POST CATEGORY : Pop

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.

Lauran Hibberd – ‘Charlie’s Car’

Lauran Hibberd is an ever reliable source of irresistible blasts of fuzz-filled guitar-pop with a satiric, tongue-in-cheek manner, and wrapped with fuzz, crunchy guitars and anthemic might.

The Isle of Wight native never fails to impress and Hibberd continues this trend with new single ‘Charlie’s Car’. It is the first new material from since the release of the ‘Goober’ EP back in the summer and like the EP, is produced by Suzy Shinn (Weezer, Fall Out Boy). Filled with recognisable attributes that have marked Hibberd’s work to date; it is punchy, potent and powerful with crunching guitars, massive soaring riffs and hooks you could hang your hat on, all bathed in a wall of warm fuzz and distortion. Oh, and it is so catchy. Did we mention it’s catchy? Well it is catchy, so bloody catchy. This fuzz-filled anthem will be bouncing around your head all day long.

Give ‘Charlie’s Car’ a spin below – you’ll be all the better for it.

Kelp – ‘Polygon’

Kelp is a Belfast-based purveyor of loungey cosmic electronica fronted by an inch high, ethereal deep sea diver with a preoccupation for vocoders and additive synthesis.

The surrealist project was introduced around this time last year through debut single ‘Spleen’; an ethereal, slumbering and woozy slice of escapism. Kelp is back with a new single ‘Polygon’. A two-and-a-half minute sojourn to a spellbinding interstellar loungey paradise. It slinks coolly on by, leaving us in a dream-like state, with an alluring blend of slinky, synth-pop with psych brush strokes and woozy synth lines bewitching us entirely. Instantly lovable, ‘Polygon’ breezes gracefully with a seductive soulful underbelly and charm to woo you, so powerful is this that it will have you headed straight for repeated listens.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say we are witnessing Ireland’s, indeed the world’s, greatest musical miniature deep-sea diver fishbowl figurine. All joking aside, this is a marvelous single from a wonderful talent.

Listen to ‘Polygon’ below now – it is yet another absolute joy.

Louiza – ‘Kind Coincidence’

West Coast multi-instrumentalist Rebecca Mimiaga, aka Louiza, has impressed with a slew of super releases over recent years – Trick (2017) & Swim at Night (2019) & On, Off (2021) – and Louiza is back with a stunning new single ‘Kind Coincidence’.

‘Kind Coincidence’ sees Louiza embrace the synth/electro-pop side of her sound over the crunchy guitars and power pop riffs that marked some of her earlier work but while sweeter, it remains recognizably Louiza’s sound. It is a catchy, groovy and fizzy slice of synth-sprinkled indie-pop; sweet honeyed vocals cruise coolly above an insistent bass/drum locked in groove as guitars shimmer and twinkle amid the lush and hazy cosmic atmospherics. It is super catchy, fresh and rather hypnotic – another absolute gem from Louiza.

Listen to ‘Kind Coincidence’ below and the White Light EP (limited edition cassette) is out on October 29, 2021.

Amber Jay – ‘Equal’

Amber Jay is a Liverpool-based artist and musician with a real flair for captivating, synth-splashed, electronic alt-pop – and a flair matched by an enviable embrace for experimentation and pushing the boundaries.

Jay introduced this penchant for futuristic synth-fueled alt-pop with debut EP Never Too Far From A Dark Thought earlier this year, and has followed that up with new single ‘Equal’.

Deep basslines whisk us into a trance as suave blissful vocals deliver precision tones sending an eerie shiver down the spine while synths burn and shimmer, as Jay’s message of equality is cast in an ever-evolving and cinematic soundscapes. Rarely does an artist bring so many alternating facets of sound to bear, while crafting a sound so cohesive, captivating and transfixing – but in the case of Amber Jay, that’s the raison d’etre.

Listen to ‘Equal’ below – yet another piece of brilliance.


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.

Maida Rose – ‘Every Day Is Blue’

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’ and ‘Where Do We Go’, the pair are back with another wonderful single, ‘Every Day Is Blue’. It is woozy, richly melodic and marked by a pang of wistful melancholy and dreamy tones.

Smooth, breathy vocals cruise calmly over a gentle strum, shimmering guitar and gently waltzing groove as rich melodic allure pours from the lush, dreamy atmosphere. Like it’s predecessors, ‘Every Day Is Blue’ is oozing with heartfelt nostalgia, nostalgic for a dream that has passed but it has a lovely, human optimism, and leaves a warm wistful glow and a feeling that all things – good, bad or indifferent – eventually pass. Utterly beautiful stuff once again.

Listen to ‘Every Day Is Blue’ below now:

Air Devi – ‘Lint of a Masterpiece’

Air Devi is the moniker of Philadelphia singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Devi Majeske who has been really impressing in recent times with a slew of sumptuous singles.

Beginning life as a home recorded lo-fi indie pop project, Devi released debut EP, ‘Swanning About’ last year, and singles ‘Move Without Place’ (2020) and ‘Mosquitos in the Backyard’ (2021) – and is back with another sublime piece of woozy, starry-eyed dream-pop in ‘Lint of a Masterpiece’. Soft pattering drums and warm melodic vocals usher in the dreamy vibe as guitars jangle gently amid a plush haze of warm alluring fuzz. It meanders along hypnotically subtly adding layers and layers of sound, triumphing as a sitar leads the charge to an emphatic climax. ‘Lint of a Masterpiece’ is yet another piece of indie-pop brilliance from an artist that continues to impress no end.

Listen to ‘Lint of a Masterpiece’ below – you won’t be disappointed.

Omaloma – ‘Cool ac yn Rad’

Welsh outfit Omaloma has etched out a rather special place on the musical landscape with blissful, spacey psych-pop; a statement vehemently laid out by a slew of stellar singles, 2020 debut album Swish and Roedd EP from earlier this year.

With that in mind, it is fine news indeed that Omaloma has released a new single ‘Cool ac yn Rad’ (Cool and Rad) – and happy to report it is unsurprisingly divine. Written by George Amor, performed by Amor and Llŷr Parim, the latter on recording and producing duties, it marks a shift away from the 80s synth sounds of Roedd. ‘Cool ac yn Rad’ bobs along a meandering groove carried along an undulating bassline as we are hypnotized with lush sugar spun melodies that mingle with gentle guitar and piano arrangement as Amor’s mellow, laid-back vocals soothe the soul. A charming and utterly, utterly divine earworm – this is Omaloma at their very, very best.

Listen to ‘Cool ac yn Rad’ below, out via Cae Gwyn Records – and in case it wasn’t clear enough, the back catalogue comes highly recommended.

Remington Super 60 – ‘See This Through’

Remington Super 60 are a Norwegian outfit with a penchant for lush, retro-flavoured indie-pop brimming with warmth and dreamy nostalgia – a niche they have carved out over almost two decades. 

In mid-March, the trio – Magnus Abelsen, Elisabeth T & Christoffer Schou – released a brand new seven track EP ‘Nouvelle Nouveau’ – a veritable treasure trove of serene, beautiful and beguiling pop perfection. ‘See This Through’ is the fourth and final single from Remington Super 60’s mini album Nouvelle Noveau released earlier this year – a veritable treasure trove of serene, beautiful and beguiling pop perfection. ‘See This Through’ deals directly with the breakup between the bands producer Christoffer Schou and singer Elisabeth Thorsen, and unsurprisingly, it is very personal for the two. Lush, dreamy vocals hover gracefully above a soft pattering of gentle waltzing beat while gently strummed guitars shimmer and glow amid the soothingly warm hypnosis. While darkness may permeate the origin of the song, it is delivered in a light, fluffy and breezy package that is as close to pure pop perfection as you are likely to hear today.

Listen to ‘See This Through’ below and you can check out the EP now.