today’s indie picks move through cinematic guitar pop, folk-rock memory, melodic indie rock and classic-hearted collaboration. across the four tracks, there is a strong sense of songs being built from lived-in details, warm textures and direct feeling.
lovers in reverse – emerald park
emerald park turns soft-focus indie pop into a widescreen indie summer stunner
the fantastically titled ‘lovers in reverse‘ drifts in gently, building the most careful and wistful indie pop with textured guitars and slow-burning atmosphere. there’s a lovely cinematic sense of space in this, giving me all the warm and reflective feels. it’s produced like an absolute dream, built around a malmö love story that sits somewhere between arrival and collapse. i know the feeling.
emerald park is the project of malmö songwriter tobias borelius, returning here with the lead single from a forthcoming album. the release reworks earlier swedish-language material for a wider audience, keeping its emotional centre while opening the sound out. this has a huge amount of appeal, and ought to do very well. let’s hope tobias has some more as good as this up his sleeve, because this is a really, really beautiful track. essential stuff.
thank u for making this emerald park 🌿
lonesome road – the tragics
the tragics shape old memories into a compellingly digital indie-folk stunner
lonesome road has a lovely blend of quite unexpected instruments, a sort of distorted drum machine, washed out retro synth textures and a harmonica. the folk-esque vocal is near spoken, and a compelling addition to the mix. the thing is though, it all works together. it’s got a kind of lonely folk-rock pull, feeling intimate, weathered and unique. i could listen to a whole album of this stuff, and i very much hope there’s one on the way.
the tragics is the project of belfast songwriter and home producer shay doherty. rebuilt from a demo vocal recorded more than a decade ago, this release turns memory, distance and imperfection into part of the song’s identity, following two damaged characters through a moment of shared loneliness. a brilliant single, the tragics have got themselves a new fan.
thank u for making this the tragics 🛣️
quite some feelin’ – planG
planG wonderfully captures the glow of a friday night gig with a whole lot of melodic indie-rock charm
quite some feelin’ opens out as an upbeat melodic rock song, led by bright guitar riffs, acoustic warmth and a strong, direct vocal appraoch. this song really, really manages to paint a picture of a gig in your hometown, the spark, the community and the vibe. it’s a lovely feeling, direct and easy to hold onto. also, the boy/girl vocals are great, the production is good, but it’s the narrative which makes this one really standout.
planG is the project of padraic lang from midleton, ireland, recorded in cork with george micansky and vocalist sam guisinger. once a simple acoustic song, this release has grown into a full studio arrangement shaped by patience, collaboration and a love of rich melodic detail. it’s a great track, and i hope planG have a got of bunch more coming this year. we’d absolutely love to see them live too.
thank u for making this planG 🎸
close to me – the pinewell
the pinewell introduce themselves with honest, heartfelt rock energy and bags of chemistry
close to me lands with a whole lot of classic rock spirit, driven by bold songwriting, guitar-led energy and an emotional sense of reach. this is one of the best vocals we’ve heard in the last few months, and it’s direct to the heart, bringing a direct, earnest feel. best of all, it manages to balance a certain polish with loads and loads of heart.
the pinewell brings together valencia songwriter emilio pinedo and bournemouth musician chris attwell. recorded in valencia, this debut marks the start of their spanish-british collaboration and carries extra weight as pinedo’s first recording, turning a long-held personal dream into a shared musical statement. we’re very glad these two have linked up, because the results are brilliant. let’s hope they’ve got more coming.
thank u for making this the pinewell 🙌
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