Honest and optimistic this song embodies the spirit of summer with it’s tales of carefree days, falling in love and friendship wrapped up in an undeniable indie sound. Offering a hopeful perspective on life , coming of age and enjoying yourself this band are the refreshing take on reality our generation is demanding.
As the days stretch their legs and the evenings keep on the light, we embrace more opportunities, revisiting memories, and endeavour to make new ones. Transported back to the times when fining love and sticking with it took up most of our minds and the biggest worry we faced was figuring out a lift to the nearest beach or closest park and scraping enough spare change to buy a crate of beer to share with our mates.
Afterdrive
Driven by a heavy bass line, and energetic guitar instrumentals 99 is infused with a synth beat that guides the harmonies to create a chorus catchy enough for a crowd, making this track the song for summer 2023.Recorded back at Magic Garden Studios by Gavin Monaghan and Liam Radburn, 99 sees a more upbeat indie shade of Afterdrive with elements of synth pop, whilst sticking to the bands roots and signature sound, making it an instant fan favourite, a testament to Afterdrive’s talent as a band.
“I feel like you got a sense of acting out
And I feel like you
Took me back to 99
And I feel you too
I feel you too.”
(chorus to 99)
Afterdrive
Stick Around by Afterdrive
With a sound that would feel at home at a festival this July, since forming in 2022 it’s no suprise Afterdrive are already onto a promising track reaching just under 5000 monthly listeners on Spotify after releasing their debut track, Stick Around earlier this year. Made up of Ben Watts on vocals, Luke Ellis on guitar, Ed Ruff on bass and Joe Watts on drums Afterdrive are an Ipswich based band but have fans in the likes of London, Mexico City and Santiago, setting them up for international success.
Why make someone your whole universe when you’re not even a star in their galaxy?
The Boy In The Rose Garden
You’ve fallen in love with a person that feels like a party. The lights just seem to find them, they know every word to the songs on a stranger’s playlist, each beat they move expertly to. The drinks are sweet and your surrounded by friends, time is moving too quickly on the night you don’t want to end but then they’re still at it yet it’s 6 am you wonder when you’ll be home again, your glass is empty and your ears are numb, but their eyes are searching for you, so you continue to move, smile stuck to your face.
You dance, you drink, you stay for them because leaving arm in arm is better than leaving alone. You feel as though you’re in love with a ghost but being haunted is better than being abandoned. Your world is built for them whilst you’re barley a yard of tarmac in theirs, but that doesn’t matter because at least you are there and when their eyes find yours you exist and, in that moment, you know you are everything. You spend your time finding ways to find that fire, you want to burn for them.
In their song Saturn Stars artist The Boy In The Rose Garden explores similar semantics, falling for the person that dropped you, hoping they’ll be the one to catch you. You are only the person of their dreams because you only matter to them when they’re asleep.
Boy in the rose garden
The ethereal vocals entrance you just as the previous lovers once had, you’re death to the eery undertone, a sinister nod to your foreboding future, a sound that places you in a disorientating mist, the confusion of what is is to be in love with someone who seemingly once felt the same for your but now sees you as thick dust on the fireplace, noticed just before a guest comes over.
Their words whip into you, but you’re just happy to bleed for them, to show them you truly love them, to show your devotion as they turn their back on your bones, you’ve learned to feel at home with the sense of being alone. Let go? Would you let go of all that you have When all you have to your name is a stone it becomes a jewel, a throne. You’re home a haunted house full of whispers of who used to roam the halls, figments of what once was but can never be again, the bare body of what could have been, where you throw your keys and lay your head. You had nothing, they provided you with a rag, you use it to wash my skin, bandage your wounds to cover your frail frame as you lay to rest. Holding out your empty hands and your full heart you declare, “this is all I have, and it is my kingdom, if it costs me my life it will have been worth it”.
The Boy In The Rose Garden
If you were a candle, you would set yourself alight to aid their journey to bed in the dead of night. If there were no food in the fridge you would volunteer your soul to keep them fed until Sunday. If all their clothes were to rip you would peel off your skin to keep them. Loving them is the passion that comes with knowing you would give yourself up for them to go on, for who are you to take from the living?
You are the whisper to their crowded room. A crease in their new shoe. You’re being held close, but your being used as a shield protecting them from themselves, what weapons id you bring to a war you did not know you would be fighting? Every bullet they shoot at you reflects how they view themselves, and you willingly make yourself a larger target, convinced you can take it if they promise to love you. That’s all you ask, love me you cry as they feast of your flesh, love me you beg as they wash their hands with your tears, love me you weep as they use your body as a punching bag, at least when they touch you, you are worthy.
Self produced, Saturn Stars ,in itself, is a testament to resilience, an audible lighthouse when you’re in the depths of the dark sea, just because you’re drowning does not mean you should grab onto the first thing that feels solid, a rock will just drag you down deeper, find your lifeboat.
With antoher song coming out in june 2023 promises to be a successful year for The Boy In The Rose Garden. Stay up to date with their releases by follwing them on social media.
(If your situation sounds like this there is help out there. Please reach out. You are not alone.)
“A sublime, swooning vocal you can almost wallow in” The Line Of Best Fit
Ellur captured by Nick Porter 2023
Most break ups feel like a battle, one person fighting to leave the other fighting for love, scenarios are directed and dreams are discarded, you can’t win when you’re broken hearted. Sometimes though it’s more about debating, a silken hand on the train platform as the carriage chugs away. Both deflated, there’s a lack of hatred just a mutual understanding that sometimes to leave it to love. Similar semantics are showcased in Ellur’s latest single Anywhere, an optimistic take on heartbreak, perfect for your summer playlist with it’s insight into the intricacy of relationships and upbeat feeling.
Ellur explained: “‘Anywhere’ is a song written for your ex (the one that you’re not over). Set on a summer night, at dusk, after a day of drinking in a park somewhere with your friends. Your skin is warm, your head is dizzy and your recent ex is walking towards you. A song about a feeling I think everybody has felt. The building tension between you both; your past relationship and all the feelings still bubbling away in the melting pot.”
The internal conflict commences on the sight of their face, part of you still wants to be the shadow to their silhouette and the clothes they’re wearing but the other knows there’s a reason it’s over , so you remain cool shrugging off the pst, preparing for their approach head held high, unbothered smile spread on your face, but then you lock eyes and you’re sat there thinking about the nights you’d spend together talking about future days and you realise you would still go “anywhere” with them.
Anywhere by Ellur on Spotify
“Please don’t look at me that way tonight
I’d go anywhere, anywhere you’d go
I wanna be anywhere and everywhere you go“
Co-written with Circa Waves’ Kieran Shudall and produced by Rich Turvey (Abbie Ozard, Bloxx, Pixey), ‘Anywhere’ marks the latest addition to Ellur’s expanding showcase of diary type feel, danceable guitar anthems.
The cascading instrumentals of this song lead to a crescendo of anguish and reflection, depicting the familiar feelignof wanting what you once had but knowing it would not be all you picture it to be. Full of forgiveness and a second chance at happiness you will be singing this song loud in your bedroom, beads of both optimism and sadness forming in your eyes as you wish that one person would listen and you could go back to wearing their clothes and holding them close. A refreshing take on heartbreak that fans of Haim, Cocteau Twins and Boygenius are sure to love.
Moments by Ellur on Spotify.
Her success with previous track such as the captivating Migraine and energetic, fan favourite, Moments it’s clear that Ellur is more than one to watch, she’s one to know as her ethereal vocals offer an emboldened edge to the lyrics to create an atmosphere a listener will embrace, submerging themselves in the narrative and dancing through whatever they’re feeling. Whether you’ve got the Summer blues, or a smile on your face Ellur has the music for you.
With her infectious charm, quick wit and relatable lyrics it’s no surprise that Ellur has already received accolades from from key tastemakers (Dork, The Line of Best Fit), and several spins on BBC Radio 1 (Jack Saunders) and airplay on Radio X (John Kennedy). Her empowering narratives are already drawing plenty of fanfare, with a slew of releases on the way throughout the rest of 2023, and a list of upcoming live events including 26th May – O2 Academy, Leicester (w/ The Big Moon), 27th May – Live At Leeds In The Park and 1st July – Halifax Piece Hall (w/ Embrace).
Evolve Music 