Artist Spotlight: Afterbloom

The argument between whether the Midlands are north or south will rage on for centuries to come. In fact, if you’re from there you’ll find people telling you it doesn’t exist; but that’s just how uni is. Regardless of whether it belongs in the North or South, the Midlands produce some of the greatest indie music around. Back in the 2012-2014 indie scene, this area of the country produced bands like Peace, Superfood, and Swim Deep. It’s a whole different scene now as proven with this week’s artist spotlight, Afterbloom.

I discovered Afterbloom the way I’ve discovered so much new music, from Flying Vinyl. The subscription box released a copy of Afterbloom’s single ‘Duh’ last year and I was instantly enamoured with them.

‘Duh’ is a track of screeching, catchy as hell, and perfectly played shoegazey vibes. With it

s intro clearly derived from My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Only Shallow’; matched with its insanely catchy guitar riffs and crashing drums, it’s clear the see why I want to give this such good press. However, the band aren’t limited to this psych/shoegaze sound. In fact, the band move into far more grungy tones with their song ‘Second Coming’ which sounds like you threw a Nirvana record in with their more shoegaze roots. Grunge is really hard to get right and Afterbloom have absolutely nailed it.

Then another curveball comes with their song ‘Such a Drag’. This track feels far more like the American surf punk vibes of Wavves, Fidlar, and even British indie band The Magic Gang. Sticking with their screeching guitars and crashing drums but still being able to make a mark with their own sound is a talent and a half.

I’m extremely excited to see where Afterbloom go in the future given this insane discography over the past couple years. Their self-described ‘lazy pop’ could be the next big thing and I’m all here for it.

AFTERBLOOM ARE: