indie underrated

“Robert Ascraft’s ‘Devil Opens The Door’ is gritty, dark, gloomy and groovy as if trying to pound open the gates of Hell...”

Robert Ascraft’s “Devil Opens The Door” is gritty, dark, gloomy and groovy as if trying to pound open the gates of Hell. Driven by an almost primal, thunderous caveman backbeat, and accented by gorgeously sparse, reverb drenched guitar lines, it evokes a likeness to Tom Waits’ “Murder In the Red Barn”. Featuring Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) the song maintains the same ominous ferocity one would associate with the aforementioned artists, and it is absolutely worth the listen. Ascroft delivers a vocal performance that embodies a heavy Waits/Cave influence, embellished with a dirty, overdriven vocal sound. The music video is a nod to vintage evangelical television, but brilliantly parallels the themes heard in the track itself. Two devil horns up on this one.

Fans of St. Vincent will dig the sounds of “Work Song”, the new release from Canadian artist Housewife. Starting with a catchy synthesizer riff, giving way to a wall of fuzzed out guitars and a beautifully executed drum part. Brighid Fry’s vocals sound delicate yet authoritative, with tantalizing lyrical irony like, “woke up, got scared, ghosted my therapist”. The song itself impressively maintains a driving-feel and doesn’t slack off. Released on Submarine Cat records, “Work Song” is one of those tunes that will pair nicely with a warm sunny day and wind in your hair. Turn it up.

I won’t lie to you folks, I sincerely enjoyed Monotronic’s new single “Buy Yourself A Dream” from beginning to end, and hope you will too. It’s catchy, poignant and provides a painstaking commentary into “the American dream” and the weight that our own ambitions hold within the greater context of the universe. An intimate acoustic guitar and vocal akin to Andrew Bird or America opens the track, with the band kicking in around 1:00 giving way to an almost Hozier-like vibe. Sing-a-long melodies masking heavy philosophy inherent in the lyrics…simply brilliant. The collaboration between the band and videographer never disappoints. As with other Monotronic releases, the accompanying music video retains a vintage styled format, yet does an impeccable job at conveying the feel and tone of the music. Often times reinforcing or changing your initial perception of what a song could be.

Digging the 90s alt-pop and the self-described “future classic rock” vibes found in “Table Tennis”, the latest from Brooklyn’s Moon Sand Land. A clean, warbly bass line that can surely be traced back to bands like Blur sets the tone for the rest of the track, complimented by an array of jangly guitars, piano accents and various electronic sounds. The musicianship is tasteful and well executed, while the vocals maintain a snarky delivery that sounds straight out of the Oasis playbook. Together it creates a sound that spans decades and across different genres, while shaping a modern sound that is uniquely their own. 

Listen to Robert Ascroft, Housewife, Monotronic, Moon Sand Land & many more over on our All New Indie Pop playlist on Spotify!