We have finally reached the end of the first week of February, a month that marks the final leg of the cold winter days. We feel that it is very important to keep the tunes coming, especially in a time where people are in need of that inspirational push.
We are delighted to once again offer a wide range of incredibly strong tunes from independent artists. So without further delay, let’s talk about 9 of our favourite tracks this week had to offer.
Track Of The Week
JØAN » Didn’t See Me Coming
‘Didn’t See Me coming’ certainly shows just how fast JØAN is growing, and had us even more immersed in the duo’s dark pop sound.
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Making their initial splash last year, anthemic dark pop female duo JØAN wowed us with their selection of awesome and empowering anthems, and even subverted our expectations with their last 2020 release, the much softer and ambient ‘Light in the Shadows’. And now, JØAN are back in 2021, and are ready to begin their new musical year with a bang. ‘Didn’t See Me Coming’ takes the more gritty sounds of tracks like ‘Born Brave’ and ‘Queen of the World’, and implements them onto a sound which feels more refined as well as more experimental. With a rhythm that feels a lot more complex and dynamic, it had us even more immersed in JØAN’s dark pop sound. It certainly shows just how fast this amazing duo is growing, and it feels more than deserving of track of the week.
Adgy » Lighter
While having enough familiarity to be accessible to many listeners, ‘Lighter’ also carries the kind of mood and atmosphere that gives it a unique feel.
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Despite being the third single release, involving the likes of Irish singer/songwriter Adgy, ‘Lighter’ is his very first non-collaborative single. And despite collaborating with the likes of Boksay and Onda Norte, the sound of this debut solo track still keeps in line with the luminous aesthetic of previous singles. If anything, with Adgy now having both hands on the creative reigns, the sound of ‘Lighter’ only develops upon said aesthetic. This track is the kind of tune that feels familiar enough to be accessible to many listeners, whilst also carrying enough of a mood and atmosphere to give ‘Lighter’ a unique feel. We certainly believe that horizons are only broadening for this brilliant singer/songwriter, and his amazing sound.
DAAY » First Light
‘First Light’ sees all of the genres that influence DAAY’s sound wonderfully combined in what feels like a truly unique experience.
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‘First Light’ is the sophomore single release from London-based indie rock band DAAY. Drawing on influences from a wide range of genres, such as pop, rock, jazz, and psychedelic music, each of these styles come together perfectly on ‘First Light’, and consequently create something that feels remarkably unique. We felt our hearts soar with the warm and euphoric sound of this delightfully colourful experience. And while we most certainly love how it sounds now, we feel that the warmer days would only elevate the brilliant vibe of this track. Being a song about finding rejuvenation and comfort at the start of a new day, this single successfully rekindles our hopefulness towards what 2021 may bring.
Ewan Patrick » Feels Good To Be Alive
‘Feels Good To be Alive’ combines Ewan Patrick’s uplifting, festival-ready sound, with an equally uplifting message.
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After playing for a number of bands over the years, Edinburgh-based indie pop artist Ewan Partrick saw his solo discography sprout into existence in 2020. Releasing a side-by-side set of two debut singles, Patrick not only displayed his festival-ready, soaring sound, but also reigned in his previous musical experience, onto what feels like a very refined set of tracks. In 2021, Ewan Patrick followed-up with another two tracks that were also put together into one release. And while, as always, it was a tricky decision to pick one to cover, seen as both of Patricks new singles are thoroughly enjoyable, we decided to go with the first track of the set, ‘Feels Good To Be Alive’, for it combines Patrick’s uplifting sound, with an equally uplifting message.
Jared Harper » About You
‘About You’ masterfully carries the kind of mood that bewitched us as listeners, and had us fully immerse in the sound that Jared Harper had crafted.
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First showing people what he was musically capable of, via season 18 of The Voice, Jared Harper has since been building his discography up, and showing further displays of his bright and sunny indie rock sound. After the release of his debut EP, If I’m Being Honest, in 2018, the year of 2020 sees Harper revamp his sound, and essentially start afresh. The second step in Harper’s new musical journey arrives in the form of his first 2021 release. ‘About You’ masterfully carries the kind of mood that simply bewitched us as listeners, and really had us immersed in its sound. Rising from the ashes of 2020 as an infectiously compelling anthem, ‘About You’ continues to light the way for this incredibly promising artist.
Monroe Moon » Greener
‘Greener’ offers a more deep and ambient sound than a fair amount of her 2020 releases, which perfectly shows Monroe Moon’s versatility.
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After making a start on setting the stage last year for her upcoming 2021 EP, titled Hark (For Yoko), Monroe Moon definitely hits the grounds of 2021 running with her first single release of the year. ‘Greener’ offers a more deep, ambient, and immersive sound, in comparison to the electronic bite found in a fair few of her 2020 releases. Feeling quite cold in its mood, but simultaneously displaying a flicker of hopefulness, it feels like the ideal time to release a track like ‘Greener’, and consequently, the perfect time to listen to it. In addition, the sense of versatility shown by the singles that Monroe Moon has released in recent memory, has us very excited for her EP to come.
Rey » Chapter Book
The soothing and sentimental vibe that ‘Chapter Book’ brings, succeeds in offering us that warm summer feeling.
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Following the year of 2020 in which multi-instrumentalist and filmmaker Alex Cherney felt inspired to release music under the moniker of Rey. And in that year, Rey had no trouble releasing two singles, which both led up towards the release of his debut album The Thing About Everywhere. Fast-forward to 2021, and Rey’s productivity continues. We receive another five singles in the form of a new EP, titled B’s and Seeds. And out of all of these new singles, we feel that the heart-warming, sunny, and stripped-back sound of the EP’s leading single ‘Chapter Book’ truly takes the cake. The soothing and sentimental vibe that this single carries, really succeeds in bringing us that warm summer feeling.
Volleyball » Paradisco
The more downbeat nature of ‘Paradisco’ allows Volleyball to display their atmospheric psychedelia even more masterfully, while still including some dynamic moments.
INDIE TOP 39
After the dreamy D.I.Y psych four-piece Volleyball released their debut single ‘Slide’ last year, this week saw the group release their follow-up, titled ‘Paradisco’. This sophomore single serves as a continuation, when it comes to displaying the band’s heavily cosmic and dreamy atmosphere, that is effortlessly created by their psychedelic indie sound. But by making ‘Paradisco’ slightly more downbeat than Volleyball’s previous single, it allowed us to get immersed in their dreamy soundscape even more easily. Nevertheless, Volleyball still doesn’t shy away from adding a nice helping of dynamic parts within ‘Paradisco’, which does brilliantly when it comes to tying this awesome track together.
Zelha » Empty Calls
With her sophomore single, Zelha once again brings her compelling storytelling to life through her atmospheric sound.
INDIE TOP 39
Indie pop artist Zelha made a huge splash in 2020, after releasing her debut single ‘Player 1’; a track that was dearly loved by us at Indie Top 39. That being said, it should come as no surprise that we were thrilled to see the release of her sophomore single, ‘Empty Calls’, this week. And much like how her debut told listeners a compelling story, the same can be said for ‘Empty Calls’. The track highlights the idea of being loved by somebody, whilst not fully loving them back and simultaneously not wanting to hurt them, and emcompasses the desire to escape from those feelings. Once again, Zelha brings this story to life through her engaging and atmospheric synth-pop sound.
Dov’s Pick:
Robi Mitch » Brother
‘Brother’ is catchy as hell and is the best song to date from Robi Mitch.
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We’ve been following Bristol-based singer-songwriter’s Robi Mitch’s journey since the release of ‘Distant Sun’. An even though since then he released multiple singles we believe that his latest song ‘Brother’ is the best one to date.
New Music Sunday » Best Songs Released This Week