Maggie has ditched the traditional folk instruments of her earlier work to make the kind of electronic alt-folk that would jam comfortably in the ears of a Sylvan Esso fan. Usually reinvention is a gamble for new artists but she makes it as instinctive as breathing.
Read MoreListen/review: Team Picture – Birthday Blues
Just as you’re beginning to fear Team Picture’s adherence to brute-force krautrock has left them as aggressively inflexible as the Russian football experience, they rustle up a spine-tingling flourish.
Read MoreWatch/review: Goat – I Sing In Silence
The diversity of Goat is what makes them so appealing, drawing influence from African music as well as Spanish and Native American sounds. ‘I Sing in Silence’ brings vitality and freshness
Read MoreWatch/review: The Shaker Hymn – Sucking It Out
Among 'Sucking It Out'’s streamlined chorus and catchy reverbed harmonies is a startlingly spirited guitar solo, whose hue of harpsichordal distortion is one of the components that keeps the listener guessing over the track’s brief course.
Read MoreListen/review: Weaves – Coo Coo
What really dazzles is the band’s disarming dexterity through the three and a half minutes. The rhythm tracks are recorded live and the fidgety guitars and basslines weave exhilarating tangents throughout
Watch/review: Seward – Sweet Kick
The inventive electro-folk fusion is a compelling, confident example of unorthodox art that raises expectations for the Barcelona band’s new album
Read MoreWatch/review: Plants And Animals – No Worries Gonna Find Us
This single finds Plants And Animals belting out cohesive, bold and bouncy indie-soul, all sturdy groove, twinkling arpeggios and a memorable chorus – yes, a wholehearted refrain – about not surrendering your life to anxieties
Read MoreLive review: Slow Club at Paper Dress Vintage
As Slow Club prepare to release their new album, Giedre Zaveckaite reflects on a recent live performance from the band at Hackney’s intimate Paper Dress Vintage
Read MoreWatch/review: Thylacine – Train
The naturally progressive oscillation of 'Train' is weighted with a hefty, housey kick and sustained keyboard chord changes that announce your next destination as Ambient Trance
Read MoreWatch/Review: Outer Spaces – I Saw You
A minimalist approach only maximises the trio’s melodic efficiency, allowing Satalino’s meandering vocal to shine from the verses, resulting in one gorgeous slice of lo-fi folkish indie
Read MoreListen/review: Greys – No Star
Written about the racist reaction to the Paris attacks in 2015, ‘No Star’ is electrifying from the start, hooking you with thumping, pounding drums and thrashing riffs
Read MoreListen/review: Xenia Rubinos – Lonely Lover
‘Lonely Lover’ has the air of contemporary R&B but is shorn of the corporate cultural production that demeans so much of the genre. Instead it is pure, organic soul
Read MoreWatch/review: JuJu – Samael
'Samael' is ignited by krautrock repetition, droning fuzz-coated psych riffs, some prog infusion, folk vocals and tribal rock atmospherics. It has a lot to say and insists you take notice
Read MoreWatch/review: The Comet Is Coming – Space Carnival
'Space Carnival'’s inventive momentum soon blasts into a different dimension as the astronauts hit warp speed to a rush of hallucinogenic psych-house and kaleidoscopic visuals. It’s a vivid trip
Read MoreWatch/review: Benedict Benjamin – My Feet Have No Need For The Ground
Benjamin’s folky guitar riff and Neil Young-esque, Roy Orbinson-y tones show an impressive range and feeling that makes 'My Feet...' both heartfelt and alluring to listen to
Read MoreListen/review: SULK – The Tape Of You
Musically tight and lyrically beautiful, 'The Tape Of You' keeps the listener in a constant gentle sway and never seems to let go of a high feeling that strings your ears along for the whole ride
Read MoreListen/review: Otherkin – I Was Born
The chorus is brazen and ear grabbing, with punchy riffs and catchy licks that never overstay their welcome. Chunky, hooky and brief, ‘I Was Born’ is a great first single to what should be a stellar second EP.
Read MoreLost In Transmission 7
Presenting five crack new tracks to help you celebrate winter's end (hey, there's no harm in being optimistic)
Read MoreLive review: Habitats at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, 3/3/16
A hugely enjoyable night, rich in good old indie sounds with a blend of psychedelic influences and ecstatically dancing fans
Read MoreListen/review: Iska Dhaaf – Invisible Cities
Melding sequenced electro-rock production and gritty post-punk beats, ‘Invisible Cities’ baits its hooks with a surf-guitar twang and a supercool vocal pattern at a reverb setting presumably called Cavernous Aircraft Hangar
Read More