Tom McQ turns troubadour spirit into something huge on ‘Lonely Revolution’
London singer-songwriter Tom McQ takes a thrilling step forward with new album Lonely Revolution, expanding his troubadour roots into a sweeping collision of indie-folk, acoustic rock ’n’ roll and full-band grandeur. The record retains the storytelling instincts behind comparisons with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Paul Simon, but dramatically widens the canvas. Bass, drums,Continue Reading
Delta Fire find power in vulnerability on ‘The Worst of Everything’
Delta Fire slow the pace without losing any of their weight on fourth single ‘The Worst of Everything’. The Glasgow four-piece lean into something closer to a ballad this time around, using a tightly wound rhythm section and increasingly raw emotion to show a more vulnerable side of their alt-rockContinue Reading
CAPYAC turn flirtation into pure funk on ‘Big CrUsh En3rgY’
CAPYAC have always been at their best when things feel just a little out of control, and ‘Big CrUsh En3rgY’ leans gleefully into that instinct. Funky, flirtatious and packed with movement, it finds the Berlin and LA-based trio turning fleeting attraction into something loose, colourful and irresistibly physical. The trackContinue Reading
Body makes the everyday feel uncanny on ‘Building A Building’
Body’s ‘Building A Building’ takes one of the least romantic settings imaginable, the car park, and somehow turns it into something strange, hazy and emotionally charged. The Kelowna-based project, led by former Hot Hot Heat member Paul Hawley, has built a reputation around skewed synths, odd textures and left-field atmospheres,Continue Reading
Kate Solmara finds strength in letting go on ‘Ease’
There’s a quiet confidence to Kate Solmara’s debut single ‘Ease’. Instead of announcing herself with something oversized, the singer-songwriter begins with a song about loosening your grip, stepping away from constant pressure and allowing rest to become part of the process. That makes the track feel especially well judged asContinue Reading
OpCritical are turning revolutionary anger into cinematic rock on ‘Guillotine’
OpCritical continue their run of overtly political releases with ‘Guillotine’, a track that uses the imagery of revolutionary France to frame a wider argument about wealth, inequality and the consequences of social division. Musically, the band approach the subject with scale as guitars sit alongside alt-pop elements and orchestral flourishes,Continue Reading
Saline Grace let the darkness seep through on ‘Weeping Wounds’
Saline Grace have spent years cultivating a sound that thrives on atmosphere, and ‘Weeping Wounds’ continues that tradition with a sense of brooding patience. Taken from the album The Tree of Knowledge, the track slowly draws us into its shadowy world. Ricardo Hoffmann’s background across darkwave, gothic rock and sinister AmericanaContinue Reading
They Owe Us let the cracks show on ‘There Goes My Fairytale’
They Owe Us sound most convincing on ‘There Goes My Fairytale’ when the song feels slightly frayed around the edges. The latest single from Kristoffer Ragnstam’s project takes a fading relationship and letts the roughness in the performance mirror the feeling of something already coming apart. The verses have aContinue Reading
Victor V. Gurbo revives the protest ballad for ‘The Ballad of Renée Nicole Good’
Victor V. Gurbo’s ‘The Ballad of Renée Nicole Good’ deliberately reaches back to the older American songwriting tradition of the topical folk song, written quickly, plainly and with little attempt to separate music from the events surrounding it. The song responds to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renée Nicole GoodContinue Reading
Connor Riesen pushes beyond his comfort zone on Beginnings, Vol. 3
Connor Riesen has spent the last few years treating each release as an opportunity to move somewhere new, and Beginnings, Vol. 3 continues that pattern with perhaps his most outward-looking three-track set yet. The Orlando producer has already moved through piano music, jazz, digital production and hymn arrangements, but this third instalmentContinue Reading