For us at Indie Top 39, it has been a little unorthodox. With our team facing a fair few technical issues, we are back, and more ready to go than ever before. That being said, we are thrilled to have such a strong batch of amazing new tracks from independent artists to help us get back on track, and we are relieved that we are able to share them with you, on this weeks New Music Sunday.
This week sees a lot of upcoming projects teased by some very strong tunes, as well as a few standout debuts that really hit the mark. Below are 9 of our collectively favourite picks. So let’s go ahead and jump right in.
Track Of The Week
Eleri Ward » Mess
‘Mess’ leads the way for Eleri Ward’s upcoming introspective EP, which is put on display perfectly through this beautifully mellow track.
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After starting off her discography with a bang last year, with a number of singles, and her debut EP Prism, American pop artist Eleri Ward is showing no signs of slowing down at all in 2021, and is already working towards her next EP, titled Friction, set to arrive in the summer. Leading the way for this upcoming EP, is Ward’s brand new single ‘Mess’. With the primary focus of the EP revolving around the theme of conflict, both the writing and the melodic feel behind ‘Mess’ reflect this perfectly. In comparison to the majority of tracks that Ward had released in 2020, ‘Mess’ seemingly carries a more cold feel, which allows it to stand as a truly emotive and thought-invoking ballad, as well as an incredibly strong teaser track.
Bollo Bollo » Mental Mirror
‘Mental Mirror’ sees a more raw-feeling brand of Bollo Bollo’s signature indie-rock style, and spells a further evolution in the band’s chemistry.
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Buckinghamshire indie-rock four piece Bollo Bollo ignited their discography last year, in which the group had released their first three singles, and had embraced the strange times of the pandemic through their music. Through these tracks, listeners were also able to get a good sense of their musical aesthetic, a highly atmospheric and cosmic feel that felt quite reminiscent of bands like Foals and Viola Beach. With their first single release of 2021, we get to see a slightly more raw-feeling brand of said vibe, in which the more unfiltered vocals rhythmically work really well with the melody of this track. All in all, we feel that the more sleek quality of ‘Mental Mirror’ only spells evolution in Bollo Bollo’s chemistry as a band.
Ennio the Little Brother » Bunk Beds
The amazingly soothing and dreamy feel that ‘Bunk Beds’ brings to the table, allows it to be more than deserving of being Ennio’s synonymous single.
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The dreamy and indulgent indie-rock feel that has been championed by North-Wales lyricist, and self-taught producer, known as Ennio the Little Brother, has certainly helped to flesh out who he is as an artist. But for many fans of the artist, one track in particular stands as the most synonymous with Ennio himself; that being ‘Bunk Beds’. Originally being one of two debut tracks put out by Ennio the Little Brother, ‘Bunk Beds’ eventually got revamped upon its inclusion on Ennio’s debut album Goodbye, Magnolia Stump. With this week seeing the music video for ‘Bunk Beds’ released, this amazingly soothing and dreamy tune has finally completely gotten the love it has so rightfully deserved.
Glow Beets » Head Rush
Glow Beets begins his musical 2021 with another colourful and dynamic single, that truly does the title of ‘Head Rush’ justice.
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After igniting his discography with his remix for Will Nasbit’s ‘Us Against the World’, UK electronic producer Glow Beets truly got the musical ball rolling last year, releasing a grand total of ten tunes. That being said, Glow Beets was definitely deserving of a short break. However, this week saw Glow Beets return once again, with his first 2021 release ‘Head Rush’. This track also sees fellow independent artist Chloe Kay serve as the newest feature in Glow Beets’ discography, adding to this new track a furtherment of a dynamic and colourful feel that really does the title of this track justice. We have truly loved just how vibrant and feel-good Glow Beets’ tracks have consistently been, and ‘Head Rush’ is no exception.
Hallworth » Built To Last
It was easy for us to recognise the amount of passion, pre-meditation, and brilliant craft that Hallworth injected into ‘Built To Last’.
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‘Built To Last’ is the debut single release from London-based singer-songwriter Hallworth, an artist who had been deeply passionate towards songwriting from a very young age. This was definitely reflected well in ‘Built To Last’; a track whose subtle musical introduction allowed Hallworth’s words to take centre stage, and they fully commanded us as listeners. We then get to see the track’s production progress into a beautifully atmospheric melody that perfectly merges itself with Hallworth’s vocals, as opposed to simply overpowering them. It was easy for us to recognise the amount of passion and pre-meditation that went into ‘Built To Last’, as it is a brilliantly-crafted debut single, from an incredibly promising artist.
hoos » Peaceful Madcap
The many elements that work together so well on ‘Peaceful Madcap’ really allows this track to stand as a brilliant introduction to hoos.
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The newfound electronic/hip-hop inspired musical project from artist Adam Hughes, hoos arrives with its debut single. The instantaneously lo-fi ambience and charm that ‘Peaceful Madcap’ carries, does a brilliant job at giving listeners a good grasp on what the musical project of hoos is aiming to achieve musically. ‘Peaceful Madcap’ creates this kind of wondrous soundscape, that truly has us excited for how hoos is going to continue building upon his colourful musical word, and said excitement seems to reflect just how successful ‘Peaceful Madcap’ is at being a brilliant debut single. The many elements that work together so well on this track really allows ‘Peaceful Madcap’ to stand as a brilliant introduction to hoos.
Lissy Taylor » Quiet Rage
‘Quiet Rage’ sees Lissy Taylors hazy vocals take centre-stage, in a track that feels festival ready and engaging with its presence.
INDIE TOP 39
The first 2021 single release from Stoke-based indie-rock artist Lissy Taylor, and the follow-up to her 2020 EP Wildflowers, ‘Quiet Rage’ resembles the artists ambition to already take the next musical step in 2021; that being her sophomore EP, set to release this summer. We absolutely love how Taylor’s vocals add a wonderfully hazy atmosphere to her singles, which is especially true in the case of ‘Quiet Rage’. The slow and steady rhythm that ‘Quiet Rage’ carries, allows the track’s atmosphere to really soak into us as listeners, and we were undeniably immersed as a result. We can definitely picture this track going down a treat in a festival setting, thanks to its moody and engaging presence.
Natasha Ghosh » More Love
‘More Love’ carries a more accessible feel and hard-hitting beat that Natasha Ghosh’s previous singles, and further solidifies her adaptability.
INDIE TOP 39
Already the third single that lo-fi R&B artist Natasha Ghosh has released in 2021, ‘More Love’ continues to expose this artist as an incredibly versatile one. Employing a collaboration between her and the producer that is Cybeat, ‘More love’ carries a noticeably more hard-hitting beat. And while Natasha Ghosh has shown an equal level of style-championing regarding her more atmospheric tracks that preceded ‘More Love’, the more accessible feel of this brand new track is, in equal measure, something that works exceptionally well with Natasha’s vocal style. We would thoroughly love to see Natasha Ghosh continue to pursue this kind of aesthetic, and further solidify just how much adaptability she carries.
Zaryah » suspicious behaviour
With an equally beautiful mixture of vocal and instrumental melodies, as well as a deep and meaningful narrative, ‘suspicious behaviour’ is an expertly-crafted single.
INDIE TOP 39
This week sees Luxembourg-born singer-songwriter Zaryah follow up her 2020 debut album with her first 2021 release. Titled ‘suspicious behaviour’, this track succeeds in topping the quality of her debut record, despite said album already being remarkable. The sleek and slow-burning production sets a brilliantly strong foundation for what is a truly gorgeous track. With equally beautiful vocal and instrumental melodies working together so perfectly, it’s safe to say that we were effortlessly swept away by the dreamy soundscape that ‘suspicious behaviour’ harnesses. Illustrating the crippling suspicion that the trust in a romantic relationship can always be broken, the narrative is the cherry on top of this expertly-crafted single.
New Music Sunday » 39 Best Songs Released This Week
This coverage was created in collaboration with Musosoup as part of the #SustainableCurator movement.
