Welcome to “This Week’s Sonic Safari,” where we will be taking you on a thrilling adventure through the vibrant world of independent music. We’ll wander across beautiful lush soundscapes in this sonic journey, looking for hidden gems and digging up musical treasures created by brilliant musicians from all around the world. Our journey promises to be an intriguing investigation of originality and invention, from the busy streets of indie music to the peaceful woods of acoustic folk.
So secure your seat in, set your headphones, and come along with us as we embark on a musical exploration of the highest calibre, ready to experience the amazing variety of this week’s best and newest songs.
Joanne Bird – Angel
The new single by Joanne Bird, “Angel,” carries the listener with warm and tender sounds through landscapes of sorrow and landscapes of gratitude in a moving tribute to her late grandmother. A song set in an indie and Americana folk firmament, due to Bird’s knack of transfiguring personal misery into a universal experience. The playing of the acoustic guitar and the piano is very sensitive, with a touch of jazz, forming an ultra-mellow yet melancholic setting for her heartfelt singing. Joanne’s lyrics evoke the depth of feelings and do not leave indifferent; they paint pictures of love and loss, as well as the presence of the beloved in one’s life.
The video for ‘Angel’ is almost an intimate addition to the whole song’s narrative because it was filmed at her grandmother’s house, seated in her chair and behind the piano she bought at eighteen. And so the setting gives a nostalgic video, a befitting tribute to a beloved family member. The power of storytelling here on the part of Joanne Bird is eminent; “Angel” becomes an evocatively personal connection with its audience. A beautiful reminder that our loved ones remain part of us even though they have left.
Thor Sigurdsson – Countryside
The new single from Thor Sigurdsson, ‘Countryside,’ is a rich, vibrant celebration of the natural world. Peaceful and spacious, as only nature itself can provide, this track weaves traditional folk sounds together with world folk instrumentation of oud, djembe, doumbek, bongos, and lute into a rich sonic soundscape. Listening to the music, one just drifts away to wide-open spaces with fresh air and a clear mind. Sigurdsson’s voice is warm and inviting, and each note he leads us through in the soundscape is a breath of fresh air.
From his unique heritage and experiences in the UK, Iceland, and California, Sigurdsson draws forth into “Countryside” a wide-eyed wanderlust and an intensity of love for the earth. He really loves the outdoors, and this song tells of the relaxation, clarity, and grounding it gives. ‘Countryside’ is not just another song; it is an aural escape into an untroubled, peaceful place where daily life’s concerns are allayed, leaving only pure, unadulterated beauty in nature.
Allison Leah – Meet Me In The Garden
Allison Leah’s newest single, “Meet Me in the Garden,” is a delightful trip into romance and nostalgia. Through sparkling vocals and breezy guitars, Leah creates that perfect summer anthem on which listeners can float their worries down the river, frolicking in the fantasy of new love. The melody is soaked with a sunny daydream, and every note seems like a tender caress while each lyric is a whisper of sweet promises. One can almost feel the sun’s heat and the touch of a lover’s hand in a rose garden when hearing this, essentially creating a musical moment not easily forgotten.
The chorus of “Meet Me in the Garden” is what really feels ethereal; it throws you into another world, to a place with lilac skies and boundless love. It carries one through on Leah’s crystalline vocal tone—it’s so vibrant and transportative, this dream world. Her songwriting maps deep, vulnerable lyrics about love and the human experience. ‘Meet Me in the Garden’ is not just a song. Perhaps it’s an odyssey to new sides of love, and maybe even yourself.
Kacey Fifield – Dream Girl
Kacey Fifield’s newest single, “Dream Girl,” is an intoxicating entryway into the pressures and pitfalls of having to meet society’s idealised standards. Blending a super-catchy, upbeat melody with gritty, distorted synth and guitar lines, she builds an easy-to-love soundscape that perfectly reflects the tension between societal expectations and personal authenticity. Produced by Sam Beresford, and with input by Michael Kamerman, the combination of elements in ‘Dream Girl’—its overlaid singing and talking part going over the chorus—combine to make it a truly epic tune where these details add to the dramatic effect.
The instrumentation on ‘Dream Girl’ has a VHS effect and delay, synth bass, heavily distorted and filtered guitar. It’s all these elements combined with Fifield’s moving lyrics and engaging delivery that makes the song a compelling listen; one can’t help but think about it after hearing it. Beyond her music, Kacey Fifield is known for being philanthropic, including her involvement in the Students of the Year fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and collaborations with Farm Sanctuary and the New Roots Institute. It’s the song ‘Dream Girl,’ followed by her speaking of great causes and how she is able to blend powerful messages with great music.
The Psychedelic Birthday Party – Kid Anymore
“Kid Anymore” is the latest single by The Psychedelic Birthday Party, an indie-folk anthem with bittersweet tales of stepping into the world. Full of lush introspection, fans of Phoebe Bridgers and Gia Margaret will certainly feel at home between the soundscapes of Kevyn van der Linden and Jeroen Verstappen. With harmonising vocals and ethereal elements, the rich palette of instruments in ‘Kid Anymore’ builds to a full, heady conclusion, almost lulling the listener into reflection on nostalgia rides through one’s youth and the realities of growing up.
The recording process for ‘Kid Anymore’ was a collaborative effort, inviting several guest musicians to contribute to its unique sound. Vera Aben’s vocal and the alt-saxophone of Coen de Veth, together with pianos by Niels Veron and Sophie Toledo, a violin by Wies Pijnenburg, Keke Koolen’s trumpet, and harmonic vocals from Lisanne Adrienne, all blend into the track to enrich it. The reflections from Kevyn on self-improvement are supplemented by paying homage to one’s friends and family, thus deepening the art of honest storytelling for the connoisseur, while the soundscapes add an aura of intimacy and nostalgia.
Jessica Dives – No One (Ever Saw Me This Way)
Jessica Dives’ debut single, “No One (Ever Saw Me This Way),” shall entice and enchant. With an intense melodic line, comparable to the pithy lyricism of a poem, and with a harmonious accordion line that assimilates into Jessica’s deep soulful singing. This is a song that is designed to touch you, to make you feel truly seen and understood. As Jessica’s debut, it is a perfect window to her ability to reach out and let listeners in at a very deep emotional level with a warm, inviting sound.
No One (Ever Saw Me This Way), is the perfect track for her first single, hoping to bring out that joy and connection to live music. Live audiences will remember the riotous ‘You Dos’ chorus which insists that this is a room full of people all equal in the act of song. Co-produced, recorded and mixed by Rich Harris-Bond at Wise Tree Studios, it also includes some sublime drumming from Andrew Lockhart. With a love of everyone from Karine Polwart to Joni Mitchell, and a previous life in musical theatre and jazz, Jessica’s music sits somewhere within an age-old tradition of storytelling. ‘No One (Ever Saw Me This Way)’ is that kind of an endearing anthem that spells the moments of self-realisation.
Slark Moan – Dollhouse Heart (feat. Meg Elsier)
The latest single by Stark Moan, ‘Dollhouse Heart (Feat. Meg Elsier),’ plunges deep into the human condition by capturing that fine line—feeling insignificant in the immensity of life yet feeling enormously beautiful. The song is, in some respect, a tale of emotional turmoil over the realisation of a finite existence in an infinite universe, a kind of bittersweet sentiment—no longer young but rather with a new sense of realism, creativity, empowerment, and thankfulness. Especially vivid is the heart as a dollhouse—a symbol of huge yet limited emotions, creating a touching love story with existence.
The track is just a sonic soundscape of angled indie-rock hooks, colourful chord progressions, and virtuosic jazz solos bathed in pools of guitar-forward psychedelia. Slark Moan’s alter ego, multi-instrumentalist Mark Sloan, brings to the forefront a decade of experience as a session guitarist in Nashville, and that comes through in the dexterous guitar style. Accompanying melodic intuition with the flair of a truly seasoned artist, his guitar work is best described as deft. It’s Meg Elsier, bringing in that ethereal touch that this song needs to remain introspective and huge.
Nick Gill – Lucky For A Minute
The new single from Nick Gill, “Lucky For A Minute,” captures the essence of a true acoustic folk masterpiece—one that relives the magic felt on any given night out with someone who makes you feel special. This overall track certainly does well in providing magical experiences with real feeling, genuine vocals, and guitar lines snapping crisply. Gill tells his stories colourfully and descriptively, vividly illustrating the fleeting golden moments in time when things just feel perfect—even if only for a minute. His open-hearted delivery, warm instrumentation, and an attitude that’s all-in make ‘Lucky For A Minute’ a song that tugs in all the right places, bringing on a swell of nostalgia and an undercurrent of wonder.
Writing comparisons to artists such as Wyatt Flores, Morgan Wallen, and Jason Isbell, Nick Gill is a songwriter whose music carries both introspection and a certain universal appeal. Already having three albums to his name and a 50-date tour under his belt, the move to Nashville was an important step for Gill. Overwhelmed but another eventful moment of his life, he wrote the life-changing song “Row,” which struck a chord with producer Ed Cash. Their work on the EP “Waves Are Only Water” opened the chapter for Gill’s continued journey.
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.