These Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s CHIANA this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

A word from Del: Hi everyone, first of all, thankyou to all the artists who sent us tracks last week and indeed since FOTN started. One of the things I wanted to maintain here is a solid community where everyone supports each other. FOTN has the potential to be a sanctuary for creatives and this weekend proved that we can do this. Thankyou to everyone who came and voted and spoke up at the same time. On behalf of the team we are grateful and appreciate you.

As always, you can submit a track for consideration to my Islington Radio show drop me an email with a bio and audio file. Clean radio edits only!

Secondly please follow the Fresh On The Net instagram and Bluesky accounts and share with your friends and family.

finally, over to CHIANA PETTITT, for this week’s reviews! First time reviewing for us.

CHRISTINA ALDEN & ALEX PATTERSON – The Mountain Hare

Christina Alden and Alex Patterson draw on a combination of current country musical trends with a folk twist. Telling the story of the Mountain Hare, parallels can be drawn between the animal of the Scottish uplands and the daily emotional struggles of humanity. The Mountain Hare is known for changing its coat to match the seasons, camouflaging to protect itself from predators, but its vulnerability is increasing with the effects of climate change leading to exposure and a strain to keep up with the ever changing environment.

The innocence and simplicity of this track combined with the raw and very real parallels that can be drawn between both the Mountain Hare and worldly issues aid in the power in which it possesses to captivate and provoke thought for the listener.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

GEORGE BLOOMFIELD – Old Times

Tame Impala meets Foster The People is how I would describe the voice of George Bloomfield. Distortion paired with brass instruments to add to the feel of nostalgia, the track feels like a country road trip memory from 10 years ago.

If you close your eyes listening to this, it’s almost as if you can watch memories whizzing past on film, while the sun beams down, reflecting off the car wing mirrors. A true track for summer, Bloomfield has well and truly ticked all the boxes of a summer soundtrack.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

GOODNIGHT KID – House (With A Balcony)

The first single from emo-alt-rock band Goodnight Kid is quite literally music to my ears. Having grown up listening to a whole host of indie-rock music, I am immediately transported back to ‘American Pie’ and seeing Busted live.

Velvety smooth vocals are a welcome change to me though, with vocal ranges being explored to new heights (literally). It is hard to believe this is the Newcastle-Upon-Tyne band’s first single, and that they only launched at the end of October 2024. With such polished recording, I would certainly love to see them live.

Official | Instagram | Facebook

HONEY MOTEL – If You Didn’t Exist

Tom Grennan-esque vocals are just the tip of the iceberg of existence for this song from Honey Motel. The tempo changes keep the listener on their toes, alongside the key shifts, raspy vocals, harmonies and octaves: a fitting metaphor for the complexity of existence.

A prime example of a guitar band that are putting their own spin on the genre and taking musical risks, that are clearly paying off not just in their spot on here, but also their spot at Y Not Festival this year.

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X

J.CHAMBERS – Dub Poetry

An exotic charm that lures you in to the hard truths spoken by J Chambers. The reggae dub-poet is making waves in communities, making voices heard and cultures recognised through song, panel talks and more.

Drawing on shared experiences, Chambers appeals to an array of audiences, making headway to change cultural perceptions and drive equality. The perfect example of being a social force for good.

Official | Instagram | Facebook

JACKSON ROY – Natural Cause

Elliott Smith has been reincarnated through the voice of Jackson Roy … with a twist. The twists and turns of emotion are perfectly reflected within the ever changing rhythm of this track.

Unexpected tempo changes lead the listener down the winding path of nature: reflective of the meandering natural stream that leads to the rapids and back again, Roy finds a unique way to both calm and haunt listeners in the most beautiful way possible.

Official | Instagram

KAT EVANS VIOLIN – Vaughns Song

Violinist Kat Evans showcases her unique style of weaving electric violin, loop stations and vintage keys to transport the audience on a flight of nature. Drawing textures of Vaughn Williams’ Lark Ascending , by simply closing your eyes the listener is transported on a journey of freedom and serenity.

Evans is truly breaking stereotypes with her eclectic mix of electric cyber-folk and live looping festival performances too, something I would love to experience in person.

Official | Facebook | YouTube

MYSTIC TEA PARTY – The Looking Glass

Youthful questions of identity. Existential curiosity. The feeling of being lost in your own head, trying to find the end of the wool that is tangled.

Mystic Tea Party say it best:

“The Looking Glass is an electronic requiem for identity lost — steeped in the textures of avant-pop and cinematic electronica and the eerie surrealism of a Lynchian fever dream. Dark, experimental, and emotionally unrelenting. This is the sound of asking yourself the question no one wants to: what have I become?”

A thought provoking emotional conundrum that hits when alone, perfectly shadowed by the haunting shadows

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

THE YOUTH PLAY – A Fair Life

An indie explosion perfectly apt for any road trip. The Youth Play are going places, most recently Paris, and I can foresee them joining the likes of Inhaler in future with their complementary genre.

A raw take on indie with a few twists: harmonies perfectly in combination with the effervescent guitar and off beat drumming in parts adds a flare. One thing that stood out for me though, was the abrupt ending: it is something Catfish and the Bottlemen did at the end of every album, that almost shocks the listener into a state of reflection as to what they have just listened to: and that reflective moment is a cause for ‘what’s next?’ For The Youth Play.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

VANESSA VAN NESS – Bed Stuy ’79

Picture this: it is 1979 in Brooklyn.  You wake up in your flat, roll out of bed and meander through the city. A film camera is following your every move as you go about your day. Sipping a coffee, you gaze around, taking in the atmosphere of Brooklyn: this track is soundtracking your day.

A post-punk interpretation of a snapshot of a single day in 1970s Brooklyn, this track is an expression of escapism to the city, written and produced by Vanessa Van Ness herself.

Instagram | Facebook| Bandcamp

PS from DEL If you’ve submitted a track that hasn’t been picked for the Listening Post, our team has definitely listened to it and there’s no need to send it again: feel free to send us an even stronger track another week. The same goes if you were picked for the Listening Post but didn’t feature in our Fresh Faves.

But if we’ve recently featured you in our Fresh Faves – please wait three months before sending us another track, so we have space to help other deserving artists… For more info see Robinson Has A Good Old Moan.