The Reverse – ‘Cocktails in the Rain’

The Reverse are a London-based indie outfit with a flair for blending acerbic guitar pop with electronic textures.

Latest single ‘Cocktails in the Rain’ is a case in point; a beautifully understated piece of electronic, shimmery pop marked with a real sense of melancholy and longing. Hushed, lilting vocals flow gently on by, oozing with melancholy and pulling at the heartstrings while a soft beat patters below flourishes of warm synth and gentle bright strum. The Reverse prove masters of hook, harmony and heart; ‘Cocktails in the Rain’ is one of those songs, filled with such heartfelt beauty, glowing warmth and just the right amount of melancholy to leave you unable to resist its allure but all the better for it. An absolute treasure.

‘Cocktails in the Rain’ is the lead track from their new EP ‘If The World Ends Now’ released on Blang Records.

Take a listen below.

Sub*T – ‘Table for Four’

Based in California, Sub*T are a garage rock duo who’ve got a penchant for laid-back, lo-fi, 90s inspired grunge-tinged indie.

‘Table for Four’ is the latest single from Jade Alcantara and Grace Bennett and it delivers all that and more. Endearingly ramshackle, it introduces us with an easy going languid air as riffs meander amid a mild layer of warm fuzz, there is an overwhelming sense of melancholy and loss. The latter qualities are rendered by the emotional weight of the rousing vocals, which spurs ‘Table of Four’ toward an impassioned, rousing climax that is explosive. Ramshackle indie packed with passion, fuzzed-up distorted guitars, sweet licks and crashing drums – it is a potent blast of noise and distortion that is so pretty damn irresistible – it is rare that just two people can make such an appealing racket. 

A brilliant intro to the pair’s wares, listen to ‘Table of Four’ below. It is lifted from their debut EP So Green, which is coming soon.

Vanessa Van Ness – ‘The Early Bus’

Vanessa Van Ness is a New York-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for eerie post-punk with psych brush strokes.

Van Ness’ latest single ‘The Early Bus’ is a very personal one, intimate and hypnotic, it is fraught with a harrowing sense of eeriness as it deals with her brother getting hit by a car when they were kids, and taking an early bus each day to visit him in the hospital over a span of six months. A stirring, emotionally charged and sentimental track that musically nods in the direction of 70s/80s UK post-punk and motorik krautrock. Melancholic vocals whisper and flicker above a hypnotic groove while guitars shapeshift and evaporate amid the sparse sea of atmospherics, synth and psych brush strokes. ‘The Early Bus’ is incredibly powerful, moving and captivating – it may be dark and eerie but is also extremely touching too.

Listen to ‘The Early Bus’ below:

SPRINTS – ‘Modern Job’

We’ve been tracking Dublin-based post-punk outfit Sprints for a while now and have impressed no end on each time of asking with their raw, raucous and potent post-punk sound.

Following on from the phenomenal Manifesto EP earlier thai year, Sprints return with news of new EP called A Modern Job, which is due out via Nice Swan Records on March 11 2022. Sprints have already left an indelible mark with releases to date and like their previous work is a fired-up, raucous blast of post-punk. Exploding out of the blocks with ferocious vitality and energy, Karla Chubb’s spoken-sung vocals bite and rise with a focused anger amid the dark, bass-heavy rumblings, sharp guitars and searing noise. Dark, brooding and bone-rattling, potent and poignant;  impressive stuff as usual.

Listen to ‘Modern Job’ below:

Anna Vincent – ‘Nothing Wrong’

London singer/songwriter Anna Vincent, known for her work with My Tiger My Timing and Heavy Heart – the latter caught our ear on more than one occasion in recent years with wonderful explorations of ‘90s indie rock, shoegaze and dream pop. – will release her debut solo album Under The Glass on 29 October.

The album was recorded mostly at home (and in lockdown) during 2020 and was inspired by late 60s and early 70s folk and folk-rock by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, John Martyn, Jackson Browne, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, as well as indie rock like Wilco, Elliott Smith and Teenage Fanclub.

And with the record’s release only weeks away, Vincent has shared ‘Nothing Wrong’, a third single lifted from the forthcoming album. Vincent takes us on a melodic meander through a wonderful woozy world of warm dreamy allure with hazy psych brushstrokes while rippling guitars shimmer a gentle pattering groove undulates beneath the lush and breezy vocals that cruise above.

Listen to ‘Nothing Wrong’ below and keep an eye out for Under The Glass on 29 October.

Gushh – ‘Tired, All The Time’

We’ve been keeping a close eye on Gushh – solo project of Bristol-based artist Richard Stockley – throughout 2021 as we have drip fed a series of epic and beautiful cuts that will make the bones of a forthcoming EP.

Stockley looks after everything involved – composing, recording, mixing, mastering and artwork – as Gushh revolves around the concept of looping elements and building tracks whilst telling a narrative through old-timey samples from forgotten pieces of media.


‘Tired, All The Time’ is the latest lifted from a forthcoming EP, and is yet another marvelous example of the wonderful wizardry weaved by Gushh. Guitars twinkle and shimmer, bright riffs twinkle atop multi-textured fluttering layers of cosmic brilliance while we are wooed into a woozy stupor by a hypnotic groove and spellbinding charm. Sweeping by with an air of cinematic grandeur, it builds and builds with an undercurrent of euphoria toward a triumphant climax of epic proportions. Yet another mesmerising track from Gushh.

Listen to the epic brilliance of ‘Tired, All The Time’ below.

Nihiloceros – ‘Halfway Human’

Nihiloceros are a trio from Brooklyn, NY who trade in powerful, heavyweight and muscular jams taking influence from post-punk, grunge and 90s alt-rock.

The trio’s latest single, ‘Halfway Human’, taken from their recent EP Self Destroy, is a perfect encapsulation of their raucous, rockin; wares. Fuelled by crunchy guitars, meaty riffs and barreling barrage of loud, pounding drums, ‘Halfway Human’ is bristling with an untamed raw energy that burns bright amid the scuzzy, fuzz and distortion filled environs. A muscular, powerful and terrific blast of crunching alt-rock that is refreshingly unsubtle.

Listen to ‘Halfway Human’ below and why not check out the EP here.

The Bug Club – ‘The Fixer’

The Bug Club are the creative trio of Sam Willmett (guitar/vocals), Tilly Harris (bass/vocals) and Dan Matthew (drums), from the little-known rock n’ roll hotbed of Caldicot, Monmouthshire.

Together they craft tight-knit, catchy and memorable tunes; sometimes blistering, fiery and fierce and other times, melodic and playfully addictive, and always fizzing with humour and riffs-a-plenty – attributes on display in abundance on their brilliant debut EP Launching Moondream One which was released earlier in the summer.

Hot on the heels of their debut EP comes new single ‘The Fixer’ – a blistering bolt of fizzed-up garage-rock – lifted from their forthcoming new mini-album ‘Pure Particles’ due in November. Propelled by an unrelenting stomping beat and electrifying energy, guitars buzz as meaty  raucous riffs roar amid lovely layers of warm fuzz and lashings of distortion as Willmet & Harris deliver brilliant dual vocals. ‘The Fixer’ finds a sweet spot between melodic and muscular; an utterly addictive scuzzy jam hooks you could hang your hat on.

Yet another brilliant and utterly addictive jam from The Bug Club and the mini-album is one to really look forward to.

Listen to ‘The Fixer’ below:

Sons Of Zöku – ‘Sacred’

Sons Of Zöku are Adelaide-based psych-rock outfit comprised of Portuguese-born Ricardo Da Silva and Ica Quintela, and Australian-born Jordan Buck, Oscar Ellery, and Eddie Hannemann.

They have been making waves in their native Australia (surely the most reliable source of modern psych) for a while with their free-flowing, energetic and colourful explorations and are now readying the release of their debut album and ahead of which, ‘Sacred’ is the first single lifted from the record.

In keeping with tradition, ‘Sacred’ draws influences from across the globe crafting a hypnotic haze of colourful kaleidoscopic sounds, wholly their own. Propelled by a lush, swirling groove and meandering rhythm it is adorned with languid guitars, sitar flourishes and dreamy, hushed vocals that drift melodically above the warm blanket of dreamy fuzz. Sons Of Zöku have struck gold once again and with a debut album on the horizon, it is a timely reminder of their prowess – hopefully the wait isn’t too long.

Listen to ‘Sacred’ below and get ready to be entranced. 

Introducing: The Bug Club

The Bug Club are the creative trio of Sam Willmett (guitar/vocals), Tilly Harris (bass/vocals) and Dan Matthew (drums), from the little-known rock n’ roll hotbed of Caldicot, Monmouthshire.

Together they craft tight-knit, catchy and memorable tunes; sometimes blistering, fiery and fierce and other times, melodic and playfully addictive, and always fizzing with humour and riffs-a-plenty – attributes on display in abundance on their wonderfully titled debut EP Launching Moondream One.

Propelled by a relentless, driving energy, it ones with ‘Check Mate’ as it stomps along with a swagger and fiery attitude as raucous riffs buzz through lashing of scuzzy fuzz, all adorned with sweet harmonies and hooks you could hang your hat on. On the other hand, ‘All Of The Scariest Monsters Live In London’ offers the first taste from the other side of their personality; that prediction for melodic and playfully addictive pop. A mellow and melodic ditty, it skips along a playful beat while a bright strum illuminates the woozy and breezy vocals the cruise above – it is a hazy and dreamy beauty. Meanwhile, ‘We Don’t Need Room For Lovin’ falls between the two, something of a bridging point between the boisterous and playful bounciness, as does closer and title track. A brilliant and utterly addictive EP that will have you going straight for repeated plays time and time again.

Launching Moondream One is out now on Bingo Records.