Indie Rock Archives

Navah Sea – “Roll Call”

This month UK record producer Phil Simmonds (aka Navah Sea) released “Roll Call”, the third single from his forthcoming eponymous debut album. Flexing his producer muscles and perhaps adding a bit of playfulness to the album, “Roll Call” features psychedelic elements like tape manipulation, whimsical percussion and Baroque Pop strings on the chorus. The song’s lyrical narrative speaks to the evolution of young love and how maturity influences relationships throughout adulthood. The theme of growing up and reassessing life runs throughout the album. Widely known for his production talents, Phil Simmonds created the Navah Sea moniker to highlight his exceptional songwriting skills and soulful vocals. The British-born producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter has been a hidden gem within the music scene since his teenage years as a touring musician. After coming off tour, he became musical director for Jessie J, Zak Abel, and Conrad Sewell while scoring credits and collaborations with established artists like Kareem Lomax, Masego, Snoh Allegra, Nao and Lucky […]

Leia mais

The Kickdrums – “The Ghost Tapes”

The Kickdrums have been killin’ it for over a decade, and won’t stop any time soon. Back with a new full length album, The Ghost Tapes is an all-encompassing project with a wave of songs passing through a wide array of sonic textures. The album kicks off with a cool, laid-back instrumental called “She Killed Me With Her Eyes”, then begins pushing off into darker territory. “Love Buzz”, a meta-cover based on the Nirvana version of the 1969 original, features the fuzziest of fuzz guitars and filtered delay vocal treatments. Fitts manages to take this song into psychedelic depths, all while preserving Nirvana’s snarky tone and catchy hook. The album closes with “Hum”, a hard-hitting indie rock track with electronic and dub overtones. All in all, quite a trip! The Kickdrums is the recording alias of producer/songwriter Alex Fitts. Well known in the industry for his signature style, Fitts effortlessly blends together elements of trip-hop, dub and indie-rock into all […]

Leia mais

Adrian + Meredith – “Bad For Business”

One of the advantages of making politically tinged folk music is that it never seems to age much. Folk music is by definition a tradition. Politicians come and go, but the same underlying issues have remained static for decades and are unlikely to change any time soon. The trick is to be non-specific in the details and universal in your message. Maybe throw in some horns for flavor. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Adrian + Meredith’s “Bad For Business” was written and recorded in their Nashville home back in 2019, but hasn’t aged a day since. “Somehow we got the feeling that the topics of Systematic Racism, Climate Change, and finding more common ground as Americans, was starting to reach a boiling point, and needed some empathy. It’s not our responsibility, per-say, to initiate the uncomfortable conversation any more than anyone else, but we can do it with a killer backbeat.” […]

Leia mais

Ida Maria – “Dirty Money”

Hands down the most badass rock act on our roster is Ida Maria. Like, no contest. Imagine if Bjork never left the Sugarcubes and just steadily grew more ferocious over time, eventually bursting into flames and rising up like a Scandinavian punk rock Phoenix. And clutched in her flaming talons would be “Dirty Money”, the absolutely immaculate record which officially dropped today! “Dirty Money” was written and recorded in LA with guitarist/producer Ryan Spraker (The Glorious Sons, Eli “Paperboy Reed), who helped Ida achieve the loudest and most powerful sound she’s ever produced. Paired with top notch songwriting and Ida’s signature punk rock aesthetic, this album beats you over the head and sticks to your brain for days. The clear standout for sync is “Celebration”, with the perfect blend of swagger, guitar riffs, vocalese hooks and handclaps sufficient to make any music supervisor swoon. The song could work equally well […]

Leia mais

Featured Release: “Landlady”

Having just authored the definitive guide on how to write your own bio and then five days later getting a piece he wrote published in the New York Times, it seemed only fitting that this week’s update is guest-written by the brilliant Adam Schatz. We just added in some hyperlinks and corrected the typos. Please enjoy! Landlady’s newest album is called “Landlady”, and it could not arrive at a better time! That’s because Landlady’s chief songwriter and executive director Adam Schatz has absolutely no other work at the moment, so he can put his full body-weight into promoting the new album, their self-determined most mature album to date that continues to tackle the evergreen topics of loss, joy, and the cosmic anchor that can be latched onto by a seemingly simple act of playing in a band. “Landlady” the album is a capture of the magic that can come from […]

Leia mais

Claire Guerreso – “In Our Blood”

On the heels of her recent placement on “The Blacklist”, Claire Guerreso is at it again with a brand new single “In Our Blood” that’s being featured in a TV promo for the upcoming Southern Eastern Conference Softball season starting this week! Produced and co-written by Nashville sync veteran Jeff Bowman, this powerful anthem is drenched in confidence, attitude and southern swagger. A masterful topliner, Claire wastes no time getting straight to the point: Some people are born with itAnd others they work so hardTrying to get aheadThey never get very far Life is short the days are longWe break our backs butWe can’t quit becauseIt’s in our blood Adept at writing and performing in a wide range of genres, Claire’s true specialty lies in writing songs specifically tailored for sync. After her song “Save Yourself” was featured in the trailer for the critically acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road, she […]

Leia mais

Päter – “Earth In Revolt”

Enter the Päterverse. An accomplished actor, writer, director and recording artist performing under the moniker Päter, Parmida Kakavand’s unique style of songwriting navigates themes like self-discovery and mental health with an irreverent, lighthearted touch. So it was no surprise that the brilliant lead single “Dam, Damn” from the self-produced EP “SOLE” received well over 300k streams on Spotify. Quite the achievement for a debut release. It’s also what caught our ears, it’s just a damn good song! Following on the heels of that initial success, this past week Päter released a powerful follow-up single “Earth In Revolt”, a frenetic climate action anthem that the world needs to hear. “I wrote this song when I was driving down the highway early in the pandemic and there was this massive, orange sunset filling up the whole horizon. It felt like nature flaunting its ability to reclaim itself. That’s where the “Earth in […]

Leia mais

No Suits – “Sex”

The new sophmore EP by Los Angeles locals No Suits, unsubtly titled “Sex”, is a distinct contrast to their debut EP “Virgin”. Marking a sort of end to their sonic puberty, their evolution from downtempo indie soul pop to confident and punchy funk-hop took form in the making of the new EP throughout the last year. The band’s unique sound comes from a tasteful blending of an indie psych-rock vibe a la Tame Impala with throwback elements from classic hip hop, soul, rock, funk and jazz. The result is music with a pervasive smooth swagger to it, which is likely the key to much of their recent sync success. The lead single off the record “Sue” has achieved over 2.6 million plays on Spotify and was featured in a segment with Brad Pitt for NFL on Fox. Their 2019 single “Clothes Off” has been in spots for MINI Cooper and […]

Leia mais

Deep Dive: Jackson Boone – “Natural Changes”

It’s pretty likely you’ve never heard of Jackson Boone. He lives a fairly low key life managing a vegan juice bar tucked away all the way up in the top left corner of the country, while also quietly making stunningly gorgeous records. The song we’re highlighting today is the title track to Jackson’s album “Natural Changes”, a timeless psych-folk ballad with lush strings that is tailor-made for a bittersweet cinematic montage. Recorded at Cannon Beach along the Oregon coast with producer Riley Geare of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, “Natural Changes” is rich with vivid imagery of the Pacific coastal setting where it was conceived. Despite touching on heavy subject matter like death and passing into the unknown, the song remains light and dreamy with that small touch of levity Jackson often weaves into his songwriting. The string arrangement throughout is subtle and understated, elevating what would otherwise be a somewhat somber […]

Leia mais

Bronze Radio Return – “Tell It To Me”

For nearly a decade Bronze Radio Return’s rousing, anthemic sound has created an undeniable upbeat atmosphere that’s one part dance party and another part roots-rock. If their name doesn’t ring a bell, odds are you’ve heard one of their acclaimed singles, leaving them affectionately dubbed “the band you’ve probably heard, but haven’t heard of.” Racking up over 85 million streams on Spotify alone, and with songs such as “Light Me Up”, “Further On”, “With Me All Along” and “Shake, Shake, Shake”, they have had an epic decade run with well over 100 high-profile sync placements. The list (more of a spreadsheet, really) includes broadcast spots for Nissan, Coca Cola, Starbucks, Home Depot, Blue Moon, Discover and Bayer and hit TV shows like “Shameless”, “Criminal Minds”, “New Amsterdam” and “The Rookie”. Just to name a few! Bronze Radio Return’s latest single, “Tell It To Me” is a song for the times […]

Leia mais

Tag: Indie Rock