‘Sentimental Guy’ is the sixth single from quirky indie-popster from London, Garlen Lo. It’s his midlife reflection song: remembering the past, embracing the present and hopeful for the future. The song comes with lush dreampop soundscape and fitting photobook music video.
Quirky indie-popster from London. Likes singalongs and wordplay. AKA Hong Kong Cockney*
Garlen Lo is a born-and-bred Londoner of Hong Kong-Chinese origin. Aged 8 he was raised by a wine-guzzling auntie who played country music at max volume. One Christmas, he got a guitar and took naturally to writing drunken singalongs with twee wordplay.
He formed an unruly, skinny-jeaned indie band in the mid-2000s, but after that imploded, tried to become a respectable member of society. Not quite succeeding at that either, he resumed his love for songwriting during the pandemic. And he is super chuffed that his first five singles have all been someone’s ‘track of the week’.
He is a one-man band: playing all the instruments, singing, producing, and making the music videos. He’d like to give gigging a go again but can’t face the stress of forming a band.
Songs about unrequited/nostalgic love seems to be his thing. Just because. His Mastermind subject would be The Beatles and Chelsea FC.
*For a short time, he went by the artist name Hong Kong Cockney but lacked the confidence to see it through. He likes it as a nickname though, like Springsteen’s The Boss.
Cleethorpes-based teenage trio announce new single ‘The Town’ landing as their debut on Manchester-based indie label Cosmic Glue alongside a new music video shot in the band’s hometown.
The Cleethorpes-based trio comprising of Ben Townsend (vocals & guitar), Josh Corfield (vocals & bass) and Lewis Hubbert (drums), have been making waves supporting artists such as Reverend & The Makers and Corella in addition to performing gigs and festivals across the country including Kendal Calling, Tramlines Fringe and Humber Street Sesh.
Citing Nirvana, Arctic Monkeys, Supergrass and The Reytons among their musical influences ‘The Town ’is a hard-hitting dose of classic indie rock.
About the single, the trio say:
“The Town is about living for the weekend. Being alone and being a loner – at work, school, college or uni struggling Monday to Friday 9 till 5 but knowing at the weekend there is a gig. You will see the familiar faces, all the loners together but now as one and as the song drops, the pit explodes and the world feels right.”
With their indie rock sound gaining critical acclaim and an ever-growing fan base, Revivalry gears up for recently announced festival performances including Kendal Calling, Garristonbury, The Longest Day and Camper Calling. The Town is out now on all streaming platforms.
Indie Revolutions EP Of The Month goes to Hazy Sundays with their debut EP ‘Give Me Some Dopamine’.
Hazy Sundays are a 4 piece indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, formed in Late 2022. The band has been making waves on the indie scene since starting off and in their first year together released eight singles. the band play fast energetic music but also have some slower acoustic songs. They have been gigging relentlessly have supported the likes of Reverend and the Makers, and played alongside Chris Helme (The seahorses) and Bez (Happy Mondays) .
Hazy Sundays have have had mainstream radio play and featured on John Kennedy’s X-posure radio X show. With many influences in the band some of them are The Libertines, Kasabian, Oasis and many more.
They have been announced for some festivals in 2024 and have plans to gig as much as possible up and down the UK over the next year.
The debut EP showcases the bands high energy, groove infested tunes sure to get future audiences bouncing and singing along in unison. Fans of sing along indie vocals with layers of guitars with lots of riffs and solos, powerful bass melodies and pounding drums will love this EP. The band also showcase their softer side with crowd favourite “Wires” which contain real emotional vocals and subject matter and the band take a more laid back approach to their more usual balls to the wall approach. This EP is only the beginning for Hazy Sundays so follow the band as they go from strength to strength.
Indie Revolution’s Album Of The Month is Worldcub with their fantastic new album ‘Back To The Beginning’.
Worldcub invites you on a jaunt through past lives and memory with their brand new concept album ‘Back To The Beginning’ a carefully crafted collection of tracks containing sharp hooks, joyous West Coast pleasure trips and contemplative stop-offs along the way. Beguiling lead single and title track rumbles through time and space, that opens up new worlds on the arms of a kraut rock groove. spacey guitar licks, splashes of keyboards, floating harmonies, the vocal interplay guides you deep into the mind’s eye of a melody, at once both wistful for a past and for a future of unknowns.
Worldcub, are a group from North Wales piloted by brothers Cynyr (guitar & vocals) and Dion Hamer (drums & vocals), they began their musical journey under the name CaStLeS, taking influence from 70s/80s Paul McCartney and DIY ‘Fantastic Man’, William Onyeabor. They produce material from their home studio on the hills of Eryri, splicing together elements of surf guitar music, kraut-rock grooves and hypnotic psych tinged Cymru vocal harmonies.
Through fourteen lucid and addictive tracks ‘Back To The Beginning’ journeys through wormholes, keyholes and time warps. ‘Grog’ is an awesomely woozy trip, fantastic surf guitars decorate a pulsing percussive tapestry, trippy and lilting vocals, it could be something lifted from the famous Nuggets compilations. Haunting ‘One Small Mistake’ with its lucid melodies, almost bossa nova rhythms and bouncing psych pop sound, is an off kilter delight. The album also contains previous single ‘Look through the Keyhole’ is a hypnotic, West Coast tinged, surf inspired jaunt through past lives and memory. The record also contains Welsh language tracks the gleaming ‘Hel Y Hadau’ and the iridescent entwined melodies, 70s fuzz guitar and insidious percussion of ‘Pwysau Yn Pwyso’ which translates as a Pressing Matter.
Their self-released, site-specific themed debut album Fforesteering gained coverage on major platforms such as The Guardian and UNCUT Magazine, with air time on BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio Cymru & Wales. The band also earned their debut performance slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading & Leeds Festival and found success playing shows as part of the ‘Horizons 12’ scheme; which included a recording session at the historic Maida Vale Studios in London.
After an extensive run of live shows, including festivals such as Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool Psych Fest, Farmfest and more recently BreakOut West in Canada and main support to Public Service Broadcasting at FOCUS Wales Festival, Worldcub emerge again with a new catalogue of material for 2024 along with band members; Calvin Thomas on Bass and Jasmine Roberts on guitar.
Indie Revolution’s Single of The Week is Anglesey born Megan Wyn with her brand new single ‘Waiting For A Reason’.
Megan Wyn has spent the last 12 months building an army of new fans from across the UK, and it all started by arming herself with an inventory of songs well beyond her years.
Earlier cuts, ‘You Don’t Get It’, ‘Familiar Faces’ and ‘Are You Bored Yet?’, made a long-lasting impression on new music scenesters writ-large. With her self-deprecating lyricism, which can be on the nose at times, Megan has developed a wall of sound that can only really be compared to her Welsh elders Manic Street Preachers and Catfish and The Bottlemen.
Already in the last year the young star to be has packed out rooms on the metropolitan festival circuit at places such as Twisterella, Beyond the Music, Stockton Calling, Liverpool Sound City and Focus Wales. She has also sold out shows in her new home of Manchester, as well as Liverpool and London.
Elsewhere, Megan has supported indie heroes past and present in Swim Deep, Little Comets, Sundara Karma, Andrew Cushin, The K’s and others at sold out shows across the UK
There is something authentic building with Megan, the fruits of her labour after years of playing the circuit from the early age of 16 are starting to rear their heads and as her sound is blooming, it is no surprise that her fanbase is too.
At radio, Megan has already had playlist support from Radio X alongside a live session with John Kennedy. Amazing Radio also added previous single, ‘Familiar Faces’ to their A-List which saw the track get to a top 20 placement on their chart. She also did a live session with BBC introducing Manchester, whilst gaining repeat support at BBC Radio London and BBC Radio Merseyside including a live session for the latter.
Wyn was also Huw Stephens‘ Artist of The Week on BBC Radio Wales and added to the station’s playlist. Wyn also had support at Spotify UK with placement on tastemaker playlists such as Proper Belters & Fresh Finds UK & IE.
On the brand new single, the Welsh artist shows that age really is just a number and talent is something that is unimpeded by that number. The track swells in the introduction prior to exploding into life and feeding first time listeners with the ultimate payoff of raw, undeniable talent. Rare that an artist is effortlessly cool whilst calling upon pop sensibilities relentlessly. Wistful but assured in equal measure, it sounds exactly like a teenager figuring themselves out.
Speaking about the song, Megan said: “This song focuses on looking at my own flaws in navigating a relationship and the feelings of naivety, guilt, and loneliness that come with it. It focuses on the polarities of behaviour that we encounter when coping with suffering, and that we always want what is bad for us.”
As the year progresses, Megan is booked for more and more shows, and this summer will be her busiest yet with slots at key festivals such as Kendal Calling, Y Not Festival and Liverpool Sound City in the calendar already. She will also be setting off to Sweden to play her first international show to boot.
2024 promises to be a truly stellar year for Wyn with a headline tour + debut EP to follow later this year, the world truly is the young starlet’s oyster.
‘Waiting For A Reason’, was written with and produced by Alex Quinn (The Royston Club, Lottery Winners, Overpass) over the course of an extensive period of writing in Summer 2022.
Previous years saw Megan play The Great Escape, Truck Festival, Y Not and Isle Of Wight Festival. And she completed her debut headline tour earlier in the year.
An old head on young shoulders, Megan rightly feels that she has reached her starting point. With live experiences already in the bag, it was just a matter of honing her sound and landing on something that was truly representative of herself.
It’s also true that moving from her native Anglesey just off the Welsh coast, to her now home of Manchester at the age of 16, would have helped Megan develop not only as a musician but most importantly as a woman.
Megan grew up wanting exactly what she has now, the ability to put pen to paper and have songs fall out of her, to play shows to packed out venues in Manchester, as well as, elsewhere.
Catch Megan Live: 07.07 – Cheshire – Britfest 19.07 – Deadwax – Birmingham (What’s Happening Weekender) 20.07 – Glastonbury – Godney Gathering 27.07 – Preston- Rock AM River Festival 02.08 – Derby – Y Not? Festival 04.08 – Kendal Calling 30.08 — Llandudno – Pine Festival 06/07.09 – Bridlington Spa – By The Sea 20.09 – Manchester – Deaf Institute 23.09.2024 – Newcastle – Three Tanners Bank 24.09.2024 – Sheffield – Sidney & Matilda 25.09.2024 – Birmingham – Dead Wax 26.09.2024 – London – The Grace
September 20, 2024 will see German rock upstarters Bird’s View release their much-awaited, sophomore studio album “House of Commando” via Drakkar Entertainment. Mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins & many more).
“Vienna describes the curse and the blessing of being available and connected all the time.” The band reveals. “The song was written during 2 off days in Vienna between 2 support tours. It’s mainly about having to be reachable and available all the time. The 2 days in Vienna were the first time we really switched everything off completely and were able to gain distance from everything by simply ignoring everything.” Since their much-acclaimed debut album, “Red Light Habits” (released in the Spring of 2023 via Drakkar Entertainment), their path has been shaped by an unstoppable, forward momentum. Every show is an explosive mix of sweaty rhythms, wild guitar riffage and raw movement. With an expression reminiscent of the best days of grunge, alternative rock upstarters Bird’s View sweep their audience away from the first to the last beat. After touring with acts such as Soulfly, Skid Row or Dirty Honey, it’s no wonder why they have been labelled as “one of the best young rock bands in Germany”,
Bird’s View’s sound is a wild fusion of driving rhythms, razor-sharp guitar riffs and catchy hooks. Being in their early twenties, the young band quickly developed its own explosive sound that combines the authenticity of punk with the melody of alternative rock. Since their formation in 2019 by founding member Niko Huber – son of Nik Huber, owner of world re-known boutique company Nik Huber Guitars , their course and goal has been clear: Straight forward! Balancing between Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden and Refused, Bird’s View fire their songs into the captivated crowd. With their youthful energy and fast pace, Bird’s View not only inspire a new generation of rock fans, but will also awe the old school heart. They are the voice of a generation longing for real, unadulterated music.
The Major Resolve is an alternative rock group out of Kentucky, with Dustin Ray as singer-songwriter and vocals, Tater Johnson as the writer for the instrumentals and producer, and pianist Lydia Barbour.
Dustin Ray says of the song: “Soul is a song I had written as my way of having a conversation with God. I felt like I can communicate my feelings through music more than praying. I am just asking Him to not give up on my soul. Hoping that He sees that I am trying as hard as I can to be a good person and do the right thing but also acknowledging that I fall short everyday.”
TROPE release emotive new single ‘Callous’, out now.
Alternative progressive rock band TROPE released their latest single ‘Callous’, from their upcoming double album DYAD, due for release Fall 2024.
‘Callous’ was written by Trope’s guitarist/producer Moonhead and Juno-Nominated songwriter Diana Studenberg. The band explains that “Callous is a song about the absence of love, and where you think that love should be, and how we can build up protection against the realization of that, yet we still hope that maybe those who can’t seem to love us will someday. This could be a love from a parent, or someone who we have strong feelings for and have invested in.”
‘Callous’ takes the listener on an emotional journey through different phases with both drastic time, sonic and rhythmic changes and dynamics ranging from acoustic heartfelt breakdowns to instrumental breaks with crashing drums and heavy guitars. The song was produced, mixed and mastered by Moonhead.
Trope is an alternative rock band with progressive elements featuring vocalist Diana Studenberg and guitarist/producer Moonhead. The band formed in 2016 and spent the next couple of years writing and recording demos which became their debut album “Eleutheromania”.
In 2022, Trope toured Europe on a 26 date tour in 15 countries supporting The Pineapple Thief and also played 6 shows with The Pineapple Thief in US in April 2022, before embarking on a USA tour with Symphony X and Haken, for 27 dates in May 2022. The band also played with Kings X in the US in 2023, and played select festivals including Maximum Rock Romania and Summerfest in the US. In 2024, Trope will be playing select dates with Kings X and embarking on a 25 date US tour with Swedish Prog Metal group Soen.
With musical contributions from some of the worlds best drummers and musicians including Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief), Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer) and more. TROPE’s sophomore double album DYAD is set for release in Fall 2024.
British-Australian musician Rae Charlea (pronounced kar-lee-ah) is back with another upbeat indie pop-rock track in upcoming single, ‘He’s Just A Boy’.
Rae Charlea says of the song: “’He’s Just A Boy’ was written in mid 2023 after returning from an overseas trip where I was texting a guy back home in Australia who I thought was into me… but wasn’t. I didn’t want to write a sappy breakup song about the situation because our relationship never made it out of the DMs so I wrote a song taking the p**s out of myself for madly obsessing over this guy who was not thinking about me at all”.
“My all-time celebrity crush is the Australian Formula 1 driver, Daniel Ricciardo, and I think he is incredibly gorgeous, so I decided to name drop him in the pre chorus to compare the guy I was crushing on with Ricciardo; because there is really no contest as Ricciardo will win that one every time. I’ve found that this line gets a lot of laughs at Australian shows and fuels my delusional state in this song where I am pretending that I have a chance with Ricciardo haha”.
Working again with friend and Irish producer, Zak Higgins (Pio Hartnett, Amy Ellen, Omo Aston), on ‘He’s Just A Boy’, Charlea and Higgins created a Cure-esque arrangement that is fun and lively. With a guitar riff that could be chanted in at crowd at Glastonbury one day (manifesting), this song is meant to be silly and fun highlighting how unserious it is having a crush on someone who doesn’t like you back (even if it feels earth shattering at the time).
Charlea has not only recruited Higgins again for this track but she has brought back her talented team also consisting of Los Angeles based mastering engineer Anthony Puglisi (Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten) and Australian photographer Liv McGregor (Y Street).
Rae Charlea’s fun new single ‘He’s Just A Boy’ is out now is available on all streaming platforms.
SMALL BLACK ARROWS release debut album The British Museum on all digital platforms, vinyl and CD. This is preceded by digital single Voices In The Static. Their previous two singles The British Museum and Trojan Horse have received huge praise from Adam Walton on BBC Radio Wales and in the Press from Louder Than War, The other Side Reviews, Its All Indie and more.
The tracks reached#12 and #19 in the iTunes alternative chart respectively. The Debut Album contains eight songs and six ‘exhibits’, the fourteen tracks together form the multi-layered concept of The British Museum. The ‘exhibits’ feature actors Ella Peel (Gangs of London, Ordinary Lies), Wim Snape (The Full Monty, Breeders) and Dean Smith (Last Tango In Halifax, Snatch).
The album is an immersive masterpiece that takes you on an urgent joyride through modern Britain. Hauntingly melodic and politically prescient, Small Black Arrows capture a cautionary examination of love, mental illness, manipulation, and morality, through one ‘App’s’ perspective of the impending AI revolution. In a society where lies and misinformation are being used to shift power into the hands of an ever decreasing few, The British Museum becomes an allegory for the tactics used to forge a wealth and power disparity during the British Empire.
‘With all of the statues and history books you would have assumed we would have learned when we were following a dangerously well-trodden path.’ Says frontman Luke, tongue firmly in cheek, before more seriously stating: ‘The worry is now there is even less accountability with this handful of digital Machiavelli.’ Never intending to create a concept album, Small Black Arrows had considered if their eclectic composition style could even fit into one cohesive body of work. As multi-instrumentalist Jimmy suggests, ‘we don’t labour too much on what the SBA sound is, we save that for the studio. But when it comes to the writing it’s not really in our nature to curate-pun intended-what inspires us.’
Yet, the endeavour of turning a concern into a strength became an irresistible creative challenge for the duo.‘ When it comes to putting an album out and asking people to use their hard-earned money to buy it, we wanted to make sure we created something that was really worth it.’ And so was forged The British Museum, an album that is more than just a collection of songs. It’s a rollercoaster you’ll want to…nay, need to, ride again and again. Each time it will hack your brain and rewire your senses as you appreciate something new and wonderful layered into the sonic tapestry used to construct it.
Indie Revolution 