Undertone. A blog about music.
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Every song from Eurovision 2024, ranked
It’s time for Undertone’s yearly dive into the best and worst of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
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Jacob Collier: Djesse Vol. 4 review – his most gloriously incohesive yet
Ticking off everything from electropop to metal, Indian folk music to club-ready dance numbers, the finale of Collier’s four-album extravaganza is eclectic even by his standards. It makes for a mightily impressive listen, even if the 26 featured artists might overwhelm even his keenest fans.
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“They’ll definitely blow your mind”: five of the best female rock bands on the rise
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Alex Walden takes a deep dive into the world of alternate rock music to showcase some new female groups on the rise who are definitely worth keeping an eye on.
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Courting live at the Cluny review – indie’s next big thing has room for improvement
The Liverpudlian post punkers’ live offering is rough around the edges and their fixation with heavy-handed autotune grates – but they do possess the sort of roof-demolishing closing number most bands can only dream of.
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RNS/Kanneh-Mason live at the Glasshouse review – epic Beethoven pushes RNS to the limits
Starry pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason’s Clara Schumann had crystalline clarity plus a stunning cello solo, but it was Dinis Sousa’s vigorous tackling of Beethoven’s most fabled symphony that had RNS operating at their genuinely world class best.
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Britain’s new age indie scene – a new sound is on the rise and you don’t want to miss out
A new wave of indie music has been brewing and the potential isn’t barred by any limits. Indie music has been huge in the UK for as long as I remember, but new factors are changing the sound of the new up-and-coming talent into something completely different. By Matthew Rowe.
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Undertone’s best songs of 2023
From chart-toppers to hidden gems, it’s time to reminisce about the most remarkable musical moments of 2023, as we countdown the year’s greatest hits.
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‘I still try to put people onto Sonic music today’: in conversation with genre-defying producer AshZone
Following the release of his new lofi-house single me and you, Alex Walden caught up with East London/Essex producer and artist AsheZone to talk about the story behind his most recent music video, some features you may have missed, and his influences as a producer as well as an artist.
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Girl Ray live at Belgrave Music Hall review – playful disco gets lost in the mix
Playing to a sparse crowd in Belgrave Music Hall, Girl Ray’s undercooked hour of straightforward disco-pop had highlights but suffered from a muddy mix and was ultimately upstaged by their support act.
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RNS/Kim live at the Glasshouse review – music fizzing with tension
Playing to a half-capacity Glasshouse, Sunwook Kim’s admirable account of Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto was technically dazzling if lacking in nuance before the RNS found lift off with an invigorating Schumann symphony.
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PinkPantheress: Heaven knows review – a polished, hard-hitting graduation
Two years after enigmatic Bath uni student PinkPantheress found instant fame with her nostalgic brand of dancepop, Victoria Walker is back with a rewarding debut album that fulfils the promise of that viral debut mixtape, writes Alex Walden.
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Jessie Ware live at Victoria Warehouse review – unparalleled joy
This seasoned popstar knows what she’s doing when it comes to delivering a night out for the ages. This deeply uplifting evening came replete with flawless disco sing-alongs, nut-tight choreography and even a stellar Cher cover to boot.
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