The ICM Awards have returned once more after another game-changing year of incredible Indie music. Here at ICM, we’re all about giving the spotlight to the artists that we think you should be listening too.
In the past five years, we’ve given the likes of Tom Grennan, Tom Walker, Sundara Karma and Lauran Hibberd the chance to shine on our platform and they’ve gone on to be some of the most successful artists the UK has to offer.
Now that we come close to the end of 2019, it’s now time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for; the Track of the Year nominees.
Sam Fender – Will We Talk?
The Brit award-winning artist Sam Fender, who is also nominated for Album of the Year, has released banger after banger and our personal favourite is nominated for this award. Fender’s grasp of jaw-dropping hooks and invigorating lyrics has not gone unnoticed. ‘Will We Talk?’ is characteristically upbeat, masking a darker theme as Fender explores his thoughts on current society. It’s a pure indie tune and well-worth a listen.
Friendly Fires – Silhouettes
St Albans trio Friendly Fires made their long-awaited return following their 2011 album Pala and boy did they come back in style. ‘Silhouettes’, the fourth single from the new album has breezy, beach club vibes like ‘Hawian Air’ and Brazilian disco vibes, their lighter sound with its ‘ba-ba-ba’ refrain to its laser-like synths. Even BBC Radio 1’s Greg James loves this band so that gotta stand for something, right?
Red Rum Club – Kids Addicted
Trumpets are the new mainstream and Red Rum Club have shown just how good they can be in an indie rock song. ‘Kids Addicted’ was the must-hear epilogue to the cinematic showdown that was Red Rum Clubs’s debut album, ‘Matador’. The Liverpool quartet have been topped as the Pirate Prodi-gies UK best emerging band and now are an ICM Track of the Year nomination.
Calva Louise – Belicoso
London rock trio Calva Louise returned with an explosive banger called ‘Belicoso’ in August as the band bring us a new direction for Calva Louise. This Prodigy-esque style is power hungry and ready to tear the music scene to shreds. It’s got amazing energy and Tarek Musa’s production skills never cease to amaze. Is it repetitive? Yes. Is that a bad thing? Maybe. Is it still a banger? Absolutely.
Easy Life – Nice Guys
This band is truly something special. Since Easy Life burst out onto the scene in 2017 with ‘Pockets’ the Leicester-based five-piece has risen the music ranks rapidly to become an indie pop sensation. ‘Nice Guys’ was Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World and they’ve toured America and the UK in style. What more can we say? Easy Life continues to refine their charismatic but confessional way with their genre-busting attitude.
ICM AWARDS 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, IndieCentralMusic looks back at the greatest new guitar bands, right through some of the best live performances and even the most jaw-dropping videos! With an array of categories; Greatest Discovery, Best International Act, Best Music Video, Best Live Performance, Album of the Year, and the highly-anticipated, Track of the Year, find us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on all of the award category nominees, and more importantly, the winner announcements on Saturday, December 21st!
