indie underrated

“True to the nature of a rolling man, the song slowly picks up speed like a freight train and drops you off at your destination of musical discovery.”

The husband and wife duo of South Africa-born Jean-Philip Grobler and Germany-born Patti Beranek, also known as St. Lucia, have released an absolute banger of a tune called “Rolling Man” from their upcoming fifth studio release. Uniquely spinning country and blues with synth pop and R&B, it features a driving train beat, cosmic droning guitars, and ethereal vocals. True to the nature of a rolling man, the song slowly picks up speed like a freight train and drops you off at your destination of musical discovery.

Keeping with the theme of family-led musical duos, “Bones” is the latest release from Mak Ro, the collaboration of cousins Eric Makapugay and Kristoffer Ruaro. Based out of Nashville, TN the duo formed as a result of an impromptu guitar riff played during a jam session. The two quickly realized their natural connection and shared love of R&B, rock and pop styles and created a mechanism to fuse all of their influences. “Bones” is a heavily R&B influenced track, as demonstrated by the sparse and delicate classical guitar, dreamy falsetto vocals and a simple, yet highly effective backbeat. 

It’s hard to contest that “listening to Heywood Rex is like stepping into your grandparents’ basement”, aside from the mildew scent and Werther’s Original wrappers, “Sertraline” is chock full of vintage vibes. Re-purposed for more contemporary flavor, it’s both psychedelic and funky, evoking the stylings of Beck and ELO. Catchy melodies along with the tried and true hipster shuffle beat is a winning combination. Dig the accompanying music video, which displays a perfect exhibition of the glitchy, cosmic, and retro ethos comically sprinkled throughout the tune. 

Listen to St. Lucia, Mak Ro, Heywood Rex & more on our All New Indie Pop playlist on Spotify!