Drahla - Silk Spirit

It's a bit Sonic Youth and a bit Savages with aggressive brooding guitars and big bad bass lines to boot. Drahla (from Leeds) with their post-punk power track 'Silk Spirit' released on their debut EP 'Third Article' in 2017.
 

Roy Irwin - Infinity Mirror

Does it get any more alt-Kiwi than this? Blissed-out, dreamy, jangle-pop complete with DIY video (obligatory footage from kitchen, car park and camera on the dash). All from Roy Irwin and his 2017 album 'King of Pop'. One for all you introspectives out there. 

 

Les Reines Prochaines - Wicked Game

Beautiful but just a touch insane and all the better for it - Les Reines Prochaines, an all-women multilingual band from Switzerland, covering Chris Isaak's Wicked Game, 1995.

Helium - XXX

Classically trained nerd musician trys her hand at alt pop/rock and becomes lead singer, song-writer and guitarist of Boston (US) band Helium. That's Mary Timony for you. XXX was from Helium's debut EP 'Pirate Prude' released in 1994. Ethereal vocals layer perfectly with the college garage-sound typical of the time. 

Olympia - Smoke Signals

Harmonic, evocative, atmospheric, vocal-led indie pop your thing? You might just want to check out Melbourne based singer-songwriter Olivia Bartley (Olympia). The single 'Smoke Signals', inspired by a Japanese reality TV show of all things was from her debut album 'Self Talk' released in 2016. And such a retro video - loving those 70s effects. 

The Sound - Winning

So much great post punk music in the very early 80s - London band The Sound flew under the radar - lauded by critics but never hitting the heights of real commercial success. With a dark, brooding and introspective focus to their music, lead singer Adrian Borland's haunting, philosophical and at times tortured lyrics showed him sadly to be a man on the edge. The track 'Winning' an ironic take on life.
 

Sunscreen - Voices

It's all very fresh alt pop guitar stuff from Sydney band Sunscreen with 'Voices' a lovely summer-time tune for the play list. Bonus points for a fun inspired vibe on the video - complete with some seriously daggy-style dancing.  

Fazerdaze - Lucky Girl

Amelia Murray is the latest addition to the Flying Nun Records stable - providing sunny, happy melodic kiwi alt-pop in the guise of Fazerdaze. Released in 2017, the single 'Lucky Girl' appears initially far removed from the label's celebrated 80's post-punk 'Dunedin Sound'. But times change and the essence of that era's jangly, lo-fi, melodic guitar pop remain in this single - and that is a very good thing indeed.

Pist Idiots - Fuck Off

Sydney bogan alt rock? Not quite - so much more to these guys than meets the eye with their also excellent track 99 Bottles showcasing just what they're capable of...near seasoned levels of musical talent and self-expression even if a bit raw and shouty.  

Throwing Muses - Surf Cowboy

It's a melancholic and lyrically sparse Kirsten Hersch in 'Surf Cowboy' with a dash of haunting 'country style' guitar thrown in for good measure. Certainly not the typical alt indie tunage from the Muses and post Tanya Donnelly by this point. From the 1995 album University.

Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again

Gloriously trippy, psychedelic, rambling and maybe just a bit self-indulgent, this is a 2015 single from Australian band 'Pond'. Strap yourself in for the full 8 minutes and prepare to be entertained and taken on a visual and musical journey of wigged-out but totally tuneful weirdness.

Jack River - Fool's Gold

All that glitters isn't necessarily gold....so says Jack River in a bittersweet alt-pop track that brings to the fore the hope and ultimate joylessness of forever chasing for the next shiny thing. A surprisingly upbeat and tuneful song that belies the subject matter.

 

Adrian Borland - Love will tear us apart

Such a sad and bleak ending for Adrian Borland, frontman of the underrated post-punk/new wave band 'The Sound'. You can almost hear the battle and pain within, in this truly original take of a Joy Division classic.

Grand Duchy - A Strange Day

There's a claim by some that Dinosaur Jnr.'s attempt at 'Just like Heaven' rates top-of-the-pack as best Cure cover ever. And look it is a pretty decent effort and one I wouldn't have argued strongly against - until I came across Grand Duchy's redo of 'A Strange Day'. Vocals led-out hauntingly by Violet Clark sit perfectly alongside a synth laced production that is simply better than the original.

Sleeper - Inbetweener

Lofi indie Brit-pop, great melodies and a cracking female vocalist - what's not to like? Sleeper have always seemed a bit underrated but did manage a number of top forty UK hits during the mid to late 1990s. Most well known, probably their single 'Sale of the Century' but 'Inbetweener' is really the ear-worm track of choice, slipping and wriggling its way into your subconscious. Fronted by singer songwriter Louise Wenerwho, the band cited the Pixies as a major influence but operated at a far less noisy level.