Released in December, the latest single from Metal Machine Music sees the Darlington group flexing their creative edge.
Love Bombing oozes fun, with the group appearing to have a ball creating what is a real groove reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem and David Bowie.
You are immediately greeted by a danceable beat, which sounds like something straight out of New York in the mid-2000s, with funky guitar lines layered all over the top.
The impact of all this is an incredibly danceable bit of indie music that has been beautifully produced.
The inventive rhythm, from an array of different drum machines, brings an interesting twist while perfectly playing into the track’s sparseness.
Love Bombing is a really nice, inventive indie dance track that will definitely bring a boost to your day.
Alistair James’ latest single sees him stretching his musical horizons with a hearty piece of country rock.
Drawing on influences such as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and David Bowie, James combines beautifully woven lyrics with classic rock riffs on the Queen of Big Livin’.
The riffs, in particular, reminded me of The Rolling Stones, with their bluesy, in-your-face energy that strikes you from the very first notes.
This perfectly suits the lyrics, which James crafts around these riffs, using characters to build a compelling narrative that hooks into the momentum created by the excellent guitar and drum work.
Things switch up nicely when the bridge hits, bringing in a warmer melody that breaks from the punchy style of the verse and chorus.
Overall, the track comes together seamlessly, weaving the influences of The Stones and Ryan Adams to produce a wonderful track.
The latest single from The Agency and The Samphires is a masterclass in atmosphere and storytelling, taking you on a darkly ominous journey.
Drawing influence from the likes of Nick Cave, the track blends cinematic themes with a dark aesthetic, which works incredibly well. Featuring the voices of The Samphires’ Elise Shields and Rosa Thomas in a hypnotic call-and-response waltz, the emphasis is firmly on the song’s lyrics.
It’s fortunate then that they really shine building a captivating story that matches the musical background painted by the groups. The whole thing sounds like how I feel the film The Lighthouse would sound if put to music.
The mood is set immediately with the introduction of the deepest of dark synths engulfing your entire ear creating the omnious feel which is reflect within the lyrics.
Lyrically, the track has a fairy tale or nursery rhyme quality, revolving around the “harbour” mentioned within the song’s title, with the duet working well between the two groups.
The whole thing leads to a spooky vibe that suits the season perfectly and is almost certainly one for those who are fans of atmospheric music with well-thought-out lyrics.
Friday night saw art-pop outfit Amateur Ornithologist celebrate their anniversary at The Globe with a vibrant live performance.
The night began with support from Sheffield’s May Days In Barcelona, who brought a different vibe to proceedings with a shoegaze-inspired brand of folk that was truly magical to witness.
May Days In Barcelona – Live at The Globe – 18/10/24
An awful lot of effort went into their performance, featuring numerous looper pedals, a violin and a guitar. This 100% paid off, delivering a captivating and engaging performance that silenced the room.
With songs inspired by such things as birds of prey, it’s no surprise that the set felt majestic and beautiful. The set was concluded by a wonderful cover of Smile! No One Cares How You Feel!, which rounded off the musically rich show well.
They were followed by Belle Skies, who shifted the mood from shoegaze-inspired folk to full blown indie rock. I was impressed by the groups stage prescence, which was both captivating and engaging, further enhancing their very unique style of indie rock.
Clad head to toe in medieval regalia, the group took influence from the least obvious places with songs inspired by Saint Rose of Lima, the patron saint of embroidery, and Nosferatu.
This all led to fun and surreal pieces of indie rock, which seemed to draw inspiration from the 2000s with twinkling synths, strings and riotous guitars.
The whole thing came together very well leaving an impression and showcasing their crop of great indie rock songs.
Belle Skies – Live at The Globe –18/10/24
Next up were headliners Amateur Ornithlogist, who decorated the stage in beautiful autumnal leaves and even dotted a few fake crows about for added effect. The group really took full advantage of their headline slot bringing energy and costumes aplenty to bring something different to their show.
However, the focus was fully on the performance, which was executed to perfection with the stage presence matching the quality of the songwriting on show. The whole thing popped with colour and excitement.
Musically, the band falls somewhere in between musical theatre, Talking Heads, and David Bowie, crafting a unique blend of traditional pop and new wave.
The combination of violins, guitars and thumping bass worked incredibly well to create a collage of fun, colourful songs with meaningful lyrics to boot.
Frontman Daniel Clifford’s vocals were excellent, injecting something special into each tune. This was further enhanced by the amazing lyrics, which flickered between personal topics and playful whimsy.
Amateur Ornithologist – Live at The Globe – 18/10/24
Particular highlights included When They Fall, with it’s epic Bowie-esque feel, and Birds Fly Over Me, which has been stuck in my head for days since the gig.
The instrumentation was fantastic throughout the night, with the band sounding tight. I especially want to praise the guitar work, which was truly excellent, without being overly showy with its beautifully clean tones.
The night concluded with a noncore that treated the crowd to a fun cover of Boney M’s Rasputin, a fittingly enjoyable finale with the band’s Talking Heads vibe turned up to ten.
Overall, I had a thoroughly enjoyable Friday night, and I’m excited to see where the group goes next as they depart the live scene to create their next album.
Boy Found Sound’s latest single is a heartbreakingly beautiful track, which further showcases the Teesside artist’s incredible songwriting talent.
The ethereal-sounding track has a chilled production, beginning with a great guitar line that shines above a well-crafted drum machine beat.
Lyrically, the track confronts loss, with Boy Found Sound laying everything bare throughout, producing an amazing set of deeply personal lyrics.
When the chorus comes along, it really pops, backed by an ethereal-sounding synth that adds to the track’s cold production.
As the song progresses, the drum machine is replaced by a slow, pounding drum beat, bringing a new energy to the track.
Overall, this is another really strong song from Boy Found Sound, combining a range of influences together to produce something both beautiful and original.
Combining experimentation with stark production, Durham’s Daniel Maple leaves no place to hide with his latest release.
From the first track, I Love You And I Hate Goodbye, it is immediately evident how much talent has gone into crafting this EP. With just an electric guitar and his vocals, the Durham singer-songwriter fills all available space with his songwriting talent and terrific singing voice.
The song opens with a gorgeous guitar flourish – something that runs throughout the EP – which sees Maple flex his rhythm and lead guitar skills, crafting complex and intricate melodies which are not immediately obvious to the ear.
Throughout, his guitar skills are matched by a set of defiant lyrics, which add an extra dimension to this beautiful track.
Crying In A Different Key uses musical metaphors to craft a creative set of lyrics that encapsulate Maple’s emotions. This lies atop an intricate rhythm guitar part fitted with a clean tone with an underlying bite.
A beautiful descending opening brings you into third track, Lewis, where Maple displays the strength of his vocals to really sell a touching track. This flows nicely into Waiting In The Catapult, which features a great chorus, with the Durham songwriter getting a lot out of a little.
On this particular track, I found shades of Elliot Smith alongside the influence of Bob Dylan which runs deep throughout the EP’s sharp lyrics.
Lonely Night takes a more full-bodied approach to the guitar work, weaving a beautiful love song that is capped off by a gorgeous set of yearning lyrics. It also features a great solo that illustrates Maple’s phenomenal guitar playing. This gives way to Easier Rider, which has a rockier feel, with more bite added to the guitar.
Closer War and Freedom features yet another complex melody, which still manages to sound warm, providing a gorgeous feel. Maple really saves the best for last, with the vocals delivering an epic performance worthy of the song.
Overall, this is a phenomenal EP that showcases what can be done with just an electric guitar and vocals. I really adored listening to every twist and turn.
Combining the very best of shoegaze and dream pop, Waves of Dread have produced one of the best EPs to come out of the North East this year with The Tide.
Following up 2023’s A Bad Dream in a Raging Sea, the Newcastle group have pushed themselves forward with their latest release, which combines lush production with excellent songwriting.
This all coalesces into a tight package that feels like waking up to a beautiful morning, with its hazy and distorted production.
Opener The Tide sets the dreamy tone, providing fun basslines and synths aplenty. Beneath the dream pop aesthetics lies an exceptionally written song, with a gorgeous chorus that hits all the right notes.
Early Riser builds on these aesthetics with a very trippy sounding beginning, featuring distant vocals and a beautiful guitar line built upon a bed of rainfall. As the track progresses, it welcomes gorgeously thick basslines into the mix, with a few hauntingly good synth lines thrown in for good measure. The whole thing feels like waking from a nice dream into a perfect morning.
The guitars clean up for Overspill, with its sharp guitar melody. The track once again demonstrates the smart production choices that run through the EP at its core. The use of layering is fabulous, allowing the track to get dirtier as it goes on, as layer upon layer of guitar is added to the overall mix.
Restless Sleeper, Sleepless Dreamer concludes the EP, using a glockenspiel to power the track forward, contributing massively to the dream pop feel. There’s more of an acoustic focus on this track, yet it is still washed in beautiful reverb.
Overall, this dream pop and shoegaze EP is a must-listen for fans of groups such as Slowdive and Cocteau Twins, with sharp songwriting and lush production.
Combining influences that include The 1975 and The Killers, Club Paradise have found a unique formula for indie pop perfection.
The four piece group, hailing from North Shields, have been slowly working their way up throughout the year, releasing singles such as Chasing The Summer and Years, both of which we have previously covered.
Those teasers definitely whetted the appetite ahead of the release, which combines everything that works on those tracks into a grander piece.
Beginning with Let Me Lose, the group immediately establishes the tone of the EP with a set of keys which feel like they could have walked straight out of a 1975 song-think I Couldn’t Be More In Love with an indie band core.
This is further elevated by a huge bridge that gets you ready for the huge gear shift the group takes you on as they increase the tempo. The vocals are a strong mixture of North East authenticity combined with a definite influence from The 1975’s Matty Healy.
The track concludes with a glitchy guitar solo that is excellently performed and provides a sign of the guitar heaven to come.
Single Chasing The Summer is next up. We covered this in depth back in July – you can read the full review here. The song still sounds like the upbeat summer banger it was when it was released and sounds great within the context of the EP.
Third track, What If These Days, continues the indie themes, winding them around an 80s pop core. The song shimmers with chorus-imbued guitars, conjuring thoughts of the neon guitar pop of the 1980s. Imagine a pop version of The Blue Nile, complete with jangly guitars and a lot of heart.
The gorgeous guitar solos take more influence from 80s rock, bringing a very classic rock feel to the sheen of the rest of the song, which works well. The overall combination of rock and pop influences works well to produce another great song.
Runaways switches things up slightly, throwing pop-punk and emo influences into the mix. This is evident at the beginning of the track, which reminded me of groups such as Blink 182. Gone is the sheen of previous tracks, replaced by chunky guitars that reach their peak in the chorus.
The track also features a great guitar solo, which illustrates the amazing lead guitar talent on show throughout the EP. This gives way to Years another song which we have previously covered. You can read my full review here.
Finisher Interstate is the perfect pick as a closer to the EP with its grandiose production and larger-than-life nature. Once again, the group taps into their heavier sides to produce a dramatic conclusion to the album.
Overall, this EP shows Club Paradise delivering on the promise of their lead up singles. If you’re a fan of groups like The 1975, you’ll love this EP.
Indie singer-songwriter Darren Burdis’ new single will certainly get hearts fluttering with a gorgeous, personal track.
The Newcastle songwriter has turned in a clever and touching acoustic ballad, hitting hard from the moment the needle drops.
The shimmering guitar line that floats atop the acoustic opening is a gorgeous way to start showcasing Burdis’ talent with the instrument and setting the track on the right path.
I particularly enjoyed how the drumbeat mirrored the rhythm of a heartbeat, reflecting the meticulous attention to detail in the production.
In terms of the overall vibe of the song I could hear the influences of indie folk artists such as Elliot Smith, particularly evident in the heartbreaking lyrics.
This is beautifully intertwined with the glossy guitar work which reminded me of the heartland rock of Bruce Springsteen and the North East’s own Sam Fender.
The vocal delivery is hoarse and husky perfectly suited to this track giving Burdis the perfect tools to paint this emotionally raw piece onto the record.
The gorgeous backing vocals towards the backend of the song evoke early Radiohead, and if you’re into similar acoustic indie music with a lot of heart, this single is definitely for you.
Boy Found Sound’s latest single is a touching indie pop ode, featuring gorgeous production and well-constructed songwriting.
The track sets off like a runaway train, bringing with a nice Americana feel reminiscent of the likes of Bruce Springsteen and The War on Drugs, with its combination of acoustic guitar with beautifully reverbed riffs layered on top.
With the mood set, Boy Found Sound is free to write touching verses about a girl with ultraviolet eyes, over the top of this musical bed.
Musically, the track acts like a continuous train of thought, with no let-up throughout the tune and only subtle changes in tempo between the verse and the chorus.
This momentum only pauses for an amazing guitar solo, which reminded me a lot of Sam Fender with its reverb-heavy distortion and brilliant technicality.
Overall, this is a great song that has been meticulously put together. If you’re a fan of Sam Fender, then this is for you!
Humbug North East 