Matt Tarka turns media disillusionment into a sharp folk-rock broadside on ‘Letter to the Editor’
Matt Tarka has never seemed especially interested in writing around uncomfortable subjects, and ‘Letter to the Editor’ finds the Lancaster singer-songwriter at his most pointed. Built around his reaction to The Washington Post’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, the track channels political frustration into somethingContinue Reading
Conchis turns the pain of leaving into a dark electronic release on ‘It Will Only Hurt Once’
‘It Will Only Hurt Once’ begins in a state of pressure and seems determined to keep tightening the grip. The third single from Conchis’ forthcoming album Gravity finds the Finnish artist building a dense electronic backdrop around one of the most difficult moments in a failing relationship: recognising that walking away willContinue Reading
Devon Morris lets the mask slip on the disturbing ‘Let’s Talk’
‘Let’s Talk’ works because Devon Morris understands that obsession is most unsettling when it doesn’t announce itself immediately. The New York-based singer-songwriter builds the song around an unreliable narrator whose behaviour initially feels almost defensible. There’s concern, persistence and emotional urgency on the surface, but that impression slowly begins toContinue Reading
Wade Easy deepens his psychedelic Americana on ‘Honey Venom’
Wade Easy has been moving quickly, but Honey Venom doesn’t sound rushed. As his third album in under a year, the record continues the Appalachian psychedelia of Sleeping With the Sun On and Sea of Night while shifting the emphasis towards something more sensual, stripped-back and tactile. Across ten tracks, he combines hazy guitar, loose rhythmsContinue Reading
The House Flies sharpen their post-punk instincts on ‘Lost Literature’
‘Lost Literature’ finds The House Flies refining the balance between atmosphere and immediacy. As the second single from forthcoming album Lions and Ore, the track keeps the darker post-punk character that has defined much of the band’s work to date, but presents it through a more direct and rhythm-focused arrangement. OzzieContinue Reading
vincethealien turns memory into a haunted loop on ‘Elongated Time’
‘Elongated Time’ feels like the moment a memory stops behaving like the past and starts occupying the present. On the fourth and final single ahead of his forthcoming EP, LA artist vincethealien leans fully into that strange emotional territory, creating a track that’s as unsettling as it is beautiful. AlternativeContinue Reading
Pisgah looks beyond the darkness on the beautifully unsettled ‘Delphinus and Dippers’
Some songs feel as though they have been waiting years for the world to catch up with them. ‘Delphinus and Dippers’ is one of those songs. Originally begun by Pisgah’s Brittney Jenkins in 2016 and later recorded during the sessions for Faultlines, the track carries the strange weight of something writtenContinue Reading
Sam Foster Smith turns coastal nostalgia into indie-rock gold on ‘South West Summer’
Sam Foster Smith comes racing out of the blocks on debut EP South West Summer, turning memories of coastal adolescence into four gloriously expansive indie-rock songs. The title track sets the tone alongside ‘Go With The Flow’, with huge vocal hooks, bright power-pop guitars and festival-sized choruses capturing the freedom of deepContinue Reading
Lily Hain finds light beyond the darkness on ‘Learning To Let Go’
Lily Hain turns some of life’s most difficult moments into a powerful story of renewal on her fearless sophomore album, Learning To Let Go. Spanning twelve tracks, the record finds Hain sounding bigger, wiser and increasingly adventurous. ‘Settle’ and ‘Noise Ordinance’ deliver irresistible indie-pop immediacy, while ‘Dog To A Bone’, ‘Ecstasy &Continue Reading
Stolen Days make genre-hopping feel effortless on dazzling self-titled debut album
Stolen Days make a thrilling first statement with their self-titled debut album, a ten-track collision of hip-hop, dream-pop, indie, psychedelia and cinematic experimentation. Formed by producers Dub Sonata and Alex Fitts of The Kickdrums, the duo follow ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Daydream’ with new single ‘No Need For Alarm’. Driven by an irresistible bassline, pulsing synth melodyContinue Reading