Tag: indie pop

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Madison Deaver – Denim

Artist: Madison Deaver

Song: Denim

Genres: #altrock, #poprock

Location: Los Angeles, United States

Release date: August, 2022.

Comment: Madison Deaver could have chosen the easier path to stardom by becoming a hip-hop artist. Instead, she’s been compared to the garage days of Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne, with her music ranging from alternative rock to punk rock, and I applaud her for that. Her new single Denim might be her best one so far and it is as energetic and anthemic as you could expect. Lyrically, Madison complains about people who think relationships are like denim, as if they would last forever no matter how badly one person is treated. Overall, this track is an absolute banger.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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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:

  • Everything
  • Pop

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Simon Mós – Progression

Artist: Simon Mós

Song: Progression

Genres: #chillout

Location: London, United Kingdom

Release date: July, 2022.

Comment: I’m sorry I didn’t feature this great tune, Progression, in time for the summer, but I guess it’s better late than never. The artist behind the track, South London’s Simon Mós, wanted to evoke feelings of nostalgia and melancholy by using experimental guitar recordings into his beats, all of this while maintaining a minimalist production style. Progression is a great example of that and also the perfect way to start your weekend. Enjoy!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Chill Out

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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

Comment: That 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:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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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:

  • Everything
  • Pop

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Phoebe Bridgers – Sidelines

Phoebe Bridgers

Artist: Phoebe Bridgers

Song: Sidelines

Genres: #indie

Location:  California, United States

Release date: April, 2022

Comment: Phoebe Bridgers has been featured here before and she’s pretty much everywhere these days, so I don’t think you need me to tell you who she is. What you may or may not know though is that she recently released a brand new song for the tv show Conversation With Friends, and it is truly gorgeous. She started to write Sidelines with her drummer, Marshall Vore, but left it unfinished while they focused on some other things. When the folks from the tv show reached out to her, she and Marshall decided to finish it and I, for one, am glad they did, as it is too good to be left unreleased.

It is probably my favorite Phoebe Bridgers song.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Indie

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Emarosa – Attention

Emarosa - Attention

Artist: Emarosa

Song: Attention

Genres: #altpop #indiepop

Location:  Los Angeles, United States

Release date: July, 2022

Comment: Emarosa is a band originally formed in Kentucky in 2006, but they have transformed themselves in such a way that they sound today like a completely different band, and I don’t mean simply the fact that they got a new lead vocalist, Bradley Scott, circa 2012. They went from being a post-hardcore act to an indie pop marvel with some synth-wave and 80’s music influence. Their last full album, Peach Club (2019), charted on the U.S. Billboard charts and led them to a successful nationwide tour.

Last month, Emarosa released a new indie pop song, “Attention”, that is incredibly catchy. The best way I have to describe it is: I guess this is how the child of George Michael’s “Freedom” and Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose” would sound. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Pop

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Hatsü – Be Conscious

Artist: Hatsü

Song: Be Conscious

Genres: #relaxing #ambient

Location: London, United Kingdom

Release date: May, 2022.

Comment: Today, middle of the week, let’s switch gears to something extremely relaxing. Be Conscious is a hypnotic track from London-based music producer Bobby Turner, aka Hatsü, which is a Japanese name meaning Beginning. One problem I’ve found with most ambient tracks is that they tend to sound very similar to each other but, luckily, Be Conscious does not suffer from that issue. Instead, Hatsü introduces subtle changes with layer after layer of textures and tones, resulting in a gentle soundscape that will certainly help you to focus, sleep or meditate.

I hope you enjoy this ethereal piece as much as I did.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Relax

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Departure – Calle 63

Photo credit: @santiago_denegurica

Artist: Departure

Song: Calle 63

Genres: #chillout #lofi

Influences: Khruangbin

Location: London, United Kingdom

Release date: April, 2022.

Comment: Camilo Tostón, who produces music as both Departure and for boutique music labels, grew up in Bogotá, Colombia, in a 3-story building inhabited entirely by family members. When he listened to Khruangbin‘s track: Cómo Te Quiero and watched its music video, which depicts the last minutes of a dying grandfather, Camilo got inspired to reminisce about the happy childhood that he had and came up with Calle 63, a magical track that transport you back to those years when we were happy without knowing it.

Calle 63 is Camilo‘s second single as Departure. Something I really like about it is that despite being an electronic track, the main element in this mesmerizing tune is actually a guitar. Outstanding job.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Chill Out

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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:

  • Everything
  • Pop