Alternative rock performer, storyteller and multi-instrumentalist Primordial Alien reaches the pinnacle of his creative output this year, delivering an album of conceptual weight, musical diversity, skill, playfulness, genre-fusion and cool but cutting narratives, as we dive into the brilliantly eclectic pop-punk and progressive rock vibrancy and shadows of Casus Belli.
Albums
Featuring an eclectic playlist of songs built around acoustic guitar and Brian Elodi’s distinctly raspy, relatable and modest indie voice, this album is something of a time capsule from the artist – a collection of moments years in the making, brought together in honour of his daughter.
If you’re looking for songs that feel real, new, purposeful, fascinating – such as the music of Medium Build, Bo Burnham, Father John Mistry – this album is absolutely one to spend time with.
Releasing in perfect harmony with the 4th of July, A LOVE LETTER TO AMERICA celebrates freedom, Faith, sacrifice, neighbours, forgiveness, family, and hope. The idea is to remind listeners that people need each other, that we always find our way back to one another, and that the values we share are what ultimately make for a unified and joyous community and life for us and our children, from now until forever.
LA creative Tommy Simpson adopts an enthralling, unsettling and unignorable artistic persona, as the artistic depth and sonically fierce waves of Macro/micro pour through, for the 11 original tracks of an album poignantly titled A.fter I.ntelligence.
Capturing the full authentic fuzz of psychedelic rock that’s loaded with layers, distortion, colours and optimism, Casiocenz fires up a brand new, almost-self-titled-album, with the beautifully immersive sonic experience that is Mind Grapes.
Settle into this one for the evening – lightly reverb-kissed electric guitar, inviting and warm, akin to the kind of playing delivered by Jeff Buckley or James Bay, but a voice and songwriting style that’s a little more distinctly indie-band-like and engaging for its originality.
Massive indie riffs and charming, nearly spoken indie vocals build a quirky and captivating alt-rock sound that’s instantly nostalgic. The Orange Blossoms bring unique lyrical musings together with a distinct performative identity and classic rock guitar sounds, for the brilliantly inspiring album Green Light.
Inspired by the great people and scenes of the Cocoon Club in Frankfurt, from the country that first adopted and popularized the power of techno, producer and DJ Kai Seibert masters the craft with his latest intoxicating album, blending emotional and passionate intentions with a clear sense of progression and technical expertise that resounds.
Blues rock and grunge in the guitar tone and rhythms, post-rock in the echoing, theatrical to gritty vocals, and something like alternative and explosive indie freedom at the forefront. French band Quintana Dead Blues eXperience get the chemistry just right, with the fiercely independent charm and passion of their brand new album Ashes.
Without question, you’ve not experienced an album quite like this before, and the musical vibrancy, the fullness and colour, the stories and sentiments, all hold you captive and calmed throughout a brilliantly extensive 27 tracks of sheer imaginative escapism.
An enchanting debut, a breath of fresh air from nostalgic origins – Swedish/Canadian duo FUSES bring a folk-rock charm and fluidity back to modern music, with songwriting and stylistics that appear to draw influences ranging from Larkin Poe to the mighty Fleetwood Mac.