The Race consider age, endurance and inherited strength on ‘D of E’
Sixteen years away from releasing music inevitably changes a band’s perspective. For Reading indie-rock group The Race, that distance has brought parenthood, responsibility and a deeper awareness of the generations surrounding them. And their new single ‘D of E’ reflects that shift by replacing youthful urgency with a more patient examination of age,Continue Reading
Betty Moon finds nocturnal momentum on ‘A Taxi Ride’
There’s something naturally cinematic about a taxi journey after dark. Streetlights pass in fragments, conversations feel more revealing than they might in daylight, and familiar places briefly take on an unreal quality from the back seat. Now, Betty Moon draws on that atmosphere for ‘A Taxi Ride’, an alt-pop and rockContinue Reading
The Storm Windows capture the strength of simplicity on ‘Fiona’
There is a particular honesty to hearing a song performed in a live setting. Without the protective distance of studio construction, the arrangement has to stand on its own, held together by instinct, chemistry and the ability of the musicians to respond to the room around them. And on their newContinue Reading
Layla Kaylif finds new meaning inside an old song on ‘Black Is The Colour’
Traditional songs endure partly because they leave space for reinterpretation. Their authorship may become obscured by time, but the emotions they carry remain recognisable to each generation that encounters them. And on her version of ‘Black Is The Colour’, Anglo-Arab singer-songwriter Layla Kaylif approaches that inheritance with care, retaining the ballad’s emotional centreContinue Reading
Everything But The Everything establish a clearer identity on the haunting ‘Hollow Heart’
With their latest outing ‘Hollow Heart’, Bay Area indie-rock project Everything But The Everything begins a new phase without abandoning the qualities that have shaped its earlier work. The single marks the group’s development from a rotating collaborative project into a more conventional band, with Sophia Prise and Tobias Hawkins becoming permanent vocalists alongside founder, bassist andContinue Reading
The Natural Curve moves towards synth-pop on the hypnotic ‘Silly Girl’
On his newest endeavour, UK producer Paul Cullen introduces a more pop-oriented side to The Natural Curve, while retaining the understated rhythmic detail and electronic warmth that have shaped the project over the years. The single features 20-year-old vocalist Liberty Taylor, whose clear and emotive delivery gives the track much of its immediate appeal. HerContinue Reading
Common Saints reflects on uncertainty and human connection across ‘Age of Illusions’
On his new EP ‘Age of Illusions’, Common Saints turns his attention towards a familiar contemporary unease: the growing difficulty of knowing what is authentic in a culture increasingly shaped by technology, automation and mediated experience. The five-track collection approaches that subject through atmosphere, allowing its ideas to emerge gradually across a setContinue Reading
Holylight reflects on change and acceptance with ‘everything goes’
On their latest single ‘everything goes’, Dublin-based alt-rock project Holylight considers the passage of time with a sense of restraint and nuance. Led by songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Alex Rosenberger, the track explores the difficulty of accepting change while recognising that resistance can often make loss feel even heavier. The song is built aroundContinue Reading
Darkroom Data blur nostalgia and modern anxiety on ‘90s Double Vision’
There is a particular kind of romance that belongs to city nights; equal parts possibility and uncertainty, where connection can feel both desperately close and impossibly distant. And on their newest endeavour ‘90s Double Vision’, indie electro duo Darkroom Data capture that feeling with remarkable precision. Built around shimmering electronics and aContinue Reading
DownTown Mystic finds familiar comfort on ‘Mystic Highway Road Trip’
There is a quiet confidence running through DownTown Mystic’s ‘Mystic Highway Road Trip’ EP. Instead of simply looking to reinvent a familiar formula, songwriter and producer Robert Allen focuses on the qualities that have long sustained American roots rock: strong melodies, experienced musicianship and songs that reveal their character through repetition rather than spectacle. BuiltContinue Reading