Little Indie's 10 hot picks that have been on the player over the last weeks. Try one, or try all!
SQUID - THE DIAL
Brighton post-punk five-piece rope in producer Dan Carey for this new single, out on September 21 via Speedy Wunderground, and which was recorded and mixed in under 24 hours. Repeated hypnotic guitar and interwoven vocals and bombastic passages coupled with quieter sections, drive home the sharply executed five-minute track. "The song is about a dear loved one - suffering a horrible illness in hospital. At the point the patient's blood is being taken by the nurse we imagined them all turning into vampires and sucking the blood from the patients. All we could think about was the red ‘dial’ of the weighing scales on the floor as it was happening - which is where the main lyric came from."
DRÆMINGS - I COULD BE YOUR MAN
The Los Angeles four-piece celebrate gender fluidity and self-expression on this new single, out now on PLAG Records. The pulsing synthpop beat is accompanied by atmospheric guitar, as vocalist Kimi Recor reflects on "living your truest identity, however fluid it may be...about embracing yourself as a human, a perfectly imperfect entity that is allowed to change..." and "it’s about accepting those around you and loving them for who they are, not for the the box they check."
SEA PINKS - ROCKPOOL BLUE
The title track from the Belfast bittersweet guitar pop band's upcoming seventh album 'Rockpool Blue', released on September 28 via CF Records. Singer and guitarist Neil Brogan ekes out a dreamy repeated refrain that couples with a huge chorus swell. Catch their album launch show at BelloBar in Dublin on October 19.
NEW BEAT FUND - WHEN SHE'S SOBER
Taken from the Los Angeles-based trio's - Jeffery Laliberte, Paul Laliberte, and Shelby Archer - EP, ‘Chillanthropy Pt.1’ (the first in a proposed three-part series), this slacker alt-rock track takes on a more introspective stance with a 90s inspiration to some of their other material. A somewhat melancholic ambience hovers over the song, which was written on tour after overhearing a phone conversation on the street.
JAMIE WRECS - YOU DON'T KNOW
Dubai-based Welsh singer-songwriter experiments with a folk-rock sound on this latest single, released August 17, following 'San Francisco' - which was described by BBC Radio Wales' Adam Walton as "a really, really great song". There's something of a 70s retro style to 'You Don't Know', which a vocal style and beat not far from that which Marc Bolan exhibited with such aplomb.
LADY BIRD - BOOT FILLERS
New track from the first signings on Slaves’ Girl Fight record label. The song, about broken homes and strained family relations, was produced by Jolyon Thomas (Royal Blood, The Magic Gang) with label bosses Laurie and Isaac. Rather in the same vein, the Tunbridge Wells punk trio's sound is lairy, but their lyrics - think Ian Dury meets Mike Skinner - offer insightful social commentar, infusing poetry with punk.
BELL ALWAYS - IN BLUE SKY
Second single from ‘Daylight Slowly Fades’, the debut album, released August 1, by this Tel Aviv-based Israeli trio: Nir Tsfaty (vocals, synth), Alon Peretz (guitar) and Kobi Aroussi (drums). A laid-back, chill-zone number, helmed by Tsfaty's satisfying voice, over unobtrusive guitar chords and subtle synth exploration.
PAPER/BOY - IT'S ALL FLIRTING AND FUN (TIL SOMEONE FLIRTS AND CATCHES FEELINGS
A bouncy rock 'n' roll belter of a follow-up to debut single 'Guerilla Therapy' - released last Friday (August 24) - by Irish indie-punk newcomers from Co. Donegal/Derry City, was produced by Darren Hill (Fox Colony). Written by vocalist and guitarist Joshua McNutt, it's a pop-punk floor filler that mixes in fast guitars, vocal yelps and a solid bassline.
THE MILLENNIAL CLUB - IDWBILWY
Fresh from their summer debut with 'Santa Barbara', and ahead of their forthcoming debut EP, 'She’s So Insane', the LA band unveil this second single. With Andres Owens' wonderfully soulful and evocative voice backed by sauntering electro-pop reveries, it's a five-minute dreamy delectation, fusing smooth pop and pensive indie R&B. “‘IDWBILWY’ is the only track we play live that I wrote when I was 17," says Owens. "It’s probably one of my favourite tracks of ours because of how emotionally charged it is. There are parts of the song where I had to stop recording because of hesitation in my voice and tears that were hard to hold back."
ASKIES - MIRROR
Debut single from the Leeds indie-pop quartet, released August 24. Formed in 2017, their distinct sound is a mix of riff-heavy choruses with tight verses. On ‘Mirror’ they deliver a downtempo number that borders on the off-kilter, interwoven with a quite raw, soul-vibed and distinctive vocal. The instrumental bridge indicates they are adept at more than being skinny jeaned indie bits. Catch live on August 31 supporting Anna Burch at Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds.
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