Album: Lena Fjortoft – Strange Light
Brooklyn’s Lena Fjortoft releases her long-awaited debut LP and it’s a wonderful vision expertly realised – crammed full of retro sounds, gorgeous instrumentation, distinctive honeyed vocals and classic writing.
Kinda Grizzly
Single: French Fry – Black Whole
Athens-based musician and songwriter is back with Black Whole – a thick, hypnotic, swirling piece, that envelopes you in sound and builds a world around you.
Single: Stevie Zita – Incognito
A jangly, dreamy indie pop anthem about overthinking about the day ahead, the new tune from Stevie Zita is imbued with his trademark sunshine and sadness.
Single: Richard Tripps – Stone Eating Animals
The charmingly quirky new single from Californian musician Richard Tripps is a ramshackle, warts-and-all slice of honest, unpolished indie rock-‘n-roll.
Single: The Blurry Stars – The Squeeze
Stylistic pivots blend seamlessly on the new single from California-based The Blurry Stars thanks to the considerable talents of frontman Sean Alan and Co.
Single: The Mooches – Skinhead
A potent amalgamation of psychedelic rock, indie, ska, classic rock, and something else entirely, this is a real chameleon of a tune.
Single: Anna Grace Odom – May to One
Described by the artist as “a confession” the new tune from Nashville songwriter Anna Grace Odom is layered, thoughtful, earnest, and extremely compelling.
EP: Lozenge – Everything
Full of their now-trademark blend of alt-rock, shoegaze and grunge – If this Leeds-based trio keep heading in this direction, we reckon there’s no stopping them.
Single: Siiiee____ – tuturu…
Japanese lo-fi dreampop blends with a DIY alt-rock feel, and a charming almost-shoegazey shimmer. You may as well just hand over your heart now.
Single: Alaina May – Casual
A tune about accepting oneself, embracing your reality and emancipating yourself from old chains, Alaina May is a powerful sleeping giant.
EP: endive – headprint
Beautiful, delicate, and full of emotion, this Dutch quartet has cracked it. There is soul and humanity here for days – let it envelope you.
Album: False Advertising – The Sorry Window
Returning with their long-awaited sophomore album False Advertising, cement their place in the UK’s modern rock scene with a distinct blend of sonic identity and anthemic tunes.
Single: Josaleigh Pollett – The Witness
Tender but also fierce, the new single from singer/songwriter Josaleigh Pollett is absolutely mesmerising. Full of contradictions and contrasts, it’s a powerful piece of work.
Single: My Best Unbeaten Brother – The Cracks And The Creases And The Mistakes
A full throttle, frantic burst of energy from the Croydon trio, The Cracks And The Creases And The Mistakes add a new energy to the band’s repertoire.
EP: Disarm – Silver City Songs
Heartfelt and warm, gritty and hard, the debut release from this Connecticut quartet is an impactful journey through emo, indie, math rock, grunge and more.
EP: fleecepantwarm – be with me
As a musical project, be with me is good. But pair it with the emotion behind it and the accompanying short film, and it’s absolutely great.
Single: Waking Hours – foxglove
An impressive example of making the most of musical dynamics, the new single from this Minnesota quintet is an absolute joy.
EP: Twin Court – Ithakarta
A fusion of traditional Indonesian Javanese Gamelan and Western post-rock/slowcore sensibilities, this New York ensemble has crafted something moving, beautiful and really impressive.
EP: MacFarmlin – Amber
The German songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer has conjured up a set of songs that feel organic and warm, like wholesome, energising comfort food for the ears.
Single: Heimat – Don’t You Tell Me
Split between Venice and Seattle, this Italian-American dreampop combination are swinging for the fences – but also delightfully subtle – on their shoegazey new single.