We now arrive in the Autumn of 2020, and with the end of the warm summer sun, we rely on the power of music to warm our souls. That being said, we are delighted with all of the amazing new music that has arrived this week.
In this week’s new music sunday, we have a good mixture of bright, energetic bops, and deep, epic soundscapes that carry some incredible songwriting with them. So without further ado, let’s get into our top 10 picks.
Track Of The Week »
Alith Berndarn » Never
Alith Berndarn pushes his experimentation further, in this gravitationally catchy and cosmically atmospheric new track.
INDIE TOP 39
In the time that we have been following the radically experimental electronic artist that is Alith Berndarn, we have thoroughly enjoyed the vibrant and whimsical soundscapes that he has dished out, particularly in the year of 2020, in which Berndarn had released three amazing bangers prior to his newest release, titled ‘Never’. Alith Berndarn continues to push his experimentation even further in this new track, by implementing an awesomely vast and cosmic instrumentation into a slightly more upbeat rhythm, allowing it to become gravitationally catchy, and immensely wondrous in its sound. The progression behind ‘Never’ also allows the track to truly sound like a spellbinding journey through the cosmic soundscape created by Berndarn, which makes it a faultlessly solid choice for our track of the week.
Anna Mae Kelly » Infamous Kiss
The importance that ‘Infamous Kiss’ has to Anna Mae Kelly reflects perfectly in how intimate and heartfelt it feels.
INDIE TOP 39
Despite being the third single released from the singer-songwriter and musician Anna Mae Kelly, ‘Infamous Kiss’ was actually one of the first songs the Kettering-raised artist had ever written. And with that being said, it is definitely fair to say that this song means a lot to Anna Mae Kelly. This definitely shows in just how intimate and heartfelt the track feels. Starting off with a soothing and soft piano melody, the track steadily progresses into a sound that is more layered, with the inclusion of guitar and drums, which all come together to create a folky, Florence + The Machine influenced sound, that feels just as festival ready. This kind of sound also pairs perfectly with Anna’s awesome and engaging vocals.
FØNX » Angle
‘Angle’ ramps the groove up to 11, with some exotic instrumentation added in, to create a truly unique and enjoyable bop.
INDIE TOP 39
FØNX is the alternate musical project from singer-songwriter Corey Fox-Fardell, which came to light back in 2016, and has been the artist’s primary focus in 2020, with a self-produced and self-written EP imminently on the horizon. This year had served as the perfect opportunity for listeners who discovered FØNX, to experience the intensely vibrant groove of his indie hip-hop sound, through tracks such as ‘Difficult’, ‘Sunday’, and ‘Best Friend’. But with his latest release, named ‘Angle’, the groove is truly amped up to 11, with FØNX’s vocals sounding much like the kind of hip-hop tunes you’d hear in the late 2000s. The arabesque instrumentation that’s added to the production truly tops it off as a unique, and remarkably enjoyable bop.
Heren Wolf » Empire
‘Empire’ shows a tremendous evolution in-depth, in comparison to Heren Wolf’s musical predecessors”
INDIE TOP 39
The Italian chamber pop singer Heren Wolf has released his first single of 2020, titled ‘Empire’ and shows a tremendous evolution in-depth and atmosphere, in comparison to previous singles released in 2018. This newest musical experience is a layered but soothing world of sound, and it is certainly beautiful to behold. Heren Wolf’s vocals only work to expand the theatrical and holistic atmosphere of this bright, beautiful, and utterly heavenly sound. It’s definitely not hard to imagine this song as part of a movie soundtrack, thanks to its epic and gorgeously serene track.
Hounds Haul » Riviera
‘Riviera’ offers us the same kind of spellbinding energy that you would expect from the very best Foals tracks.
INDIE TOP 39
The indie four-piece Hounds Haul definitely lived up to the expectations put onto them by being considered as one of the “ones to watch in 2020”. After gaining a substantial amount of success in their local area of Buckinghamshire, Hounds Haul began working towards releasing music in 2020, with the band releasing three singles thus far; the newest of them being the track titled ‘Riviera’. Upon listening to Hounds Haul’s music, we were definitely enjoying the luminous electro indie-rock sound that shared quite a semblance to the likes of Foals, but in the case of ‘Riviera’, we get the same kind of spellbinding energy that you would only expect from the very best Foals tracks. The sense of engagement that this track offers is impossible not to enjoy.
Katie Kittermaster » One Of A Kind
The bittersweet and intimate atmosphere of ‘One Of A Kind’ reflects the story behind the song perfectly.
INDIE TOP 39
We utterly love just how lush the acoustic sound of Katie Kittermaster is. We can really sense just how much her perfectly minimal sound washes over us thanks to its incredibly raw sense of emotion through melody. And we feel that no track makes this more apparent than Kittermaster’s latest release ‘One Of A Kind’. A ballad that was written last year about the duality between the fear of losing someone special, and caring for yourself, the bittersweet melody behind ‘One Of A kind’ portrays this perfectly. We are also treated to some subtle electronic melodies that lace the base acoustics with an extra sense of standing out from Kittermaster’s previous tracks. In other words, it truly is a “one of a kind” song.
Naipia » Tightropes
‘Tightropes’ spreads a brilliantly positive vibe, along with Naipia’s core message that it’s ok not to be ok.
INDIE TOP 39
The indie-pop trio that is Naipia stand by one core message; it’s ok not to be ok, and we feel that the uplifting and nurturing nature of their upbeat bops reflects this message well. Beginning the cycle of releasing music last year, Naipia has been quite consistent with their sense of productivity. ‘Tightropes’ is the second musical release of 2020, and serves as a shining continuation of the bands indie rock style with the same sense of upbeat and uplifting vibes as you would expect from pop. The tracks that they have put out, particularly ‘Tightropes’ feel extremely fun to listen to. And as a result, this track spreads a brilliantly positive vibe to those who listen to it.
NYIKO » Call The Boys
Along with being a powerful message about the “manhood” in America, ‘Call The Boys’ is just as enjoyable, as it is important.
The American singer-songwriter, record producer, label owner, visual artist, and actor that is NYIKO has had one hell of a productive 2020, with an album’s worth of remixes, and four original single releases. However, it’s very clear that NYIKO wanted to put an important message into his latest single release, titled ‘Call The Boys’. This new song works to highlight the state of “manhood” in America, and how much of the insecurities that young American men suffer from is often ignored. Musically, the post-punk style production of this song clearly emanates a sense of empowerment, that only boosts this important message further. But it is still just as enjoyable, as it is powerfully important.
Sandcastle Jesus » Bombshells
The dynamic pacing of ‘Bombshells’ really helps to give the track an explosively festive feel, that would go down a treat live.
INDIE TOP 39
Following their debut EP, Left Knocked Out, that was released in 2019, ‘Bombshells’ is the first standalone single release from the Colchester-hailing four-piece indie rock band Sandcastle Jesus. We really enjoyed just how greatly the gritty, urban, and wholesome Britpop aesthetic of this track shines through. Particularly with the amazing instrumentation behind the song, the dynamic pacing of ‘Bombshells’ really helps the track to exude that festive and uplifting feel. We could definitely imagine a track such as the likes of ‘Bombshells’ going down an absolute treat live, and an explosively enjoyable tune that is sure to go down as an important moment in the Sandcastle Jesus discography.
VULIN » Distorted Silence
The previous musical experience that VULIN has allowed ‘Distorted Silence’ to stand as an expertly made debut release.
INDIE TOP 39
And rounding off this week’s list, we have the debut single release from Scotland-based singer-songwriter Craig MacLeod, under the moniker of VULIN. This is the newest musical project from MacLeod, following the various bands and other projects that he has had an input in since 2001. That being said, MacLeod’s musical experience allows ‘Distorted Silence’ to become an expertly crafted debut single. The elements of guitar, orchestral strings and ambient sound joining forces perfectly to create an incredible and vast musical atmosphere. The epic feel that this track creates allows the listener to feel everything that this track gives, and it is sure to have any listener completely submerged in its serene soundscape.
We have picked only nine songs that stood out this week, however below you can find the playlist that features all the 39 songs. Do you agree with our pics? Let us know on our socials.
