We adore the spiritual dynamic project that is Mcclendon. Their new single Drum honors their growing legacy of metaphysical mantra jams. Their songs are diverse within a trademark scope. Drum evolves out of an immersive stacked vocal section, colliding into an infectious beat drop that bring an effective payoff to the songs dramatic build. McClendon seems to put everything in its right place, with fluid compositions full of stylistic surprise and melodic variation. Stylistically Mcclendon connects with acts like Hozier and James Blake.
Hear Drum now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Raia Was asserts her position on her intoxicating new single If You’re Asking (I’m Offering). Inspired by innovative mood makers The XX and Mitski, Raia Was embraces a minimalistic design. A groove, her stacked vocals, and a low end atmospheric underlayer are all that’s needed to transmit this vibe.
Her writing is instinctually uplifting, as if she’s in constant celebration of knowing she’s been saved from the downside of existence. It’s existential indie pop, released from the confides of cubicles and routine existence. Within this narrative she’s challenged to give a little of that up for love. The songs charming appeal offers an alternative, you can take her away or join her on this moving train. Life’s an adventure, “No-one wants a bidding war, and I can’t afford to break , to bawl to scream and yell and scare you out the door.” Life’s too short.
Raia Was is featured on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Foreign Saints is a new bedroom pop project by Brooklyn-based musician Thomas Roberts. The artist is admittingly inspired by the likes of The Japanese House, Day Wave, and War on Drugs. That influence is evident on his new single Here With Me.
The project name is a nod to to when the artist hiked the Camino de Santiago, where the pull of completing a journey named after an arbitrary foreign saint showed him the beauty in the pursuit of something in and of itself. He approaches music in the same way. The new single is an atmospheric dose of indie soul pop. It unravels like a metaphysical journey, much like the trip that inspired his musical aesthetic.
An array of chimey electric pianos and haunting soft synths set an omniscient mood. That vibe lends to his mantra pop aesthetic. Foreign Saints music reflects an understanding, a release from social prisons and routine doldrums. It reflects his generation, after all, these new kids are alright. Their pursuit to make the world a better place spares no prisoners and commits itself to action. His music represents the calm down after a day on the front. On Here With Me, Roberts lends his voice and melodic charm to that resignation. When you’re ready to chillax, he’ll be waiting.
Foreign Saints are featured on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Overland Inn finds eery cinematic nostalgia with their soundtrack ready single Martingale. This intricate French Pop tags the legacy of Vangelis with its melodic drama. The singer spaces out her vocals with dramatic appeal, adding to the Romantic urgency of it all.
The composition bears a semblance of classical influence. It’s dark but aesthetically pleasing and altogether inspiring. Martingale unfolds like a journey. For us it bridges the auras of Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, and Blonde Redhead, all within the trademark scope known to French pop. We can dig it.
Hear Martingale now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 