Indie Gents February
KUMA - Dream
The newcomer band KUMA releases with Dream their second single and continues their triumphal procession in the electro pop landscape. The song is about the struggle between reality and dream and the courage to step out of the comfort zone. Explosive rhythms pair with spherical synths here, it's an interplay between the tides. The song sounds very modern and fresh, like such a car driving song, however, and this makes the guys likeable, they play quite elegantly with sound and rhythm variations. And although I give the radio a wide berth and KUMA will surely be played there soon, I find this longing and melancholy they pack into their song rousing and convincing. The explosive bridge ends in a sound that floats above everything. You can only want to fly along with it....
Listen and Dance
Reno McCarty - Picture in Picture
I am always tempted to compare songs with pictures. Picture in Picture just invites you to do so: Delicate petals of yellow and white with flecks of shiny gold. Or like a bubbling brook that slowly but surely becomes a raging torrent, only to disappear into the sea. Smetana sends his regards. Especially the verses correspond to my timbre. The highlight is a spherical guitar solo that finds its elegant resolution in the chorus.
Since releasing his debut album in 2019, he has gained global recognition with his songwriting. His tracks wander from alternative pop to indie folk, captivating with surprising compositions and a voice from the softest lover in the world.
Listening to Reno McCarty's music is like floating in a sea of sound. He manages to create this special atmosphere, which at the same time spherical, tender and dreamy tells about the desolation of winter. "It's a lonely winter, it's a lonely night" Profound, yet light, light it must remain. It is like a visit at home, very intimate.
Listen and Love
Mcclendon - The Garden
Mcclendon is known for his special and multilayered sound. He is an artist who does not reveal much about himself. For that, he lets his music speak all the more. What has stuck with me since his previous singles Anger and What I've Become finds its continuation in his new song. The entrance to the pearl The Garden is confident, his invitation to the garden I follow only too gladly. Especially when it's this breathtaking landscape of electrifying plays of color - plays of color that give the sonic pearl its depth. Mcclendon sings in places with half a computer in his voice (almost like C-3PO), only to stand out again purely in all emotion as a human being. Epic. There is no reason to turn your back on this marriage of analog synth sounds with fragile charm. Bright tones combine layer upon layer to create an artful garden. Welcome...
Listen and Walk
"my job is to make it snow." PL
Peter Lake - Comforts Cross
He calls himself the Ghost of New York, his fan base loves him, and with his more than 23 million streams on Spotify, he has secured a place for himself in the music world. Peter Lake remains reservedly anonymous. Perhaps it is precisely this anonymity that helps him give free rein to his creativity... His musical influences lie somewhere between Neil Young and Drake, so it's no wonder he lives by the motto of a snow avalanche. One of the songs will get the whole thing rolling. Lake has developed a very unique electro pop style. So I was all the happier when I got to listen to his latest song Comforts Cross. Acoustic guitar sounds unite with synth sounds only here and there, otherwise Lake's vocals take center stage in a minimalist way. It's a testament to a vulnerability and openness that I've missed in recent releases. The song is actually a poem set to music, speaking of loss and grief. Very moving.
Listen and Dream
Sugar Pit - Why I Come Back Home
It's going to be hot and cheeky. If you like punk rock, a la Crazy Style and 'I dont care' attitude, the new single Why I Come Back Home by Sugar Pit is a must. Written between two incisive experiences, the song tells of the balancing act between independence and the desire for stability and all the stations in between. Conclusion: It's best at home with mom.
His sound is raw, eccentric and explosive. He engulfs his listeners in Weezer pop that meets gritty garage rock.
Launching through with the EP "Defense Mechanism" in 2020, he quickly develops his unique style. Frontman Kian Stevens-Winston writes all the songs himself, and they were recorded in his home studio. Born in Illinois, he was drawn to LA, seeking his fortune in the big metropolis. What can I say? Sugar Pit is a diamond in the rough and of the predicate 'give me more!' What starts as a simple acoustic song pretty quickly needs amps and bass. Reflecting slight aggression, the song rises in rough party suitability and we can and want all sing along...
Listen and Rock
