Indie pop
See: Victoria+Jean release new video for Divine Love
Victoria+Jean consist of, unsurprisingly Victoria and Jean. More surprising is that they happened upon each other, Victoria being from Stockholm, while Jean hails from Brussels, where the pair are based. They make this sort of wistful, brooding, almost dreamwave-y indie pop. Taken from their rather wonderful album of the same name, Divine Love displays all …
Album Review: The Crookes – Lucky Ones
Sheffield band The Crookes have returned with their fourth studio album, titled Lucky Ones, accompanied with a full UK tour this February and European and USA excursions not long after. Lucky Ones is a 10-track wonder which lets go of all the bitter anger of Soapbox and the blind hope of Hold Fast; it lands somewhere in …
Track: Tall Poppies – Cat Got Your Tongue
Cat got your tongue is the new single from London indie pop quartet Tall Poppies. The band, fronted by identical twins Susan and Catherine who also contribute bass and guitar, and joined by Diarmuid on Violin and Doug on drums, make this kind of wonky, almost Dexy’s like soul indie, at least judging from their …
Live Review: Big Scary – The Lexington, 8 December 2015 plus Gallery
After impressing audiences throughout Europe supporting Courtney Barnett, Big Scary brought their funky indie pop to The Lexington on the last of two debut headline shows in London. The Australian duo of Tom Iansek (vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Jo Syme (drums, vocals) are joined on stage by a bassist/saxophonist to reflect the layers of sound …
Track: Hey Sholay – Ribcage
Hey Sholay are a curious band, disappearing for months on end before returning with a song and show to remind us, with a gentle nudge and a peck on the cheek, that they’re still here. The mysterious five-piece have just released their second single of 2015, titled ‘Ribcage’, to accompany their one-off shows in London …
News: The Ocean Blue to reissue three Sire albums, share ‘lost’ song, City Traffic
Although their success was almost completely confined to their home country with a generous handful of US alternative chart placings, it was still well received when Hershay PA indie-poppers The Ocean Blue got back together in 2010, and moreso when they released Ultramarine in 2013, their first album for 14 years. Now they’ve raided their …
Live Review: Tuff Love – The Victoria Dalston, 12 November 2015
If the crowd’s reaction to Tuff Love’s fuzzy indie pop at this east London pub is anything to go by, they could shortly be the band name on everyone’s lips. A lot of music writers are talking about Tuff Love, and rightly so, but you may not have heard of them. You will soon. 2015 …
Obituary: Carey Lander – Paradoxically Modest and Truly Brilliant (1982 -2015)
Some musicians surprise fans by not knowing how to deal with appreciation and disarm reviewers by willing to absorb criticism of their music. Carey Lander, the keyboard player with Glaswegian indie pop band Camera Obscura from 2001 until her death in October 2015, did both. Erudite and demure offstage but ironically confident in projecting her …
Premiere: Stutter Steps release video for Fog
Stutter Steps, the Pittsburgh indie pop six piece outfit, are today premiering their debut video Fog right here on Backseat Mafia. Taken from their forthcoming self titled debut album, it features Dean Wareham from Galaxie 500/Luna on slide guitar. Singer/Guitarist Ben Harrison met the indie luminary through his job at the Warhol Museum, where he …
Track: The Legends – Up and Away
Perhaps more familiar for his other projects, Club 8 and Acid House Kings, Johan Angergård has reconvened his The Legends project, fairly easy as it turns out, because its only him, much to some people’s surprise. Their first album in six years is out now via revered Swedish indie pop label Labrador records, and this …