The Indie Scene

  Following up from their debut single, Carmen Jones , released last year and accumulating just over 1,600 streams, the Bristol rockers have shaken up the system with their latest release Memorial , a cacophony of orchestral sounds mixed with progressive influence. Photo: Amia Watling With a sound reminiscent of Slint and a hint of Nine Inch Nails , HAAL is a band that wouldn’t sound out of place soundtracking a David Fincher m ovie . Memorial is a track that creeps up on you and rewards you for your patience. Even more rewarding is the wall of distortion in the climax of the song, ending the song in beautiful grandness.  There is evidence of the band's knowledge of music theory in their clever usage of dissonance, a complex time signature, and a complex structure so tasteful that if it was plated up in the Masterchef final, it would be more tear-jerking than getting a 7 from Anthony Fantano. The math-rock influence is unmistakable; beginning with the introduction of the drums wh

The well-versed indie veterans, who have been earning their stripes for the best part of a decade, premiered their latest offering on Annie Mac's Radio 1 show. For Wolf Alice fans alike - or anybody who has missed them just as much - it's been a three year wait (we're not counting Ellie's feature on Mura Masa's Teenage Headache Dreams ) that has felt drastically long, no thanks to the current pandemic.  PHOTO: JORDAN HEMINGWAY To no surprise at all, Ellie Rowsell once again proves how astounding she is when it comes to writing in such an effortlessly confessional and intimate way; giving a glimpse into her diary per se. Not to mention the accompanying sublime sounds of strings and the backtracking of Joel and Ellie's vocals layered to sound like a choir, The Last Man On Earth is an endearingly beautiful and harmonic introduction to a new era for the London rockers.  As if today couldn't get any more exciting, the announcement of a third album, Blue Wee

  Black Country, New Road start off their highly anticipated debut album with an instrumental that sets the tone for the rest of the songs. The track is nothing but effortless; alike puff pastry with its copious layers you’re left struggling to count, and sounding like something soundtracking a Damien Chazelle film.  For the first time , the newest offering from a promising young band (with 7 very good, very talented members), is bound to be divisive — I mean, you can’t please everyone . With the band being compared to acts who don’t fit into any given genre, thus being packed into a box together to form some sort of ‘odd one out’ sound, such as the likes of Squid , black midi , and Girl Band , they’ve become the genre most would describe as simply ‘weird’. What else do you use to describe a band who seamlessly blur the lines between the genres they’re being told they belong to? Sure, they’re a fusion of post-punk and whatever else people brand them as but, for me, they’re a mixture

May it be artists you already know and love that are gearing up to release a much anticipated album, an artist you've yet to delve into but have heard plenty about, or an artist whom you have never heard of before, this list should - and hopefully will - be an accumulation of the sorts.  This past year has been, well, a shit one and it's only getting worse as 2021 gets into full flow. Throughout the dark, dreary and lonesome days of 2020 there has been one constant, and that is the music we have been treated to in light of such a devastating time. With some spectacular albums from many different artists, to comebacks, and to albums that provided us with some light-hearted entertainment, it leaves a lot for 2021 to live up to. With the recent dismissal of the arts from the Government (obviously, the Tories have never consumed a bit of media in their life and, when Matt Hancock said he listened to Grime , that was clearly nothing but a fabrication) and the recent Brexit revelatio

We can all agree that 2020 has been a tumultuous journey from beginning to end, never failing to provide one disappointment after the other. Seemingly, the only rewarding thing about 2020 has been the music made in lockdown, the albums we've been blessed with or, for some people, it's Taylor Swift releasing not one but two full-length albums this year. Musicians have been unable to perform live, meaning The Night Cafe's 2019 tour is set to take place in 2030 if they're lucky.  I'll have to admit, I've been a bit behind. It'll take me a good few months to sit down and properly listen to an album unless a miracle happens and I listen to it the day it's released. You'll notice that the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Rina Sawayama aren't on here and, it isn't because I'm not a fan, I'm just the worst kind of procrastinator. I'm sure all of your favourites deserve a spot on here, so I'm going to cement my apology before I continue. 

Kira Riess, better known as the powerful and eclectic YNES, released her four track EP today after rebranding just last year. If you're into the likes of Kate Nash, GIRLI or Lily Allen then look no further, you've found your next unapologetically honest artist in the form of Coventry-based YNES.  First up is the opener, 'Im(Mature)', which sets the bar for the rest of the EP and makes an unforgettable statement. ' I'm not good at art ,' she shouts over the enigmatic guitar, despite having designed her own prints and, well, being pretty darn good at art than she gives herself credit for.  If I had to choose, my favourite from the EP would be the much needed and incredibly poignant 'Pretty Sure', which tells the tale of being cheated on and, where some people would perhaps blame the 'other woman', YNES decided to rise above it and show where the blame should in fact lay. If you really are a big fan of GIRLI, then check out the remix that she le