POSTS TAGGED : Indie-Pop

Oddnesse – ‘Hot Air’

We’ve been keeping tabs on Oddnesse for a number of years now, and has impressed at every given opportunity with a a slew of lush, dreamy and alluring indie-pop gems – ‘Are You Down’, ‘I Used To, ‘Donut Shop’ & ‘All American Lie’ instantly spring to mind.

For those of you new to the name, Oddnesse is the fruitful collaboration between musician Rebeca Arango and producer Grey Goon, two east-coast heads based in Los Angeles with a shared affinity for catchy hooks, heavy grooves and apocalyptic hypothetical – and demonstrating their propensity for the brilliant, Oddnesse is signing off 2020 in fine form with stunning single ‘Hot Air’.

With ‘Hot Air’ we find Oddnesse’s penchant for richly melodic and lavish indie-pop pushed to new and exciting levels. We are entranced by the dual powers of Arango’s melodic cooing and entrancing, propulsive groove, as a dazzling blend of glistening guitar-lines, choppy chords, shimmering synths and bubbling basslines create a beautiful, melodic and bewitching splendor.  A stunning way to sign off on 2020 and one that will be bobbing around your head all week.

Listen to ‘Hot Air’ below:

Wilding – ‘Swipe Right’

Melbourne psych-pop purveyor Wilding – aka Justin Wilding Stokes – has charmed us with gloriously playful, jovial and off-kilter pop at every given opportunity and following a period of relative quietness, he is back with some life brightening music.

Infectious and jaunty cosmic psych pop is the order of the day with ‘Swipe Right’ – the third single from his new album The Death Of Foley’s Mall – as he leads us through the dispiriting pursuit of finding human connection through online dating amid lockdown. ‘Swipe Right’ is quintessential Wilding as it bops along an infectious groove, bouncing synths and bright syncopated guitars and hooks you could hang your hat on with melodic vocals floating above. It is a sweet and charming sound all wrapped with a delicious pop sensibility that will have you hooked from the get-go. This is irresistible pop eccentricity at its best and a timely reminder of Wilding’s boundless talents, and is an artist that merits such wider acclaim.

Listen to ‘Swipe Right’ below and if that floats your metaphorical boat, why not check out the new album The Death Of Foley’s Mall here.


CIEL – ‘All My Life’

CIEL are Brighton-based, Dutch dream-pop trio fronted by Michelle Hindriks.

Together, the trio concoct a heady brew of starry-eyed dream pop with shoegaze, psych and indie brushstrokes – demonstrated exquisitely by their debut EP Movement earlier in 2020. The trio are back with a brand new single ‘All My Life’.

It is another sumptuous single that marks yet further evolution of their dream-pop origins. Opening with a gently pulsing synth underpinning Hindriks’ dreamy tones as we are slowly enveloped by a woozy wonderland before a change of pace, as it surges atop bristling guitars and huge hooks to anthemic heights. It is still dreamy and richly melodic but there is a harder edge to it with CIEL striking a perfect balance between indie-rock and dreamy pop, synths and guitars, and power and elegance.

Listen to ‘All My Life’ below:

Toledo – ‘Challenger’

Brooklyn-based TOLEDO – AKA the pairing of Dan Alvarez and Jordan Dunn –  have kept us well stocked with irresistible, lush and melodic indie-folk delights.

The pair have returned with a new single called ‘Challenger’, which offers yet another delightfully charming slice of understated melodic indie folk sound. ‘Challenger’ is a woozy and heartfelt jam that wanders, chilled & relaxed, song a meandering groove as subtle bassline bubbles beneath a sea of warm shimmering tones and bright dreamy guitars while soft melodic vocals purr breathily above. It builds and builds, slowly and steadily to climax with a rich swell of organ and heart melting emotional pull with its tender vocal imbued and pang of melancholy. ‘Challenger’ is rich and dreamy, and brimming with sweetness and charm, and bewitching us in the process.

Listen to ‘Challenger’ below now – as per usual, TOLEDO don’t disappoint.

Freedom Fry – ‘Human’

Ever prolific LA duo, Freedom Fry released the follow up to their delightful 2018 debut LP, Classic, with Songs from the West Coast back in May and in keeping with their productive tendencies have shared a brand new single called ‘Human’.

Over the past number of years, Freedom Fry, AKA Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll, have regularly brightened up our lives with charming, catchy and bright indie-pop songs, and ‘Human’ continues this trend. It is a lush and alluring blend of gently seductive grooves and undulating rhythms percolating amid a sea of woozy tones and textures with a sweet strum for company. It is all whisked together into a beautiful confection of melodic, dreamy and hazy indie-pop which, as is so often the case, topped off by Freedom Fry’s pièce de résistance; the wonderful harmonies and beautiful vocal interplay from the pair. A wonderful song that will leave you all the better for making its acquaintance.

Listen to ‘Human’ below now:

Total Rubbish – ‘What’s Your Damage?’

Total Rubbish are Philadelphia-based garage rock trio – Bre Steinfeldt (bass), Cass Nguyen (guitar) and Kiki Schiller (drums) – who have released their debut EP, Triple Negative, and having introduced it, and their wares, with phenomenal debut single ‘Honey Ryder’, they are back with single #2, ‘What’s Your Damage?’.

‘What’s Your Damage?’ carries that same nineties-esque, alt-rock, grunge and psychedelic fuzz which was all over their debut. It stomps and swaggers through a guitar-heavy wall of sound with soft, melodic vocals, buzzing riffs and scorching licks for company. Once again, the inappropriately named Total Rubbish have eked out a perfect balance with powerful, brute force and ear for melody, coexisting in a sea of dense atmospheric tones and swirling riffs.

Listen to ‘What’s Your Damage?’ below now and Triple Negative is out now via Born Losers Records

Bee Bee Sea – ‘Day Ripper’

Italian garage-psych trio Bee Bee Sea specialize in loud, propulsive and guitar-driven psych infused garage rock stompers – something patently clear from a cursory glance at their output to date.

Following on from ‘Daily Jobs’ & ‘Gonna Get Me’ early in the year, the Italian outfit continue to get us hyped for their new album Day Ripper – due on October 9 via Wild Honey Records – with the record’s title track. ‘Day Ripper’ is packed with all those trademark upbeat, frenzied riffs, sharp tempo shifts, melodic choruses, singalongs and huge hooks; all bathed in a haze of warm fuzz and distortion. Driven relentlessly onward with a propulsive motorik groove and  mesmerising, angular guitars, hypnotic vocals and bold and addictive choruses do battle with the jerky, spiraling riffs and swirls of distortion. ‘Day Ripper’ is a relentless, all-consuming and addictive jam – no question about it!

Listen to the single below and Day Ripper (the album) is due on October 9 via Wild Honey Records.

Andrea Franz – ‘Stupid Nerves’

Andrea Franz is a Mexican American artist from Southern California who crafts, in her own words, ‘Sad Pop Rock’ – as apt a description as you are likely to find.

Last we heard from Franz was with ‘Running Back’ – a lush, woozy and dreamy affair permeated by melancholy, irresistibly blurring the lines of beauty and darkness. Cut from a similar cloth, Franz is back with a new single ‘Stupid Nerves’. Hushed, honeyed vocals drift breezily by recalling tales of anxiety and fear and juxtaposed by the charming dreamy indie-pop ruminating below as guitars shimmer, bassline bubble amid playful bursts of twinkly chimes, warm melodies and waltzing grooves. It is lush, woozy and bewitching fare, that given a modicum of time, will be jangling around your head for days.

Listen to ‘Stupid Nerves’ below now, you are in for a treat.

Ailbhe Reddy – ‘Looking Happy’

Dubliner Ailbhe Reddy is gearing up to release her debut album, Personal History, on October 2 and has been teasing the record with singles ‘Time Difference’ and ‘Between Your Teeth’, and now ‘Looking Happy’.

‘Looking Happy’ is a buoyant and bouncy indie-pop jam that is simultaneously happy and sad.Punchy guitars dance above a bouncy beat, jerky groove and splashes of cosmic synth while Reddy’s vocals soar powerfully above. ‘Looking Happy’ is a bright and buoyant indie-pop-powerhouse, adorned with addictive hooks you could hang your hat on but with melancholic themes seeping through as lyrically, Reddy laments an ex’s life unfolding on social media. An irresistible jam that exquisitely blurs the lines of beauty and darkness.

Listen to ‘Looking Happy’ below and keep an eye out for debut album, Personal History, on October 2. 

Relick – ‘La Magie’

Relick is the indie-pop pairing of Amber Nicholson and Matt Hibbard from Texas whose creative chemistry has been on show since debut EP ‘Twin House’ back in 2015.

The Texan duo’s latest single ‘La Magie’ is a lavish, lush and woozy affair. A sweet charming and seductive groover, sublime honeyed vocals flow over an irresistible blend of pop melodies and psychedelic brush strokes as it slinks along a gently swaggering, subtle bubbling bassline as guitars shimmer over the patter of soft drums.  ‘La Magie’ is cool, confident and undeniably irresistible – a pristine piece of pure pop perfection.

Listen to ‘La Magie’ below – it will leave you all the better for it.