We like to think we’re rational creatures, basing our thoughts and actions on logic and reason, but we’re driven by instinct more often than we realise. We get a feeling in our gut that we just can’t shake or explain away. No matter how much you tell yourself there’s nothing lurking in the corner of a dark room, some part of you refuses to believe. There’s no real explanation as to why we fall in love with someone, why that one person in particular has our heart, but we feel it in our soul all the same. Sometimes words and reasons just falter in the face of sheer vibes. ‘Indelible’ is a song that operates in that same space. It’s the very blueprint of a carefree summer song, the kind instils both a sense of peace and of endless possibility, and yet words escape me as to what makes it so. Any sentence I string together about its driving rhythm, bright and airy guitar riffs, shimmering melodies and the sweeping dream pop haze of its chorus, somehow feels wholly inadequate. ‘Indelible’ isn’t a song you merely listen to, and certainly not something my words can do justice to; its something you feel.
top tracks
Top Tracks: The Last Dinner Party – Sinner
There are so many different versions of ‘us’ – the version our friends see, the one we save for colleagues, the facade reserved for strangers in the street etc. – that sometimes it’s hard to know which one is the real thing. Sometimes we create a whole new self without meaning to; we open our minds to new ideas, wantonly dive into new experiences with reckless abandon. A sense of freedom is unleashed like Pandora’s Box, and you’re left unable to be the same quiet naive person you once were. An in a band like The Last Dinner Party, with such a finely attuned aesthetic of theatricality, and at the centre of a vortex of hype and acclaim, there’s the added difficulty of figuring out where the charismatic revelry of your goth rock alter ego fits into the bigger picture. Their new single ‘Sinner’, which fittingly explores a more dark, feral and indulgent sound than their stellar debut, reflects on the desire to reconcile all those disparate facets. Longing to have every version of yourself, no matter how different from each other, loved equally as equally important parts of your identity.
Top Tracks: Nieve Ella – Your Room
The post-gig blues are a well documented phenomenon at this point. That moment of crashing back to reality after the escapism offered by live music. Yet somehow I’m still riding the high from summer festivals. It’s amazing the power one magical weekend has to lift the weight off your shoulders, unwind the knot that’s been at the pit of your stomach, and help you rediscover a version of yourself that you forgot how to be. But with her new single, Nieve Ella, one of my favourite festival discoveries of the summer, offers a reminder that such a release is an exception to the rule that good things take time. ‘Your Room’, taken from her EP Lifetime Of Wanting out 1st September, acknowledges that the first step to unravelling that emotional knot in your gut is allowing yourself to let go. Being able to walk away from the past, admitting that something wasn’t meant to last or was a mistake from the outset, having faith enough in yourself to turn over a new page. This delightfully dreamy dose of bedroom pop is a reminder that no matter how long it takes to lift the weight that’s been holding you down, the most important step is recognising that it’s there and believing that you deserve better.
Top Tracks: Matthew And The Atlas – This Place We Live
I think it’s the responsibility of every generation to leave the world better than they found it, ready for the next generation that follows. It’s a simple prospect when talking in broad strokes, but on a more personal level, a parent trying their best to do right by their child, things get a lot more complicated. Making mistakes is part of life, it’s how we learn and grow, but every decision carries more weight when it affects a child as well as ourselves. Each path you’ve taken to get here is second-guessed, thinking whether you could have provided a better life had things worked out differently. Wondering if the things you strive to provide are what’s most needed, trying to find the balance of letting them make their own mistakes and protecting them from the same pitfalls that made you stumble. ‘This Place We Live’ sees Matthew And The Atlas reflect on the nature of parenthood. The title track from their forthcoming album, out 13th October, its stripped back arrangement gives Matt Hegarty’s distinctive voice room to shine. His weathered baritone lends a wisdom and gravitas to the track as he resolves to give himself room to make mistakes and grow as a parent, as well as fretting less about where the road is leading and instead savouring sharing the journey together.
Top Tracks: Rachel Newnham – Nobody Loves You Like I Do
There are two sides to love – the love we give and the love we receive. The latter needs little explanation; we all want someone to care for us and support us unconditionally, someone who understands us and finds joy and comfort in being around us. It’s a need built into every soul, and in a way being that person for someone brings its own reward. It feels good to be there for someone, to be their rock, their shelter from the storm. When you feel like just one tiny person in a big wide world, it can bring solace to know that to one person you are the world. However, as up-and-coming singer/songwriter Rachel Newnham attests on her debut single, sometimes there’s little comfort to be found when the love you give far outweighs that which you receive in return. The poignant indie pop balladry of ‘Nobody Loves You Like I Do’ is a tender reflection on how it feels to be under-appreciated in a relationship, setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm, and yet holding on regardless as you still have so much love to give.
Top Tracks: FIZZ – High in Brighton
2023 is proving to be the year of the supergroup. First a full album from Boygenius, and now new project FIZZ pops up from out of nowhere! This fabulous four-piece, comprised of longtime friends and collaborators Dodie, Orla Gartland, Martin Luke Brown and Greta Isaac, is the band I never knew I needed. If their arrival out of the blue had afforded me any time to form expectations, their debut single would have blown them away. ‘High in Brighton’ is every bit as effervescent as the band’s name promises. This vibrant slice of playful psychedelic pop boasts boundless energy, thunderous drums, towering harmonies, and 70s Queen levels of whimsy, bombast and theatricality. With a debut album on the way in no time flat – The Secret to Life due 15th September – there’s not long left to wait for another electrifying hit of whatever else the band have up their sleeve.
Top Tracks: Briston Maroney – Body
When you’re a kid you get told constantly that “these are the best years of your life”, and not once do we ever believe it at the time. It’s only with hindsight that we appreciate those carefree days for what they were. From this, we often end up taking away the unhelpful conclusion that we should have done no end of things differently. We can’t change the past however, but what we can do is use those lessons to shape the now. You never know when the part of your life that you’re currently living will be something you look back on as “the good ol’ days”, so may as well live it to its fullest to ensure that your future self has no more regrets. With ‘Body’, Nashville’s Briston Maroney pledges not to take the small things for granted, to feel every emotion at its deepest, and seize the day at every opportunity. Taken from his forthcoming album Ultrapure, out 22nd September, this new single is an earnest exploration of how life’s fleeting nature can make every moment burn brighter if you let it. With a superb video, blending playful live action and imaginative animation, and home one of the most anthemic choruses of the year, ‘Body’ is ablaze with heartfelt ardour and joie de vivre.
Top Tracks: Bea Stewart – Ice Cream in the Rain
We all end up losing the people we love in the end. One day they’re by your side making the world a brighter place, and the next you’re left trying to navigate life without them. But as hard as sudden goodbyes are, there’s something especially harrowing about losing someone piece by piece. The new single from Northern Irish singer/songwriter Bea Stewart tells a story that will feel all too familiar to anyone that’s lost a loved one to dementia. The pain of seeing them slowly fade away, fearing the day when you may be forgotten completely. ‘Ice Cream in the Rain’ reflects on the good times together that disappear into haze as the memories fade. It finds solace in the fact you shared those moments in the first place, and offers a reminder that the person you knew still exists in those little vignettes exactly as you remember them. Between the beautifully bittersweet music video and Bea’s poignant retelling of her own personal story, it’s one of the most moving tracks you’re likely to come across in 2023.
Top Tracks: Jeremy Zucker – OK
The most common lie ever told is “I’m fine”. Barely a day goes by where we don’t say some words to that effect, but how often do we truly mean them. Sometimes it’s just easier to lie when someone asks how you’re doing than it is to burden them with all the stress or worry or pain that’s weighing you down. Sometimes it’s ourselves that we’re truly lying to – maybe if you just say you’re okay often enough, even when you’re not, it might be enough to make it so. When we’re at our lowest, most in need of help and yet most terrified to ask for it, somewhere deep down we long for someone to call our bluff. We long for someone to say “you’re not okay, not really, what’s wrong?”, but often everyone’s too busy keeping up their own façade to peer too closely at someone else’s. The new single from New Jersey born singer/songwriter Jeremy Zucker lovingly calls us on our bullshit, and offers the helping hand and comforting words that we’re too damn proud to ask for. Everyone’s struggling with something, and ‘OK’ as such strives to be a song for everyone. From its lush sun-drenched arrangement, to the solace that can be found in the empathetic and compassionate lyricism, here’s a radiant and heartfelt track I’d recommend to anyone going through a rough time to help keep the dark clouds at bay.
Top Tracks: Durry – Who’s Laughing Now
They say the only certain things in life are death and taxes, but I think our days are filled with much more certainty than that. Too much in fact. Waking up in the same suburb, driving the same route, to grind away at the same 9-5 job, and repeat ad infinitum. Adulthood is telling ourselves “just gotta make it through this week” every damn week until we’re old and grey. Surely any sane person would long for more? Surely it’s only natural to need some creative outlet to cling to as a means of escape, and to hope one day that passion will yield a way out of the stifling suburbs? According to some, apparently not; it’s not enough to push a rock uphill forever, you have to enjoy it. The new single from brother and sister duo Durry, taken from their forthcoming debut Suburban Legend out 8th September, looks at how hard it is to be a dreamer when any attempt to break the mould is met with derision. With its self-aware music video, earnest alt-rock and pop-punk sensibilities, and relatable lyricism, ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ began life as a cynical jab at the futility of it all, but took on new life as a hopeful battle cry against mundanity when the song’s demo went viral – living proof that persevering and following your passion can pay off.
Belwood Music 