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.
James Ollier – Holding Onto Something
“Holding Onto Something” is another indie-folk gem in James Ollier’s string. It sees him able to capture his music as a stroll through a magical world of quiet acoustic landscapes with deep storytelling. Opening gently, the soundscape—with a light strumming setting one to a pretty tranquil vibe—works perfectly with Ollier’s warm and emotionally potent vocal set. Sounding like Bon Iver, he takes us through a lyrical tale, both intimate and expansive. And as the song goes on, drums and harmonies are gently added to provide more depth and body to the melody to create a subtle yet intense soundscape. James Ollier is a UK-based singer/songwriter who likes nothing better than walking the road. The part that his music takes after his life on the road, for sure, he picked up sound elements around him, aside from movement and wanderlust.
“Holding Onto Something” chronicles the most transient moments in its deep reflections and captures them in the very essence of yearning to be held in permanence. Every note, every word paints a picture of beauty, telling stories of his travels, landscapes, and memories that pull ever so tightly at the heartstrings of anyone who has ever felt the pull of an open road. James combines personal reflection with universal themes to make this one single that immediately stands out and invites all listeners to join him on a touching musical journey.
Ella Galvin – Don’t Look Ahead
“Don’t Look Ahead” is the focus track of Ella Galvin’s work on her debut EP, The Way It Goes: moving and reflective music capturing the ordeal and resilience of a human. With mournful melodies and strings, it goes about crafting a ghostly underbelly for the lyrics of introspection by Ella that illustrate some of the most profound journeys one can experience—not by moving but within oneself. The vocals reverberate with a sweet longing yet are sharply embedded with courage and change. Gradually, the song ebbs into a cathartic listen, inviting the listener to give way to the shadows of their past, holding on to future possibilities.
In “The Way It Goes,” Ella Galvin shares themes of love, loss, and self-identity, which are fleshed out in a testimonial to a young queer woman—finding herself in the demanding city life that is New York City—over these six tracks. From the most exalting “Pink Shoes” to the most vulnerable and raw confessions of “Spare Me,” every single the song carries its mood and atmosphere, which leads to the caprice of ups and downs that life presents. Performing with fusion bands in Boston and New York, Ella honed an innovative sound that wraps into her solo project—genre-blending excellence and emotional depth.
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Connor McCutcheon – Whiskey’s Already Work’in
Connor McCutcheon’s latest single, “Whiskey’s Already Work’in’,” is a moving song from his 6 track EP, showcasing how fluidly he walks the line between alt-country chic and good-hearted storytelling. Brought to life in Nashville with the talented producer Brent Anderson, this cut arrests from the first note when the beauty of piano keys gets twisted with rhythmic percussion. Connor’s catchy layered vocals flesh up the texture of the tune and make it sound nostalgically refreshing. This tune screams for the repeat button; the melodies stick around once the music ends.
Raised in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Connor McCutcheon was one young man whose love for music was unrelenting. From the early years, he was fond of singing and trying various musical instruments out, which was under the influence of great musical love in his family. All this immense diversity — from rock, pop, and soul to folk — has given Connor a unique sound that is entirely unlike any other performer’s. Already present in “Whiskey’s Already Work’in'” is Connor’s fantastic talent and, in turn, his developing process of honing his craft toward music that he can personally identify within which most of his audience can connect.
David Green – Filter
‘Filter’ is a standout cut from his debut EP, Happy Tears. This song showcases the fantastic abilities David has in combining pop, R&B, and electro into one smooth-sounding, very emotive record. The track is lined with piano-based melodies that pull at the heartstrings and infectious rhythms that stay on your mind long after the music stops. “Filter” is the type of song that will attract fans of Khalid, Ed Sheeran, Lauv, ZAYN, and Justin Bieber. All in one track, he drowns the listener in honesty up to an extent where even the sincerest touch of artistry can become shadowed.
From Los Angeles, David lets go of all his emotions with every note coming out of this masterpiece after dealing with the various raw emotions that life throws at him. His introspective lyrics, coupled with his emotive delivery, give a sense of home in his music: a space shared between vulnerability and joy. “Filter” is an experience that captures the essence of the musical evolution of David. Stepping into 2024 with his debut EP, David Green is set to leave a mark with his openhearted and super-relatable tunes.
Tear Decline – Alessia
The new single from Tear Decline, “Alessia,” is one of those that capture a certain emotional granularity when it comes to feelings toward other friends, dancing along the lines of how one really can establish clear borders. The Austrian duo—composed of Maximilian Wörter and Hannah Albrecht—create dense soundscapes with extended guitar techniques that emulate string-like textures. This, combined with a rich sonic tapestry, soft vocal harmony, and inventive sound bits, gets the story going à la Phoebe Bridgers. “Alessia” is a perfect match of fragile simplicity and sentiment depth and transcends Tear Decline’s signature sound one step further after their last single, “Amsterdam.”
Tyrolean Tear Decline sparkles harmoniously to your ears and talks with heartfelt lyrics. From classical-audience Maximilian and production-skilled Hannah. Since making a splash in 2022, the duo has only been looking to expand horizons into producing and songwriting. The live performances create moods and emotions, stitching a connection with the contemporary audience. Just like Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzy McAlpine, Tear Decline keeps perfecting their style in the already congested world of alt-pop with “Alessia.”
N. Sherman – Any Minute Now
N. Sherman’s new single “Any Minute Now” is a deep, soul-searching, musically questioning view of the turbulence of these complex times. Self-recorded in a bedroom studio, it speaks volumes about an emotional storm of existential dread and hopelessness with just that flicker of future hope. Sherman builds a rich, ambient landscape with a stable drum machine loop and live bass guitar, then layering one upon another live piano to add depth and texture. Taken altogether, it forms a sonic journey and represents his belief that there is something good to come from change—built up slowly but more certainly than most of us might care for.
In the lyrical tradition of his influences—Nick Drake and Sufjan Stevens—N. Sherman digs deep into those uglier truths of humanity with an enviable pen. “Any Minute Now” works its way through spiritual, political, and emotional questions running parallel but never meeting at one point of intersection, articulately avoiding an answer in everything it does save for what’s found in the solace of the unknown. And in that, Sherman’s one-of-a-kind words and sound contrasts put him at the forefront right next to the likes of Thom Yorke, Khruangbin, and Copeland.
Annie Bacon & Her Oshen – Secret Broken Heart
“Secret Broken Heart” is the latest single from Annie Bacon & Her Oshen and is a folk-rock anthem where Annie Bacon finds the right way to merge sweeping harmonies with compelling storytelling. It is a tune that opens big with resonant guitars, the sound of which gracefully makes way for the entrance of Annie’s luscious vocals and beautiful harmonies. In its sound and style, it comfortably sits with time-honoured sounds belonging to Fleetwood Mac, The Cranberries, and Brandi Carlile. The lyrics deal with aspects of self-sacrifice and hidden pain softly, capturing the grand dichotomy of keeping a brave face under duress. As Annie’s lines go, “Shimmer from a secret broken heart; you can see it if you look at her real hard,” it brings to mind the need to remember the silent battles most are fighting, disguising their grief from this world.
On her fourth LP, Storm, Annie goes deep into personal struggles: one concerning broken hearts, one regarding death, and one pertaining to a loss of identity—no holds barred. It’s a combination of both raw emotion embodied in folk music and unaffected honesty expressed with the help of rock ‘n’ roll, hence pulling the audience along with one woman at the centre of the storm on her passage through the hardest of times. “Secret Broken Heart” showcases lyrical honesty on the part of Bacon and a capacity for intimacy and evocation in equal measures. For fans of Waxahatchee, Courtney Marie Andrews, and Hurray for the Riff Raff, this is the one that cannot help itself from winning your love over as Annie Bacon & Her Oshen continues to mine fertile ground within the Americana landscape.
Danny Copeland – I Need You
Danny Copeland’s “I Need You” is a solemn, heartfelt Christian acoustic track with an aura of R’n’B that sings from the very core of his heart and abundant deep in faith. Indeed, a song with a story mirroring personal struggles from which he draws his comfort. His powerful and engaging singing and rapping line found life with his expressive vocals to leave one more hopeful and encouraging. The raw emotion in his voice and honesty in the lyrics touched deep within your core, and urged listeners to realise their own need for divine intervention, crying out to God in their trouble.
“I Need You” is Danny Copeland’s persuasive argument of the gospel to a needy world and a word of hope and belief to the body of Christ. His music reaches out to the lonely and the guide for those who wish to navigate life unapologetically Christian. Thus, it sounds fresh and relates to a broad audience because of the way the fusions of the acoustic melodies with contemporary R&B elements are put in place. It is not very hard to tell that Danny has loads of dedication, and he lets his faith spread through art: “I Need You” is just one example of its powers.
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.