Spangled mixtape, vol. 1
They say laughter is the best medicine and on Saturday, we’ll serve up a massive dose when we share our latest Learn From My Mixtapes podcast episode – an absolutely chaotic but deliriously fun chat with the incredible Spangled. Here are a few completely out of context soundbytes to give you a little taste of…
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Silvi’s mixtape, vol. 1
Snippets of our favourite highlights and outtakes from our first Learn From My Mixtapes podcast episode with the lovely Silvi, completely out of context, and culled from almost four hours of deep chat and silly banter. As you’ll be able to tell, we didn’t have any fun at all. (I’ll spare you what could literally…
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Liam Gallagher & John Squire: (An admitted biased) album review
by aura Here’s the truth: I love Liam Gallagher. When I got this album for review while waiting for the tube I very nearly passed out right there on the platform. So of course I’m biased and I’m not gonna lie and pretend I listened to the album oh-so-objectively. That being said, I’ve tried my best…
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‘wish i’d never met you’ by SUPERSAURUS
by aura SUPERSAURUS describe themselves as a “non-binary-fronted pop girl band aka your new favourite girls, gays, and theys band”. With an eclectic array of influences spanning 80s pop to MUNA, the young London-based four-piece makes an impression with an infectious sound that satisfyingly straddles the line between between nostalgia and novelty. With ‘Wish I’d…
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‘millennials’ by The Snuts: Album review
by aura If you haven’t already listened to the latest release by this incredible Glasgow four-piece, you definitely should! The album is a short treat, packed with huge sounds and wholesomeness. The band has stated on their social media that this record “was written with the sole intention of putting a smile on your face”.…
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‘western approaches’ by Red Rum Club: Album review
by aura Liverpudlian ensemble Red Rum Club released their fourth studio album this past Friday, February 23. It’s a highly-anticipated body of work that promised (per early singles) to be just as unique as their previous releases. The album title references the history and relevance of Liverpool during WW2, and it also sets the scene…
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‘Spectator’ by Friday Pilots Club: Has us hungry for coming debut album
by Brooke and aura I’m sorry, did you know that a song could give you the same tummy-tingling effect as the drop on a rollercoaster? We sure didn’t. But that was the reward we got for taking Friday Pilots Club at their word when they followed up the release of January’s titillating and addictive single…
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‘dreams, schemes and young teams’ by shambolics: Album review
by aura I need to be up front with you: Brooke and I love Shambolics debut album so much that we maxed out the courtesy listens in the promo materials we were sent. Didn’t even know you could do that! So yeah, we listened to it a lot, and I kept thinking the same thing…
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‘coda’ by amateur theatre group: A dark delight
by aura and brooke You could be entirely forgiven for thinking you were getting a folksy-shoegazy love ballad for the first 45 seconds of amateur theatre group’s new single, ‘coda’, available on streaming services on February 14. Slow strumming of the acoustic guitar complete with string scratches. Gentle punctuation from the drums, adding subtle depth and…
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‘time to let things go’ by skylights: striking change of pace
by aura With the release of ‘Time to Let Things Go’ on February 9, Skylights are back with a stunning song that’s bound to add more followers to their ever growing fanbase. The Yorkshire four-piece — Rob Scarisbrick (vocals), Turnbull Smith (guitar), Jonny Scarisbrick (bass), and Myles Soley (drums) — have cultivated a very distinctive…
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‘in light’ by left at the avenue: explosive debut ep from down under
by aura Melbourne, Australia-based trio Left at the Avenue released their debut EP ‘In Light’ on February 2. Exploring themes of self-doubt, worry, nostalgia, and longing, the four-track EP plays into the musings of a young band that reflect on their shortcomings, relationships, frustrations, and years of working together. “The EP has, quite frankly, provided me…
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‘what’s on the menu’ by the maddocks: tasty debut ep
by aura Formed in the spring of 2022, The Maddocks are what I like to call a baby band. Throughout an eventful 2023, the four-piece from Stockport, UK released four singles, garnered attention with their first-ever radio play on Radio X, enjoyed a successful Manchester headline show, and embarked on their first ever tour. Now…
Keep reading‘visions’ by SILVI: will have you in a sexy chokehold
by aura Scottish singer-songwriter SILVI brought her A-game with the first single from her debut EP, to be released this year. The song showcases her incredible vocal talent in a way you’ve never heard her before. The song starts out with a quiet invitation to enter a dreamy realm, with incredible low range tones on…
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ICYMI: january ’24
In Case You Missed It airs on Daz In the Hat radio the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at both 10 am and 10 pm British time). The show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from the recent past into more ear holes- and maybe even creating some more new music converts…
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‘universal credit’ by shambolics: Theatrical and full of surprises
by brooke and aura A ringing phone, shuffling papers, background chatter and a heavy sigh is where we pick up with Shambolics in the latest single ahead of their much anticipated debut album, Dreams, Schemes and Young Teams, which drops February 16. ‘Universal Credit’ – out February 2 – may be one of the most…
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‘honey’ by fat dads: sweet and sticky, through and through
by brooke and aura In their first single of 2024, Carlisle’s Fat Dads have collected nectar of the surfy and bluesy varieties and rendered ‘Honey’, a tune every bit as sweet and sticky as it sounds. And what’s not to love about a song that brings to mind the sounds of the early Beatles and…
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sound check: jan 20-26
Sound Check is a weekly internet radio show featuring a selection of the freshest new tunes from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm UK time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes up with these recap…
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‘talk of the town’ by the denabys: ugh, yes please!!
by aura There are lots of things in life that make me excited and happy. You might say I’m an avid enthusiast. But there’s one thing in particular that fills my heart with an inordinate amount of joy, and that’s having the privilege of experiencing a band’s growth in real time. And my oh my,…
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‘got it’ by Ear Candy: a fun cold shoulder
By Aura Ear Candy is described as ‘the brainchild of producer/singer/songwriter Jamie Jordan,’ and I would also add ‘bop maker.’ He’s joined in this endeavor by ‘music pals’ Jacob Hopkinson, Paul Nicola-Miller, and Aidan O’Hara. They have a penchant for making vibe-filled, alternative, and indie-pop catchy earworms. Coming from an exciting 2023 with appearances at…
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‘acid flower’ by ventrelles: a psych-shoegaze trip
by aura Ventrelles are “formed from the embers of past collectives and distant echoes of teenage knock about bands”. And believe me, it shows. They have a very definite sound that suggests more experience than other bands releasing music in the experimental realm. With their latest release ‘Acid Flower’, they’re bringing some interesting – and…
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sound check: I like it here by the great leslie
London four-piece The Great Leslie are getting listeners primed for their third EP, Heavy Unsteady (due out in March), with the release of their latest single ‘I Like It Here’ on January 26. Frontman Ollie Trevers explained that this track “follows the narrative of stumbling across somewhere where everything seems perfect, and at that time…
Keep readingICYMI: april ’23
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It on Daz In the Hat radio (airs the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at both 10 am and 10 pm British time). The show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from the…
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‘shut the door’ by Lehi: Dance while letting go of love
By Aura LEHI (pronounced Lee-Hi), is an artist from Hartlepool, Northeast England, who is completely DIY as he writes, plays, records, and produces his own music. Playing since a young age he embarked on a solo project only last year amassing an incredible success with his debut single. LEHI’s second single ‘Shut The Door’, set…
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seasons in exile by unquiet nights: cinematic magic
By Aura Northern Ireland and Italy based trio Unquiet Nights’ third LP has been described as their most ambitious and absorbing yet. And after giving it a thorough listen, I completely agree. The album is made up of ten tracks, each one with its own complexity and uniqueness, yet they come together to create a…
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sound check: second hand by 3 little wolves
by aura 3 Little Wolves are one of those bands where you don’t quite know what to expect from them, in the best way. The Birmingham five-piece use their broad music influences to bring fresh and unique sounds to the scene and ‘Second Hand’ – out January 19 – is no exception. Starting with an…
Keep readingICYMI: best of 2023
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It on Daz In the Hat radio (airs the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at both 10 am and 10 pm British time). The show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from the…
Keep readingICYMI: december ’23
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It on Daz In the Hat radio (airs the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at both 10 am and 10 pm British time). The show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from the…
Keep readingICYMI: november ’23
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It on Daz In the Hat radio (airs the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at both 10 am and 10 pm British time). The show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from the…
Keep readingICYMI: march ’23
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It on Daz In the Hat radio (airs the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at both 10 am and 10 pm British time). The show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from the…
Keep readingICYMI: october ’23
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It on Daz In the Hat radio (airs the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at both 10 am and 10 pm British time). The show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from the…
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‘strange times’ by Moonlight Parade
By Aura Moonlight Parade is a band worth knowing. The trio from Worthing, UK joined forces in 2018 after almost 15 years apart, reuniting by chance. They’ve been quite prolific, having released three albums and two EPs. They’re currently preparing for the release of their fourth album with the lead single and title track ‘Strange…
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The Covasettes’ new EP makes lost love sound damn good
By Brooke “I don’t have a life outside of music,” says The Covasettes’ bassist and producer, Jamie McIntyre, as we ease into our conversation ahead of the November release of the Manchester-based band’s third EP, “What’s Lost Is Ours to Find.” There’s a tinge of humour in his delivery, but it’s also just a point…
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10 questions with Kane from the Sheratons
By Brooke As someone who came of age in a punk rock heyday, all it took was one listen to The Sheraton’s 2022 bop, ‘Truly Gone Fishing’ to reel me in. It’s practically textbook: driving drums matched with short, repetitive chord progressions on the guitar, and the kicker: vocals that manage to be both raw…
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‘friends’ by Marples
By Aura Marples, an exciting four-piece band from Sheffield, UK, emerged onto the scene in 2021 and swiftly gained traction in the UK Indie music scene. Their debut EP, “In The Attic,” dropped last year, and this Friday, December 1st, marks the release of their second single of the year. “Friends” is a vibrant, upbeat…
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‘slow motion burial’ by Fragile Animals: A beautiful musical storm
By Aura Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, Fragile Animals, a band formed in 2016, brings substantial experience to the table. Despite having plans for touring and promoting a new single in 2020, the global landscape altered course, leading to the creation of their new album. “Slow Motion Burial,” the enthralling debut album from Fragile Animals, is…
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‘dancing in the rain’ by Hitlist
By Aura The Aberdonian four-piece, Hitlist, is proving to be one of the upcoming Scottish bands to watch. Formed in 2021, they already have an interesting curriculum of gigs under their belt as a supporting act for the likes of The Snuts, The Sherlocks, and more recently, Skylights at the iconic venue King Tut’s. Their…
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‘tears on the underground’ by mosaics
By Aura ave you seen Killing Eve? If so, you might’ve already heard something from this Lincolnshire four-piece that came together in 2017, as their single “Weekend In Paris” was featured in the famous TV series. And it’s no wonder one of their tunes features in a TV show, with their fresh sound and knack…
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‘lost & found’ by Kiwi
By Aura Kiwi is one of those bands that naturally possess many ingredients for stardom. Hailing from the North West of England, they formed in 2021 and have since gained recognition from promoters, securing supporting gigs with local UK favorites like VISTAS, The Royston Club, and more recently, Apollo Junction. They also earned a slot…
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‘heaven once told you’ by Rosa Caelum
By Aura Rosa Caelum is a band that delivers tunes as intriguing as their name. Hailing from the West Midlands, UK, the band consists of Rob Mansfield on vocals, Liam Tolley on guitar, Travis O’Leary on bass, Ben Marks-Baggott on guitar, and Sam Horobin on drums. Since their formation in late 2021, they’ve been generating…
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Box of Trash humbly command attention with new EP
By Brooke “There’s a famous story with Lyle [Kennedy, vocalist], the first day we got into Chicago,” says Jordan McKee, drummer for Scottish four-piece Box of Trash, with a laugh when I ask if the guys have any memorable moments from writing or recording. “Joan [Velez], the guy that runs our label picked us up…
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Apollo Junction boldly declare ‘Here We Are’ with new album
By Brooke It’s half past ten on Friday night and several members of the “AJ Family” (as Apollo Junction’s fervent followers are known) are at another band’s show in Leeds, UK, attempting to refresh the official charts page over and over again despite shoddy phone service in the basement venue. Forty some-odd miles away at…
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Motel Thieves talk ‘Falling Through Our World’ and landing on their feet
By Brooke “I never planned on playing music.” It’s one of the first things Motel Thieves bassist Zak Halimi tells me, matter-of-factly, when he joins the video call with me and his bandmates. Despite growing up with a dad who is a bassist in a band of his own, Zak says he didn’t play the…
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Nameless Friends: Spite-fueled chaotic do-gooders with electric guitars
By Brooke “Update on our rock band’s feud with the Premier of Saskatchewan,” the long-haired brunette began, standing above her phone, hair dangling toward the camera. I stopped swiping up on TikTok and listened with increasing mirth as she described how her band, Nameless Friends (who go about band business under the aliases of Number…
Keep readingSound check: Oct 14-20
Sound Check is an internet radio show I created to shine a little more light on just released bangers from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm British time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes up…
Keep readingICYMI: February ’23
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It, now a twice-monthly show on Daz In the Hat radio. Airing the first and third Fridays at both 10 am and 10 pm British time, the show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from…
Keep readingSound check: Oct 7-13
Sound Check is an internet radio show I created to shine a little more light on just released bangers from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm British time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes up…
Keep readingICYMI: September ’23
I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd to create In Case You Missed It, now a twice-monthly show on Daz In the Hat radio. Airing the first and third Fridays at both 10 am and 10 pm British time, the show is our attempt at getting our fave tunes from…
Keep readingsound check: Sep 30-Oct 6
Sound Check is an internet radio show I created to shine a little more light on just released bangers from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm British time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes up…
Keep readingSound check: Sep 23-29
Sound Check is an internet radio show I created to shine a little more light on just released bangers from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm British time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes…
Keep readingsound check: Sep 16-22
Sound Check is an internet radio show I created to shine a little more light on just released bangers from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm British time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes…
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The Great Leslie take on 21st Century Problems
By Brooke Though the reference may be lost on many, it’s only fitting that the Great Leslie are named after a debonair mid-century daredevil. Dapper, delightfully defiant, and dripping with talent, the London-based four-piece consistently delivers bangers that hearken back to an era when the music scene was rife with exciting new formula-breaking artists creating…
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Astoria stands out with big guitar sounds
By Brooke Halfway between London and Glasgow, in the West Yorkshire city that famously gave the world the Kaiser Chiefs and Mel B of the Spice Girls, the band Astoria is emerging as a standout player in a whole new field of guitar-driven rock hopefuls. By their own admission, “Astoria in its early years was…
Keep readingSound check: Sep 9-15
Sound Check is an internet radio show I created to shine a little extra light on just released bangers from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm British time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes up with…
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sound check: another movie by the avenues
If this song were a TikTok that showed up on my FYP it would be one of those overly specific, thoroughly relatable videos that leaves me both a little awed and disturbed by the power of the algorithm. You know that scrunchy face people tend to make that looks like they’ve smelled something unpleasant, when…
Keep readingSound check: Sep 1-8
Last week I had the opportunity to share the first episode of my new internet radio show, Sound Check, which I created to shine a light on the freshest, newest, just released bangers from unsigned, indie and indie-adjacent artists from all over the world (but with a particular emphasis on those from the UK and…
Keep readingICYMI: January ’23
As a new music lover, every week is exciting because there’s always fresh new tunes to discover. The downside is that a lot of incredible music has a shorter shelf life than it deserves, without continuous play on mainstream radio. I teamed up with a fellow millennial melomaniac with a penchant for the indie crowd…
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wor flags
And all the fears of tomorrow they won’t surpassWell there’s a place that we forget itAway to the matchWhere all my troubles goAnd I never feel aloneCos I’ve found my home wor flags by andrew cushin Having a half hour long metro conversation with rising British singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin was among the last things I…
Keep readingICYMI: July playlist
I’m going to consider July’s musical offerings birthday gifts that just kept on giving. Truly, so much great music was released last month that it was VERY hard to narrow it down. Here, I share 10 of my favourites… and list 20 honourable mentions below that. You can find all 30 indie/alt tunes in my…
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sound check: mil1ion by apollo junction
apollo junction’s newest single will fire you up! Described by the band as “a song about the people who mean the world to us”, Mil1ion offers up just over three minutes of wildly inspirational, searing synth-pop seasoned with rock sensibility. The track, the fifth single off Apollo Junction’s upcoming album, ‘Here We Are’, kicks off…
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Ruby
Let the clocks be reset and the pendulums held’Cause there’s nothing at all, ‘cept the space in betweenFinding out what you’re called, and repeating your name Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby Ruby, by the kaiser chiefs “I’m ready to cut my hair,” I messaged my close friends group chat toward the end of my first of…
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what are you waiting for?
Life is not a TV showYou can’t go back and start againCan’t rewind it at the end I know the time has come and on you goThere’s no klaxonThere’s no starting gunNo repeat, no rerun What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for, apollo junction I wager most of us have that something…
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Indie Dependent 