The Indie Scene

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

Since I was first introduced to the rock outfit hailing from Swansea, I've been hooked on their incredibly good back catalogue so, naturally, I was pretty excited to hear they would be releasing a new song and a re-recording of an old favourite of mine.  'Rainbow Sands' is a step in the right direction, showing exactly why Taxi Rank are one of the most exciting young bands to come out of Wales since Stereophonics came to prominence. Not only is it a tangible, easily digestible alternative rock song, it goes hand in hand with the b-side: a re-recording of 'Handprint'.  The production level with the re-recordings and the brand new songs are impeccable; where you could perhaps notice tiny flaws beforehand with previous recordings, they've smoothed them over and showed their progression by giving 'Handprint' a crystal clear new spin.  It's not just the songs that are captivating, but the striking and vibrant artwork that goes along with it. However, thi

After the release of their debut album ‘Dogrel’ last year, Dublin based indie rock band Fontaines D.C. had a lot of expectations to live up to with ‘A Hero’s Death,’ which they released on July 31st. Having studied at BIMM in Dublin, the five-piece band have gone on to achieve some incredible things, not to mention releasing two full-length albums and now being nominated for a Grammy (which, by the way, is quite a big deal, especially for these guys). First up is enigmatic and powerful ‘I Don’t Belong,’ that sets the mood for the rest of the album - it’s unforgiving, the statement they’re trying to display doesn’t struggle to be conceived. In my opinion, this is the perfect opener to the album and they couldn’t have chosen a better song to begin with. The music video to go along with it captures the dynamics of the song perfectly and leaves you wondering if there's anything this band can't do. Guaranteed, if you haven't already, this song will be stuck in your head by the e

Alleyways are a indie-pop quintet based in Leeds and ‘Over It’ is their next song to hit the airwaves.  ‘Over It’ is a positive display of coming together and couldn’t come at a better time in the current climate. The lead singer, Dougie, sings about the world beyond the internet, which some of us often forget exists. While a song in this style isn’t usually my cup of tea, I can’t help but enjoy this. It’s not cringe, which I find songs along the same lines often can be, and it reminds me of the likes of King No One or Years & Years earlier releases.  The lyrics are captivating; adding to the funkiness of the song while also still holding their serious appeal. ‘Over It’ is a superb job at an indie pop song, giving The 1975 a run for their money and it appears that Dougie could easily pip the crown off of Matty Healy’s head. With the release of their last album, Notes On A Conditional Form, that isn’t hard.  The drum beat is what adds that extra ‘oomph’ to this

When writing critically about an album from a band whose previous offerings you’ve enjoyed quite a bit and have even had their faces on your wall at one point, you’re bound to feel some sort of affliction to be dishonest and please as many people as possible. After all, The 1975's fans are a scary bunch so, trust me, no one is blaming you. I’m hoping that I can be as truthful as possible and pick apart each song the way I perceive it and not simply give it a straight up 10/10 due to the band’s status.  Before I listen to Notes On A Conditional Form, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what I’ve heard so far. Mostly, what I have heard is that there are quite a few filler songs and that the stand out songs are simply the singles already released. This is often the case; it takes a skilled musician to make a completely flawless album from beginning to end and I can't say I've seen it done often.  Matty Healy is well-known for being controversial with his potty mout

Where do I start? I'd heard many things about The Growlers live, particularly Brooks Nielsen's vocals not being as good live as they should be. With this in mind, I had my expectations lower than they should've been before I had even entered The Albert Hall. Little did I know that they would go on to be my favourite live performance I've ever seen; which is quite an achievement, given that I've seen over fifty artists. In 2018 I had the pleasure of seeing Arctic Monkeys live and, in my opinion, The Growlers made them seem like nothing. However, I think the difference in venues had a big fixture in the way they both sounded; considering Albert Hall can hold 2,500 people and FlyDSA Arena can hold 13,600 in comparison. If Arctic Monkeys had played Albert Hall - not the Royal one - they would've blown me away too. Whilst they were still incredible, something about being a few rows away from the stage at The Growlers just changed the atmosphere completely for me.