Acclaimed singer and songwriter Mcclendon returns today with an atmospheric new single that continues with his theme of ‘apocalyptic indie rock’.
In equal measures, ‘Loving For A Season’ is both nostalgic and future-forward. Lyrically inspired by the inevitable end of a relationship, the song feels emotive, sincere and melancholic in tone.
Interestingly, the track took only 90 minutes to write and record between Mcclendon and his collaborator Tommy Champion. Fans can look forward to a new 9-track album, entitled ‘The Garden’, which is scheduled for release soon.
Singer, songwriter and producer Vanda (aka Michelle Vanda) is a Chicago-raised talent who was born into a family of musicians.
Growing up in a creative environment allowed for Vanda to develop a natural flair for her artistry – and the result is a promising starlet who has just released a mesmerising new single.
‘Indigo’ serves as a taster to Vanda’s upcoming ‘Sober in Another Life’ debut album (out July 2023), and treats listeners to a melodic and enchanting blend of dreamy pop and mellow indie.
You’ll only need to play ‘Complicated’ once to know that Paddy Keyes is about to become Ireland’s next big star.
Lyrically inspired by the struggles that someone can face while they’re stuck in a toxic relationship, the track serves listeners with an anthemic fusion of rock and pop.
“No matter how horrible your partner is, making up stories or gas lighting you or whatever it might be to try control you, you still feel this attachment towards them, causing this never ending cycle of being in and out of this relationship, falling for them and their mind games”.
Produced alongside Daniel De Burca and Philip Magee, this is a song that’s impossible to ignore – and affirms the fact that Keyes has the talent to become a global name.
Keyes headlines Dublin’s Workman’s Main Room on the 1st June – tickets can be found here. Be sure to catch this kid now before he takes the world by storm!
This weekend’s anthem comes courtesy of rising California-based newcomer Tobey Lynn.
Already a star in the making, Tobey has released a string of hits that have so far amassed more than a million cumulative streams on Spotify alone, which is really impressive for a talent who is still in college.
Self-penned new single ‘LOSER’ is an anthemic slice of pop-rock that was inspired by the complexities that arise when two people transition from friends to lovers.
“I wrote ‘LOSER’ about loving someone so much to the point where you start calling them names – almost as if it’s so twisted and wrong to be this in love with someone, that you resort to self sabotage. You’re so obsessed and infatuated with this one person, you know nearly everything about them, you psychoanalyse all their traits, you wonder why they can’t be just as in love as you are. I wrote this song when I was feeling so heartbroken over trying to transition from best friends to a passionate romance. I became frustrated that it was moving at a slow and unsteady pace, constant hesitation and whether or not we were doing the right thing. I was ready to go full force into it and the other person just wasn’t. There’s nothing wrong with that, but my songwriter 19-year old drama queen self couldn’t help but want to dive straight into the friends to lovers trope. Calling this person a loser isn’t supposed to be offensive, it’s supposed to be endearing and that’s the whole point. Kinda like, “We’re best friends and right now you’re being a loser,”. It’s like hitting someone or nudging them when you’re trying to flirt with them. It isn’t the best way to get someone to notice you, but it sure works.”
Tobey plays the Flower Moon Festival at Garden Amp on the 28th April – tickets can be found here.
Over the last year, we’ve come to discover some great indie talent emerging from Austria.
Part of that movement has been Vienna’s peach tinted (aka Emil Paiker and Louis Springer), who are already gaining considerable traction within their home nation and all across Europe.
Inspired by the tensions and troubles that are associated with modern-day dating, new single ‘Hard To Get’ showcases a style of sound that seamlessly fuses nostalgia-driven indie-rock with alt-pop. The track is lifted from the duo’s freshly-released EP of the same name, which is out now.
peach tinted will play a series of shows as part of their ‘Hard To Get’ tour this May and June, starting in Prague and ending in their home city. Dates are below, and tickets can be found here.
Having amassed more than 19 million career streams to date, peach tinted look set to take on their biggest year yet – and are most definitely one band to keep on your radars.
sans is one of the most exciting newcomers that we have come across so far this week.
Based in South-West London, this independent artist and producer creates unique sounds that fuse elements of UK hip hop with other genres, resulting in songs that feel experimental but also relatable.
New single ‘eagle’ was inspired by the conflicting thoughts that we go through after a relationship ends, and presents listeners with an upbeat and feel-good style of production.
“I touch on the feelings experienced when leaving a relationship, from freedom to sadness, over a laid-back beat that picks up later in the song.”
Acclaimed musician Olivia Reid is back today with a thoughtful new single that is sure to strike a chord with many listeners.
‘Wounds (Healing)’ offers us a frank insight into Reid’s struggles with anxiety. The song is powerfully moving, and looks at the contradicting feelings of wanting to rid your mind of negativity, while also wondering whether you’d lose a part of yourself in the process of doing so.
“I recognised how much I had to heal from, but simultaneously feared that truly healing it would leave an absence or a blankness in me. When I’m in fight or flight mode long enough, wounds in the form of anxiety or sadness can mistakenly feel like a crucial part of who I am. The wounds feel familiar, so starting the healing process made me feel so much weaker at first.”
Reid’s music continues to captivate audiences across the world. To date, this artist has garnered more than fifty million streams and has seen her work celebrated by tastemakers as prominent as Wonderland, Flaunt, Ones to Watch and Brooklyn Vegan. Alongside her music, Reid is also involved with the EarthPercent charity – of which more details can be found here.
It wouldn’t be a normal week on Alfitude without featuring some exciting new music from Nashville, and this time it’s the turn of singer-songwriter Space Nat.
Melodic new single ‘PST’ is a dreamy slice of stripped-back indie rock that invites listeners into the artist’s thoughts and feelings.
While the song is sonically subtle and mellow in tone, the lyrics are gripping and honest. The resulting sound is one that is intriguing, but also beautifully captivating.
“An intimate recounting of specific events, love, loss and isolation, the narrator spares no detail.”
The track is lifted from the California-raised artist’s debut album, entitled ‘Who Cares What People Think!’ (out now).
We don’t come across garage-rock music as much as we’d like to, so it’s refreshing to hear Glaswegian trio TEOSE are back with a thumping new single called ‘Rat King’.
Named after a rare phenomena that occurs in nature, the track presents us with a bold sound that is both energising and playful.
“‘Rat King’ is one of my favourite songs we’ve ever written. It’s full of energy and silliness.”
In our view, the song further confirms that TEOSE are one of Scotland’s most interesting new music outfits. If you’re unfamiliar with the group, then we suggest you head on over to their Spotify and check out their catalogue of releases.
We’ve been following American alt-pop artist Noah Richardson’s career for quite some time now, and it’s so rewarding to see this talent begin to pick up so much traction.
Noah returns today with a punchy new single called ‘7 Minutes in Heaven’. The song was lyrically inspired by that one person who comes into your life and completely takes a hold over you.
Sonically, Richardson designed the track with his followers in mind, and has been created in a way so that ‘fans can drunkenly sing it at the bar with friends.’ He elaborates:
“Something you can scream at the top of your lungs and get out all that intimate animosity you have for that special someone. Here comes trouble, and I’m about to have my life ruined and love every second of it.”
Richardson’s rise so far has been impressive. Last year’s debut album‘Dead To Me’ has already been streamed more than 275k times, and the artist is currently in the middle of a nationwide tour across the USA – more details can be found here.
Emerging from the USA is Haley Nance, who has just unveiled a beautifully melodic new single called ‘Don’t Know Why’.
Through its thoughtful and melancholic fusion of indie and bedroom pop, the song treats listeners to a sound that reminiscent to the works of Holly Humberstone and Gracie Abrams.
‘Don’t Know Why’ is Nance’s second single to date, and follows the release of her well-received debut song,‘Death of Me’.
While we still don’t know much about this promising talent, we think she is most definitely one to watch!
Rising British talent Lenn is back with yet another sublime new single, entitled ‘renegade’.
Through its flawlessly constructed mix of dark, sultry pop and alternative R&B, the song addresses the toxic energies that arise from bad friendships.
“‘renegade’ was born out of a free therapy session with my co-writers where I could vent the frustration and helplessness I was feeling around that time. It’s a song about realising someone isn’t who you once thought they were, finally seeing the red flags that in all honesty were there from the beginning and resigning to the fact that you can’t control how someone writes you into their story.”
Impressively, ‘renegade’ is still only Lenn’s third single to date, and offers listeners a further glimpse into the artist’s upcoming debut EP.
While still early in her career, Lenn has already received praise from outlets as notable as BBC Introducing, Kings of A&R and DNü.
If you’re a TikTok fan then you’ve probably come across ALF at some point recently.
With more than 188k followers (and 15m likes) on the platform, this Manchester-based talent is not only one of the UK’s most hyped emerging social media stars, but he’s also now preparing himself for a promising career in music.
Punchy new pop-rock anthem ‘Killing Me’ is an inspiring song that encourages listeners to embrace their personalities, and to live life on their own terms.
“I wrote ‘Killing Me’ after a conflict with a boy in my life. He wanted me to act a certain way, wear what he wanted me to and act how he wanted me to. I only saw the red flags when I took a step back and realised what was going on. And as much as it was “killing me” to do so, I knew I had to close the situation there and then. I originally wrote the song to just a simple metronome and intended for it to be a slow ballad but after sitting on it for a few weeks, I took it to Alex [Quinn, producer] who helped turn it into the heavily pop-rock influenced track it is today. Which I think fits the theme of the lyrics so much more.”
The track follows on from ALF’s debut single, ‘Tired of Being Nice’, which was released last November and reached the Top 10 on TikTok’s New Music UK chart.
We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve featured British starlet Eden Rain, but with such a strong run of releases lately, we can’t help but share another superb track with you.
Intensely captivating in tone, ‘Crumb’ is taken from Rain’s ‘Gutter Vision’ EP (out 19th May), and treats listeners to an intricately produced fusion of indie and alt-pop.
“I’ve always had a strong link to crumbs, I’m always covered with them, creating them, eating them, but this song was kind of a different link. I wrote ‘Crumb’ with Jonny Breakwell in his lovely fairy light lit room and as I was writing about a situation I had been involved in in the past, I sort of realised that I had been willingly lapping up the bits of a attention that someone had given me, like a little dog sat under the table waiting for crumbs. I clocked that when writing the verse so it made sense that the chorus would go in on the crumb metaphor. Whewww… that day was like a free therapy session and every time I’ve played the song since then I think about how obvious the situation was before it clicked in my head. I’m a girl that likes knowing how I stand with people but I realised that no matter how hard I tried there were some situations and some people that just couldn’t or wouldn’t reciprocate the love I was trying to give them. Anyway I’m so very proud of this song and it’s so fun to sing and dance along to. It’s the year of the Crumb!”
‘Crumb’ was created alongside acclaimed producer and engineer Jonny Breakwell, who has also worked with the likes of PinkPantheress and Goldlink. Rain plays a sold-out show at London’s Folklore Hoxton on the 22nd May, but you can get on the waiting list by clicking here.
If you’re in the mood for some hazy, psychedelic indie-rock then US newcomer Elora might just have what you need.
New single ‘Embers’ is inspired by a theme many of us have experienced at some point in our lives – that of a friendship that begins to fall apart.
Aside from the relatable lyricism, the song’s production is nothing short of sublime, and presents listeners with a sound that is reminiscent to artists like Tame Impala and Wallice.
Elaborating further on the track, Elora explains:
“As hurt as I was by what happened, it wasn’t easy for me to move on. I found myself deeply missing someone I knew had been a bad friend. Around this time I also became obsessed with two-chord pop songs and riffs that would get stuck in your head and make you want to move. This is the first time I was able to write something like that and I was introduced to a part of myself I had never met. After that, every song was in search of that same feeling. I started writing to let go of all the things I was holding on to.”
‘Embers’ is taken from Elora’s upcoming ‘Pitfall’ record, which is scheduled for release later this year.
Hailing from the Netherlands is promising new pop artist Leah Rye. Today is a special day for this talent, as she is releasing a new single that coincides with her birthday.
Aptly titled ‘Growing Into Me’, the track is taken from Rye’s forthcoming debut album, and is inspired by her journey of personal growth and self-discovery.
“It’s a song about development into womanhood, slowly getting to know yourself better and growing into your own skin. To me, this song means the body of my upcoming album, and the body of myself as an artist and person.”
Accompanying the theme for the song’s concept, its music video features shots from Rye’s fourth birthday in 2000.
Starting today (13th April), Leah will be playing some live shows in Amsterdam – more information can be found here.
After a hugely successful 2022, rising indie-pop talent dani mack is back with a new single to remind you of just how impressive this American starlet is.
‘Nothing Better’ is taken from from dani’s forthcoming debut EP, which is scheduled for release later this year. Inspired by the human tendency to overthink, the song’s lyricism presents us with a subject that is relatable to so many.
As the musical project of Baylee Barrett, dani mack has so far amassed more than 700k career streams from the release of just three songs. Be sure to keep this artist on your radars over the next few months – dani might well become one of the US’s newest indie exports.
British artist and producer Sfven is back with an impressive new single, entitled ‘Like That’.
The song presents listeners with a beautifully constructed alt-pop sound, while the lyrics feel personal and bittersweet in tone. Sfven explains:
“I guess ‘Like That’ is about a conflicted feeling. when maybe you can feel something isn’t quite right but can’t put exactly into words what it is – especially when you still look at each other the same way.”
The artist has been releasing a series of new songs since last summer as part of his ‘you, green’ project, which concludes this August.
Sfven continues to build momentum with his music, and currently commands more than 88k monthly listeners on Spotify,
Award-winning singer and songwriter Rebecca Lappa returns today with a fabulous new single that deserves your attention.
Serving as a taster to the artist’s upcoming ‘Tales of a Taurus’ EP (out 5th May), new single ‘Lolita’ showcases an energising fusion of indie, pop and rock. Detailing the inspiration behind the song, Lappa says:
“The song touches on the two main characters in the book alluding to the forbidden nature of the relationship between an older man and a much younger woman and the frenetic dynamic between the two. The muted guitars fill the track with urgency and the heartbeat of the kick drum lends commentary on the perceived sexuality and innocence of young women as interpreted by male audiences, while the careful layering of synth and harmonies leads to an anthemic chorus.”
Having amassed hundreds of thousands of streams, Lappa is rapidly marking her name as a Canadian talent to watch. Tastemaker praise for Rebecca comes from the likes of Beats Per Minute, Atwood and Lock magazines.
American artist lulu la might be a new name within the music industry, but this talent is already a noted actress and model with a significant fanbase on social media.
Punchy yet fun in tone, new single ‘pretty funny’ is lulu’s second ever release, and takes a look at the ways in which an ex can become toxic.
“My name is Marta but I go by lulu la and i like to write songs, maybe you will like them or maybe you wont… BUT I hope u LOVE them!”
To date, lulu’s music has been played more than 45k times across streaming platforms. This is definitely one talent to watch!
