Transfer to New Domain Name: steamusique.com ---> kimrampling.com

All new content for this site is now found on my own domain name:

kimrampling.com.

The site is called "New Indie Friday".

Thanks!

'Do Ya Want It' by Blik

 

 

A single released June 26, 2026.

They're back.

It's been a long while since their last album Essex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, that was released over a year ago on January 24, 2025. 

I was starting to wonder if they had done a bunk, and disappeared into the great rock gig in the sky.

This single brings them back again, and judging by the Spotify looped video thingy (what is that anyway?), Sol Abrahams has got a new look - bully for him.

The song is nearly classic Bilk, although I hope it's part of a possible new album, as while good, it's got work to do, as they say, sounding just a tiny bit lazy.

'Low Life' by Rum Jungle

 

 

From the album 'Marginalla' released 5 June, 2026.

As I was saying.

This is my pick from that album, frankly a good, very typical Australian Indie song.

"Rum Jungle is an Australian indie/alt-rock four-piece from Newcastle, New South Wales. They built their following on the local Newcastle scene before breaking through nationally." <via Wikipedia>

"Their sound blends surf rock, alt-pop, and psychedelic guitars, with influences ranging from Phoenix and The Strokes to the Beach Boys. Marginalia follows their debut album Recency Bias, released in early 2025." <via ABC News Australia's 'Unearthed'>.

'Coal Dust' by Rum Jungle

 

From the album 'Marginalla' released 5 June, 2026.

And it works!

Getting extremely pissed off with the near impossibility of searching for new releases on Spotify by genre, and above all, country (or anywhere else), I got Claude AI to build a 'New Music Discovery' app, running as a local script only on my PC.

The search criteria, for now, is Indie, Indie Rock, Alt Rock and Surf Rock only in Australia and New Zealand. And anyway the best Indie comes out those places, so why not.

But really, why only those countries? Technically it's much easier to severely limit the AI search terms, mainly to avoid finding the same new 'world' releases that everyone finds.

Coal Dust currently has the most plays on Spotify, although my favourite off this album is 'Lowlife'.

So in the spirit of feeling grateful that yes, some things AI really do work, 'Lowlife' has it's very own post.

Nearly forgot: see band details in the next post - ha!

'Heart Has To Work So Hard' by Blondshell

 

A single released on 18 May, 2026. 

Blondshell (real name Sabrina Teitelbaum) is originally from New York, USA, and is now based in Los Angeles, California, with music composed and written by herself.

Such a great Indie Rock song.

Really like the driving beat, and the guitar backing and breakout is very cool.

'A.D.' by 32 tens

 

 

 A single released on 15 May 2026.

Been a while since I featured some bad arse rock music.

Great indie rock song from this British group from the Northwestern UK town of Warrington.

Get rockin', as they used to say.

"Mamma Don't Cry" by Joan & the Giants

 

 

Missed this one back two weeks ago at the end of April.

I have listened to new releases before from this Melbourne based alt pop-rock band (whatever that means) only have never featured any of them.

Don't be fooled by the long intro that sounds sort folksy as it is really not what the song is about. 

It takes nearly a minute (around 0.52) to hit it's stride and become a really great rock song.

 

'Is This Real' by overpass

 

From the EP of the same name released on 29 April, 2026.

First came across this Birmingham band back in 2021 with the release of 'Otherside of Midnight' in February that year, one of my favourite songs from that time.

There have been been many more, with that clean, guitar Indie sound.

This is one of those.

End of April Songs - Still Busy.

 

 

 One Day by Future Island - A single released on April 21, 2026

 

Skipping Stones by The Burning Young - A single released April 24, 2026

   

Your Eyes by White Fence - from the Album Orange released on April 24, 2026

New Songs for April: 'Touch Grass' by Youth Killed it, 'Crown' by Lazy Haze and 'Fabulous People' by Joe Jackson.

I do not usually do this, only I am very busy working another web based project that is taking up most of my Internet time.

Here's a list for songs released in April.

 

  'Touch Grass' by Youth Killed it - a single relased 3 April 2026.

   

 'Crown' by Lazy Haze - a single relased 3 April 2026.

   

And he's back, after all those years 'Fabulous People' by Joe Jackson from his new album "Hope and Fury" released April 10, 2026

'Highwave' by Moon Taxi

 

From their new album of the same name, released March 6, 2026.

This is a very cool US indie rock song by this well established group that you probably have never heard of.

First came across these guys back in 2018 with the release of their album "Let The Record Play", where I see from Spotify I 'liked' "Two High", "Good As Gold" and "No More Worry", all from the same album.

Three songs from one album is usual for me, so I remember waiting in anticipation for Moon Taxi's next releases, only to find myself skipping the 'Silver Dream' album in 2021, and then liking 'Set Yourself Free', from the album of the same name, released in 2023 - still my favourite Moon Taxi.

Moon Taxi are an indie/alt‑rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, in the USA and actually have been active since 2006.

This is what used to be one of the joys of Spotify: discovering bands who are 'BIG' in the vast US market, for example, and that you have never heard of. 

A discovery process that has got so much harder as Spotify continues to relentlessly push it's 'Made for (you)' and 'Discover Weekly' algorithm (now read AI) generated play lists.

Bring back humans.

'Place I Hide' by Double Parked

 

 'Place I Hide' by Double Parked

From their EP "Rosary" released March 6, 2025.

I have came across their song "Faded Days", released way back on April 21, 2023 by this West Coast, Tamaki Makaurau band. 

Say where? That's Auckland, New Zealand for non Kiwi's.

For those accessing 'Place I Hide' via Spotify, it's still not showing any plays compared to 'Buttercup', Necklace' and 'Lighthouse' from this new "Rosary" EP.

Whatever. 

I like the sort of broken play of this song compared to the others, and the guitar work is great.

Not sure if that's pure listener laziness, only I always try to speed listen to most all tracks on album before deciding on one to feature here.

(Spotify will not start showing a song count before 1,000 listens - part of the whole Spotify evaluation nuttiness).

'Idol' by The Rions

 

 

A single released 5 March 2025.

It must be a March thing.

I featured this New South Wales, Australia group almost exatly a year ago with their "Shut You Out" single, released 19 March 2025. 

In some ways a very Rions song, sort of coming off the accelerator after “Shut You Out”, and a move towards a more of an idie pop sound.

Noel Blockley has a such a great voice and the rhythm and lead guitar work is very cool.

Still a very Indie Aussie sound, which I continue to say appers to get little air play outside of Australia.

Listen to recall that late summer someone that you somehow have never forgotten.

For some reason my Spotify will not switch to playing the video, so here's the YouTube link (my last paragraph above I wrote before seeing it. Yes, really!)

And read the video comments, and watch to the end.

'Raise The Dust' by 33DOWN

 

A single released February 28 2026.

A great rock song, with a banjo and a cool lead guitar at towards the end.

The only issue I have is that, besides the 'Artist' information supplied by Spotify, there is really not a lot of information about the artist behind this project available.

YouTune gives a bitr more: song released by Amuseio AB from Stockholm, with the the Producer, Banjo and Composer listed as James Watson.

Why my deep research? AI music!!!

So I also ran it through an AI Song Checker, which came back "Human: most likely (90%)" - fantastic!

Has it come to this!?

Which leads to a bigger question: if this a genuine song, why make it hard to find out who the artist is?

Still, one to listen to.

'Skint' by The Dead Bolts

 

First time for everything. 

'Skint' is a new release by the Chicago group, The Dead Bolts from their upcoming, as yet unnamed new album, here available on YouTube only. 

The song will be on streaming platforms from 20 February, 2026, so the next 'New Music Friday'.

As I said on social media:

"Too good, and the video's cool! 

And to friends 'video is deliberately 'amateur' but actually great!'.

Enjoy.

'Tearing the Ticket' by The Paranoid Style

 

 

From the album 'Known Associates' released February 13, 2026.

Another band that has been around for a while that I have only just come across with the release of this the new album.

The Paranoid Style is a Washington, D.C. indie/garage rock band built around songwriter and vocalist Elizabeth Nelson and guitarist husband Timothy Bracy.

The guitar work is fine, although there is a great sax sola towards the end.

For those interested in the lyrics, which can be found via Bandchamp, here is Perplexity AI's interpretation, for what it's worth, which sounds about right.

"Taken as a whole, “Tearing the Ticket” is:

A tribute to fallen guitar heroes and the people who still carry their influence.

A self‑portrait of a lifer in music and politics who refuses to sell out or cross lines, despite fatigue and doubt.

A meditation on commitment: “tearing the ticket” is both the moment you sign on for a ride you can’t fully control and the act of rejecting the easy out, deciding to keep the flame alive when it would be simpler to go home."

'Thrill' by CHEEKY LEASH

 

 

 A single released February 4 2026.

Great lively upbeat song from this Australian Surf Rock group, who are from Wollongong, New South Wales, which is an hour south of Sydney on what is called the South Coast.

Always liked Surf Rock.

I Ran (So Far Away) a Cover by The Beaches

 

A single released on January 16, 2026.

It takes a few opening bars of this song to realise it's a cover of classic '80's song from the Liverpool group "A Flock Of Seagulls", which was eventually released as on the album of the same name as the group on April 30, 1982.

The song was great, only the MTV video of the band, a low‑budget, early‑MTV sci‑fi performance piece (the band miming in a tiny room covered in aluminum foil and mirrors) caused a sensation on it's realease, propelling the hit higher in the charts.

And by the way, The Beaches are from Toronto, Canada.

Cool cover!

'Whatever' by High Hi

 

 

Released as a single on 7 January 2026.

Let's start the New Year with something different.

A great song from this Belgium group. Say what?! Where?

A Belgium group, and from Antwerp of all places, and so Flemish.

Turns out they have been around producing Indie Rock like this since 2014, only the all enveloping English language music scene means it takes a while to show, at least for me.

Cool song.