It’s come to my attention that there may well be something in the way we view or listen to music, the applied perspective, that heavily changes the way it affects us. Something about pretending this is an old band from the 90s, and you’re just getting into the history of the genre, gifts it a whole new power.
Alt Rock
These recordings feel like single takes, moments captured that can never quite be recreated with the same level of uncertainty and longing. Make It Make Sense is a particularly striking example, but the project in full consistently draws you back to this quality, and as such, it’s addictively understanding, comforting, and heart-breaking, to lose yourself here with Sam.
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.
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.
An alluring guitar rock trio from Turkey light up a sensational thread of songwriting and organic, honest performance, as their single Bana Bi’ Yalan Söyle promises an old-school anthemic charm and emotional escape that’s addictive; and beautiful to lose yourself within.
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.
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.
From the UK creative who dropped the intense genre fusion of Internal Combustion earlier this year, SEDATIVE is an explosive new blend of heavy metal and drum and bass, with haunting hard-rock vocals and intense distorted guitars, all leading through a truly intoxicating realm of terror and inner turmoil.
Unfiltered and fearless garage rock of volume, passion, distortion and warped crescendos – Estrogeno have been hard at work on the writing and performing of new songs, and we dive into a selection of 2026 releases from the nineties-inspired act.
Personification, metaphor, and all-round powerful songwriting elevate the appeal of an indie band well and truly paving their own way. Glasgow’s Revelation 23 have that something fresh and fascinating to their sound, something topical and piercing about their sense of purpose, their rebellious intrigue, and Veal is a fine dedication to the craft.
“I definitely enjoy a momentary escape of the weighty burdens that being a person who is least in the society in which they live carries with it.”
“It takes place in a dystopian empire, where an insurrection and revolution are taking place after the killing of a child, as seen in the song “Dancing In The Fallout,” which I took inspiration from the people of Iran who would die just to be free, who fantasize of being themselves and ridding their societies of oppression.”