Currently suffering from long-term autoimmune lung disease, Kristi’s courage and drive as a creative is incredible, and the tone and emotional depth of this release, the skill and celebration at its core, all resounds in a way that appears to completely deny any kind of health struggle at the helm.
Soft Rock
Time for something completely engaging, entertaining and thoughtful, with vocals and lyrics that naturally soothe. Outback Stormchasers are an elusive and impressive indie band, and Famous Last Words in the Multiverse is a genuine gem of an album for the year ahead.
Beautifully captured for that reverb-kissed ethereal chamber of contemplation, There Is A Sound pours through like a nostalgic feeling of depth and wonder. The song achieves a sense of intimacy and vastness all at once, utilising contrast beautifully from these lower-toned verses to the impassioned and higher-pitched hook.
Nineties-inspired indie guitar music, led by honest reflections and stories on daily life – Mexican creative Estrogeno blends the softness of singer-songwriter contemplation, with the raw energy of rock, for a series of original tracks.
Set up in three parts, as per Benjamin’s influence from the iconic David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), the post-four-minute work Through The Rain is all at once nostalgic and original as it pours through with a growing sense of brightness and power.
Step into nostalgia and feel the embrace and uplift, as songwriter and artist Eamonn J delivers a beautifully poetic and heartfelt ode to organic indie expression.
Music to Bruno Marinho has forever been a therapeutic form of escapism. The focus and emotional resetting of the creative process is often what makes for the most engaging and interesting music, and that’s absolutely the case with the freedom and allure of Worlds Unseen.
Blissful nostalgia returns with that crisp, organic musicianship – Maypo Deluxe keep authenticity alive, with the heartfelt and evocative new soft-rock single If I Only Knew.
Organic music – REAL music – a live band with a distinct and timeless sound, and a surprisingly eclectic array of styles interwoven amidst their original songwriting. Alabama five-piece Damnit Doll lure you in with hypnotic arrangements, expressive and emotive vocals, and lyrical poetry that naturally enchants.
After a string of heavy metal releases, 3mind Blight returns to his acoustic alternative roots, with the piano-led and evocative Be The One.
From dreamy beginnings, reverb-soaked guitar creates a sense of rising brightness amidst an atmospheric wash of synths. A spoken word voice is distant but poignant in its reference to violence breeding violence, and the mood is uplifting in line with this – just as the central groove of the track falls into place.
Ukrainian artist and multi-instrumentalist Kondo wa Kondo, having relocated to America, found creative inspiration in the depths of nostalgia and missing something like home. In searching for the right word to explain these feelings, this struggle to adapt and accept such new surroundings, appeared to fit well under the Welsh word ‘Hiraeth’. The idea is a deep sense of longing for a place that no longer exists or can no longer be reached.