Britpop is a genre of music that’s fallen somewhat behind the wayside in recent years, although there are still plenty of acts out there performing music from the style. As such, I decided to create a round-up review based around the style, aiming to give more traction to the bands from the genre. It’s quite a hard area to characterise, so some of the artists here also have other elements to their music, but that just means there’s more to love!
Review by Jane Howkins
Photo by Tyler Elden
Tyler Elden – Trial By Fire
Trial By Fire also has some elements of the indie rock movement, starting out with a gorgeous fingerpicked electric guitar melody. Tyler Elden’s vocals have a very soft sound, drifting through the tune in a dreamy manner. The chorus picks things up slightly, seeing the vocals descend even further into the mix, colliding with the rest of the instrumentation in a gorgeous way. It’s a little different to what you might expect from the genre, but it’s no less fantastic!
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I Am The Unicorn Head – Cosmologic Adventuring
I Am The Unicorn Head are a two-piece psychedelic indie rock band that also have some Britpop moments to be found within their music. Cosmologic Adventuring opens with a countdown before the guitars kick in, working well with the space themes. The track features a selection of spidery guitar lines alongside the rhythm section, as the vocals take pride of place on this song. The music has an expansive sound, suiting the title of the track well as the soft vocals wrap their way around the guitar melodies in a gorgeous way.
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The Drunk Astronomer – Every Body
Every Body is a mellower track than the previous songs on this list, having quite a nice, dreamy sound to it. Little synth melodies swirl in the background, as the lead guitar runs through the piece, enveloping the vocals nicely. The drums kick in after a while, adding a little more variety to the track as it progresses along. The Drunk Astronomer has create something really lovely here – the chorus is particularly gorgeous to listen to, raising the music to new heights.
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Common Air – Control
Control sounds funky from the off, featuring a prominent bassline that runs in a satisfying way alongside the main guitar melody and drums. The vocals have an echoey quality that is reminiscent of the 60s pop movement, also working well within the Britpop scene. Common Air has really created something of wonder here, as the track is hugely catchy – the backing vocals on the chorus also add a nice gospel-esque feel. It’s certainly a unique sounding tune!
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Killing Aura – Limitless
We actually featured Killing Aura in another round-up review based on grunge music recently, but their sound is variable enough to feature here too. Limitless has a proper stomp of a rhythm, sounding incredibly groovy from the off! The tune just oozes cool, with the vocals have a crooning drawl that suits the music exceedingly well. The energy never lets up, continuing into the chorus in an amazing way. Killing Aura are an awesome band you need to check out now, if you haven’t already made the plunge.
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Sandra’s Wedding – One Horse Town
Sandra’s Wedding are a band from Goole, also having a classic indie sound to their music, as well as the Britpop vibes. The vocals on One Horse Town have a smooth quality that sounds really lovely when mixed with the jangly guitar lines – the chorus is actually rather beautiful at times. The production is a little raw but it all works really well together – the little piano melodies in the background add an extra layer to the tune, alongside the epic guitars. I found myself reminded of The Smiths’ at times, which is definitely a compliment!
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Lugh – Pandemic Country Ballad – Instrumental
As the name of the track suggests, Pandemic Country Ballad – Instrumental is an instrumental piece, but it’s perfect as it is. On this song, Irish artist Lugh adds a country tinge to the pop-rock/Britpop stylings of the piece, also having something of an old school rock and roll quality. The guitar licks are incredibly bluesy, acting as a vocal line otherwise would. The organ is also a nice touch, adding something a little different to this style of music, creating a nice sense of variety.
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Ali Rice – Night Call
Ali Rice is a singer-songwriter, performer and multi-instrumentalist based in the South West, producing folk-pop ditties that branch across a number of different genres. Ali’s vocals are quite soft on Night Call, yet they work really well with the genre, harking back to the 60s era. The guitar are rather fast, adding a positive quality to the tune, with a trickling piano melody performing nicely in the background. The chorus changes things up nicely, seeing Ali’s vocals rising even higher.
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Robby & The Secret – Save A Prayer
Robby & The Secret is a band covering a wide variety of different genres, making their music well worth your time! Save A Prayer opens with a pretty piano melody followed simply by the vocals, building the tension of the track up in a haunting way. A gorgeous string section soon appears, alongside a chorus of backing vocals that sounds like a choir at times – it’s a really beautiful piece of music and one that will captivated your heart straight away.
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Teddy Clarke – Poor Man’s Son
I only discovered Teddy Clarke a few months ago, but I’ve loved his music ever since. Poor Man’s Son is another indie rock banger with a hint of Britpop about it, reminding me again of the 80s indie movement. The bass follows the fast rhythm stylistically, with the characteristic jangly guitars adding an even greater sense of urgency – particularly on the chorus. Teddy’s vocals sound really genuine and you can really feel the emotion in his voice as he croons the main melody to the track.
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Lee Miller Matsos – The Only One
Ohio-based artist Lee Miller Matsos has a very varied background, as he also has experience within the opera and pop music worlds. The Only One is more of a pop-rock tune, although you can still hear moments of his musical theatre background within the tune. Lee has a great voice, as you might expect, having a smooth and soulful delivery throughout. The guitars and piano clash together perfectly in the background, adding a nice texture underneath the vocals. He’s also just released a new song called Life Force Lullaby – check it out if you like this track!
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Tatum Quinn – Short Supply
We actually did a separate review of Tatum Quinn’s track Short Supply recently, but I loved it so much that I wanted to include it here too! It’s a track with a punchy, rock and roll quality to it, despite also being infectiously catchy. The rhythm on the verses has a great deal of energy about it, with the chorus raising things up even higher. Tatum has an amazing voice which soars over the track in an effortless manner – it really is a fantastic tune!
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The Magic Es – Little Mistake
Out of all the songs on this list, Little Mistake is possible the most Britpop sounding tune – the vocals have just the right delivery for the genre, also being full of emotion. The Magic Es’ music also lends itself well to the indie rock genre, featuring a staccato style guitar riff on the verses. The production quality is a little raw, but it works well with the style of music, helping to create a suitable ambience. It also helps that the chorus is rather catchy – check it out below and see what you think!
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Slim Loris – Sticky Toffee Pudding
Slim Loris is a band from Sweden, mixing together a 60s pop sound with a more modern indie rock flavour, making for a wonderful combination. Sticky Toffee Pudding is a mid-tempo track full of tone and atmosphere. The verses build up to the chorus, which adds an extra catchy bent to proceedings. The little backing vocal melody that appears on the chorus works really well with the main vocal line, making it all sound positively infectious! I’ll definitely be checking out more of Slim Loris in the future!
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