POST CATEGORY : Indie

David Harks – ‘Mists’

David Harks is a name that should be familiar to long standing patrons of the site.

The British-born, Berlin-based artist and singer has been the recipient of much deserved lavish praise for his work with Safetalk, varying collaborative projects and of course, his solo work – and it is the latter that are concerned with on this occasion.

Harks has returned with a softly lit, seductive serenade entitled ‘Mists’; a cinematic sojourn into blissed-out lofi ambient pop, awash with soaring harmonies and dubbed-out synthesis. It slinks and gently bubbles along a seductive groove as soft beats patter below the colorful swirling textures, crunching guitar riffs and computer game tones while Harks’ hushed, mellow and incredibly easy on the ear – all dripping with melody. It’s always great to hear from Harks and this is an incredibly beautiful, blissed-out and seductive – this up there with Hark’s best work.

Listen to ‘Mists’ below, you are in for a treat:

English Teacher – ‘A55’

English Teacher Share New Single ‘A55’ and Announce Debut EP ‘Polyawkward.

Trading in meaty and razor-sharp sprawling post-punk alchemy English Teacher introduced their wares with ‘R&B’ and ‘Good Grief’ last year and now, the Leeds outfit are back with new single ‘A55′ and news of a debut EP ‘Polyawkward’.

Centred around the trademark enigmatic wordplay from Lily Fontaine, ‘A55’ is a cathartic exploration of waking up with ‘The Fear’ the morning after the night before. Musically it consumes us as the shifting tension builds and builds, mirroring the introspective and intense lyrics – guitars burn and churn while drums rumble amid the fuzz as momentum grows and grows to explode. It is yet another massive tune from English Teacher; extremely excited to hear the EP when it arrives.

Listen to ‘A55’ below:

Maida Rose – ‘I Remember’

Maida Rose is dream-pop pairing of Roos Meijer and Javièr den Leeuw from Dutch seaside city the Hague.

Having introduced themselves with ‘Harmony of Heartache’, ‘Where Do We Go’ and ‘Every Day Is Blue’, the pair are back with another wonderful single, ‘I Remember’ and news that Maida Rose will release their debut LP ‘Tales Of Adolescence’ on March 25th. The new single is a real gem; it is three minutes of pure pop perfection. A gentle and somber wander, it is oozing with a sense of nostalgia and melancholy as sighing vocals and heartstrung melodies coiled around a gentle piano led waltz amid a sea of lavish fuzz, woozy tones and dreamy air. A truly beautiful,rich and wistful track, simple as that.

Listen to ‘I Remember’ below and keep an eye out for debut LP ‘Tales Of Adolescence’ in March.

Fleur bleu.e – ‘Sun’

Fleur bleu.e are Paris-based dream-pop pairing of Delphine and Vladimir who met in 2019 and bonded over a mutual love of The Smiths, Beach House, Françoise Hardy and Elli et Jacno among others, and a desire to craft music that was emotionally ambiguous while being fueled by their teenage myths. And thus Fleur bleu.e came into being.

The pair introduced their woozy indie-meets-dream-pop stylings back in April with ‘STOLT 89’ and they are back with another bewitching beauty in ‘Sun’. A dreamy, mellow and hazy sojourn to a world of blissful atmospheric splendor, rich dreamy vocals purr with melodic allure atop a gentle waltzing undulating groove while guitars shimmer, twang and flicker while bathed in a warm blanket of mild fuzz. It is beautiful, dreamy and hypnotic dream-pop perfection – yet again.

Listen to ‘Sun’ below now – guaranteed to brighten up your day and wash away any January blues.

Freedom Fry – ‘Ego Trip’

Freedom Fry is held in very high esteem around these parts – no question about that. 

Over the years the prolific pairing of Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll regularly brighten up our lives with charming, catchy and memorable indie-pop jams culminating in 2018 debut LP, Classic, 2020’s Songs from the West Coast, and L’ Invitation earlier this year.

Not content with releasing a new album, Freedom Fry are signing off on 2021 with a new EP, Broken Down on Planet 909, and with it, a new single ‘Ego Trip’. Retaining their signature touches; an ear for hook, melody and harmony amid their charming shimmering sonic delights – ‘Ego Trip’ is rich and heartwarming as it meanders along a gentle waltzing groove while sinuous melodies melt into the warm organ and rich vocals amid a sea of lush and woozy tones. It is just a fabulous track, and one that sees them continue to flirt with electronic elements and all whisked together into a beautiful confection of melodic, dreamy and hazy indie-pop.

Tune in below:

English Teacher – ‘Good Grief’

English Teacher are a Leeds quartet trading in meaty and razor-sharp sprawling post-punk alchemy who introduced their wares with ‘R&B’ via the ‘Nice Swan Introduces’ series earlier this year.

English Teacher have wasted no time, following up with new single ‘Good Grief’. While its predecessor was a meaty mash of searing riffs, soaring guitars and crunching drums, ‘Good Grief’ moves with a touch more  buoyancy and sprinkled with hooky refrains. It swaggers along with confidence and attitude while basslines rumble and guitars bash and cymbal crash while Lily Fontaine’s deadpan vocal croon has all the bite and rasp required. Another superb tune from the Leeds outfit – very, very promising!

Take a listen below.

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: