A selection of new and/or relevant indie/rock tracks that have recently left an impression on us. For the full playlist click here.
Valley Taylor – “End of The World”
Valley Taylor’s “End Of The World” carries a strange post-apocalyptic calm that you can feel in your bones. The hauntingly beautiful voice finds itself floating in thin air while the layered instruments act like a false ceiling shielded away from ever coming in contact with the words, yet wrapped together in the same world.
Long reverb tails wash over layered synth pads, shimmering and swelling, blurring their edges into mist. There is a kick and snare deep in the mix, like a pulse through a wall. It builds the tension and keeps it throughout the whole song, everything suspending at the peak.
The synths start to dissolve. They’re not faded, not clean, but they decay smoothly, losing pitch and shape as reverb devours them whole. Then silence. It signals arrival rather than absence.
Joseph Schwartz – “Treadmill of Hope”
Built for the arenas, Joseph Schwartz’s “Treadmill of Hope” is unapologetically rock. It’s got high energy, flows effortlessly, and has the potential to make 40,000 people jump up and down screaming “Once more!”
Even as the lyrics play pop, the music doesn’t get too comfortable. The instrumentation pulls rank as the vocals push the limits, all while the killer guitar solo settles the debate. This is a rock song wearing a pop shirt, while the vocalist and the sax player go head to head on who’s a cooler musician.
The entire song is a result of every musician working on the track thinking it was a good day to ruin everyone else’s standards. And that verdict remains!
Beyond Signal – “The Answers”
Beyond Signal’s inquisitive single “The Answers” holds the promise of its title. The structure answers a worldly question and is followed by a short instrumental interval and moves on to the next answer.
The arrangement goes for simple, engaging decisions without overcomplicating the motive of the piece.
With experimental sounds, contemporary laid-back vocals, and groovy, out of the box production choices, the track keeps you hooked till the end, out of sheer curiosity.
Leaone – “Goodbyes & Goodtimes”
Twenty songs a day means you develop a certain immunity. You start hearing music like a radiologist reading scans. It becomes clinical, efficient, and you move on to the next once. And once in a while, songs like Leaone’s “Goodbyes & Goodtimes” breaks the streak.
The hook arrives in the intro like it already lives in your head, rent-free. If he ever picked up a fishing rod, the ocean would owe him money, and I’m not kidding.
The production sits in a high place, unbothered with Tame Impala’s dreamy psychedelia bleeding into electronic architecture that feels carefully assembled in a room no one else has found yet. The pop instincts keep it from floating away entirely. It’s got just enough gravity. Just enough glow.
Black River Ghost – “Good Days To Come”
Somewhere in the world, a road exists that has no end and no particular opinion about where you’re headed and Black River Ghosts have clearly been on it.
“Good Days to Come” asks you to listen in and pack light. The pedal steel is already crying happy tears before you’ve even found your country hat while the tambourine shakes like it’s been waiting at the door since dawn. Instead of rushing you, it slows you down, and when you lag behind, the track waits for you like a good friend.
As you continue the journey with a bag held together by optimism and one stubborn knot, The pastures wave by like they know something you don’t yet. It’s the sound of good things agreeing to meet you halfway down the road.
Find our previous indie/rock reviews here.
