Alternative Album Chart: the best new indie and alternative albums this week
It’s a familiar story that acts of cultural value often take a while to resonate fully. Whether it be R.E.M., Radiohead, or Idles, there have been numerous instances of a band biding their time and refining their sound while they wait for the world to catch up with them. It appears that this reality could well materialise for Fräulein, a duo already so accomplished and deserving of greater prominence before they released their new effort, which will undoubtedly push them to new heights.
Although they only burst onto the scene in 2021, when the world was still deep amid the pandemic, the group, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Joni Samuel and drummer Karsten van der Tol, have continued to mess with the rock formula, making good on the loose expressionism that PJ Harvey first brought forth in the early 1990s. In a show of their nouse, they blend this specific sound with an array of compelling ingredients to full effect.
On their mini-album, Sink or Swim, Fräulein emphatically demonstrates the extent of their arsenal and makes us excited about what the future may hold. It’s not very often in the contemporary era—where nothing’s shocking—that a group can provide so many welcome surprises without sounding contrived.
Fräulein is not the only one to blow us away this week. Legendary art-rock innovator John Cale provides another show of his sheer brilliance with POPtical Illusion; Amber Strawbridge delivers a masterclass in songwriting with Show and Tell; and Cola, the trio comprised of former Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy, continues distilling their cinematic sound with the fittingly named second effort, The Gloss.
Find this week’s Alternative Album Chart below.
The best new indie and alternative albums this week:
Sink Or Swim – Fräulein – 4.5
Fräulein deserve more hype. When they first launched themselves into the music scene in 2021, the seed of incredible potential was already there. With each new track, it grew and grew as the duo proved themselves to be one of the tightest yet most dynamic new acts around. And now, with the release of their mini-album Sink Or Swim, they emerge as a fearsome outfit, balancing plain and simple rock power with bold experimentation and perfected polish.
From start to finish, Sink Or Swim is a considered project where obvious thought has gone into how these tracks would be translated onto tape and how the interludes would help service them. But as that effort is balanced with sheer passion and fun, merging their own unique code of influences and backgrounds but blocking out any noise beyond that, it’s a project that isn’t overthought or overdone but remains obviously impactful. [Words: Lucy Harbron]
POPtical Illusion – John Cale – 4
You may have heard the proverb, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Over the past couple of years, John Cale has disproved this claim with resounding triumph in the avant-pop vein. This artful yet endlessly appealing enclave of the musical meadow had hosted the Welsh multi-instrumentalist in his solo work since the early 1970s, but he’s certainly no stick in the mud.
Cale sets the trends and beckons those left in his wake. In 2023, he returned with Mercy, his first album since 2016, which brimmed with fruitful collaboration. Completing a harmonious circle of inspiration, Cale teamed up with some of his favourite contemporary artists, including Fat White Family, Weyes Blood and Sylvan Esso.
In his new offering, POPtical Illusion, Cale sheds the collaborations somewhat, composing all tracks alone in productional cooperation with Nita Scott. Mercy was, for me, among the finest albums of 2023, so when I say that this new album falls just below a high watermark, that is a trifling criticism. Both albums exhibit innovative avant-popreceptive to contemporary trends. However, thanks to its wealth of external input, Mercy was a more eclectic product overall.
Where the aptly titled POPtical Illusion lacks in eclecticism, it gains in coherent personality. Lyrically, Cale explores characteristically macabre and anguished themes; haunting echo effects give his timeless vocal sonorous stature. Meanwhile, the album prospers from discerning productional finesse and an ingenious weave of classical and contemporary textures. [Words: Jordan Potter]
Show and Tell – Bored at My Grandma’s House – 4
It’s not enough to be good at music. Sure, that’s a part of it. But in order to make a good album, it’s not just about being able to write a good song or play an instrument well. It’s about having the awareness to structure a record so that it doesn’t sound repetitive and not allow songs to overlap and contort into one another because of their similarities. Doing this while keeping a constant tone throughout an album is incredibly difficult, but we see Amber Strawbridge, AKA Bored At My Grandma’s House, deliver a masterclass in her new long player, Show & Tell.
The album is a beautiful piece of music that deals with a variety of different topics. All the tools are there for it to begin to sound repetitive, but Strawbridge has the ability to pace the album in a way that tracks are easy to distinguish from one another despite consistent cohesiveness throughout. This can be through synths being added, the removal of drums or her ability to word choruses so that they remain entirely separate from one another.
Strawbridge is a master at work throughout her new album, and it’s a treat to listen to from start to finish. [Words: Dale Maplethorpe]
The Gloss – Cola – 4
Being in a widely influential band can make it challenging for members to break the mould in future projects, with them considered inextricable from a particular sound and aesthetic. Yet in Cola, former Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy continue to assert their aptitude and push their take on the post-punk formula forward, with drummer Evan Cartwright bolstering the charge. This week, the trio released their second album, The Gloss, which sees them move further away from the image of the defunct ‘Men for Miles’ outfit.
Building on the foundations that their 2022 debut Deep in View laid, The Gloss is a deeply autumnal collection of ten vignettes, despite arriving on the verge of summer. Darcy’s unique delivery remains and is bolstered by a dynamic, shifting musical backdrop, with Stidworthy once again asserting why he is an underrated purveyor of cogent basslines. Furthermore, Cartwright provides a host of jazzy, expressionist rhythms to support him and keep the engine pulsing through the series of environments it traverses. With keys and other consistencies also contributing to the cinematic feel, the menagerie of melodic surprises, off-kilter cacophonies, and intriguing lyrical tales create an album that begs to be revisited.
Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits – Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs – 4
Rock and roll is never going to run short on nostalgia acts. As long as there are still artists willing to put in the work and make music that they know their fans will love, people will always show up to concerts to sing the same boring old songs that everyone has heard before. Mike Campbell may have already found that perfect sweet spot for his sound working with Tom Petty, but his latest record is a classic example of twisting heartland rock until it starts sounding new again.
With the help of other rock veterans and some token appearances by a few Heartbreakers, Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits is precisely the kind of record that most artists of Campbell’s calibre wish they could be making. He had already been responsible for classic licks in the Heartbreakers, but Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs have put together a collection that feels like the middle ground between later-period Stones and the chiming sounds of the Eagles.
While this feels like it should be the ultimate rock experience that many a dad would eat up, that doesn’t mean that it can’t branch out, either. There are definitely a lot of slow-burners on the record, but there is still the occasional potboiler that tends to give even the greatest rock acts of right now a run for their money. [Words: Tim Coffman]
Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain – Raveena – 3.5
Where do butterflies go when it rains? According to Google, the delicate creatures take refuge under leaves or amid blades of grass; they bury themselves in the nooks and crannies of trees and rocks as they wait for the downpour to subside. Raveena borrows from this practice on her third album, which finds her taking solace in rest, in return to nature and to her roots.
Luckily for us, those roots are wide-spanning. Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain acts as a melting pot for Raveena’s many sonic influences, from lush, 1970s-inspired soundscapes to bending sarods to smooth contemporary R&B. But despite her sweeping stylistic inspirations, Raveena’s amalgamated sound never feels disjointed or jarring, nor does it ever approach derivative.
As Raveena blends influences from throughout her career and life, she also focuses on balancing them. More nostalgic soundscapes are matched up with her tales of her teen years, while traditional instruments call back to her childhood on the standout track ‘Kid’. A feature from JPEGMAFIA and glimpses at grooves bring more sensual tracks into the contemporary. Even her polished production is offset by giggles and outtakes from the studio. [Words: Elle Palmer]
Dedicated To – Veps – 3
Formed when the band members were just 14 years old, Veps have spent the past six years carving out a sound and space for themselves in the industry that most teenagers can only dream of. This is evidently down to hard work, with Veps already sitting on two studio albums – their latest being the compact Dedicated To.
At 36 minutes long and made up of 11 songs, the album is an accessible collection of indie/pop/rock hybrids, drawing on 1990s alternative and 2010s indie pop rock, clearly blending the era they grew up in with the musically illustrious decade that came before them. There’s a DIY sensibility at play here, with the guitars often sounding a little fuzzy. That’s not to say the album sounds rough around the edges; there’s obvious technical proficiency present, and the vocals are all performed with impressive strength and power.
However, the record falls flat in delivering the band’s full potential, often failing to do enough with the skills they clearly possess. Everything is kept rather safe, with several songs blending into each other, with only a few emerging as true standouts. This isn’t a bad album by any means, but it’s not the most memorable. Sometimes, the riffs and choruses get a little repetitive, although there are many lovely melodies to be found.
The Warping – Walt Disco – 3
Camp is usually a word used to describe something that effortlessly lacks taste or value but does so deliberately—poor taste becoming a stylised aesthetic is one of the most interesting phenomena, and when executed well, it can be extraordinary. For their new album, Walt Disco leans into all the reasons they became popular in the first place, flaunting their flamboyance with an ample essence of campness, music adeptness, and shimmering appeal.
From the moment the first notes begin to tiptoe into whichever room you find yourself sitting in, it’s a promise of flashing lights, glittery adventurism, and extroverted viscera. David Bowie may be a notable influence the moment the voice leaks out of the speaker, but the party that ensues is nothing short of a sonic explosion of theatrical tactics, gothic aesthetics, and glamourous presentation. For those so inclined, this is a display incomparable to anything else.
But it’s also slightly uncomfortable for those who aren’t—almost too much like the pivotal moment during a villainous Disney arc. Almost everything throughout The Warping can be appreciated and admired, but not everything is as enjoyable, which is unfortunate considering the fact that this is a band that’s so easy to envision making it to the big time. [Words: Kelly Scanlon]
Make It Up – Feet – 1.5
We all remember the 2010s, don’t we? Those heady days, pre-Covid, pre-Brexit, where everything seemed a little less complicated. Some of you might go as far as to yearn for that time again, but for Coventry indie rockers Feet, the 2010s never ended. The band first got together in 2016 and started making a name for themselves with their Britpop revivalist indie. Now, eight long years later, the group seem to have forgone any desire to build upon or develop their sound in the slightest. Their latest effort, Make It Up, is virtually indistinguishable from any of their previous efforts.
There is nothing particularly offensive about Make It Up; the production by Andy Savours is decent, and the basslines and guitar tones are commendable at points, but, on the whole, the record is so painfully bland and lacking in variety that it becomes a chore to listen to. An album should be a series of differing emotions, themes and sounds, but Make It Up is akin to a flat line of monotony. There is nothing to be gained here, least of all by Feet themselves. Creating an album that sounds virtually the same as their previous work begs the question: how much longer the band can sustain itself? [Words: Ben Forrest]
Reissue – Julian Cope – World Shut Your Mouth – 4
In the summer of 1977, three promising young musicians formed a punk band in Liverpool named Crucial Three. The band lasted only six weeks before dissolution but remains a towering figure in the city’s rich musical history. This is because, true to the name, the three members proved crucial creatives in subsequent bands: frontman Ian McCulloch formed Echo and the Bunnymen, guitarist Pete Wylie formed Wah! And Julian Cope formed The Teardrop Explodes.
Of the Crucial Three, McCulloch achieved the most commercial attention thanks to a prolific run throughout the 1980s. However, the Cult of Cope is not to be underestimated. With The Teardrop Explodes, Cope soared to national fame as an eccentric, LSD-addled dynamo behind the enduring 1980 debut album Kilimanjaro. The band only lasted two more years, during which lineup shuffles, drug abuse and poor commercial reception for Wilder hammered three nails into a coffin.
When Cope released his two solo masterpiece albums, Peggy Suicide and Jehovahkill, in the early 1990s, he was in the form of his career. Still, a decade of peripheral activity meant these records failed to reach the global masses as they should. At least the critics had their heads screwed on, for the most part.
These 1990s triumphs often serve as gateways to Cope’s immersive catalogue for the young listener, and for good reason. Next, I would direct the newcomer to the artist’s early solo work on World Shut Your Mouth and Fried, two underappreciated masterpieces. Both albums turn 40 years old this year, and in celebration, Cope has announced a round of reissues.
Cope’s debut solo album, World Shut Your Mouth, mainly followed in the neo-psychedelic footsteps of The Teardrop Explodes’ latter material. The eccentric energy remained, but as he embarked on this new chapter, Cope was a touch more introspective in his concepts and compositionally avant-garde.
Julian Cope will reissue World Shut Your Mouth on 180g black vinyl on Friday, June 14th. A reissue for Fried is also scheduled for July 12th. You can view purchase options here. [Words: Jordan Potter]
