Tag: indie
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Orla Gartland live at Leeds University Stylus – great songs worthy of bigger occasions
Despite being in desperate need of an extra bandmate or two, Orla Gartland had plenty of strong enough material to give the crowd exactly what they wanted in Leeds. Unlike her friend and peer dodie, however, her live act still has plenty of room to grow in the years to come.
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Sam Fender: Seventeen Going Under review – arena-worthy classics to feed the soul
Whilst Fender’s expansive, often breathtaking sophomore record may not be flawless, it has more than its fair share of genius songwriting and lyricism thanks to a potent concoction of sepia nostalgia and brave sociopolitical lessons for the here and now.
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Jade Bird: Different Kinds of Light review – a sparkling delight
English singer-songwriter Jade Bird’s sophomore album builds on the best parts of the debut with new maturity, sincerity and most importantly some cracking singles. The result is an album I felt an instant personal connection to.
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Larkins live at Brudenell Social Club review – emotional night of summer pop
At the start of their post-lockdown UK tour, Manchester band Larkins were at times overcome with emotion, yet still proved that yes, everything does sound better live.
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Middle Kids: Today We’re the Greatest review – a change of pace to mixed results
Today We’re the Greatest has more than its fair share of highlights and a strong set of lyrics, it’s just a shame Hannah Joy’s songwriting falls a little flat when put to the test with more intimate ballads.
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The Greeting Committee: This Is It review – a slice of Autumnal gold
Maybe it’s the album cover’s colour theme, or simply the time of year it was released, but there’s something distinctly autumnal about The Greeting Committee’s This Is It. Following the release of their debut EP, It’s Not All That Bad, the Kansas City indie pop group saw their career begin to flourish, signing with (appropriately…
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Songs of the Summer – Part 2
I may have underestimated the extra workload a new term of Year 11 would bring, but finally here is the second installment of “Songs of the Summer”, albeit posted in autumn. Prepare yourself for my favourite ten songs from summer 2018, featuring fantastic tracks from Billie Eilish, Opia and James Arthur. Many of these songs…
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Songs of the Summer – Part 1
It’s been a surprisingly busy summer of music listening, with plenty of time to try out new tracks on long journeys and lazy days at home. As usual, my tastes have changed quite a lot over the past six weeks. It started with a newfound love for the smart and no-nonsense electronic pop of Billie…
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The genius behind clipping.’s “Block”
Through a fantastic few songs discovered with help from Apple Music, I’ve left the musical doldrums of Week 11 and found a source of plenty of fresh discussion. The theme this week seems to be sleepy, languid funk, suited to the inevitable lethargy that the end of term brings. twenty one pilots’ new double release…
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Panic! At the Disco trades depth for showbiz glitter
It’s been another busy few weeks and for the first time I didn’t discover any new music in Week 11, so I’ve decided to bundle all the songs of two weeks into one post. Week 10 brought some classics, including a strong new contender for song of the year.
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Rex Orange County’s “Never Enough” is a flawless masterpiece
There’s been some crackers discovered this week, and I’ve got plenty to talk about, even in the aftermath of Royal Blood-mania. Another exciting Friday has delivered two more hotly anticipated albums. I’d been waiting for Panic! At the Disco’s Pray for the Wicked since March, and whilst there are a few enjoyable tracks like (Fuck a)…
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Shakey Graves has a slow burn thriller in “Roll the Bones”
A further nine tracks are lined up for you in Part 2, featuring songs from Republican Hair, MGMT, Eminem and of course Royal Blood. Hype is building for a Friday that promises to deliver some big new albums – namely Panic! At the Disco’s Pray for the Wicked and Weathers’ full-length debut Kids in the…
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Royal Blood’s awe-inspiring debut album
After a relatively short exam season and an increasing backlog of fantastic new songs to discuss, it’s about time I make a return to Undertone. In terms of my music tastes, a lot has changed. Week 6 saw a return of some classic indie anthems in the likes of Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out and The Klaxons’ Golden…
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Hop Along have struck gold in the extraordinary “How Simple”
What a week. After last week’s frenzy of releases, I’ve been listening to and loving more music than ever. Consequently, this post is billed to be the longest in the series so far, with an unprecedented five songs having surpassed 10 plays this week. So make yourself comfortable – there’s a lot to talk about.
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Jungle’s return lives up to the hype
It’s safe to say there has never been such an enormous week for me in terms of new music releases – it has been frankly ridiculous.
Undertone 