Category: Mixtapes

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Blue October – Moving On (So Long)

Blue October is an alternative rock band from Houston, Texas. They’ve been around since 1995 and scored a couple of big hits in 2006 with Hate Me and Into The Ocean as well as a good number of top 40 singles. I’ve never been that much into them but I’m reconsidering that because their 10th studio album, This Is What I Love For, released back in October, got a bunch of really great songs, such as Fight For Love, and today’s addition to the mixtapes: Moving On (So Long). I checked their back catalogue again and it’s better than I remembered. I’ve been wrong about them all this time.

Moving On (So Long) is a folksy track with a country vibe to it. The tune is certainly very radio-friendly but in a nice way. One of those songs that can lighten up your mood right away. Quite frankly, it is a great song to start your weekend with.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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Plain White T’s – Let Me Take You There

If you know only one song from Plain White T’s, it’s likely to be Hey There Delilah. By far, the band’s most successful single and a beautiful song indeed. That track was part of their fourth studio album, 2007’s Every Second Counts, which also featured a tune that I really loved back then called Let Me Take You There. I hadn’t listened to it in years until I stumbled upon it again earlier this week. It’s a gorgeous song that got overlooked due to the incredible success of that other song mentioned above. I hope you can enjoy this gem as this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Crash Cathedral – MoodRing

Crash Cathedral is a new alternative pop band from Philadelphia with an experimental side. While their music is radio friendly, the background the band’s members have is actually in metal, hardcore and industrial rock, which offers a unique twist to what they do, resulting in a darker-than-usual style of alt-pop. However, I’d like to make it clear that this is not a case of artists making music they hate just because it’s popular. Instead, it is an example of musicians finding the middle ground across the multiple and sometimes dissimilar styles that they enjoy.

Back in October, Crash Cathedral released their debut single, MoodRing, which centers around relationships with people who are not what you thought they were. Musically, it draws influence from ’80s new wave while still sounding modern. What sets this tune apart is its extremely catchy chorus. You will want to put it on repeat. If this is what their debut single sounds like, I can’t imagine how great their songs are going to be once they have more time working together.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie
  • Pop

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Kaleiders – Alright

If you’re a fan of The Gaslight Anthem, chances are you will like Kaleiders too. Although not specifically from Manchester, this four-piece band hails from nearby Warrington and aims to bridge the gap between melodic punk and indie rock, resulting in a sound not that different from the popular American band mentioned above. Alright, in particular, which was the first song the band ever recorded in 2016 but have now remastered to give it new life and a cleaner sound, gives me that vibe. This new version is part of the band’s brand new debut full length album: Melancholy Undertones.

A guitar-driven song, Alright is high in energy and riffs while also having an optimistic flavor. It’s evident that we have a talented band in Kaleiders, the question is whether or not they can be consistently good. Only time can tell but I like their odds. So far, so good.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Punk-Rock

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Suave Martyrs – Tell Me What You Wanna

Mancunian band Suave Martyrs have been releasing new music at a steady pace since completing their lineup in 2019. They describe their style as a blend of ‘60s West Coast rock, Manchester-era indie and psychedelia, but their latest single, Tell Me What You Wanna, is supposed to be a departure from their usual approach. I’m not too familiar with their previous tracks in order to comment on whether that is a good thing or not, but I, for one, really enjoyed the new sound. It reminded me a bit of New Radicals and similar bands from the late ’90s.

Tell Me What You Wanna was written during the lockdown, which each band member coming up with their parts separately and merging them in production. All in all, the end product is pretty impressive considering the circumstances and the fact that the band was going in a new direction. I don’t know if the Suave Martyrs are planning to stick with this new sound, yet I hope they give it a try. It’s catchy and sounds fresh in today’s environment. Make sure to give them a try here.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Bleachers ft. Bruce Springsteen – chinatown

Jack Antonoff is behind a huge number of hit songs today but casual listeners might not recognize him by name. He is a guitarist and drummer on the band Fun., which went on a hiatus in 2014 so that its members could focus on other projects for a while. Jack went on and created Bleachers, an indie pop band that hit it big with its debut album Strange Desire (2015), to the point that it made Jack one of the most sough-after songwriters and record producers in business today. He has written/produced songs for the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Lana Del Rey, just to name a few.

When I saw that Bleachers had a new song featuring fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen, let’s just say that it really caught my attention. I’m happy to report that the track is as good as expected. It really sounds as if Bruce were singing a Bleachers song or vice versa. It sounds classic and modern at the same time and from the moment I listened to this gem for the first time, I knew I had to feature it here. Enjoy this instant classic below and good luck getting that chorus out of your head!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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Tessa Violet ft. chloe moriondo – Words Ain’t Enough

Tessa Violet ft. chloe moriondo

Have you had a close friend who’s in a bad relationship but you cannot tell them anything because they’re still in love and won’t listen to you? I think that’s a feeling we can all relate to and that’s exactly what motivated Tessa Violet to write Words Ain’t Enough, which is a heartfelt and melancholic song about being with someone who doesn’t really love you back. As the chorus says: “You can say you love me but words ain’t enough“. It’s not a complicated piece of music, with just a guitar supporting the vocals, but it doesn’t need anything else. It’s a beautiful piece and that’s what matters.

Tessa Violet, who is an American singer-songwriter who started as a successful blogger on Youtube before focusing on her career in music, originally released this song last year on her second full album: Bad Ideas. This year, she re-released it featuring vocals from chloe moriondo, who is a 18-year-old indie/bedroom pop artist who has been garnering quite a following on her own. I’m sure we will be hearing about both artists for years to come. Check this beautiful tune out below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Stumble Steady – Coming To An End

Stumble Steady

Garrett Kealer got OCD and does not try to hide it. Instead, he write songs from the unusual perspective of somebody living with that mental condition. Under the moniker Stumble Steady, Garrett wants to tear down untrue stereotypes usually associated to OCD while also creating upbeat music that people can relate to. His music is pretty contagious indie pop that might remind you of the likes of The 1975 and Grouplove.

Stumble Steady‘s latest single, Coming To An End, is a perfect example of all of the upbeat. A really infectious song with colorful soundscapes that deals with the subject of ending a relationship through the lens of a person with OCD. In particular, the thought patterns someone like Garrett experiences in that situation, from thinking about everything that led to the breakup to worrying about what friends will say, often at the expense of his own feelings. Without a doubt, this is a catchy and interesting tune. Definitely check it out below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Indie
  • Pop

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We Wander – Can’t Save You

We Wander

Maddie Little got a really nice and sweet voice and given how much she loves music, it came naturally for her to pick up a guitar in 2017 and start a band: We Wander. Eventually, she recruited Camilo on bass, Jacob on drums, and Christian on violin, resulting in a sound they call lush and explorative. It’s basically their own brand of indie folk.

Can’t Save You is one of their latest singles. It showcases all of the above, from Maddie‘s beautiful vocals to the contribution of each one of the band’s members and the overall style. The song is a letter that Maddie wrote to herself to be reminded that fighting her own battles is sometimes more important than the actual outcome. If you like indie folk, then make sure to check We Wander out. You’ll be glad you did.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Cristóvam – Setting Sun

I’ve had Setting Sun sitting in my queue for a while now, and during that time, my pal Jeff from Eclectic Music Lover wrote a flawless review of this single. I’m not a fan of repeating what has already been said, and even less so when what has been said is so good. The only thing I can add to what Jeff wrote is that Cristóvam, a singer/songwriter from Portugal, won first prize in the ‘Unsigned Only’ category for the International Songwriting Competition 2018, which had the likes of Keane, Bastille and Lorde, amongst the judges. And then, this year, he won ‘Pop Performance’ and ‘Song of the Year’ in the International Portuguese Music Awards. At this pace, by this time next year, he will be complaining about The Grammy Awards being corrupt.

The bottom line is that Setting Sun is a great, uplifting tune, and a great addition to T.A.M. Check it out below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie