Chris Sawle, Author at Backseat Mafia

SEE: MF Tomlinson – ‘Strange Time’: rising alt.folk talent announces debut album

MICHAEL TOMLINSON is the main man in the sorta-solo project MF Tomlinson, in which he plys a very neat line in indie folk/roots songcraft with a grainy bearhug of a…

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SEE: Tamar Aphek – ‘Drive’: a psych-blues stormer from Tel Aviv

ALREADY something of a guitar goddess in her native Tel Aviv, Kill Rock Stars, that seminal imprint that’s hosted the like of Elliott Smith, The Decemberists, Sleater-Kinney and more, have…

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EP REVIEW: Quiet Marauder – ‘Tiny Men Parts’: a critique of the male condition in bounce-along indiepop

Tiny Men Parts nails masculine creepiness and ineptitude with insouciance and tons of guitar pop like they used to make

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ALBUM REVIEW: Dark Sparkler – ‘Are You With Me Or Against Me?’: fine modular retrotronica

If you're a fan of a real exploration of retro synthesisers and the beauty they bring, like soundscapes with atmosphere and depth that stay edgy and have bags of ambience without, y'know, being ambient per se, Are You With Me Or Are You Against Me? could be just the album for you

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EP REVIEW: Laura Groves – ‘A Private Road’: pristine and dreamy debut; socially distanced gig announced

A Private Road is a dreamscape, swirling elements of modern electronica, shoegaze, soul and folk into a set on which you really get a sense of Laura while she also remains wraithlike, a blur of whisper and talent at the core

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NEWS: Cory Hanson announces second solo LP; see the country-psych grace of ‘Paper Fog’

CORY HANSON, singer-guitarist with LA psych seducers Wand, has today unveiled the video for “Paper Fog”, a very first preview of what’s to come from his second extra-curricular outing, Pale…

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EP REVIEW: Sophie Jamieson – ‘Release’: a brilliant, introspective four tracker

Her voice and songwriting are so very strong; there's no doubt Release is her best yet

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ALBUM REVIEW: Hjalte Ross – ‘Waves Of Haste’: gorgeous, nuanced indie-folk hits you in the chest

Composed at an isolated lighthouse on the Lofoten Islands, Hjalte's second reaches inside your chest and doesn't stop squeezing. Truly lovely

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ALBUM REVIEW: Various artists – ‘Ambient Layers’: a state of the art, 20-track journey on 7K!

Ambient Layers is quite a trip through the current state of the blissful/emotive sonic arts. There's so much to burrow into here, experience deeply. Set it on repeat and let it guide you through a whole, amniotic diurnal cycle. It's really very great.

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PREMIERE: The Ricos – ‘What Comes Next?’: the big question posed as a righteous noise-pop surge

RISING Philadelphia indie outfit The Ricos, who we last touched base with on these pages when we took a look at and really, really liked their Spirit State EP back…

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