Soundvsystem

08/11/2024

Chicago indie artist WOOF has dropped the single “Hunt.” “It's based on the intense emotions of survival and desire, capturing what it feels like to be on the run/hunt,” the artist explains. The song explores both sides of the chase over a post-punk soundtrack.

08/11/2024

Kingston, NY post-punk band King in Yellow has shared their new EP Dark Passengers. The opening track “Lucid Dream” is a tribute to 80’s new wave and horror. As the band explains, they “wanted to write something that would have been on the A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.” The 4-track release explores “themes of alienation, loss and the light that shines between the dark clouds.” King in Yellow is playing a show at Manhattan venue .undernyc along with and on 11/20.

07/11/2024

Los Angeles-based grunge band NIIS has signed to Get Better Records. On their debut label single “Lovesick,” the band moves between infatuation and indestructible strength. The band kicked off their tour last night, and will be playing shows along the West Coast with The Blood Brothers, L7, Nekromantix, and more. See remaining dates below:

11/06 Santa Ana, CA
11/08 Ventura, CA .ventura.theater
11/09 Palmdale, CA
11/10 Sacramento, CA
11/12 Eugene, OR
11/14 Bellingham, WA
11/15 Tacoma, WA
11/16 Portland, OR
11/20 Chico,
11/21 Reno, NV
11/22 San Jose, CA
11/23 Los Angeles, CA
11/24 San Diego, CA

05/11/2024

Sydney’s jan. weighs the possibilities of personal relationships on their new song “my dear,” asking us to choose between being alone or partnering up. The band offers, “Relationships are filled with love, hate, fear, and everything in between, and ‘my dear’ embodies the self-awareness and numbness of understanding this question” The 5-piece band’s sound merges alternative, emo and post-hardcore. Jan. will be sharing the bill with indie heavyweights The Wombats at Rolling Sets festival in December.

05/11/2024

Bordeaux shoegaze band Cosmopaark has released their latest EP, 'Backyard,' which features five tracks that blend classic shoegaze with modern noise pop. The EP was recorded in a studio, allowing the band to experiment with new production techniques. 'Backyard' explores themes of resilience and introspection while showcasing their evolving sound. With a limited-edition release that quickly sold out, Cosmopaark's creative journey continues to captivate fans. Read our interview with vocalist Clément Pelofy at the .

02/11/2024

Post-punk band French Nancy’s style is meant to create "high energy songs for introspective moments.” Their new song “Lovers” is a poignant observation on how we can get trapped in toxic relationships. The Hackney duo is influenced by bands like Motorama, Black Marble, The Cure, and Topographies. As the band warns on Instagram, the song “May or may not induce an emotional response.”

29/10/2024

Where artists crowdpress their records via a designer tool, launchpad, storefront and handling of logistics.

23/10/2024

Ex Monarch reveals the difficulties of losing a parent to addiction on their song “Rotten.” As the Miami alt-rock band explains, “This piece starts out reflecting on the parent’s addiction and then imagines what it would feel like to use for the first time, as a way to feel close to the parent they no longer know.” The song leans into Ex Monarch’s heavier influences, underscoring the subject matter. "Writing this song was emotionally draining but necessary. It’s an honest expression of grief, loss, and the complicated feelings that come with them,” they say. “My hope is that listeners find a sense of catharsis and connection through it.” Listen to the song now on our playlist 'the faves.'

📸 by Chey Runner

23/10/2024

This week we feature music from VacantPavements, Ex Monarch, Spirit Hotel, Mumrunner & Coupdekat.

New music from Spirit Hotel, Ex Monarch, Mumrunner, Vacant Pavements and Coupdekat.

22/10/2024

Brooklyn psych-pop band Hanford Reach is back with “Remnants of Sunset.” Originally created around a drum loop and piano chords, the song existed as a demo called “Reznor.” The reworked final version is off of their upcoming full-length album, which dives into themes including “finding love, longing for connection, [and] finding comfort in the mundanities of life.” The album, out next year, will be on the band’s own label Green Run Music.

18/10/2024

Helsinki post-punk band Drug Store Raid is back with another single. On “I Wanna Be A Hipster,” they poke fun at the subculture singing, “A middle class kid from uptown/With the essence of a worker.” Read more at the link!

New music from Drug Store Raid, The Mercadonnas, S.C.A.B., Crackups and The Links.

17/10/2024

Irish indie rock band The Mercadonnas looks at the sensory overload caused by technology on “Animals.” "We've had our concentration stolen, but worse, they made us do it to ourselves!" says frontman Jack O'Flaherty. “Animals” follows their debut single “C​é​ad M​í​le F​á​ilte,” which is an exploration of Irish identity and a call for empathy in the nation.

20/08/2024

In the Winter of 2020, Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Romain Collin traveled to Iceland for a creative reset. Due to COVID lockdowns, Collin spent six months in a remote cabin writing music. Upon his return, Collin and multi-Grammy award-winning producer Jeremy Loucas worked for a month. Together, as FOSS, they finished the album Shapeless. Read our Q&A with Collin, where we chat about audio & visual work, working in isolation, being inspired by nature and circumstances, and more.

In the Winter of 2020, Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Romain Collin traveled to Iceland for a creative reset. Due to COVID lockdowns, Collin spent six months in a remote cabin writing music. Upon his return, Collin and multi-Grammy award-winning producer Jeremy Loucas worked for a month. Toge

12/08/2024

To kick off our new series “6 things w/” we decided to answer the questions we get the most. Learn more about us and why we do this in the first place!

1/ABOUT US/sound(versus)system is owned and operated by one person. Over the years, music has given me an outlet as a listener. soundvsystem was started to support and give back to the indie music community.

2/GENRES WE COVER/We feature artists from a range of styles. Though the playlist ‘the faves’ skews mostly toward indie rock/shoegaze/post-punk etc. (to avoid algorithm f-ups for bands) we have included electronic, hip hop, and r&b songs in the past.

3/FINDING MUSIC/soundvsystem checks for new releases on Bandcamp and other DSPs regularly. We also review releases we receive via email/DMs and submissions platforms like and .

4/THE FAVES PLAYLIST/To keep up with new releases, follow our curated Spotify playlist ‘the faves’

5/NEWSLETTER/For a wrap-up of recent interviews, features, and our monthly Bandcamp Friday picks, sign up for our e-mail list. We will never spam you.

6/SUBMISSIONS/We do our best to listen to every submission we get via email & DMs. soundvsystem is a 1-person team, so keep that in mind (:

Look out for the upcoming “6 things w/” feature in collaboration with rising indie artists. Get to know their process, recording habits, and more in our new series.

We’re always open to suggestions. If you have any feature ideas or ways we can improve, let me know in the comments!

19/04/2024

Moon Cowboy, the solo project of songwriter Ricardo Fiel, has released its new single “baby jane” under the UK shoegaze label 1991 Recordings. Fiel’s subdued vocals add an element of mystery behind lush guitars and atmospheric sounds. Moon Cowboy’s upcoming EP 'an explosion of sound' is out in May.

27/03/2024

Chicago-based trio Daarling emerged onto the music scene with their debut album, “The Deep Within.” Recorded in the basement of their old practice space with CJ Melton, the album showcases a mix of alt-rock and shoegaze, tinged with elements of noise and grunge. Tracks like “Metamorphosis” and “Out of Greed” offer introspective lyrics and dynamic instrumentation, highlighting their ability to craft emotive and compelling music. As they embark on a spring tour to promote their album, daarling promises to continue pushing creative boundaries while staying true to their evocative sound. Read our Q&A with the band.

Chicago-based trio daarling has emerged onto the music scene with their debut album, "The Deep Within." Recorded in the basement of their old practice space with CJ Melton, the album showcases a mix of alt-rock and shoegaze, tinged with elements of noise and grunge. Tracks like "Metam

21/03/2024

Nieri's latest EP Flow State touches on personal growth and resilience. Collaborating with producer Joakim Buddee, Nieri blends dance-pop, electro-pop, and nu-disco to create a seamless project. The 9-track release reflects Nieri's artistic evolution, marked by bold experimentation and a deeper exploration of vulnerability. We asked Nieri to curate a playlist of the influences that shaped Flow State. From Grace Jones to George Michael and Peaches, Nieri’s selections help us understand his motivation. Read our Q&A with the LA-based artist and listen to the playlist.

Nieri's latest EP Flow State touches on personal growth and resilience. Collaborating with producer Joakim Buddee, Nieri blends dance-pop, electro-pop, and nu-disco to create a seamless project. The 9-track release reflects Nieri's artistic evolution, marked by bold experimentation and a deeper ex

08/11/2023

Ottawa indie pop duo Wotts have released their new single “ALLO!” On the track’s sound, band member Ricky 100 comments, “For most of the year, we really focused on getting out of our comfort zone and making songs that were more mellow and indie sounding. So it was a lot of fun flipping the script with “ALLO!” and making an energetic synth-heavy track.” The song is off the band’s upcoming EP 'Petals.'