Sit back and enjoy the music
Artist: MONOWHALES
Song: New Threads
Genres: #indierock #altpop
Location: Canada
Release date: April, 2022
Comment: MONOWHALES were featured here more than one year ago and now they’re back with a new single that, while sounding different and fresh, is also very good. This time they delight us with a bedroom pop tune centered about coming of age as an adult.
New Threads is a real earworm. Check it out.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Sigrid
Song: It Gets Dark
Genres: #indiepop #altpop
Location: Norway
Release date: March, 2022
Comment: Norwegian singer Sigrid got an international pop hit with Sucker Punch, from her eponymous debut album. That song was catchy and I did like it, but the young artist still managed to surprise me when I listened to It Gets Dark, a lead single off her brand new sophomore album: How To Let Go. This song is next level good. Check it out.
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Artist: Sasha Alex Sloan
Song: WTF
Genres: #indiepop #altpop
Location: Los Angeles, United States
Release date: March, 2022
Comment: WTF got some rather depressing lyrics but I fell in love with it anyway. As soon as Alexandra Artourovna Yatchenko, aka Sasha Alex Sloan (and formerly: Sasha Sloan), started singing: “Same shit, different year”, I was spellbound. One of the lead singles off Sasha’s sophomore album, I Blame The World (which is going to be released next week!), this honest track is definitely a #musicalcrush. Hopefully, there will be a few of those in the new album.
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Artist: Stumble Steady
Song: Transducer
Genres: #indiepop #alternativerock
Location: Florida, United States
Influences: Cage The Elephant, The 1975, Dayglow
Release date: March, 2022.
Comment: Talented musician Garrett Kealer has been featured on T.A.M. as Stumble Steady a couple of times before (here and here), and a lot has changed since the last time that happened (almost exactly one year ago). For starters, Stumble Steady is no longer a solo act, as you can see in the video below. Co-vocalist Cara Harpest debuts in the bands’ new single, Transducer, which is certainly their catchiest track so far. As usual, the song’s lyrics were inspired by Garrent’s experience with OCD, with the idea behind it being taking all the negative energy coming from dealing with that illness and transforming it into something positive. Well, that’s exactly what they achieved because there’s no room for negative emotions when yo listen to such an effervescent tune. Enjoy!
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Artist: The Auxiliary
Song: Overture
Genres: #chillout #dreampop
Location: North Carolina, United States
Release date: January, 2022.
Comment: Russell Howard, the talented musician behind The Auxiliary, has been making music professionally most of his life, mainly as an acoustic singer-songwriter supporting acts such as The Lumineers and Sister Hazel, but it wasn’t until he decided to leave behind the boundaries of that genre and embrace what really inspired him, that he found what he didn’t know he’d been looking for. Overture is his debut single as The Auxiliary, and this one turned out to be a gorgeous electronic soundscape with ethereal vocals and reverberated synths. It feels like the soundtrack of a dream. Don’t miss it.
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Artist: The Break Plans
Song: Fashionably Late
Genres: #altpop #indiepop
Location: New Jersey, United States
Release date: March, 2022
Comment: Colton (vocals), Mikey (guitar), Dan (drums) and Chris (Bass), aka The Break Plans, are four talented musicians who definitely enjoy what they do. Just watch the music video for their brand new single, Fashionably Late, and you’ll definitely agree with me here. The track, which they wrote about the importance of being comfortable on your own skin, no matter how long it takes you to get there, sounds just as fun, with a very contagious melody and the right amounts of 1980s music influence. Well worth a listen.
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Artist: Love You Later
Song: Keepintouch
Genres: #indiepop #indierock
Location: Nashville, United States
Release date: March, 2022.
Comment: Love You Later is the #altpop solo project of Lexi Aviles, a 23-year-old artist who has opened for the likes of OneRepublic and has won the attention of multiple tastemakers in the US. After listening to her effervescent new single, Keepintouch, it’s easy to understand why. The infectious earworm, inspired by Love You Later‘s discomfort with being alone, is one of those lighthearted songs sometimes you just can’t get enough of.
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Artist: Caroline Romano
Song: Oddities & Prodigies
Genres: #AlternativeRock, #Altpop
Location: Nashville, United States
Release date: February, 2022.
Comment: 20-year-old Nashville-based artist Caroline Romano was featured here last August (when she was still 19) with her song The Hypothetical, which is part of her brand new album, titled “Oddities & Prodigies“, released in February. The album comes highly recommended with several good songs like the above-mentioned one and Grocery Store, among others. However, my favorite track by far is the eponymous Oddities & Prodigies, which is even better than The Hypothetical. In fact, if you like catchy #poprock songs, you might find it perfect. Check it out!
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Artist: Cade Hoppe
Song: Hurts
Genres: #altpop #indiepop
Location: New York, United States
Influences: Jack Antonoff, Coldplay, The National
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: Harper James –one half of the band Eighty Ninety, which was featured here last year– produced the new EP from New York-based singer: Cade Hoppe, ‘Tell Me How It’s Worth It,’ and you can definitely feel a similar vibe. Originally from Sacramento, this talented musician sets himself apart from other #altpop musicians with his baritone vocals. Just listen to his new single, Hurts, which he wrote after breaking up with a loved one. The catchy melody and Cade’s tone of voice make it sound really fresh. Give it a try!
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Artist: Ryan Wright
Song: A Dream I’ll Forget
Genres: #indiepop #altpop
Location: Northern Virginia, United States
Influences: The Smiths, The 1975, Lana Del Rey
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: “A Dream I’ll Forget” is an ethereal and soothing indie pop song by Virginia-based artist: Ryan Wright. It is part of an eponymous EP released earlier this month, her first one. It is quite fitting that the song talks about a dream as it certainly feels like one. The lush synths complement Ryan’s vocals pretty well, which is why you don’t want this tune to end. Ah and she was born in 2002. The sky is really the limit for her.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
The Alternative Mixtapes 