Soft No blends the realms of shoegaze and classic alternative rock convincingly with their new single Take Your Word. The shoegaze influence comes in the form of a baked vocal mix. It’s blended beneath the music in a way that forces you to turn the song up. It’s a clever trick and it works. The singer has a nice melodic touch that makes you want to hear more of her, so you turn it up, only to be engulfed by the songs immersive brilliance.
The music is layered in a way that blends grunge with modern psych rock. For us they bridge the gap between Hole, A Perfect Circle, and King Gizzard. Damn that’s a fresh comparison.
Hear Take Your Work now on our All New Rock Playlist.
We love the contrast that Holding Hour brings to their work. We were immediately drawn to their last single Parallel Lines, and we equally smitten for their latest Come Undone. Dressed differently this could be a dream pop song, but we prefer this kind of indie rock arrangement. The tonal blend and effective mix accentuate the experience.
The lead singers voice is soothing and amplifies the beautifully noise aesthetic known to shoegaze. The melody is catchy while the outro adapts the work epic. There’s a lot to love here. Stylistically the band connects with artists like Squirrel Flower, Momma, and Slow Pulp. We think they have the potential to attract a mainstream rock audience as well. This kind of catchy contrast has room to run.
Hear Come Undone now on our All New Rock Playlist.
There are a lot of various reasons why an unfamiliar listener might take a chance on a song called Dykes on Bikes. Some fair, some questionable, but all hopefully landing on the discovery of Dearly. What could be clickbait delivers in the form a killer indie rock jam. It’s catchy and calculated, with a stellar performance through and through.
Stylistically we hear the classic inspiration Weezer mixed with the modern indie influence of Wet Leg or Haim. It’s a testament to their subtle nostalgia within a 90s aesthetic. Regardless of how you place it, Dykes on Bikes reigns timeless. A song that could break through in any era, and maybe sell a few on theme t-shirts in the process.
Hear Dearly now on our All New Rock Playlist.
We love the energy Bon Enfant bring to their single Trompe L’oeil. There’s a reckless youthfulness to their sound. We also hear an influence of first wave art punkers like Television and The Talking Heads. They add a stacked vocal that recalls the charm of Koreon riot girl garage rock. Tweaked with the detail of their French dialect, these Canadian rockers are onto something rare. We can dig it.
Bon Enfant are featured on our All New Rock Playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 