A selection of new and/or relevant indie/rock tracks that have recently left an impression on us. For the full playlist click here.
Leafgarden – “House Of The Blue Light”
You’re at a concert and you’re itching for a song that lights up your veins. Enter Leafgarden who come bursting in with sprawling guitars and drums on their latest release “House Of The Blue Light”. Originally formed in Gothenburg, Sweden as a cover band, this trio channel the timeless spirit and energy of classic rock in their music.
With the title being a deliberate nod to Deep Purple’s album, “House Of The Blue Light” is like a shot of adrenaline. The instruments and infectiously fired up vocals don’t falter for a second, keeping you on your toes. The gang vocals of the chorus, a quintessential element in classic rock, will get you screaming the lyrics back at the band.
“House Of The Blue Light” is the kind of feel-good powerhouse song that’ll leave you with a buzzing energy long after the concert has ended.
Two Whatevers – “Punk Deluxe”
“Punk Deluxe” can be described as a genre-sliding chameleon. Composed by ridiculously accomplished eclectic duo Two Whatevers, consisting of bassist Alison Brown and guitarist Eben Hewitt, this is the title track of their eponymous album. The duo describes “Punk Deluxe” as “surf exotic blues” which perfectly encapsulates its unconventional yet highly enjoyable flair.
The funk driven basslines provide a rhythmic foundation for the bluesy guitar flourishes. However, it’s the theatrical vocals that really make this piece so dynamic in nature – it’s “weird”, fun and drives home a message. While the song is ironically not in the “punk” genre, “Punk Deluxe” captures its essence with its critique of hyper-capitalism. The name itself satirizes how raw authenticity can be commodified; putting the “deluxe” label after “punk”, a genre known to be anti consumerist.
Ultimately, “Punk Deluxe” manages to not only be a sonic melting pot of groovy instrumentals and dynamic vocals but also a reality check of the world we live in.
FATECRIMES – “Metamorphosis”
“Metamorphsis” by Brighton Duo FATECRIMES is a poignant alternative rock song that is also a social commentary on environmental ruin. It opens with haunting melodic riffs interweaved with incisive atmospheric licks. When the drums enter, the vocalist’s (whose vocal textures are reminiscent of The Cranberries’s Dolores O’Riordan) restrained alto contemplates the beauty of Mother Earth and laments the destruction of it.
The song builds toward a powerful chorus featuring soaring vocals and syncopated drums. It’s like the song “unfurls” here and “unlocks” this intensity for the duration of the track. However, while “Metamorphosis” generally represents growth and evolution, the composition subverts this concept. It explores metamorphosis as a forced reshaping by external factors.
Introspective and melancholic, “Metamorphosis” by FATECRIMES brilliantly uses the life cycle of a butterfly to outline environmental decay. It culminates in the poignant plea to “teach our children” so they don’t repeat the same mistakes.
