Taking us back to the bedroom recordings of eras past – the simplicity and realism of garage demos and honest indie music. What’s On? created the fifteen original tracks of What’s Off? in between studying software development and working fulltime in a warehouse, and it’s an experimental guitar-pop collection of quirky, often catchy alternative jams.
Indie Rock
The inspiration for the project was an envisioned world ruled by a tyrannical regime, within which individuality is deleted, and a revolutionary movement must ignite the final fight for liberation.
New music from the distinct indie corner of organic production that is Willie Alex – Leave Me Or Love Me builds up a secure and recognisable sense of identity, with a selection of layers that feel like both an alternative electronic loop and a live indie rock performance.
The brilliant Lion Drome continue their climb, this time briefly softening the mood with something sultry, funky, but ultimately dark and intense in its commitment to concept. Featuring lush vocals, expressive and fluid, with long-form verse melodies that descend and satisfy with charm and character, Goodnight Sleep Tight is a compelling taste of the upcoming … Continued
Great songwriting – real music, live music, and a timeless organic style. Jason Greco has crafted a gem with this latest single, blending eighties vocal harmonies, reverb, lush guitars and live drums, with something like an introspective twist of The Smiths.
An instant favourite from recent submissions. Despite the animated artwork, hedas captures something incredibly real, pure, and evocative, with the low-key passionate tone and tempo of a wanderer ascends.
Bright and beautiful indie rock, high energy guitars, bass and drums backing distantly mixed, nostalgic indie vocals – Robin Brown delivers short, snappy lines and precise storytelling, with the melodic charm and uplifting groove of Alone in Sydney.
Be Happy cries out loud for you, its chorus resounding and looping in the mind, and it’s the perfect antidote to the trivial fakeness of forced joy and overproduction from much of the recent music realm.
Ireland and Northern England unite for an anthemic explosion of raw punk energy and outright uplifting rock rowdiness. DEAD RAZE are based in the mighty Liverpool, and their single Feeling tackles the ever familiar fear of failure that all too often stops us dead in our tracks.
Real indie reverb and riffs for days, vocals that are beautifully alluring, pairing moments of bold passion and softness throughout – Feral Family have that independent energy and confidence to gift the music scene something outstanding this year.
Everything from the lyrics to the arrangement breathes new life and creative realism into the space. ELROD is humble but effective, the melody short and snappy, the production subtle but purposeful. Vulnerability is bold yet also vague, meaning you can make this your own, attach your meanings and memories, whilst believing that every word is authentic and heavy to the singer.
The verses have a kind of old-school trip hop vibe to me, melodic and charming, unpredictable but effective, and the lyrics further this connection and sense of lostness and self-scorn that is the freedom of thought; through darkness, highs, lows, and everything in between.