Sit back and enjoy the music
Artist: flor
Song: Play Along
Genres: #indierock
Location: Oregon, United States
Release date: January, 2021
Comment: Indie darlings flor (remember them?) are back with a new track that sounds really really good. In fact, I’d dare to say it is my favorite song of theirs, not just because of the playful melody but also the childhood-reminding lyrics. All in all, it is a great tune.
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Artist: The New Twentys
Song: Heart’s In The Right Place
Genres: #indierock #alternativerock
Location: London, UK
Release date: January, 2022.
Influences: The Cure, Talking Heads, The Strokes.
Comment: Less than a year after the catchy I Can’t Afford Her, London-based trio The New Twentys, are back with a new single that’s not that far behind in terms of energy and likability. Heart’s In The Right Place, the band explains, “serves as as a middle finger to all the people who try to trample on your passions, the types that act like they’ve got life figured out, and want you to share their same small view of the world. ‘They say my heart’s in the right place as though the rest of me ain’t'”.
What could I add to that? When you mix meaningful lyrics with a good melody, you end up with bangers just like this song. Check it out!.
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Artist: Feeder
Song: The Healing
Genres: #indierock #alternativerock
Location: Newport, United Kingdom
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: British rockers Feeder are about to release a brand new album, Torpedo, next week and for the past few months, they have been dropping new songs here and there. I got nothing against the other ones, but The Healing, the fourth cut from Torpedo, is by far the best new track I’ve heard from this band in a long long time. It sounds as good as vintage Feeder with a modern feel (that intro is flawless). With everything going on in the world at the moment, particularly with Ukraine, a song about how we can heal as a society fits like a glove. Enjoy!
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Artist: The Namesakes
Song: Leopard Skin
Genres: #collegerock #alternativerock
Location: South Launceston, Australia
Release date: December, 2021
Comment: Tasmanian four-piece act The Namesakes are a rock ‘n’ roll band flirting with college rock, 60s pop, British and Australian indie music and classic punk. Case in point, their latest EP, Super Computer, got a little bit of everything across its six tracks. Leopard Skin, which is the second track, sounds like what would have happened if Oasis, Nada Surf, and Said The Whale had made a song together. It’s the quintessential indie rock song with an outstanding chorus that leaves you thirsty for more.
Listening to The Namesakes, you realize that this is not a band trying to become the next world-famous mega band, but a group of friends making music that they enjoy. If you’re here, chances are that you will enjoy it too. Check them out!
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Artist: Angela Sclafani
Song: Bell Jar
Genres: #indie #indiefolk
Location: New York City, United States
Influences: Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones
Release date: February, 2022.
Comment: Angela Sclafani is an independent #singersongwriter from New York City who has released three EPs so far and won numerous accolades as a songwriter. Her new single, Bell Jar, was inspired by Sylvia Plath‘s 1963 novel and is full of evocative lyrics that encourage listeners to challenge those social conventions that keep them down. Melodically, the track reminds me not only of the artists listed as Angela’s influences but also Lisa Loeb and even Sarah McLachlan. If you like sweet melodies with great lyrics, you’re in for a treat.
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Artist: Yon Idy
Song: In Time
Genres: #indierock #indiefolk
Location: Skopje, North Macedonia
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: Yon Idy is a young musician in a country with no music industry whatsoever, according to the artist himself. He grew up listening to The Beatles and Leonard Cohen, but his latest single, In Time, sounds closer to artists such as Jason Mraz and Vance Joy. This poignant track talks about the hardships of moving on at the end of relationship you didn’t want to end. You won’t want In Time to end either but the good news is that Yon Idy is releasing his full-length debut later this year.
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Artist: DBMK
Song: Chains
Genres: #alternativerock #altpop
Location: Nashville, United States
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: DBMK is a Nashville-based alt-pop duo that consists of Kyle Knudsen (vocals) and Colton Ward (drums). They have sold out numerous shows in their home state of Florida and managed their own DIY tours all across the States, amassing a dedicated fanbase denominated the “KULT“. That being said, I hadn’t heard of them until I listened to Chains, their latest single released last month, and came out impressed. From the inviting guitar-based intro to the infectious chorus, the whole song got everything it needs to become a staple of your music library in 2022.
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Artist: almost sex
Song: Lucille
Genres: #indierock
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: I’m sorry for being away for so long but, as I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been on parental leave and, unsurprisingly, had other priorities. I’m still catching up with plenty of submissions, emails and any music released during that time, but I thought it fitting to return with the latest single from almost sex, a duo that has become a staple of T.A.M. Their consistency releasing great music is truly off the charts!
Lucille is the lead single off their forthcoming debut EP and our good friend Jeff wrote already a great review that you should absolutely check out. It’s a moody and soothing track that you are going to love if you liked any of their previous songs featured here before.
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Artist: Better Than Ezra
Song: Closer
Genres: #indierock #alternativerock
Location: New Orleans, United States
Release date: August, 2001
Comment: I think Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra is one of the best lyricists around. BTE are best known for their singles released during alternative rock’s heyday in the 1990s, but Closer was the album that introduced me to them. A Lifetime is one of my favorite songs ever and a great example of how talented Kevin is as a songwriter. However, the song I want to feature today is the title track from that underrated album, a song that always resonated with me even though it I couldn’t really relate to it before.
Closer is a beautiful song Griffin wrote after having his first child. In it, he wonderfully describes the excitement, pride, bewilderment and fear he felt all at once as a new dad. I hadn’t mentioned it here before but I’m about to become a dad as well in the next 24 hours or so, and I’m finally starting to understand what Kevin Griffin meant word by word. Incredibly, I can now say that Closer is even better than I thought.
Hope you enjoy this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry, and please bear with me while I adapt to my new routine.
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Artist: Picture Us Tiny
Song: Forever & Always (Tiny’s Version)
Genres: #punkrock #poppunk
Location: Syracuse, United States
Release date: December, 2021.
Comment: Picture Us Tiny is the moniker of Jackson Velli, who in April last year posted a short pop-punk cover of Forever & Always (originally from Taylor Swift) that became viral on Tiktok. That success led him to record and release a full version on all platforms, which is great news to those of us who are not regular users of said social media website, as we would have missed it otherwise. One of Jackson’s main goals is to “ensure catchy punk music will never die” and this cover is a great step towards achieving that.
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