indie – Qneydl

Single Review: “The Last American Virgin”

“The Last American Virgin” is the latest single from KATZ, a trio from Manchester, UK, self-released this New Year’s Day, as the first single of their upcoming EP to be released on February 3rd.

The band consists of Ben Williams on vocals and guitar, James Bradbury on lead guitar and bass, and Archie Wilkinson on drums.

The track is a bittersweet tale of lovesickness, inspired by the film of the same name, with an energetic mixture of surf-rock, indie pop and, punk, proudly DIY and Lo-Fi, as it was recorded “in an attic bedroom of a shared student house” according to the band, directly into cassette on a TASCAM 244, the venerated 4-track portastudio.

KATZ – fLTR: James Bradbury, Ben Williams, Archie Wilkinson.

It starts with a frantic guitar strumming of 2 chords for a short while, an almost metronomic drum joins in, then the first verse comes, summing up the song for us:

Dreaming of her
Wishing I could be with her
She sees other guys
Wish I could make her mine

The pace of the song is energetic, the urgency emanating from it is nothing short of infectious, standing in sharp contrast with the melancholy and disillusionment found in lyrics, like the chorus:

Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m not your type
why’d you have to tell me you’re mine
Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m not your type
why’d you have to feed me these lies

Towards the end of the song, the drums play a machine-like staccato and Ben lets out a wistful falsetto, almost like a lament, before ending the track with a final chorus.

The end result is a lively tune, a song that contains elements of a potential classic: a universal pop song theme, a relentless tempo, and tight musicians whose sound seems embarked on a mission, we won’t hear the last of them for sure.

Single Premiere: “Well Understood”

preorder the album on bandcamp

“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”

buy the single on bandcamp

“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.

EP Review: “twomoonsaway – EP”

buy the ep on bandcamp

twomoonsaway, the 4-piece indie-rock band from Hillsborough Township, NJ are back with an eponymous EP, self-released last December 21st.

The band is composed of: David Panarese on vocals and guitar, Brandon Chu on bass, Carlee Ahart on guitar and Justin Tanis on drums (replacing Jake Laifer who’s playing on the EP), David and Brandon also share songwriting duties.

The EP is a collection of their distinctive sombre, short (ranging from 1:19 to 2:37 mins.), and deeply personal songs, exploring the painful and often sorrowful aspects of romance from a first-person perspective.

The opening track, “darkgreenspirits”, their debut single which was discussed here in detail before, deals with the end of a toxic relationship, and the pain that follows.

The following track, “Numbers”, takes a snapshot of a moment of anger and frustration at oneself, the writer feels anchored to a past the he cannot escape no matter how hard he tries.

The 3rd track, “Bullets” is a different take, the tempo gets slower, and we’re listening to a story of a missed opportunity, a seemingly random encounter that could have the potential to blossom into something, from the writer’s perspective at least, and for whatever reason it didn’t happen, all the while the song is shrouded in a big dark cloud of “what if”:

i guess it doesn’t matter
you were only there for a hour
i can’t remember your last name
but i can’t forget your face

My Highlight of the EP is the closing track, “Fall”, which takes a more voyeuristic approach, the tempo gets faster, more urgent, and the writer reads a log of sorts detailing the moves of a person he’s apparently watching, in a mix of pity and vindictiveness, from the moment the subject shares a decision with the writer, drunkenly stumbles home, to middle of the night, wondering whether to contact the writer or not, while the writer makes it clear that either choice will only torment him, leaving an open ending.

As expected from this promising band’s debut single, the music played here is clean and precise, the production of Mike Morello is well balanced as usual, the outcome of all of the above is a record that shows the band’s intentions in a wider, clearer way and is definitely a step in the right direction.

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”

stream the single on spotify

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.

Single Review: “Honey Touch”

buy the single on bandcamp

“Honey Touch” is the latest single from Charlotte Bumgarner, a singer-songwriter based in Tulsa, OK, released this December 11th on Manor Records.

The first word that popped in my mind within the opening seconds is “Sweetness”, the track opens with a soft synth pad chord, giving the sense of entering into a cloud, and when Charlotte’s delicate vocals slowly radiate, the cloud walls feel like aural cotton candy, the feeling only intensifies with the first lines:

honey touch, sweetest taste oh a sugar rush

indie music blog, indie music review, indie music reviews, Charlotte Bumgarner — Charlotte Bumgarner

While the dreamy ambience keeps glowing in the background constantly, the lyrics take a bittersweet detour, especially towards the end, when Charlotte laments:

i can never let go of you or this feeling in my chest
feeling in my chest

After those lines are uttered, the music ends in a fadeout, the clouds fade away into the distance and we slowly drop down back into reality.

The single is a delightful example of Dream-Pop, the soft sounds and ambience took me on a brief sonic watercolor daydream, the ideal soundtrack for a winter sunset.

Single Review: “Caretakers”

buy the single on bandcamp

“Caretakers” is the latest single from Permanent Vacation, the British/American duo based in Rome, and it’s the first single out of their debut album, to be released next year on the Z Tapes label.

The track is another showing of their signature brand of ambient-tinged minimalist indie-folk, it begins with a single acoustic guitar, whispered vocals enter the scene like a soft wave, delivering lines such as:

Go ahead and leave it out back
The price is always the same
We’ve been waiting for you
Like the end of the day

Guitar lines come and go, leaving a trail of sound behind them, as if trying not to disturb the soft vocals in their storytelling, gathering again towards the climax, where the lyrics are repeated, like a mantra:

You always said the same thing
And I kind of liked it like that

The lines keep being repeated well after the guitars fade out, giving a sense of a mantra on a low fire until it goes out too.

The tune transmits a strong feeling of reminiscing about those small and seemingly insignificant moments that for some reason keep popping back uninvited in our minds, give us a short burst of a warm feeling inside and a silly smile in our faces, a recurring theme in this duo’s distinctive music.

Single Review: “Wired/Weird”

buy the single on bandcamp

“Wired/Weird” is the debut single of Beige Banquet, the project of London-based musician Tom Brierley released Today on the Just Step Sideways label.

Tom, formerly of Australian noise-post-punk band Noughts, brings us a first taste of his upcoming debut solo album, due to release in early 2021.

While still rooted in the post-punk territory of his previous work, this time Tom takes a smarter art-punk approach to his music, an angular track with repetitive guitar lines, sharp rhythm section, machine hand clappings and stream-of-consciousness lyrics such as:

Breath from last night gone
Indented bed sheets,
Stained with sweat,
And dark grease marks

indie music review, indie music reviews, indie music blog, beige banquet — Tom Brierley – Beige Banquet

Keeping with the artsy approach, the chorus mirrors the verses, the music gets much denser, bringing the song to its climax while the lyrics are cut to a bare minimum:

Wired
Weird
Wired
Weird

The track ends with another climactic chorus only to reach an abrupt silence, finishing it with the same intensity as it began, leaving you wondering what hit your ears.

The outcome is a fascinating art-punk gem, an aural display of light and shadows, Tom serves here as an illusionist, hiding and showing elements at will, keeping us wondering what other marvels are still behind the curtain, just waiting to be exposed for all us to listen, I’ll keep waiting on the front row in anticipation.