SINGLE REVIEWS 01/02/22

Published on 1 February 2022 at 21:40

Hello and welcome to the brand new OSM singles round up. We’re here again to sprinkle your week with the brightest gems from the indie music scene. As always we’ll start with our Single Of The Week and this week we’ve chosen the new one from Headshrinkers. The indie rock band have been accumulating praise from all corners of the music press - including OSM - since 2019 and this new one, named ‘Doorway Conversation’ is as incendiary as fans would expect. The song’s fast paced vocal sits atop thrashing instrumentation that thunders the track along. Despite being under 3 minutes long, ‘Doorway Conversation’ does and says a great deal.

Next is the new tune from the indie pop outfit, Jody & The Jerms. The sextet have been making impressions on the indie scene since their formation in 2019 and their new track, ‘Heavenly’ builds on their growing profile. Its jangly guitars are reminiscent of The Stone Roses, but with a distinctive bite, while the lyricism gives the track a kind of restlessness that adds to the tune’s listenability.

Next up this week is the new one Cures and Curses, the nome de plume of Aaron Akpojaro. His new tune, ‘Tides’, showcases the solo artist’s ability to occupy the space between genres. It’s like Nothing But Thieves meets The Neighbourhood meets The Weeknd and marks a true step forward for the singer. It’s exciting to see such originality springing from the indie scene and equally exciting to have Cures and Curses on our radar.

Following on and we have a band who’ve caught the attention of OSM before. It’s The New Twentys with their brand new single, ‘Hearts In The Right Place’. According to the London based duo, the tune - which features a pop-punk, slogan-orientated sound - is about showing the cynics the middle finger. A sentiment we can all get behind.

Next we’ve got the new one from The Blams. The London-based trio have previously captured attention with their post-punk and grunge sound. Their latest offering, however, marks a departure from the band’s typical sound. The track, named ‘Storms’, centers around the concept of love-gone-ugly. It features moody lyricism with grungy instrumentation that leaves the track evoking a The Smashing Pumpkins tune.

This next tune marks quite the departure from the current vibe on this week’s list and it is the new track from Bait. Despite staring down pandemic-related hardship, their new tune, ‘Drama Drama Drama Drama’ sees the band spreading their industrial sound’s proverbial wings. It’s as heavy as anything you’re likely to hear this side of Download Festival, featuring angry lyrics and instrumentation drenched in tangible rage.

Back onto indie rock now and it comes from another band OSM have previously championed. It’s the latest offering from the Manchester based band, The Haciendas. Their new tune, ‘Passion Fever’ features a heavy, meteoric sound which puts the trio right in the middle of where they left off. It’s out today and has already received support from local radio and we couldn’t wait to tell you about it.

Kev (editor) - I just wanted to mention another great release this week from Sheffield-based band Matilda Shakes. The extremely catchy “Shakedown” starts with thumping drums and teasing feedback before launching into a true rock n roll number. The band have sold out shows in their native Sheffield and are well on the way to redefining the modern rock sound.