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1 day ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Sub Pop27.06.25Different Talking brings together soft and shimmering indie rock influences and sways like the wind on a summer’s day. NYC-based four-piece Frankie Cosmos know how to set the tone and have created an elaborate and well produced collection of songs on their fifth studio album. Seventeen tracks of hazy alternative anthems. Pressed Flower, Porcelain and Wonderland to name a few.
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1 week ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
County Durham-based musician Joe Whitehill has already been creating genre-hopping albums for years in his bedroom and returns to the DIY scene in June with a fresh cut (his fifth so far), Dispatches. Café Magrana is the moniker of this musical project, inspired by a restaurant in Mallorca, which features a healthy dose of alternative, anti-folk and indie tunes all notable for their double-tracked vocals, quick lyrics, and a noticeable lack of drums.
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3 weeks ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Sunderland-based rising pop outfit Swindled are bringing the party to us with the release of their brand new indie anthem Withdrawal Symptoms. Through a thumping and synth-driven soundscape and soaring vocals, the band capture an effervescent energy with this track, which is sure to hit hardest when performed live.
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3 weeks ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Funky alternative pop artist Caitlin Morrow brings a refreshing and new anthem in the form of her new song Babeustupid. With sharp vocals and a thumping rhythm leading us through its forest of sounds, the single offers a pleasant sound while poking fun at the joys of an unrewarding romantic relationship. It’s the debut single from the Darlington-based singer-songwriter, whose sharp vocals and a catchy pop soundscape has created an easy listening experience.
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1 month ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Teesside-born, Newcastle-based alternative folk artist Niamh Casey shares her debut EP Memories Of My Chaotic Existence this month, on which she opens up about love, family and friendship. She’s been working on the EP for a very long time and is excited to finally release these open-hearted alternative folk pop songs into the world. Niamh started writing from a very young age and brought the songs she’s written over the years together on her debut EP.
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1 month ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Image: Patrick ZizaThe Late Shows, one of the biggest cultural events in Newcastle and Gateshead, returns on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th May with over 70 participating venues across the region. The late night free culture crawl’s line-up features a diverse range of music and performance venues, art studios, galleries, and museums, opening up some of the region’s most important creative spaces to the public.
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1 month ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
The warm guitar-driven intro of Jake Diaz’ latest musical offering immediately set the tone for this soft-hearted yet uplifting new release. His soaring alternative blues rock single, Good Old Days, is the artist’s latest and playful new release that impresses through strong vocals, surprising hooks, great guitar play and softly thumping drums.
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2 months ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Earth Farm have once again shared a powerful and enigmatic alternative rock release with strong vocals and deliciously slick riffs. Always Sick is their first in a series of new releases, cementing the band’s position within the regional music industry. Earth Farm’s raw and gracefully unrefined live shows always leave quite the impression, and so does this new release which captures that raw live energy, bottles it up, and spits it out, demanding to be listened and bopped along to.
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2 months ago | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Speak French is an angelic new alternative pop release driven by hazy vocals that blend English and French like they’re the same language. Indie pop duo French Exchange shared an irresistible and tongue-in-cheek track with us about the allure of a foreign accent. Its vocals and narrative are supported by a softly thumping soundscape which seamlessly combines elements of commercial electro pop and soft indie hooks.
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Mar 27, 2025 | 
narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse
Rachael McShane & The Cartographers are a northern alternative folk trio who are about to release their new album Uncharted on the 28th of March, followed by an extensive UK tour. Uncharted is the band’s first release since the release of 2018’s When All Is Still on Topic Records. “I’ve been playing and singing since I was a kid. My biggest inspiration would be my dad, there was always music playing in the house and I was taken along to folk festivals as a child.
