Under the Radar v3

 

indie, youth, rock, breaking, riffs (UND-60)

The landscape of indie rock is ever-changing, with new subgenres emerging and falling out of style only to come back a few decades later more popular than they were the first time. There’s a lot of territory to cover, but when you keep your ears open the music tends to lead the way.

On our third volume of Under the Radar, we focused on a particular flavor of guitar-laden indie-hook goodness that combines post-punk energy and melodramatic melodies with driving indie pop. Under the Radar v3 (UND-60) fires off riffs with youthful abandon, each track following our signature UNDERscore constant crescendo to their question mark conclusions. When you add that consistent rise and structure to indie rock, it creates an impactful mixture of rawness and utility that make an editor’s job exponentially easier without sacrificing authenticity.

Composed by Alec Shaw, the Seattle-based artist played guitar and keys, leading a tight band of Henry LaVallee and Gianni Aiello of Naked Giants on drums and bass respectively. The trio recorded live together in the same room, recorded and mixed by Daniel Holter with assistance from Geoff Ott in London Bridge Recording’s Studio A to capture the raw electricity of these tracks.

“What A Ride” has a New York swagger that feeds off of relentless guitars. When the melody jumps octaves in tandem with the dynamic build of the rhythm section, it unleashes a powerful wave of emotions normally reserved for radio singles. And all of that happens in under two minutes (complete with alternate versions and stems).

Tracks like “Upward Trajectory” and “Detention Dare” also feature a bedrock of edgy bass and insistent drums that embody the unique energy you only get from capturing live takes in the studio.

With the fast-paced and inescapable sense of motion from this lively addition to our indie offerings on UNDERscore, it’s easy to hear the tracks on Under the Radar v3 utilized in car, truck, or motorcycle ads, travel documentaries and youth TV. Who knows where indie rock road leads next, but we’ve got our ear to the ground.


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