Simon Pipe – Leave The Light On

Artist: Simon Pipe

Song: Leave The Light On

Genres: #indie #relaxingmusic

Location: Worthing, Barbados

Influences: Cigarettes After Sex, Deftones, Cocteau Twins

Release date: July, 2022

CommentSimon Pipe is a musician, songwriter, producer, and overall artist from Barbados, who has built a career out of writing and producing music for other artists, including the famous reggae act Shaggy. However, that did not fill Simon’s needs as an artist, which is why he decided to make and share his own music as well, hoping someone could relate to it.

Over the last three years, Simon has struggled with his mental health and addiction multiple times. His survival mechanism and the way he prefers to deal with his issues is making music, and Leave The Light On, in particular, is an example of that. It is a song about true love and how small gestures, such as leaving the light on for your partner when they’re late, can mean so much to them, What I enjoy the most about this lovely track is its soothing vibe, helped by Simon’s extremely appealing voice. I honestly feel I could listen to Leave The Light On all day. I hope you can enjoy it too.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

C.S. Fulp – Burnout

Photo credit: Michael Manos

Artist: C.S. Fulp

Genres: #indiepop #altrock

Song: Burnout

Location: Los Angeles, United States

Release date: July, 2022

Comment One of the downsides to having a blog such as this one is that you end up listening to so many song submissions each day that, after a while, it becomes harder and harder to get impressed by a song. It still happens from time to time though, and that was definitely the case with Burnout, a song from up-and-coming artist Christian Fulp, aka C.S. Fulp, who wrote it in an attempt to explore the sound of early 2000s rock and the transitory nature of life.

Burnout is the third single released by C.S. Fulp this year ahead of his debut EP. If the other songs are half as catchy as this single, that debut record will be quite a treat.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Dilettante – Monster

Artist: Dilettante

Song: Monster

Genres: #indiepop #altpop

Location: Toronto, Canada

Release date: June, 2022

Comment:  Dilettante, which means a person having a superficial interest in an art of branch of knowledge, is a quintet from Toronto led by Natalie Panacci and Julia Wittmann. Most of the band members used to be on a band called For Jane, but their debut album as Dilettante, which is self-titled, was released this June. Monster is the closing track and even though it got a strong 80s music vibe, it sounds modern as well. I really like the synth-infused intro and the overall melody, but I absolutely love how it suddenly dials it back to just an acoustic guitar in the outro. I think that was a genius touch. Check it out!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Northwest Stories – That Isn’t Me

Photo credits: Alyssa Fink (@limitlys.photography)

Artist: Northwest Stories

Song: That Isn’t Me

Genres: #indiefolk

Location: Idaho, United States

Influences: Ben Rector, Novo Amor, Bon Iver

Release date: June, 2022

CommentThat Isn’t Me is a gorgeous folk song about focusing on what’s good in life instead of feeling stuck. Northwest Stories‘ lead vocalist, Adam Fink, got a calming voice you won’t want to stop listening to but, on top of that, they recording this song in 432 Hz as opposed to the standard 440 Hz, in order to make it even more soothing. Trust me, it works.

Northwest Stories is composed of Adam (vocals, guitar, piano) and RJ Rouse (background vocals, producer, engineer) and even though most of their songs are written about God, their music can appeal everybody, not just Christians. That Isn’t Me is a great example of that. Enjoy this lovely track!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Jeen – Mountain

Artist: Jeen

Song: Mountain

Genres: #indiepop #altpop

Location: Toronto, Canada

Release date: June, 2022

Comment:  Jeen O’Brien, or simply Jeen, is a #singersongwriter and music producer from Toronto who has been making music professionally since the nineties. She has been releasing albums as Jeen at least since 2015 and several of her songs have been featured on commercials for very well-known brands and also TV shows such as MTV Catfish. Chances are that we have unknowingly listened to her music before, but that’s changing now.

Jeen is releasing a new album in October and one of its lead singles was the refreshing Mountain, which became available in June. It reminds me a bit of a nice little song that I featured here 2 years ago when this blog was just starting: Shake Your Head Yes by The Mynabirds. The song was Jeen‘s attempt at keeping things in perspective during the pandemic, and it is full of lush sounds surrounding an engaging pop melody. Don’t miss it.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Eighty Ninety – The Night Sky

Artist: Eighty Ninety

Song: The Night Sky

Genres: #indiepop

Location: New York City, United States

Release date: June, 2022.

Comment: NYC indie-pop duo Eighty Ninety was featured here first in March 2021 with their single Forever. They continued releasing singles during this time and last month they finally dropped an EP that contains not only those singles, including Forever, but also three brand new ones: “Walking You Home“, “Thinking of You” and the title track “The Night Sky“. The latter is my favorite one even though all songs got infectious hooks and superb production.

The Night Sky is a sweet and romantic song about seeing your whole future in the eyes of the person you fell for. In fact, if you’d like to make a mixtape for a loved one, this would be an ideal first track.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

The Faim – Me Because of You

Artist: The Faim

Song: Me Because of You

Genres: #indiepop

Location: Perth, Australia

Release date: May, 2022

Comment To say that Me Because of You is catchy does not make this jam justice. With an incredibly infectious rhythm and lead singerJosh Raven’s flawless falsetto vocals, this synthpop tune will hook you up from the moment it starts playing. It is part of Talk Talk, the Australian four-piece band’s brand new album, but it is also the first song the band has ever self-produced. It’s safe to say that they did a remarkable job at it.

The Faim achieved international recognition with their debut album State of Mind. Talk Talk will probably make them stars.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Joe Holt – Who Cares

Artist: Joe Holt

Song: Who Cares

Genres: #indiefolk

Location: New York City, United States

Release date: April, 2022

Comment: If you like indie folk music, then you have to give this song, Who Cares, a chance. With its sweet melody and Joe’s ethereal vocals, it’s hard not to fall in love with this track that this talented #singersongwriter wrote during the pandemic to reflect the helplessness we were all feeling –and to some extent still feel–, at the time. Who Cares is the second single from Joe Holt‘s new full-length album, Tired of Trying. Having graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2015, this folk-rock artist has released four EPs and three full albums already, all worth checking out.

You can find the studio version of this gorgeous track in the mixtapes below but here’s a live rendition of it. Enjoy:

Featured on the following mixtapes:

Kami Kehoe – Test Dummy

Artist: Kami Kehoe

Song: Test Dummy

Genres: #indiepop #altpop

Location: Las Vegas, United States

Release date: April, 2022

Comment: A song about heartbreak, Test Dummy is a hauntingly melancholic tune that grows on you with every single listen. Promising Las Vegas-based artist Kami Kehoe wrote it after a heartbreak and in the process showed us that she got what it takes to make outstanding music. Definitely someone to keep an eye on. Check her out.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

The Royal Foundry – Little High Little Low

The Royal Foundry - Little High Little Low

Artist: The Royal Foundry

Song: Little High Little Low

Genres: #indierock #altpop

Location: Alberta, Canada

Release date: April, 2022

Comment:  If you just listened to Canadian alt-pop quartet The Royal Foundry‘s latest single, the extremely infectious Little High Little Low, you would never guess that they were once a folk duo, with real life couple Jared Salte and Bethany Schumacher at its core. The band has achieved certain recognition in their home country but this track about the importance of mental health and learning how to handle high and lows, could be the one that puts them firmly on the radar at an international level. It you like The Strumbellas (I do, a lot), you are going to love this. Enjoy!

Featured on the following mixtapes: