Moon Walker
Sean McCarthy (drums) and Harry Springer (guitar/singer/producer) of Moon Walker came out with their newest sophomore single The TV Made Me Do It on June 18th. With their debut single Tear Down the Wall already reaching close to 50k streams on Spotify alone, the LA duo has seen success with this single as well with over 10k streams on Spotify.
The single was written as a direct response to the horrific January 6th capital insurrection, and was ironically written the day before the insurrection. I am a huge fan of the song and the video, it definitely compliments their Talking Heads and Jack White influences. To some the song can be “whiny”, but to me it drips with nostalgia and wit. With that said, I have a feeling Matt Schultz would love this song.
Kindred Connection
Gabriele (singer/lyricist) and Mattia (guitarist/pianist) of Turin, Italy released their fifth single Some Kind of Dream on June 12th. Influenced by neoclassical and electronic components like Jon Hopkins and Olafur Arnalds, the duo are also inspired by the world of pop and rock music like Coldplay and Oasis. Kindred Connections’ previous tracks have seen massive success, including their debut single Secret Places hitting 100k plays as well as hitting the top 50 for the indie folk genre on Submithub.
Entirely self-recorded and self-produced in the middle of the Italian countryside, the track was mixed and mastered in London by two extremely talented sound engineers. The emotional single is about death and rebirth, and the duo says the song is “an intimate moment that makes you want to look up at the sky and feel that every single thing in the world is connected”. I believe that single quote just sums up everything I wanted to say.
Jordan Popky
Brooklyn’s indie-alternative singer-songwriter Jordan Popky recently came out with Worth the Risk on the 25th. Raising the stakes that were planted by her debut EP Closer to Mine, this single is a hard hitting arrangement with stiletto-sharp lyrics and powerhouse vocals. The single features the talents of Dr. Blum (Misterwives), Kristin Marilyn, Giselle, and Ellajay.
Jordan is not just the average singer-songwriter, to me she is the next Hayley Williams. She has a beautiful voice, and she makes pop and rock the perfect pair. I genuinely really love listening to this very relatable and intriguing single.
boywithahalo
Indie pop rock artist boywithahalo has recently released the 8th single and fourth release under the AWAL distribution, summer we never had. The single is a tale of 2020 and the moments when time stood still due to the pandemic.
With a 1974-like intro/riff, the song is topped with somewhat mysterious female vocals that make this the perfect indie bedroom pop song. For some reason, it reminds me of Cults’ song Go Outside that I memorably heard swaying in the air at the 2013 Boston Calling.
Lydia Briggs
17 year old singer-songwriter released Daylight on the 28th, via AWAL (Kobalt Music Group). Kobalt’s Music Group’s select AWAL Core family member, Lydia has already reached over 30.1k streams on Spotify and Apple Music and over 427k views on YouTube with her 9 singles.
Blessed with a pure voice, blues-influenced piano style, and bohemian sensibility, this song is about the social psychological theory called “bystander apathy”. This theory states that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are other people present. The song is basically questioning why that happens, and it is her way to speak out for the people who are suffering during and after these experiences.
Aimee Broom
Faces is the new single by UK based singer-songwriter Aimee Brown, a 16 year old that is already garnering over 100k combined streams for her debut single Love Me Hate Me that was released in March 2020.
This single is a bubblegum dance pop with an uplifting and youthful EDM energy that was co-created with Laurence Hobbs and Jonny Amos. I don’t usually like commercial pop, but when I heard the chorus I realized that this song was something more than that. It’s more anthemic than it is commercial.
Escapades
North West England’s 5 piece released their genre bending song Star Collisions. Escapades aim to reach beyond their genres, and to show their listeners their own take on indie pop. The song takes their fans on a journey to outer space.
Recorded at Electric Church in Blackburn, this single was recorded with the intention of developing their sound into something distinctive to their name. This synth wave guitar like sound is really mystifying, something that would appeal to Wolf Alice and Black Honey.
NIIX
Self-producer and self-taught DJ, Kate Hazeldine (NIIX) is the Liverpool-based artist who’s name is dedicated to the Greek goddess of the night. NIIX is currently being mentored by producer and artist Lapsley as a part of the Bright Sound Mentoring Scheme programme (PRS/Festival Republic) that addresses the gender imbalance within the music industry.
On June 4th her lead single DRV hit the scene, but that’s just the beginning before her EP is set to be released on July 2nd. While this dark and crunchy pop single is a catchy track, I imagine LST&FND to be a fan favorite. W8NG would be great for fans of Billie Eilish and maybe even Lorde. BBY will polish off the single with a soft touch, leaving fans wanting even more.
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