Karina Vismara is singer-songwriter based locally via Argentina. She’s already won some accolades – picking up the ACM Songwriting Competition award last year – and there’s plenty on her recent EP to enjoy. We’ve picked out You’re Not Tied Up Tight, a gorgeous song that really shows of her abilities as a vocalist and a guitarist. You can catch Karina play live at the Boileroom this Thursday as she supports Phantom Limb.
Karina Vismara – EP:
Bella Padley is a local singer-songwriter who has the makings of a really captivating musician. There’s only one song available on her Soundcloud page at the moment, Beating Hearts, but it shows a healthy amount of confidence in her vocal delivery and hints at a really ambitious method of songwriting. One to watch – literally, because she supports Guildford favourites Hipslinky on Thursday (16th Feb).
Bella Padley – Beating Hearts:
Who do the Stanley Blacks remind me of? Well, it’s certainly not The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs or any other band that emerged from 2003-2005 indie rock. The sooner we stop comparing indie rock bands to them automatically the better. What I can say about them though is that they’re aiming big. Caroline is a song that can only come from a band who want to be playing in large venues.
About ten minutes away from Guildford is Woking and residing in that part of the world is youthful-looking quartet The Elations. If you liked bands such as The Coral then the chances are you might fall head over heels in love with these guys. She Sings the Winter, which you’ll find below, features an irresistible guitar hook that, whilst slightly tinged with retro-ness, is immensely enjoyable to hear. They have a new EP coming out in the next couple of months called For What It’s Worth, not to be confused with the Buffalo Springfield song nor the Placebo song.
It’s kind of refreshing when the only thing a very new band has to show so far are six of their own music videos to their own songs. It also helps a lot more if those songs are, which in the case of Eastern Walls they are. It’s indie rock but with synths and, whilst that might be a basic way of describing them, they evoke drama in a way that isn’t pretentious nor over-the-top. The official release of their debut record is coming soon so keep your eyes peeled.