Guitar Is Not Dead — May 2024: Swim School, Sea Lemon, NewDad
Yes, there is still loads of great guitar music out there
Guitar music has been dead for a long time — you’ve probably heard it lots of times. Indeed, rock and roll has vanished into insignificance since its last rebellion during the retro wave in the early 00s with bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand. At least as far as the charts are concerned.
But while electropop, hip-hop and R’n’B occupy the radio playlists, the underground clubs are buzzing. Yes, there is still fascinating guitar rock out there — perhaps more than ever. You just won’t hear it on the radio or in the big playlists. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to put some of the hottest artists in the spotlight. Because one thing is for sure: Guitar is not dead!
Swim School
As soon as the first chord of “Delirious” crashes in, it becomes obvious that this band wants to go all the way. The song runs over the listener like a juggernaut on speed. This is rock’n’roll in its purest form. A head-crashing banger galore. Sweaty, hot, loud. But Swim School don’t always just put the pedal to the metal. They also have wonderful melodies full of longing. A mixture that can be addictive. The indie-rock three-piece out of Edinburgh hasn’t even released a full album, yet. Just a handful of EPs. I think we can look forward to everything that may come.
Sea Lemon
Sea Lemon is the solo project of Seattle-based artist Natalie Lew. Her 2023 EP “Stop at Nothing” is a beautiful collection full of little dream-pop gems. This is music you just have to love. “Vaporized”, for example, is surprisingly cheerful and makes dream pop danceable. “Cellar”, on the other hand is a massive fuzzfest that — should we really say it? — could also have found a home on an album by My Bloody Valentine. Listen to it and immerse yourself in sound and pure beauty!
NewDad
Indie-rock, shoegaze, grunge — the musical foundations of NewDad seem obvious at first glance. But it is clearly the dreamy yet poppy melodies, performed by singer Julie Dawson, that make up the unique selling point of this Irish outfit. The danceable, sing-along tune “Sickly Sweet” (Beware of earworm!), the deeply sad “In My Head” (for me the highlight of the album) or “Angel”, which you just want to let yourself fall into. All of these songs resonate with an undefined but clearly palpable longing. Even without taking a closer look at the lyrics, you can feel the teenage angst that seems to drive these songs. We gladly let ourselves drift along.
Are you interested in more new indie guitar music? Check out this playlist.
