“To me, it sounds like the first sunny day after a week-long depressive episode, the day when you remember to drink water again and find symbolism in everything but are definitely not okay yet,” shares vocalist/guitarist Livvy Bennett. “I hope it offers company to anyone going through loneliness, loss, and general confusion of the heart. Sometimes you’re left only with a sad song or two to make sense of some bullshit, the sole survivors of a world of hurt.”

Hover finds Mamalarky – vocalist/guitarist Livvy Bennett, keyboardist Michael B. Hunter, drummer Dylan Hill, and bassist Noor Khan – at their most uninhibited and assured, drawing on years of unbridled discovery and dreaming up a daring convergence of indie-rock, chamber-pop, and spacey psychedelia. Produced and engineered by Bennett and Hunter, the record’s spellbinding sound came to life at their home studio in Glendale, CA. Once serving as an old Hollywood backdrop artist’s studio, Hunter notes, “I think you can really feel the room and its history across the new record.”

Along with cutting most of Hover‘s rhythm tracks to tape, the album was heavily shaped by the band’s DIY ethos, “we do a lot of things ourselves that we don’t necessarily have to,” says Bennett. To shape the record’s earthy, yet mercurial sound, Mamalarky captured everything from the delicate jangle of wind chimes to field recordings of bells and rain, even transforming their studio into a makeshift echo chamber feeding vocals through a guitar amp.

Hover:

1. Relic
2. Sad Songs
3. Sycamore Tree
4. Eye Contact
5. Uh Oh
6. Never Love You Right
7. That Girl
8. Mirage
9. Word for Word
10. Sweet Tooth
11. The One
12. How Could You Go

The post Mamalarky announce new album Hover alongside new single/video ‘Sad Songs’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Musically, ‘eleanor’ is a wonderfully restless collision of indie rock, post-punk and grunge influences. Jagged guitars weave around a low, dirty bassline and mechanical drums, while subtle electronic flourishes add to the track’s unconventional, slightly fractured feel. There’s plenty happening beneath the surface, but the arrangement never loses its brooding atmosphere. Kynsy’s vocals begin cool and detached before gradually becoming more emotional and yearning, perfectly reflecting the tension between desire and self-preservation.

There’s something distinctly nocturnal about ‘eleanor’, with its uneasy instrumentation and romantic recklessness conjuring images of messy nights and questionable decisions. It’s a bold, compelling direction for Kynsy, balancing experimental production with an undeniable indie-rock sensibility.

The post Kynsy embraces dark, restless indie rock on ‘eleanor’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

‘Escape!’ opens with swirling, psychedelic guitar that sounds suitably sinister before giving way to crunchy, distorted indie rock. The arrangement lurches between loud, chaotic bursts and more restrained passages led by bass and drums, with Lily sounding wonderfully exasperated and slightly unhinged. That trippy guitar returns at the end, neatly framing the track’s nostalgic, campfire-horror atmosphere.

‘Ghost Food’ takes a slightly slower, more unsettling approach. Its uneasy verses and straight-ahead indie-rock instrumentation dispense with the psychedelic flourishes, but Lily’s agitated delivery remains. Together, the songs make a fittingly strange Halloween pairing: one finds comfort in fictional scares, while the other sits with the creeping misery of absence. Both prove that Fightmilk can make anxiety sound remarkably infectious.

The post Fightmilk embrace horror and heartache on spooky double A-Side ‘Escape! From Camp Run For Your Life / Ghost Food’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Musically, ‘Stuck’ is a vibrant, maximalist collision of dirty indie-sleaze guitars, 80s-inspired new wave synths and punchy, slightly mechanical rhythms. There’s a danceable undercurrent, but the real appeal lies in its restless energy and attitude, recalling the likes of Haute & Freddy, Gossip and Metric. Madeleine’s commanding, slightly snarling vocals carry shades of Karen O and Siouxsie Sioux, balancing frustration with defiance over an irresistibly catchy chorus.

The wonderfully camp accompanying video captures the song’s central conflict, contrasting the mundane reality of working in a convenience store with a glamorous performance fantasy accessed through a television screen. It’s playful, colourful and sharply observant, highlighting the exhausting gap between surviving and pursuing your ambitions. ‘Stuck’ might sound defeated at times, but its determination refuses to disappear.

The post Child Seat confront the cost of chasing dreams on ‘Stuck’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Musically, ‘5AM’ is steeped in classic 70s rock ’n’ roll swagger. A Beatles-esque guitar riff leads the way, supported by a groovy bassline and stomping, driving drums. There’s a dirty, bluesy quality to the arrangement, with just enough contemporary indie-rock influence to keep things feeling fresh. Georgie’s effortlessly cool, playful delivery brings plenty of personality, sounding every bit the besotted rock star.

Beneath that swagger lies a more complicated story of queer love, including the secrecy and uncertainty that can accompany relationships before they’re shared openly. Yet ‘5AM’ remains a celebration of desire rather than a lament for its complications. GIRLBAND! take a familiar rock ’n’ roll fantasy and make it entirely their own.

The post GIRLBAND! put queer desire centre stage on ‘5AM’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Musically, ‘Off the Tracks’ is steeped in gothic indie rock, with dark, post-punk guitars and a slow, slinky groove creating an atmosphere of seductive unease. Dramatic strings add a cinematic flourish, while Freya’s commanding vocal oozes femme fatale confidence. There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned about its glamour, yet the underlying darkness keeps everything feeling deliciously dangerous. Rather than building towards an explosive climax, the arrangement maintains its ominous tension throughout.

“You’re driving me fast, straight off the tracks,” Freya sings in the chorus, embracing the chaos with an almost gleeful disregard for the consequences. ‘Off the Tracks’ is a beautifully sinister collision of passion, danger and Hollywood fantasy, with Freya firmly in the driving seat.

The post Freya Beer flirts with danger on ‘Off the Tracks’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Distorted guitars and driving drums keep things upbeat and bouncy, creating an immediately catchy backdrop for considerably messier thoughts. Leigh’s conversational delivery carries shades of exhaustion and wry humour as she questions four years spent focusing on empty seats and whether she was ever good enough. The recurring transformation from “Miss Independent” into “Miss Leave Me Alone” provides the song’s sharpest hook, gradually revealing just how disconnected she has become from herself.

Its homemade visualiser matches that scrappy immediacy, cutting between Leigh playing guitar and dancing around her room and taking her frustrations outside for some target practice on cans. For all its self-recrimination, ‘Miss Leave Me Alone’ never wallows. Instead, Leigh turns an identity crisis into the kind of indie-rock toe-tapper that leaves your head nodding while its questions quietly linger.

The post Odie Leigh turns the spotlight inwards on ‘Miss Leave Me Alone’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

An understated, lightly distorted guitar introduces Harlowe’s emotional vocal before the arrangement gradually expands around her. Acoustic and clean electric guitars add atmospheric layers, joined by a progressive drum beat and backing vocals as the track grows without losing its gentle sway. There’s a definite Fleetwood Mac quality to its soft-rock warmth, heightened by a vocal delivery that occasionally recalls Stevie Nicks. Harlowe moves between tender yearning and flashes of greater power, giving her imaginary future romance surprisingly tangible emotional weight.

There’s something inherently cinematic about yearning for a person who currently exists only as a possibility, and ‘So Pretty (It Hurts)’ has the wistful warmth of a rom-com moment before the happy ending has arrived. Rather than dwelling on loneliness, Harlowe leaves the door open for whoever might eventually walk through it. Hopeless romanticism, perhaps — but with just enough hope to make believing worthwhile.

The post Tabi Harlowe believes in love before it arrives on ‘So Pretty (It Hurts)’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Musically, Terrible Muriel keep things deliberately sparse. Simple guitar, bass and drums work together around a ploddy indie-rock rhythm, while another characteristically driving bassline provides the strongest hint of the trio’s post-punk roots. Cinta’s conversational vocal keeps everything wonderfully matter-of-fact, making declarations of being too shy to maintain eye contact feel less like anguished confessions and more like an invitation to find your fellow weirdos.

Repetition does much of the work, with thoughts of not being able to go out or go round again circling just like the rumination the song describes. Meanwhile, the repeated ‘introverted weirdo’ chorus has all the makings of a gloriously unlikely live singalong. Funny, simple and painfully relatable, it offers something every awkward soul needs occasionally: solidarity without requiring any actual social interaction.

The post Terrible Muriel unite the socially awkward on ‘Introverted Weirdo’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Rose’s cool, loose delivery keeps the turmoil largely beneath the surface, but T Marsh’s animated visualiser lets it loose. Clowns, eyeballs, teeth, masked figures and surreal patterns flash through a gloriously overloaded collage, transforming internal chaos into something colourful and absurd.

‘Hello Again, Jim’ turns Rose’s attention outwards, taking aim at a familiar breed of wealthy, powerful music-industry man. A surfy bassline, distorted guitar and steady beat give the track a rockier edge, while Rose sounds simultaneously irritated and amused by their subject. Chloé Aktaş’ black-and-white live video completes the character study, with Jimmi Simpson playing a weary barkeep unable to convince the band to stop. Together, the singles find Rose using humour as a particularly sharp weapon.

The post Caroline Rose finds humour in the uncomfortable on ‘Calm’ and ‘Hello Again, Jim’ appeared first on She Makes Music.