalist production and clean, clear mixing, for the natural fluidity, romance, and impeccable storytelling, of Sir Symphony Da Dark Knight.
Carving out a unique and honest lane, as alternative indie rockers with stories and tunes for days – Izzie’s Caravan have built an impressive repertoire of engaging garage rock tracks in their time as a band, culminating last year with the launch of their fiercely original five-track EP Dorian’s Requiem.
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).
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.