REVIEW// Buried Muse

Self-described as purveyors of 'tasteful music' Buried Muse are champions of all things chill. Scouring the underground for it's cream of the slacker crop their You Tube channel is a goldmine which makes Captured Track's rooster look like slight procrastinators in comparison.

Here's our pick of the bunch...

Acid Ghost// OverthinkingWhatever Acid Ghost are overthinking it certainly isn't this song, it's bouncy riffs and buoyant drum beat sounding positively effortless against vocalist Ace Barcelon's lazy laments of "I need her/ But she's already leaving me". 

Mini Dresses// Bracelets
Mini Dresses' sound is just as glamorous as their name suggests. From the swirling guitars to the ethereal vocals, they shimmer like the diamonds that adorn them. 

Lost Film// Ok, LostHailing from Northampton, MA Lost Film have perfected the woozy guitar-pop formula. Part indie jangle, part grunge-flecked scuzz, Lost, Ok is an infectious underground anthem in waiting.

Max Gardener// I Need An AnchorSlacker king Mac DeMarco has competition in the form of 18 year old Max Gardener. The California prodigy's brand of blissed-out bedroom pop is fast becoming hot topic outside of his four walls, ensuring it won't be long before he takes the crown.

UNDERGROUND// Afterwards

Meet the Italian indie stalwarts giving the genre a makeover 

 

Don't judge a book by it's cover. These words have never been more true than with Italian quartet Afterwards. Whilst they cite Foals, Peace and Sundra Karma as their influences they have more in common with anthemic rockers than scratchy indie upstarts. 

Compromising of guitarist and vocalist Frederico Dal Bianco and Lorenzo Basellato, bassist Carlo Turatello, and drummer Michele, their recent second EP Rage takes the kind of sound you'd expect from the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and soaks in it sonic noise.

Abigayle lures you in with it's fidegty Foals-esque guitars, before giving way to a barrage of beefy riffs, as frontman Dal Bianco laments "Tonight there's no one/ tonight I am nothing." 

Gloom is equally as pessimistic, "Do you prefer to die alone/ pulling the trigger on your own" it questions, suggesting there's a darker side to their seemingly sunny indie.

Rage isn't all doom and gloom though, Something New recalls the reverb-drenched slacker of Jaws, whilst The Unattainable deals in buoyant, upbeat riffs that explode into the chorus' arena-baiting  "woahs", ensuring it draws to a cathartic close. 

If you thought you had indie all worked out you're in for a surprise.  

REVIEW// Savages/ The Answer

Savages are back and they're not leading us in gently 

On their second album Savages aim was simply to write "the loudest songs ever", no mean feat for a band who's already raucous debut drew comparisons to Joy Division and Siouxsie Sioux.
But, The Answer, the first track to be taken from new album Adore Life, released on January 22nd, is an all together more punishing affair.

Abrasive guitars cut through frontwoman Jhenny Beth's shrill cry of "If you don't love me you don't love anybody", underpinned by thundering drums, as though they are declaring sonic war on the world.

It's a sound that veers on the edge on violent, suggesting the band have taken more than a few cues from last year's collaboration with Japanese psych-rockers Bo Ningen on Words To The Blind.
It's what makes The Answer less of a statement of intent as a bombastic rallying call to post-punk arms.

Prepare your eardrums, Adore Life is gonna be loud.

REVIEW// Static Animal/ Majorca

Blissed-out bedroom pop from Melbourne mysteries

There's something alluring about an enigma and right now no one is more of a mystery than Static Animal.

Hailing from a bedroom somewhere in Melbourne they are practically unknown save for the fact that they make beautiful blissed-out dream pop.

"I'm so tired but I still find time" they sing on debut track Majorca, perhaps an ode to their bedroom beginnings. All hazy, reverb-drenched vocals that recall early Jaws, underpinned by breezy guitars that shimmer and swirl like the sea of the coastal scape they beg to soundtrack.

One would be mistaken for thinking Mac DeMarco had upped sticks and moved to the beach in the chorus' slacker-esque lament of "It's alright/ let's go", perhaps for giving it all up and doing that yourself.

And DIY is exactly what Stactic Animal does, Majorca's kaleidoscopic home production already bursting out of the four walls it was created in, and you can expect the band to do the same. They might just be known in their bedroom now, but don't bet on them remaining a mystery much longer.

REVIEW// Smashing Lights/ Sounds Different Feels The Same

On their debut single Smashing Lights stake a claim to the teenage population

Earlier this year the teenage population went into meltdown after the members of The 1975 deleted their social media accounts in a flurry of ambiguous messages, leading to rumours about the band's possible demise. As it turns out it was all a publicity stunt to announce their forthcoming album, but had the rumours been true it wouldn't have mattered, not now Smashing Lights have dropped their new single.

Entitled Sounds Different Feels The Same, it draws obvious comparisons to the Manchester quartet thanks to it's fidgety guitars, shimmering synths and pulsing bassline that underpin frontman Jack's falsetto. But equally wouldn't sound out of place next to some of Two Door Cinema Club's more electronic moments.

With debut EP 1 on the horizon, you can bet your black skinny jeans that the teenage population will soon be having a very different kind of meltdown. 

REVIEW// Boys/ Ocean

West London boys may have just written the soundtrack to your summer

Ever since Daft Punk dominated the airways with Get Lucky back in 2013 critics and fans alike have begun an annual search for the song of the summer. Something that will be blasted from every corner of a festival, from the PA between bands, to a shitty speaker in the campsite- even the portaloos. 

So, who should provide this year's inescapable summer anthem? The answer comes in the form of West London quartet Boys. Their recent single Ocean is all dreamy guitar and reverb-drenched vocals, reminiscent of DIIV or Jaws at their most shoegazy, creating the kind of blissed-out, hazy atmosphere you'll want to spend long summer evenings getting lost in.

Daft Who?

Albums Of 2015... So Far

We're halfway through 2015, but which albums have already made it on our end of year list?

 Alabama Shakes// Sound & Colour

On their 2012 debut Boys & Girls Deep South quartet Alabama Shakes marked themselves out as blues-soul revivalists.  It's follow up builds on those influences with colossal riffs and psychedelic soundscapes, whilst still maintaining frontwoman Brittany Howard's trademark pipes.

Courtney Barnett// Sometimes I Sit And Think Sometimes I Just Think

The Australian slacker's long awaited and highly anticipated debut album didn't disappoint. Plugged in, the stream of conciousness lyrics of the likes of Pedestrian At Best and Dead Fox sound even more thrilling, channelling grunge and garage rock.  

 Father John Misty// I Love You, Honeybear

On his second album the former Fleet Fox writes the ultimate folk rom-com, his ingenious lyrics coming on like a more loved-up Morrissey "I just love the kind of woman who can walk over a man/I mean like a god damn marching band." If you're not a fan of schmaltzy ballads look away now.

 Hot Chip// Why Make Sense?

You wouldn't normally associate five geeks with making dancefloor fillers, yet on their sixth album Why Make Sense? London quintet Hot Chip continue to defy convention with their brand of house and funk in-debt electro-pop.

 Jessica Pratt// On Your Own Love Again

Recorded over 2 years at home in LA and San Francisco, there's a certain nostalgic charm to the 27 year old's brand of ethereal folk that's reminiscent of Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell, tape hiss included.

 Jim O'Rourke// Simple Songs

Simple Songs is Jim O'Rourke's first pop album since 2001 and he certainly milks it. A melting pot of classic pop elements and more hooks than a butcher's kitchen, all backed by the Chicago producer's trademark dark humour and wit.

 Sufjan Stevens// Carrie & Lowell

Don't be fooled by opening track Death With Dignity's gently picked guitar, the follow up to the Detroit singer-songwriter's sixth album, 2010's Age Of Adz is his darkest yet. Without it's predecessor's fanfare it's both a haunting and melancholic listen, punctuated by raw emotion. 

 Sleater Kinney// No Cities To Love

In January the Olympia trio returned with the long overdue follow up to 2005's The Woods, and if you were in any doubt that they'd lost their feminist energy whilst away, you needn't have worried. No Cities To Love is full of the kind of riot grrrl angst that made them the cult concern they are today.

Jamie xx// In Colour

The London producer's debut solo album complies over seven years worth of material, calling on grime, D&B samples and The XX-esque minimal beats to provide eleven chilled-out dance anthems just in time for the festival season.