In the past, I’ve completed several round-up reviews based around underground indie rock music. However, the indie movement features a lot of bands/artists that wouldn’t necessarily come underneath the indie rock moniker. This time around, I decided to change things up a little and feature a number of acts from across the entire indie movement, including both indie pop and indie rock bands. Hopefully, the broad nature of this piece will ensure all our readers will find something to love here!
Review by Jane Howkins
Photo of J. J. Chamberlain
J.J. Chamberlain – Thoughts
First up is J.J. Chamberlain, a York–based artist we’ve actually featured before. It’s always good to showcase some homegrown talent, which Chamberlain surely shows on new single Thoughts. The track actually reminds me a lot of the indie music that became popular in the 80s, featuring some gorgeous jangly guitar melodies throughout. The vocals have quite a dreamy sound, weaving their way in and out of the music in a lovely way here. The production quality is a tad raw, but it’s clear that Chamberlain is an incredible talent, and I cannot wait to see what he does next time around!
Social media: Spotify, Bandcamp
Eddie Cohn – Keep Them Away
Los Angeles-based artist Eddie Cohn is quite unique, as he makes music from a variety of different genres. Keep Them Away leans more into the rock and roll side of things, but I still felt it had a delightful indie sound, fitting this review series well. The track has some killer rock riffs, but it’s also pretty damn melodic, making for the best of both worlds! The chorus is particularly anthemic, seeing a chorus of backing vocals rise up around Eddie’s lead vocals, daring you to sing along as part of the listening process.
Social media: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram
Steven Winton – Outlaws
Steven Winton is the former frontman of Scottish electro-pop band Fridge Magnets, seeing the artist putting his talents into a new solo career on new tune, Outlaws. It’s a little different to Steven’s previous work, moving more into a classic indie rock sound that is undeniably catchy. The track kicks off with a hooky little piano melody before the rhythm section and guitar licks appear, with the latter following the piano chords perfectly. The other thing I noticed was how passionate and emotive Steven’s vocals are here, showing his talent clearly has not diminished in his time away from the music scene!
Social media: Instagram
The Search – Pick Me Up
Swedish band The Search have been going for several decades now, and it’s a crying shame they’re not more well known of at the moment. Pick Me Up mixes a few different genres together – it’s got a definite 80s post-punk/indie sound, but the track also includes elements of the jangle pop scene, creating something with a great deal of heart in the process. The bassline is really funky, throbbing along against the glorious sounding guitars, as the vocals weave in and out of the music.
Social media: Website, Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Instagram
Hey Look Listen – Fill the Blanks
Next up we have the enigmatic Hey Look Listen with their new single, Fill the Blanks. It’s actually Hey Look Listen’s debut single release, making the track sound even more impressive to these ears! It’s a catchy song, seeing a range of spiky guitar melodies pulsate through the tune, as the bass and drums throb along in a nice rhythmic way. The chorus elevates things and makes the track sound a little heavier, yet it never retains its melodic edge. There’s a pretty nice guitar solo towards the end of the piece too!
Social media: Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram, Spotify
Mike Rauss – Low Budget Dream
Mike Rauss brings a funky sound to this list with his new release, Low Budget Dream. Mike’s style is incredibly diverse, including elements of folk, flamenco, trip-hop, and indie-pop, including moments of all these genres within the track. The guitars have a fantastic sound, simply oozing cool as they play along to the catchy rhythm of the song. Mike has quite a soft sounding voice, but it’s reminiscent of the old school soul movement, making it perfect for this wonderful piece of music. Check out this funky banger below and see what you think!
Social media: Website, Facebook, Soundcloud, Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram
mUmbo – A Little Life
Tailing this short list off nicely is another act we’ve featured in recent years – mUmbo. A Little Life is a sonically uplifting indie track that belongs more in the indie-pop realm, with a little dream-pop also mixed in for good measure. Layers of guitars pass across each other in a lovely way, drawing you into mUmbo’s world instantly. The vocals are pretty unique sounding, having a distinctive tone that nevertheless suits the style of music portrayed here exceedingly well. It’s catchy, yet it never sounds too mainstream pop, which is definitely a good thing for me!
Social media: Website, Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Underground Indie Rock – playlist by York Calling | Spotify