This week our three guest reviewers take on another five new tracks and give them a spin through the headphones before they then air their opinion on each.
This week's panel: Charlie Dancer, co-editor of The Tipping Point; Jack Valero, lead vocalist/guitarist with rising band The RPMs; Little Indie contributor Steve Willcox.
NVDES - TURNING HEADS
First featured by Little Indie last October with '8AM', LA-based Josh Ocean's EDM NVDES project returns with this monster track ahead of new EP out later this summer. Premiered on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1, the track is brimming with his signature frenetic guitars and punk energy, and hones his prowess for crafting compulsive summery jams.
Charlie Dancer: Love the production. Proper LCD Soundsystem vibes with a big juicy chorus. My head's turned! 4.5/5
Jack Valero: Great riffs and rhythms throughout, loved the combination of an edgy, but produced sound that complement each other very nicely. Had my head bobbing and feet tapping from the first note, will defo be checking NVDES out more! 5/5
Steve Willcox: The moment it started, I was hooked into the guitar riff and party noise in the background. The chorus is a bit repetitive, but still very catchy. For some reason it reminds me of a mix of Groove Armada and Fatboy Slim's 'I See You Baby' mixed with Freak Power's 'Tune In Drop Out' basslines. 3/5
Total score: 12.5/15
HUMAN TOOTH - TRAMM
Debut single from Newcastle four-piece Human Tooth, 'Undo Drag'/'TRAMM' released June 9 via Weekend Denim. 'TRAMM' spills out fuzzy noise in the EAT FAST vein, with acidic vocals wrapped around helter-skelter guitars.
CD: Solid post-punk jam. It does what it needs to do and with finesse. 4/5
JV: Love the dark intensity; the drums being higher in the mix than normal really helps hammer it home. Could maybe have the vocals more present in the mix though as would love to hear the lyrics. 3/5
SW: Loved the drums on this. Just a continuous train beat with jangly guitars throughout, but you can't hear the lyrics at all. The mix was all at the same volume, but I guess that's the name of the song. 2/5
Total score: 9/15
FREAK - NO MONEY
FREAK, aka Connar Ridd, who Little Indie proudly broke at the start of last year (see here), unleashes new single ‘No Money’, out now on his FREAK Recordings imprint/Polydor Records, following the explosive ‘I Like To Smile When I’m Sad’. ‘No Money’ is a frenetic devil of a track which sees the 19-year-old bemoan the boredom and frustration of a 9 to 5 existence, his lyrics peppered with machine gun drums and frenzied riffs.
CD: Instantly don’t like this to be honest. Sounds like a UK Liam Lynch. Not for me. 2/5
JV: The lyrics are a huge strong point, really smart and well written. Touches on situations so many young people have to face today, and with a punchy, catchy guitar thrashing tune behind it you can't go wrong! 4/5
SW: I love Connar's delivery of the lyrics and what they meant; hated the machine gun drums, but they were few and far between. Great use of beat and guitars to push the song through. 4/5
Total score: 10/15
GHOST LOFT - HOLDING ON
Released last week, new single from LA songwriter, producer, and vocalist Danny Choi. Mixing sparse, ghostwave sounds in a downtempo electronic three-minute R&B flavoured groove.
CD: Delicious groove. Easy summer song with some stellar production. 3/5
JV: The large use of reverb and echo really makes you feel the intense emotion of this song, with subtle use of instrumentation expressing the vulnerability of the subject matter. 4/5
SW: Haunting. Mainly synths with a very sparse beat, this song is all about the feeling and lyrics. Felt quite moved by it.
Very special. 4/5
Total score: 11/15
CRUMBS - CHA CHA FEELS
From the debut album (recorded with MJ at Suburban Home) ‘Mind Yr Manners’ from Leeds four-piece Crumbs, out on July 28. ‘Cha Cha Feels’ is a rhythmic bass-driven earworm of post-punk/pop, fizzing guitars and effervescent interchanging vocal lines.
CD: I get the lo-fi thing, it’s impossible not to. 2/5
JV: Not perfectly arranged or obviously catchy, but it's not trying to be. It expresses itself more artistically than musically (which is not seen much in modern music anymore) and almost makes you feel curious uncomfortable as if pointing out an uncomfortable truth. It's rough, unconventional and absolutely fearless. 4/5
SW: Started out very promisingly with a nice hook, but then soon got into a repetitive loop with lyrics out of a self-help manual. Sorry folks, not my cup of tea. 2/5
Total score: 8/15
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