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.
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Artist: Rose-Erin Stokes
Song: The Same Way
Genres: #indiefolk #singersongwriter
Location: Ontario, Canada
Release date: April, 2022
Comment: This sweet and gorgeous song goes hand in hand with its quirky music video, which is basically a short film directed by Andrew Sowka. The song, part of Rose-Erin’s upcoming LP, When The Sun Goes Away, is a guitar-based indie-folk tune that somehow reminded me of Regina Spektor‘s Us, even though the two songs don’t sound alike. I guess it is the way how Rose-Erin sings “all along”. Anyway, please enjoy this magical song/music video.
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Artist: Rosehip
Song: Twilight
Genres: #chillout #lofi
Location: London, United Kingdom
Release date: February, 2022.
Comment: Inspired by the eponymous 1850 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (sampled at 1:16), Twilight is a relaxing and melancholic lo-fi single from London-based producer Rosehip. The poem describes the ocean though the eyes of a child who’s looking at it, in the middle of a storm, from the comfort of home, and that’s the feeling Rosehip wanted to evoke in the listener too: feeling comfortable during turbulent times.
Twilight is part of Stargaze, the new EP by this talented artist. Despite starting pushing the boundaries of lo-fi recently (2020), Rosehip has already achieved over 8 million streams on Spotify. Once you listen to Twilight, you will see why.
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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: Ian Moloney
Song: Polaroid
Genres: #indierock #punkrock
Location: Doonbeg, Ireland
Influences: The 1975, Nirvana, My Chemical Romance
Release date: December, 2021
Comment: If you live in Ireland, you might have seen Ian Moloney busking on the streets, playing at a gig or participating at a music competition. He’s involved with the local Irish gig scene like that. I hope those who have seen him play could appreciate how talented he is because it would be a shame if they didn’t. Influenced by The 1975’s debut album and MCR’s The Black Parade, Ian has released the second part to his debut EP, The Insomniac’s Dream, back in December, and it got quite a few good songs in it. I chose Polaroid today simply because Ian recorded a music video for it (see below) but I could have chosen any track. The album, which was recorded by Ian and a friend at their own houses during the pandemic, is that consistent.
I believe this record is just Ian’s starting point, but listen to Polaroid below and you will see how good a starting point it is.
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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: Lost Like Lions
Song: Back To Life
Genres: #alternativerock #punkrock
Location: Buffalo, NY, United States
Influences: Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie, Sugarcult
Release date: February, 2022
Comment: Derrik Schiersing (Vocals/Guitar) started Lost Like Lions in 2014, when he even recorded a debut EP in Los Angeles that featured guest vocals from A.J. Perdomo (The Dangerous Summer). Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan back then and the band went on a break until 2018, when they decided to give it another try. After releasing an EP in 2020, Lost Like Lions are getting ready to release a brand new EP, “Fear of Letting Go”, later this year.
Back To Life, the lead single, is a track about reinventing yourself and, as you can see from the band’s brief history above, they do know a thing or two about that. I actually think The Dangerous Summer would be a good comparison here because the vibes are pretty similar. Perhaps Lost Like Lions are a bit less punk, more alt-rock, and just as enjoyable. Check them out!
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Artist: Skinny Dippers
Song: Wedding Ring
Genres: #indiefolk
Location: Brooklyn, United States
Release date: February, 2022
Comment: When most people hear the words: indie music, they think of songs similar to Wedding Ring, such as New Slang by The Shins (which was also part of the famous Garden State Soundtrack discussed recently here), so when you hear the second single off NY-based indie project Skinny Dippers‘ upcoming debut album, that’s what you’re going to get: a perfectly fine example of #indiemusic. From the warm guitars to frontman Ryan Gross‘ gentle vocals, this clever song about realising a little too late that the person you have an affair with is wearing a wedding ring, will certainly leave you looking forward to The Town & The City, their debut album.
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Artist: Diarmuid J Kennedy
Song: Maud’s Melody
Genres: #Instrumental, #Neoclassical, #Piano
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Release date: February, 2022
Comment: Diarmuid J Kennedy, who has been featured here a couple of times already (here and here), is back with another beautiful piano composition called Maud’s Melody. which he dedicated to his youngest daughter, Maud. The story goes that Diarmuid came up with the original melody first and then decided that it would be a nice tribute for Maud. However, her older sister, Medb, thought that the piece needed more drama to reflect her little sister’s personality a bit better, so their father ended up adding a bit of drama in the second part. After hearing this story, I’m sure we’re all dying to meet little Maud, as she must be quite the character, but even without meeting her, we can all appreciate this charming tribute from a loving father to his little girl.
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Artist: Cydeways
Song: Down
Genres: #poppunk #punkrock
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Release date: February, 2022
Comment: Down got the peculiarity of being a cool pop-punk song made by what until now had been an alt-reggae band. Cydeways got a wide range of influences and they just follow whatever inspires them regardless of the genre. Lyrically, Down is a light tune about being into an ex’s best friend, and melodically, it reminds me of the best tracks from bands such as Mest and New Found Glory. The production from Kyle Black (Paramore, State Champs, The Story So Far) is really top-notch. All in all, Down is an outstanding track that we can definitely enjoy.
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