indie music blog

Single Premiere: “Well Understood”

“Well Understood” is the latest single from Superflaw, the side project of Anthony Cunard, lead vocalist of Blanky, collaborating with Edward Madill from the band WYLA and Daniel Ryan, released Today January 25th as the last single from their upcoming album “Fictitious”, to be released this January 29th on Manor Records.

The track is a dirty slow waltz with a heavy bluesy edge, guitars take center stage and keep elbowing even while it’s Anthony’s turn to show up and share with us a cautionary tale of longing for the wrong person, almost as he’s headed into a deliberate car crash and he makes his best effort to keep his eyes open, as he sings in a raw, visceral howl:

and I tried so hard to avoid dependence throughout my childhood.
but I’m here with you now always up to no good.

Anthony delivers the lines in a somewhat drifting fashion, showing little regard for lyrical structure, giving the tune a stream-of-consciousness feel, as if he’s exposing an inner dialogue with us, the listeners:

and I tried so hard to show you that I could be anything you wanted.
but I’m here with you now and it’s well understood that we’ll be more later if were less in the meantime.

Superflaw – fLTR: Anthony Cunnard, Daniel Ryan, Edward Madill

In conclusion, the single is a wicked yet alluring slowcore ballad, the raw emotion overflowing from the murky guitars and vocals have a strange charm in their special, untidy way, and hard as we might try, we cannot help but keep coming back for more of this.

Single Review: “Keepsake”

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“Keepsake” is the latest single from Permanent Vacation, the British/American acoustic duo based in Rome, self-released this January 20th, and it’s the last single out of their debut album, to be released this march on the Z Tapes label.

The track is another example of their characteristic blend of indie-pop and low-key folk, slow guitar arpeggios greet us politely, and a soft voice shares with us a melancholic lamentation:

Tell me you miss me and I’ll see you soon
Tracing your veins in the black of a room
Taking up spaces wherever you move
Fighting off this deep and terrible gloom

It’s a tale where the empty spaces take too much room to cope with, where the narrator keeps telling herself that someday her other will be back, while at the same time knowing fully well that it’s only a futile illusion.

The arpegios continue throughout the song, with the lyrics and the vibe creating the picture of the narrator dancing a slow, lone waltz with the memories of a long lost love, those feeling are expanded in the second verse:

I read your letter six times yesterday
Smoothed out each wrinkle and tasted your name
See you tomorrow but it never came
Been here a while but who can I blame?

The narrator engages in emotional self-harm, poking into inner open wounds and making sure they won’t heal, at least not for now, towards the end another guitar enters the scene to add to the overall bittersweetness of the song.

The song expresses tastefully the feelings of loneliness that can exacerbate in winter, a fitting soundtrack for this troubled winter from this duo, who are commendable for their sincere and consistent output.

Single Review: “The Idea of Having a Boyfriend”

buy or stream the single through fanlink.to

“The Idea of Having a Boyfriend” is the latest single by Post Rome, a 3-piece band from Sunderland, UK, self-released last December, 14.

The trio is composed of: Jasper Watson on bass and vocals, Ben Goodfellow on guitar and vocals, and Jamie Martin on drums.

The track is an expansive indie-rock anthem, with big choruses, big hooks, and big harmonies, served with a big helping of righteousness, it has to be one of the biggest indie hits of 2021, on second thought, let me rephrase that, it’s going to be one of the biggest indie hits of 2021, even if it was released last year.

The track starts with a bang, the chorus in all its sheer width kicks in, letting us know that this band means business and they’re not fooling around:

The idea of having a fucking boyfriend
It leaves you needy
You don’t need us
You need Jesus
Please believe us

The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song, as if they want to grab us by the shoulders and make themselves clear about their message: to stop people yearning for some ideal romance, or any ideal for life not grounded in reality and get a grip on themselves, or, to put it simply: get a life.

indie, indie music review, indie music reviews, indie music blog, post rome — Post Rome – fLTR: Jamie Martin, Jasper Watson, Ben Goodfellow.

The main verse also deliver a similar message of disapproval, taking into account the overload of social media in our lives:

I need another escape from you
Here is the reason why
9 forms of social media
Is too much for this guy

Towards the final third of the tune, a break takes place, the tension slowly builds up until it reaches its climax right at the final line, ending the song with the same intensity as it began.

The final result is a highly satisfying tune, as mentioned before, it has “hit single” written all over it, the production is crisp, and all of us should get used to the idea of this band aiming for even higher goals.

Single Review: “forgetmenot”

stream the single on spotify

“forgetmenot” is the debut single of COSMO, the musical project of Cosmo Bellamy, a musician based in Manchester, UK, self-released last November 27th.

The track is a lovely example of lo-fi bedroom-pop duet with a subtle focus on the beats, it starts with a slow-tempo beat followed with a relaxing guitar strum, then subdued twin vocals make a polite entrance to center stage, bringing gorgeous melodic vocals contrasting with a melancholy-themed chorus:

Late on a Saturday
I’m tryna figure out
just what I want;
To forget you or not

Cosmo starts the first and only verse of the song, which is a small exchange between him a singer name Martha with both portraying a former couple reflecting on what went wrong with their love, with lines such as:

Silly me.
I guess I haven’t
figured out how to feel,

The track keeps drifting along with a series of soft breaks and repetitions of the bridge and chorus, only to climax in the last chorus, when both elements intertwine in a soft whirlwind of gorgeous vocal harmonies, and then a saxophone joins the tune, and keeps playing alone for a short while after the track is finished.

COSMO · Forgetmenot

The track is catchy as it can be, the vocals and the way they were recorded and produced at times give the feeling of a hazy kaleidoscopic daydream, the elec piano and occasional synth pads add to the feel, it’s a track that won’t be forgotten that easily by anyone who is lucky enough to listen.

Single Review: “Never”

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After a short break of 3 weeks, we’re (ok…ok, I’m) back in business, with (debatably) renewed energy and (hopefully) sharpened ears.

“Never” is the latest single of Khrystal, a singer-songwriter from Kansas City, KS, released on the last day of 2020, on Manor Records.

“Never” – Khrystal

The track begins with a haiku over an atonal bossa-nova guitar, letting us know that we’re about to enter unfamiliar territory:

Solar alignment
To end and begin are brave
Universal flow

A minimalist rhythm pattern sets in, and Khrystal, in a unique delivery halfway between humming and hushed rapping, shares with us, who are willing to listen, a short story of self-determination, gratitude and humbleness, and faith set to poetry, with lines that appear at each end of the song:

I’m writing this letter to you
Tell you I won’t be back soon
Tell you it will be never

The song ends after the second instance of this verse, ending the song in an abrupt fashion.

indie music review, indie music reviews, indie music blogs, khrystal — Khrystal

The song stands out for two reasons: the first one is its brevity, at 1:16, it’s impressive the way that Khrystal has managed to cram a notable amount of substance into such short duration, the second is its ambience, she succeeded in creating an unusual vibe, almost dream-like, without resorting to sound effects trickery, using just her poetry, subtle guitar strumming and her breezy, almost whispering voice.

An original and positive note to wave goodbye to a (to say the least) difficult year.