Hailing from Manchester, UK, Baum Jr. is a newly emerging musician with an aptitude for creating catchy electro songs with edgier vocals. Boasting a background in rock, this eclectic artist is always keen on exploring electro-synth music from a whole new perspective. His music combines electronic soundscapes, retro synths, bleeps, bloops and blips with glitchy sonic effects, all fused with the familiar warmth of rock vocals and acoustic drums.
Baum Jr. has released his new single ‘The Sunset & The Coalpit’. Its a powerful classic rock ballad-like anthem soaked in nostalgic tones and smothered in edgy sonic effects. Bewitching flashing electronics teamed with dramatic punchy drums adds urgency and fist pumping energy while the vocals burst with vibrancy and stamina. This catchy laser light bedazzlement packs a punch with flickering soundscapes and a lyrical intensity that comes from the soul. Its an overwhelming powerful track that burns with fiery enthusiasm. With an explosive chorus and infectious melody its mighty yet smooth, sleek and extremely well crafted.
Watch the video for ‘The Sunset & The Coalpit’ below
MUX, a brand new electro-stoner band from London is to release at the end of March their EP entitled ‘Can you see who?’. MUX blend elements of electronica, stoner, trip-hop and punk leaving you in a twisted knot of thrilling euphoric disorientation. Comprised of members Tiz, Paul, and Jonas, MUX present an EP that is a gripping electrifying enigma fuzzed and gritty and smothered in obscure darkness. The band officially started in the summer of 2016 when Tiz and Paul (drums) met in Brighton, while shopping for souvenirs. They started fighting over a seashell ashtray and ended talking about Kendrick Lamar’s latest album. A couple of months later, the pair met Jonas (Guitar) at a Mac DeMarco concert in Camden. Jonas was headbanging harder than everyone else. ‘MDMA’ kicks off the EP with a creepy sinister shadowy tone. Raspy whisper-like vocals are hair-raisingly chilling while the gritty distorted guitar adds a rough round the edges sharpness. Its like a psychedelic trip that’s freaked you out but still feels good. A rapid elastic rhythm gives a sticky gooey glooping effect. The track becomes more dynamic as it progress with the intense electronics becoming more frantic while the shredding guitar pierces with shrilling ferocity. The electronic woodblock-like feature is a recurring element in the EP’s tracks and it adds a plump texture and unusual refreshing contrast to the dark psychedelic swirling surround. It acts like a conscious anchor keeping your mind from becoming completely engulfed by the musical whirlwind. ‘Gold and Prozac’ follows with shivering fuzzed guitar against a tapping rhythm. The track oozes lurid gloppy liquid- like electronics that seep throughout the track, broken only by hypnotic trance inducing psychedelia. Eerie dark vocals are ghostly with a theatrical tint of evil. Epic basslines travel through each track providing a weighty beefy foundation to sink your teeth into. ‘Teenage Father’ begins with the sweet request “Kill Me” building into a thunderous mighty headbanger. This frenzy causing hysteria is sticky mosh pit neck-breaking head banging ready. Snapping bass is teamed with a fantastic driving guitar that shrills with blissful ear-piercing capability. Its a blood pumping smashing monster of a track that is convulsion causing derangement but so good. ‘Stray’ finishes the EP with a sensual riveting all absorbing guitar feature, lusty crescendo and pounding rhythm mixed with electronic blurring perplexity, all bashed out and liquored up leaving you in a glazed mind boggled mush. Blending heavy turmoil with sensual steamy red hot piercing guitar and luring vocals, this track penetrates your skull with relentless soundscapes and acute powerful momentum.
Each track flows fluidly into the next as MUX take you on a riveting complex journey through their proficient composition and exquisite craftsmanship. Its dark, its gritty and fuzzed with narcotic effects. ‘Can you see who?’ is a swirling invasion into your mind showing you a shadowy kaleidoscope of abstruseness.
Watch a snippet of what you can expect below
Sunderland based indie, electro ,alt rock outfit Rayne have released their latest single ‘Subject A’ which is taken from their highly anticipated ‘Complex By Design’ album. With well over one year hidden away in the recording studio, Rayne members Ben Potts (Vox/Bass), Adam Dagg (Guitar/Synths) and Steve Naisbet (Drums) are committed to unearthing their very best material to date. ‘Subject A’ is an elevated guitar driven anthem with an epic fist pumping arrangement and soaring vocals that can make you feel like you can do anything. Intensifying synth grooves and dynamic guitars create a massive , galvanic experience that will knock you for six. Blood pumping drums rushes like an elastic speed ball and teamed with the emotional compelling vocals leaves you breathless in a whirlwind rush of swirling soaring musicianship. Its a cool, airy, energetic rapture rock anthem drizzled with dark undertones and mighty walloping hooks.
Rayne will be announcing the full album release details and UK live dates in coming weeks so look out for that. In the meantime stream ‘Subject A’ below
Hailing from Manchester, Baum Jr. is a newly emerging musician with an aptitude for creating catchy electro songs with edgier vocals. He has a background in rock and describes his newly-invented genre as ‘Next-Gen 8-bit’, calling upon influence from film scores and game soundtracks of the 1980’s. His debut single ‘When I Grow Up’ was released in October and is a re-imagination of a Garbage song, the popular American-Scottish alternative rock outfit founded in the mid 90’s. Baum Jr.’s rendition of the track boasts some restructuring and sonic shifts. In lieu of Garbage’s alternative rock stylings from 1998, Baum Jr. has opted for an electronic pop landscape that’s infused with his signature ‘8-bit’ sound. It is elegantly contemporary while wholly retro. ‘When I Grow Up’ is an electronic composition bursting with thick gooey synths that bleep and bloop with bombastic acoustic drums that create a dramatic backdrop for the anthem-like chorus. With an eerie spacey electronic vibe created by the darkened shimmering synths and elastic bounce and rumble beat Baum Jr. gives us a dramatic swirling electronically bubbling punchy track that seems a little subdued by the tactful, edgy vocals. Baum Jr. has rebuilt Garbage’s song from the ground up utilising a new key and style while effortlessly showcasing his complicated, structured music.
Yorkshire singer-songwriter James George has released his debut single ‘Make You Mine’. The track is a storming two minutes of classic indie rock n’roll showcasing brooding guitars, infectious melodies and shimmering synths. It has already picked up over 10,000 streams online and James George is developing a steady growing fan base. ‘Make You Mine’ is a short blast of garage rock that is sprinkled with enough inventiveness to make it a success. The production of this track is bang on as we are swallowed up in a concoction of shadowy misty synths, steady thumping beats and intoxicating psychedelic guitar. The song creates a dark daydream atmosphere with longing crooning vocals that remain cool and almost detached while the yearning tone on guitar almost wails in pain expressing his longing. ‘Make You Mine’ is full of mysterious tones with an eerie atmosphere. This is a track that will leave you craving for more.
Stream ‘Make You Mine’ below
Endless Peaks are a 4-piece band that create Indie Rock music with a psychedelic twist.The band are based on the South Coast of England in Bournemouth and are here to make waves with their emphatic and uplifting music. Endless Peaks consists of 2 brothers Lloyd Allen (Vocals/Lead Guitar) and Luis Allen (Bass Guitar) from Buckinghamshire . Soon after the brothers moved south they teamed up with Chanelle Smith (drums) and Connor Dean (keyboard). Their debut single ‘Staircase’ is the first of 3 tracks to be released this year from the band. ‘Staircase’ is a track that will transport you to a world of exhilarating bright indie rock sprinkled with blissful psychedelia. It is bursting with a swoony dreamy vibe coated in energetic overtones. The keyboard gives us a smooth and uplifting atmosphere which adds an airy fresh tone while the zealous guitar riff is sharp and ripe giving a fantastic variety in texture to the song. The drums are steady and fluid adding strength and grounding depth to the track which is otherwise aerial and otherworldly. The vocals are confident adding swagger and attitude to the track.
A great debut track from Endless Peaks look forward to hearing more.
Trickster Guru is the alternative rock and electronic project of Los Angeles singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Christopher Caplan. Trickster Guru’s debut EP ‘Problem Child’, was released earlier this year. He has also released a video for the title track ‘Problem Child’. ‘Problem Child’ is a innovative emotional track that tells us a story by beautifully fusing vintage rock and soul with the excitement and innovation of modern electronic synth. The track begins with a steady fuzzed beat that holds the foundation throughout the track. The vocals enter in a smooth tender manner. This track flows fluidly with a sway waltz -like quality. The addition of the synths and beats from alternative electronic co-producer AWAY enhances the passion and evokes the emotion of desire in the track giving an effective release of tension for the crescendo. Caplan has a deep smooth velvety vocal which is luring and seductive. With a dark mysterious atmosphere lingering in the background while the soft instrumentation and vocals attempt to ease your mind this track evokes every emotion and creates goosebumps while you are seduced by its melody and swoon like atmosphere of indulgence.
Velvet Kills are an electro punk, electro rock, post wave duo with Susana Santos on vocals/bass and Harris Iveson on guitar/synths. The group came to life in 2015, beginning with a chance encounter on a trance dance floor where Susana and Harris discovered their mutual love for rock, synths and beige Steinberger guitars. Velvet Kills has since gained a steady following, leading to their debut EP, ‘Memory’, being released in March this year. They are now planning a Europe Tour, followed by an album release this Autumn.
Their debut EP, ‘Memory’, is a striking, rhythmic , seductive EP that exudes a fantastic mix of sounds and textures that explodes the mind with a euphoric atmosphere of full rich sensual music. The EP begins with the track ‘Rain’ which is an electro rock track full of attitude and oozing cool lustful swagger. With trance dance beats and slick guitars this song lures you into a world of dark alluring psychedelia while Susanna’s deep seductive vocal is captivating and inviting. ‘Clog’ follows again with a confused psychedelic atmosphere. The sound is complex and abstract with the instrumentation taking the attention almost as if the vocals are accompanying the music. It gives the feeling that the room is spinning and you are in a haze surrounded by churning electronic sounds or hallucinating in a dessert with no water. ‘Red Shoes’ calms the tone slightly from the intensity of its predecessor. The track appears more cinematic and dramatic with strings playing a main feature. It has a dark “dooms day” feel with the strings and guitar playing in a call and response manner adding deep undertones to the song. ‘Memory’ finishes the EP in a shadowy tone with soft beats and dynamic synths. The vocals are again deep and luring grabbing the listeners attention. This track has a dark dance quality with light synths at times and lustrous guitar to add a refreshing contrast.
Velvet Kills ‘Memory’ EP is full of driving beats and bewitching textures that are tempting and enticing, with striking seductive vocals, gritty guitars and abstract sounds this EP is an experience and a really solid debut.
Look forward to hearing more from Velvet Kills
ISLE are Scottish electro-pop duo Liam Rutherford and Ben Singer. The have created a refreshing blend of electro pop and rock that is just infectious. Their track ‘Kid’ is an energetic explosion of dynamic synths winding guitar and snapping beats. With beautiful piano feature in the background and even a Celtic undertone this song has everything and more. From just seconds into the song you are blasted into a swarm of amazing sounds that blend remarkably well together. The animated spirited vocals adds an anthem-like quality to the song with fist pumping intensity that makes this song vibrant and enthusiastic. ‘Surrender’ is a melodic track with again a beautiful piano feature running throughout. Its upbeat positive tone is conveyed with clap along bridge, snapping snare and uplifting “oh wo-oh” backing vocals. Its a catchy rhythmic track that you can’t help but sing and clap along to.
Stream ‘Kid’ and ‘Surrender’ below
Brendan Maclean is an Australian gem, his new release ‘Hugs Not Drugs (Or Both)’ is a brilliantly flamboyant track with a catchy melody and infectious hook. Its electro – rock beat is sure to get you up Dancing. Brendan shows off his vocal range with a fun loving chorus that has a Panic! At The Disco vibe. Brendan has a full dynamic voice full of confidence and swagger .With witty lyrics and full of high energy its a party track that is sure to do well.
Stream ‘ Hugs Not Drugs (Or Both) ‘ below
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
