Ghost Light shines with their new single Take Some Time. The under the radar supergroup pens their most inspired work yet. Singer Raina Mullen is fully realized. Full of swagger and authentic charm, it recalls elite front women of indie like Feist and Sharon Van Etten. It’s also got rhythmic variation and an element of surprise in the spirit of those aforementioned songsmiths. Plus, it’s a full band effort that sounds performed in the moment, a testament to the craft of its members and their abilities as studio players.
It’s no secret among in the jam community that Tom Hamilton is an indie rock crossover. Carrying impressive guitar chops like a monkey on his back, he shifted through Radiohead inspired jams with his initial incarnation Brothers Past before being fully absorbed by the jam community. Now with affirmed credo as a member of JRAD and historical highlights on some notable classic invitational jams, he teams with fellow festival treasure Holly Bowling to preserve the existence of a proper song that can still jam. Willing to embrace their reputations enough to offer a slaying solo section to cap off this crossover hit, they’re careful not to interject into the songs already realized pop sentiment. It is a tasteful jam after all, and stays on brand with the songs organic making. Killer solo too, the dude is a monster.
We dig it. Hear Take Some Time now on our Best New Indie Playlist
We were drawn to the dark experimental design of Vivid but Vague, the new single from London based artist ACTRESE. Melodically catchy, Vivid but Vague has mainstream potential and retro heart. There’s elements of Kate Bush with additional inspiration from retro pop and trip hop. She embraces the brooding hypnotic nature of Massive Attack and how they dress their dark soundscapes with features by oft-pop female leads.
The hook on Vivid but Vague hits you by surprise. An exhilarating feature that draws you into her mesmerizing poetry. The artist brings poetic intellect and values her lyrics effect on the songs collective feeling. She marries the aesthetics of vibe and song. The abstract tempo design injects curiosity in the almost familiar roots of the composition. Much like the artist herself, the collective vibe draws a little from various pop derived multiverses in indie, resulting in one definitive flavor that is ACTRESE.
Hear Vivid but Vague now on our Women of Trip Hop Playlist.
Henry Taylour is comforting on his new single Aftersun. A beautiful collective arrangement evolves with a percussive interjection that almost thrusts it out of the acoustic space and into a more groovy acoustic pop space. It’s all about a vibe, and one that we fully endorse. Aftersun is epic. Its’ a slow burn that rips to a roar in the songs inspired closing section. The band and string production builds in tandem with the songs poetic journey. “Look how far we’ve come? That’s the joy of Aftersun.”
Taylour is an interesting blend of the small town folk appeal of Damien Rice and the eastern troubadour feel of Jose Gonzalez. Aftersun reflects a journey, a commentary on the odyssey of life. He resolve in contemplation, “…doesn’t matter anyhow,” before cosmic sonic comets fly across the mix in conceptual style. This is the sacred indie folk known to our dreams, documented by seers like Taylour and immortalized in song.
Enjoy Aftersun now on our Emerging Folk Playlist.
Pink Films caught our attention with their new release From The Top Floor EP. A fitting name for the pink hues and neon haze derived from this dream pop project. Pink Films makes catchy groovy psych pop hits with shoegaze appeal. The EP offers a slow burn to get you in the flow, with the atmospheric Intro colliding with the immersive dreamy wash of Turquoise. A funky dance club underlayer sneaks into sexy hip swayer Cherry Stands. The atmospheric soundtrack soundscapes interject again on the trippy interlude instrumental 1965. The textured synths and immersive sonic design is the perfect intermission to pull you through the melodic charm of M.A.D. (Movie’s Almost Done). The artist caps the collection off with the anthemic A Trip To Paris. The epic energetic closer finds the artist conceptually woken, like the five previous tracks lent themselves to this moments discovery.
Accredited as an EP, From The Top has classic album potential. It’s heard in the thoughtful interludes and eclectic evolutions between singles. Pink Films is a master of style. He’s carving out a unique niche in psych pop that bears significant retrowave, shoegaze, and alternative R&B infliuence. He fits in well with emerging indie pop buzz acts like DRAMA and STEEN. There’s a touch of synthwave that connects with eclectic projects in that style like Retroglyphs and Trevor Something. With dreamy trippy sonic appeal, he should also please fans of psych pop icons like Tame Impala, Sports, and associated acts in this major emerging genre.
The EP hits front to back, get started with A Trip To Paris now on our Best New Indie Playlist
The Wild Is Calling 