DATE ARCHIVES : July 2019

Sywel Nyw – ‘Jumping Fences’

Sywel Nyw is the new musical project from Welsh musician and Yr Eira frontman Lewys Wyn.

For his new project, Wyn has traded indie-rock wares for a more dreamy synth-based sound experimenting with guitars, synths and drum loops.The first fruits of this new project comes in the form of stellar debut single ‘Jumping Fences’. It gently swaggers along a seductive, slinking groove sprinkled with shimmering guitar tones, psych brush strokes, woozy synth lines, melancholic riffs and heavenly harmonies creating a soothing and hopeful vibe. Marked by melancholy but brimming with optimism, ‘Jumping Fences’ is buoyed by hope and overwhelmed by warmth, beauty and swells with a powerful sense emotional resolution.Vocally meanwhile, ‘Jumping Fences’ shifts between English and Welsh organically, for a thoughtful and introspective look on the effects of social media – a glorious tune that will have you headed straight for repeated listens.

Tune in below:

Heavy Heart – ‘Cry Ice’

London dream-pop outfit Heavy Heart draw their 2019 trilogy of singles to a close on thrilling fashion with ‘Cry Ice’.

Like the previous two transfixing and beautiful singles, ‘Dowsabel’ and ‘Bed Bug’, ‘Cry Ice’ yields marvellous results. Drifting seamlessly along, ‘Cry Ice’ brings an even more intimate and emotive flavour to their vivid songwriting and luscious dream pop. Keyboards gently flicker and guitars glisten as Vincent’s velvety vocals soar above the steady beat, warm blanket of fuzz and melodic allure. It is a heady and potent mix that is fragile yet powerful and forceful yet melancholic, that leaves you powerless as it pulls heavy on the heartstrings. While all three singles arose from the demise of lead singer Anna Vincent and guitarist Patrick Fitzroy’s seven-year relationship, ‘Cry Ice’ feels much more personal and emotional, as it tells a tale of two lovers slowly and painfully freezing to death on a mountain, side by side, but unable to reach the other. Like the previous singles, this one was mixed and co-produced by Gabe Wax (The War On Drugs, Palehound, Soccer Mommy), and is utterly divine.

Tune into ‘Cry Ice’ below:

Chloe Foy – ‘Without You’

Manchester-based singer, songwriter and folk artist Chloe Foy introduced herself with the beautiful, expansive and melodic folk of ‘Oh You Are Not Well’, and with a debut album in the works, Foy has returned with new single ‘Without You’.

Thoughtfully arranged and elegantly expressed, ‘Without You’ draws power from juxtaposition; it is delicate yet intense, beautiful yet harrowed, sad but resilient and uplifting. It waltzes along a cushioned bass stomp and rhythmic guitar strum amid an elegant yet increasingly intense atmosphere swirl, tempered by lilting melodies and chiming guitars. This exquisite textured backdrop is the perfect and bewitching companion for Foy’s strikingly beautiful voice to bend you to the power of its whim.

Listen to ‘Without You’ below:

James Leonard Hewitson – ‘Deader’

Hartlepool native James Leonard Hewitson is an artist with a flair for fuzzed-up, infectious slices of slacker(ish) indie-rock; a rep fleshed out with a series of well-received demos.

James Leonard Hewitson has a debut LP called Only The Noise Will Save Me coming in the Autumn via Butterfly Effect Records and lead single ‘Deader’ is a charming bopper adorned with all the aforementioned attributes, and more. Buoyant yet sombre, ‘Deader’ is constructed around buzzing bass lines, crunchy riffs, raucous guitar, smashing drums, and all treated to a lavish lashing of warm fuzz. It is upbeat and bright pop song armed with hooks you could hang your hat on and the most alluring, singalong chorus you’ll hear this year; “I’m feeling deader, deader, deader.

Listen to ‘Deader’ below (you will feel better for it) and keep an eye out for that album come Autumn.

Remington Super 60 – ‘The Highway Again’

Remington Super 60 are a Norweigan outfit revolving around the songwriting exploits of Christoffer Schou with a preference for retro-flavoured indie-pop brimming with warmth and dreamy nostalgia.

Having formed in 1998, Remington Super 60 are something of veterans but on the evidence of their timeless and blissed out new single ‘The Highway Again’, the years have been good to them and have lost none of their sparkle. It is a deliciously sweet of confection that purrs with a rich melodic allure as it drifts along a wave of blissful dreamy nostalgia. A joyous affair of sumptuous swelling harmonies, gentle guitar jangle and Casio synth melody; it is a magical, timeless and ridiculously catchy single with a hopefully vibe. Three-minutes of blissful indie-pop perfection,‘The Highway Again’ is something rather special and resides on the right side of familiar.

A new EP is in the works for later this year but for now, you can listen to ‘The Highway Again’ below:

Wilding – ‘Speed King of the Commonwealth’

Melbourne psych-pop purveyor Wilding – aka Justin Wilding Stokes – has charmed us with gloriously playful, jovial and off-kilter pop at every given opportunity but over the past few years, all has been quiet on the music front.

However, Wilding has broken this unholy vow of silence with new single ‘Speed King of the Commonwealth’, the lead track lifted from his forthcoming third LP The Death of Foley’s Mall. Wilding has become synonymous fabulous, charming and sprightly indie-pop and his return marks no deviation from this rich vein of form. A two-and-a-half minute pop nugget, ‘Speed King of the Commonwealth’ whizzes and fizzes by with scuzzy guitars, smiley melodies, charming hooks and his signature preference for playful, jovial and off-kilter pop, and all covered in delightful layers of fuzz. Infectious doesn’t even cover the half of it; this is sparkling indie-pop perfection – one to be treasured and enjoyed, no question!

Listen to ‘Speed King of the Commonwealth’ below and keep an eye out for the new record later this year.

Mindchatter – ‘Kerosene’

NYC producer Mindchatter has been dazzling us with genre-hoping aural delights; ‘Trippy’, ‘Blood’ & ‘Tough as Nails’.

Mindchatter is back with a similarly seductive single ‘Kerosene’. It is a sombre, slumbering sound that gentle meanders through a rich and textured soundscape marked by a bittersweet feel as hushed tones hover above the shimmers of synth and soft, popping beats. There is a tension and unease at play here but it is nicely cushioned by a sweetness and charm, creating a dremay and effortlessly chilled musical atmosphere. ‘Kerosene’ has a devastatingly powerful magnetism and becomes increasingly addictive and alluring with each and every listen.

Listen to ‘Kerosene’ below and if you like what you hear, you can check out previous single here too.

Elly Swope – ‘Habits’

Elly Swope is a multi-instrumentalist based in Portland, Oregon. Swope’s sound is a rambunctious, off-kilter and colourful confection of art-punk hi-jinx and indie-pop brilliance; think St. Vincent and Courtney Barnett, with a touch of The Futureheads and early day The Strokes.

Swope introduced herself towards the end of last year with wonderful debut EP It Feels the Same Everytime and has returned with a brand new single, ‘Habits’. Propelled by a muted guitar riff and driving synthesizer line, Swope’s lilting, fractured vocals tackle the intricacies of codependency. It is mellow yet meaty, confident while introspective and the synth/guitar combination is ever so seductive. As is its penchant for off-kilter, playful bouts, especially the charming melody and frazzled synth squiggles; both have their own bewitching allure.

Tune in below:

Sid Steppes – ‘Tiny Pieces of Belief’

Sid Steppes is a musician and songwriter from Southern California, whose dreamy psychedelic-pop sound is born from a penchant for DIY, writing and recording as he has in various bedrooms and makeshift studios.

Inspired by heartache, depression and the path towards rehabilitating the mind, Steppes’ debut album Trails came out at the end of May, and ‘Tiny Pieces of Belief’ is the latest single to be lifted from it. Like the album, ‘Tiny Pieces of Belief’ is marked by a deep fondness for ’60s and ’70s psychedelia. It is a woozy tune, meandering along a waltzing rhythm and joined by an intimate acoustic strum, bright guitar chimes and mellow undulations; ‘Tiny Pieces of Belief’ is richly melodic, lush and alluring. Much of the later is due to the heartfelt, smouldering emotion and reverb-laden vocals, radiating a powerful sense of melancholy and nostalgia. ‘Tiny Pieces of Belief’ is charming and utterly irresistible.

Listen to ‘Tiny Pieces of Belief’ below and if that is to your liking, check out the new album here.