The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - The Sugarmen

The Sugarmen’s Dirt (April’15) is a stock standard English guitar jangle indie. It’s not a banger but the lead guitar has some bite and elevates the tune above the mediocre. To find out it was their debut single and produced by the godfather of punk Mick Jones (The Clash, B.A.D) in Paul Weller’s (The Jam) studio was a sign this band were interesting . This is one of those tunes you find yourself checking the artist name again. So not that memorable perhaps but still a shiner.

A song about making your own destiny it's two and a half minutes of ‘let’s get it done’ English indie pop. It’s pretty catchy. The first single from a band who have made famous friends and garnered quick acclaim. Give it a listen. It might be one of the best indie songs of 2015.

 

“Selfish acts are committed,
Even by the omnipotent and wise”



 

Dirt is the debut single from a shiny new Liverpool band started in 2013.

Shit you need to know:

This site thought the “...new single Dirt ( is a ) a major statement of arena-sized intent."

Louder Than War reviewed one of their gigs and thought The Sugarmen played “....a blistering set of upbeat, guitar lead, power pop.”

This chap was minded of The Jam and The Clash listening to them. Really?

Others measured their value by way of “...Orangejuice to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club by way of Grandaddy and a generous sprinkling of Velvet Underground and The Clash”.

The Sugarmen's influences are The Clash, The Velvet Underground, Orange Juice, Bob Dylan, Rodriguez, BRMC, New Order, T REX, B.A.D, Gang Of Four.

The Sugarmen got big fast. This year they have performed fluffer duties for Paul Weller, The Who, The Specials and Blur.

Mick Jones recorded 10 tracks with the band instead of the one the band were expecting.

The band tear it up in their cover of Should I Stay Or Should I Go? with Mick Jones.

The double dip is Clash related. These legends also ripped shit up with their cover of Should I Stay Or Should I Go. These are the alternative rock legends Living Colour and their best barnstormer Cult Of Personality (1988).

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - To Kill A King

Love Is Not Control (Jan’15) is an indie rock song that starts with a light weight groove and sounding like Bahamas. The guitar gets a few flicks in the verses and builds up in the hypnotic choruses. There are a few changes of pace, in particular an intense breakdown, but all told the repetitive singing is the bump of this song.

 

 

Love Is Not Control is a no frills chippy indie rock tune with a take home message about the nature of love. The verses pop like an elderly nuns cherry and the chorus bites like pubic crabs and so it passes muster as one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“You tripped her in, you clipped her wings
Forced her sing and the gage that brings
No love, no joy, no can, no soul”

Love Is Not Control is the first single off their second self-titled album To Kill A King (March’15). The English indie rock band came kicking and screaming into the world in 2010 and call Leeds and London home.

Shit you need to know:

The new long player was recorded with Mark Crew, famous for doing the hard yards with Bastille and Rag’n’Bone Man.
 

The bands aim in recording the new album was to create something,“…more optimistic and life-affirming”.

Gig Slutz discussing the album threw around words like “anthemic indie”, “the passion shines through,” and called it “stadium ready”.

The Guardian called the new album To Kill A King, “instantly, insanely catchy, with feverish rhythms and call-and-response routines.” They also mentioned it didn’t reinvent the wheel.

To Kill A King have been described as similar to The National, Grizzly Bear and Frightened Rabbit. Or a blend of the Black Keys and Fleet Foxes.
The band are bossom buddies with Dan Smith lead singer of Bastille and you can find tunes they play together and a Batille remix of one of their tunes Bloody Shirt.

One of the band members, Josh Taffel,  had a hard night on the piss with a couple of oil workers in Texas and ended up with a tattoo of Texas on his back.

More murderous tracks from To Kill A King are Compare Scars and Cold Skin.
 

Poking a hole in the smoke is left to the English lads Bastille and their worldwide indie pop hit Pompeii (2013).

 

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - The Charlatans

The Charlatan’s Come Home Baby (Dec’14) starts out all big bass and drums with the guitar as able assistant. But the soft emotive voice of Tim Burgess really carries Come Home Baby to the promised land. Come Home Baby creates a moody movie soundtrack moment, something chill and existential. Come Home Baby won't make you scream like a girly boy, run out and bend over for The Charlatans. But it is very good.
 

The chorus comes on a little stronger, the tempo lifts and the song ends with a choir in support in a celebratory mood. Nice. A song celebrating love and it's rehabilitation, a cool tune for relaxing moments, Come Home Baby is one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“We are working it through,

Solution for you and for me,

Nothing between what will be”

The Charlatans are an English indie rock band started in 1988 from a very small town Northwich, in Cheshire. Come Home Baby is the third single off their twelfth, you read that correctly same as the months in the year, album Modern Nature (Jan’15).

Shit you need to know:

People have said Come Home Baby has a, “…soul groove, a hint of bouncing disco rhythm” and a “…big, bright sing-a-long chorus of joyous vocals backed with soaring harmonies.”

Modern Nature was produced by the band and Jim Spencer, famous for working with Oasis, New Order, The Cribs and The Vaccines.

The Charlatans got three drummers in to replace the one who died of a brain tumour. One from New Order, one from the Verve and one from Factory Floor.

 

The Guardian reviewer thought Modern Nature best album of The Charlatans' career saying they “…come good on their upbeat promise.”

 

Clash magazine were more circumspect saying Modern Nature was a step forward in the evolution of the band and that it has seventies disco and gospel influences. The band have said they wanted to make a more soulful record.

 

The singer has mentioned Shaun Ryder of The Happy Mondays as a huge influence as well as The Stone Roses, Iggy Pop, Ian Curtis and Mick Jagger. Apparently the band pitch a tent to Bob Dylan too.

 

The Charlatans will probably be forever synonymous with The Stone Roses, but also other Brit Pop bands of the early nineties like The Inspiral Carpets, Ride and The Wonder Stuff.

 

The Charlatans supported The Who and The Rolling Stones in big ass stadium concerts in 2007.

 

The Charlatans’singer, and barber dodger, quite liked his drugs. At one time he moved in with his drug dealer and had a habit of asking people to blow cocaine up his shit box.

 

The Charlatans tunes to make you a believer are The Only One I Know, So Oh, How High and One To Another.

 

Sloppy seconds is a little bit more of the Manchester sound and the indie rock band Wonder Stuff with their only UK number one Dizzy (1991). A fun bubbly pop number.

“The first time that I saw you girl

I knew that I just had to make you mine”

 

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - High Tyde

High Tyde’s Talk To Frank (Jan’15) opens with a hint of menace belied by the finger snaps and pop soul sound. It’s the set up for a tight bass and percussion driven indie rock chorus with gravelly vocals that bring some big swinging ones to the task. Talk To Frank has bounce.

 

 

A quintessentially English song with a variety of flavours from contemporary English pop, perhaps a dash of The 1975 in particular, that's all about seizing the moment and anything else. Talk To Frank is one of the best indie songs of 2015 signed, sealed and delivered, chapter and verse.

“Honey won't be long till you singing my song
Right here, right now
Why don't you go out loud?”

 

Talk To Frank is the second single off the short player Fuzz (March’15) from a talented young four piece rolling out of Brighton, England. High Tyde have been making music together since they were thirteen years old and have four short players to their roll of honour.

Shit you need to know:

High Tyde are named after a lyric in Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds song, The Death of You and Me.

The likely lads have mentioned some love for Jimi Hendrix, the Stones, Kasabian, Kendrick Lamar and Disclosure.

High Tyde released a covers E.P. with a taint crushing version of the Police’s Message In A Bottle  and a guitar solo the Police could only have wished for.

They have described their music as a bit of everything while others have thrown around adjectives like “gritty” and “shockingly young.”

High Tyde have been touring the UK with Little Comets and Peace.

High Tyde have said that if the band had a motto it would be “Fuck it, we’ve got beers, it’ll be fine.”

Some other ball busting tracks from them are Mustang Japan and Get Up Tonight.

 

Hollywood auditions goes to a band High Tyde have been playing support for, English indie rock geniuses Little Comets.

Music with a conscience and a heartfelt jibe at modern politics with gentle minders of Billy Bragg here is A Coalition Of One (2014).

“Someone better offer me their salient thoughts
On a welfare state denied
Someone better smother me in disregard
So I’ll make it through the night”

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Kassassin Street

Kassassin Street's Centre Street Atom (Nov’14) gives it straight up and hard. Hard as an endoscopy performed with a brick labourer's fist and a hand held camera. The chorus takes off like a jet fighter and vitriol drips from the vocals. That said the tune has its nuances, pauses to take a breath between dogfights. To wit the synth intro, the lead guitar in the chorus, the drum and synth breakdown before the bridge and the Filter-esque lyric, “Say hey man, watch out”. Centre Street Atom is a multi-faceted beast. 

Centre Street Atom springs out of the traps with synths and a dance vibe but doesn’t linger on it and it’s into that wicked chorus where the guitars give it a good lashing, reminding of Vision Thing era Sisters of Mercy or the driving intensity of Billy Duffy and The Cult. Kassassin Street have bought the bollocks to a song that condemns right wing politics, challenges society to embrace change and condemns bigotry and ignorance. In word and tune Centre Straight Atom is a fucking hard charger and undoubtedly one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are,
I don’t know whatcha fighting for”

Centre Straight Atom is the second single from the psychedelic five piece who sail out of Portsmouth, England. The shiny new song is To Be Young (March’15) and no slouch neither, but Centre Straight Atom is the belter.

Shit you need to know:

Centre Straight Atom was described by this reviewer as having vocals that create a “psychedelic melody” and being, of course,“anthemic”.

Kassassin Street are a band that, according to this dude, are “oozing funk sensibilities”.

Kassassin Street worked with Dan Grech, producer and engineer of bands like Radiohead, The Vaccines and The Kooks on To Be Young.

Kassassin Street also got on the job with producer Tristan Ivemy (Frank Turner, The Holloways) for Centre Straight Atom.

The best Kassassin Street songs are To Be Young and The Royal Handkerchief Ballet.

The double dip is from English rockers Sisters of Mercy and Vision Thing (1990).

The title track from an album that was itself an angry attack on the right wing politics of the George Bush administration.

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Theo Verney

Hell yes! Theo Verney’s Mountain Rose (Feb'15) is one of the best indie songs of 2015. A drumstick count in propels the song straight into a dirty little low key groove that the tune choogles along on. Verney’s voice on this track is a ringer for Ian Brown and the song sure as shit has a Stone Rosey feel to it. No it’s not just the fucking title.

The guitars give it the juice in the chorus but the vocals remain soaring above lending the tune an expansive, timeless and epic quality. There's a bit of fun and bounce in the verses, more rock than shoe gaze, more Stonesy than Rosey. Not a tune to inspire instant devotion perhaps but like an STD it grows fast on you, is fun to get and hard to get rid of.

Theo Verney is a one man band in the studio and a hard rocking three piece on stage. They come smoking out of Brighton, England. Theo has been on the job since 2013. Mountain Rose is from his third short player Brain Disease (May'15).

Shit you need to know:

Theo Verney pitches a tent for DIY. All the instruments were recorded by himself and he produces his own tracks.

Get's his kicks from 70's rock like Frank Zappa, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

Theo Verney also admitted having a chubby for Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix and The Black Lips.

Theo Verney has been compared to Ty Segall.

Theo Verney supported Two Gallants in London last month.

Wake Me Softly is a fucking goodie and so is Heavy Sunn.

 
Double trouble today comes from Australian rock band Kingswood and their stone cold classic Ohio (2013).

“She was standing at the show
Why? I guess I'll never know
Should I stay or should I go?”

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Peace

This is a king hit and with their biggest UK tour just announced Peace are on fire. I’m A Girl (Jan’15) is a definitive track of 2015, straight off the bat. The band, with a gleam in their eye, have charged out of the crease and hit it straight over the bowlers head for six. Something England’s team can't seem to do.

 

 

I’m A Girl is a song with something to say against violence, “Do you feel like a man cos you got blood on your hands? If we're living in a mans world, I'm a girl,” and possibly gender roles. I’m A Girl rocks as hard as a Palestinian street protest.

 

 

 

Getting jiggy since 2009, this indie rock band bound out of Birmingham, England. This is their third entrée from the second big player Happy People(Feb’15).

Shit you didn't need to know:

The band have described their music as " dark, melodic indie techno".

Producers of the album Happy People are Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Adele) and Duncan Mills (Catfish and the Bottlemen, Jake Bugg, The Vaccines).

The band motto is, "Music to grind, roll & smoke. Music to fuck you in the heart".

The band have been compared to Foals and mention influences like David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Kula Shaker.

The best Peace songs are the very groovy World Pleasure, Lost On Me and Follow Baby.

Here is a fucking fire cracker from the Welsh indie rock band Feeder and their best head banger, the cosmic wonder that is Buck Rogers (2001).

Hold on to your knickers Wilma things are about to get hairy.

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - The Bohicas

More rock than dance and more alternative than indie, but apparently preferring to eschew genre labels, The Bohicas To Die For (Jan’15) lives up to its name.

A track with a laid back glam groove, this rocker hits the back of the net and you’re going home in a London ambulance. It’s dynamite release the socks and grab your cocks rock’n’roll.

 



This is just the third single from a band that are in many peoples headlights this year… “To Die For is a swaggering stomp of a song… channelling Marc Bolan, Led Zeppelin and Arctic Monkeys to riveting effect.” (Sunday Times) 

Shit you need to know:

Supporting the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Rival Sons and Royal Blood these four heavy rollers are from Essex, London. They began making music in 2013.

Kings of Leon, Ray Charles, The Beatles, The Strokes and The Vines are some of The Bohicas' influences.

To Die For was produced by Mark Rankin (Queens of the Stone Age) and Chris Merrick Hughes (Tears For Fears).

The first salvoes fired from this young bohemeth are XXX, Swarm and Crush Me.

 

 

I was put in mind of this London alternative rock band Elastica and one of the hits from their heyday Connection (1994). So fucking get some.