Tag: Indie

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The Namesakes – Leopard Skin

The Namesakes - Leopard Skin

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!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Faith Low – Manic

Photo credits: rominakeyphoto

Artist: Faith Low

Song: Manic

Genres: #altpop #indiepop

Location:  Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Influences: Slipknot, Kanye West, Lana del Rey

Release date: January, 2022

Comment: There’s something about vulnerable songs that makes them almost magnetic, as if you couldn’t stop listening to them. Today’s featured song, Manic, is an example of that. In it, Faith Low sings about the struggles of battling mental illness and addiction in a way that makes you feel every single word. Musically, it’s a low-tempo pop song not unlike those of Lana del Rey, one of Faith Low‘s influences.

This talented artist had been playing in different bands for over 10 years but never as a vocalist. It was just recently that Faith Low decided to try their hand at being a #singersongwriter. Can you imagine the massive waste of talent if that hadn’t been the case? Faith Low clearly has something to say and the talent to be heard.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Pop

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Angela Sclafani – Bell Jar

Photo: Jules Miranda

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.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Fan Theories – Kids In Heatwaves

Fan Theories - Kids In Heatwaves

Artist: Fan Theories

Song: Kids In Heatwaves

Genres: #alternativerock #indierock

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Release date: January, 2022

Comment: Perhaps you remember Fan Theories‘ debut single, Next Great Holiday, which was featured here almost 2 years ago. If you do, then you’ll be happy to hear that they’re back with a new single, their third one so far. The Finnish band drew inspiration from the world’s “miserable state of affairs” to write Kids In Heatwaves, an infectious song with a refreshing sound that is quickly becoming their defining attribute.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Yon Idy – In Time

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.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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DBMK – Chains

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.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Pop

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almost sex – Lucille

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.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Better Than Ezra – Closer

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.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Picture Us Tiny – Forever & Always

Cover art: Jessica Haines

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.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Punk-Rock

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Sam Fender – Get You Down

Artist: Sam Fender

Song: Get You Down

Genres: #alternativerock

Location: Newcastle, United Kingdom

Release date: October, 2021

Comment: I’m probably late to Sam Fender’s bandwagon but I hadn’t really paid much attention to him until I heard this song in December and… well, now I’m hooked. I love the jangling guitars and the layered approach to introducing the different instruments in the song. Get You Down is one of four singles released ahead of Sam’s sophomore studio album, Seventeen Going Under. By the time Sam releases a third studio album, I’m sure he’ll be quite a household name.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative