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

A WORD FROM DEL: Hey everyone, thanks to all our readers for voting this weekend, and of course to the artists who submitted tracks. I would like to ask a huge favour to those who made the faves this week – now that you have made the faves you cannot submit another track for 90 days.

Can we also ask that you can support the independent artists who will be on the listening post next week and vote for your favourite fave tracks? The listening post opens on Friday morning and stays open until Sunday evening 6pm UK time.all we ask is that you spare half an hour and vote for your favourite five tracks.

Also if you share this, please make sure to tag the correct instagram accounts in this case @fotnblog is our official account, and @tonyhardyfifty3 is the author.

Thankyou.

Over to you Tony!

AVII GARDE – It Comes Back

The futuristically named Avii Garde makes his Fresh Faves debut with by far the highest number of readers votes this week. Hailing from South Korea, the singer-songwriter and producer emerged in 2018 under the stage name ‘Weber’, citing British pop and rock as a major influence. He has also spent time in Manchester, absorbing the culture and music history. As Avii Garde, he handles the complete musical package himself from concept through to final production and mainly writes in English.

“It Comes Back” is a track from Avii Garde’s third EP, Petrichor, released at the end of June. The EP title describes the pleasant scent of rain falling on dry ground, a naturalistic impression that sits well with the airiness of this song. The soft stabbing chords that open the song invite you into quiet reflections on a fleeting love. The pace picks up in the choruses when realisation kicks, which a delicate bridge is unable to dispel. The song ends as it starts, coming full circle to round off an engaging piece of work.

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BOTTLEMOTH – Lilac

I chose Bottlemoth’s uplifting single, “Suki”, as one of my Alt Picks in March so it is great to see the band has now made the Faves too. The five-piece indie rock crew from the South-west only formed around 18 months ago yet quickly put out a debut album, Even Us Ghosts, last October. Sonically, Bottlemoth brings together influences from folk, rock and indie to create emotive and thoughtful songs. Drawing inspiration too from 90s/early 00s guitar music, there is a hint of nostalgia to the band’s sound and often an epic feel.

“Lilac” hits you with a rush of guitar, giving way to an opening line, “Nothing’s going to happen if we don’t say goodbye” which imparts a certain finality. Impassioned vocals carry personal musings which seem to work across both relationships and friendships. The alternating loud and soft passages give the song an epic feel while the choruses hint at catharsis. The song is wonderfully balanced and contained, bringing with it a kind of beauty, reflective of the colour purple and the shade of lilac. A band to take note of, for sure.

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CHATEAU – You Keep Me Dreaming On

AI might point you in different directions given the number of musical ‘chateaux’ out there but our third Fresh Faves newbie is none other than Henry Smith, a UK songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bedroom recording artist who works under the banner of Chateau. Before turning to solo endeavours, he played with Manchester’s garage/indie bands The Big Peach and The Be Positives. Moving from city to suburb, Henry began teaching himself home recording, creating a lo-fi sound that has a spontaneous feel to it.

Melodically “You Keep Me Dreaming On” has echoes of both Manfred Mann’s “Pretty Flamingo” and The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” in the opening lines of the verses before taking a left turn or two. The relaxed, easy tempo suits the song’s narrative about wanting someone back in your life while a female harmony nicely accentuates the ‘dreaming’ lines. A song to lose yourself in over those hot summer days.

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DEAD HORSE – Dynamite

There seem to be a growing number of bands with ‘horse’ in their name, which I guess is better than being a horse with no name. There is already a Dead Horse in Houston, Texas; a thrash metal band that seems to specialise in reunions after an initial 10-year reign. Without flogging this one any further, our fourth new Fresh Fave this week is also called Dead Horse, self-described as ‘absurdist Post-Punk noisemongers from London’; the trio of Kevin Lennon (vocals, bass, sax), guitarist Josh Kemp and drummer Duncan Clark.

“Dynamite” previews the debut album from the London/Kent 3-piece, Caught The Nonsense, due in September. It opens with an ominous bass line accompanied by stretched arpeggio strings before a skittish rhythm takes centre stage. Lyrics spill out in a stream of word association as the frenzy builds, yet for all the panic, emptiness and instability described the music holds its course, helmed by sharp controlled percussion that sustains everything in its wake.

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FREDDIE DICKSON – Exit Game

At last, a returning Fresh Fave, namely Freddie Dickson who made it here in March 2024 in partnership with fellow singer-songwriter Kat Koan. Freddie is now back in his own right with this seminal exercise in songwriting, “Exit Game.” The British indie artist’s darkly romantic songs draw inspiration from disparate sources including a move from London to Berlin in 2018 where he finished his second album, Blood Street. A third album will follow soon, heralded by this fine song.

“Exit Game” is a song about the uncertainty inherent in pursuing a career in music; how easy it is to feel cast adrift and disconnected. It is equally a rallying call to give it one more shot – not to “lose sight of the dream.” You sense that the artist is grateful for the support of friends and fans in keeping the faith. Set against an easy, rolling soundtrack, Freddie’s intimate vocal displays the clearest diction without ditching character. A hymn to resilience underpinned by a true talent.

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GARDENBACK – Violent Streak

Ever felt led up the garden path? A SoundCloud page with no links and a single song was not a great start. Not a Monty Don side project, methinks. Then I found a 3-piece garage rock band from Oldham called Gardenback but they now seem to have split up ever though their socials are still very visible and AI is a fan. Yet, somehow its music didn’t quite fit the gossamer alt-folk of Fresh Fave newcomers (yes) Gardenback. So, on to the song.

Gardenback sounds like a band, or at least a duo rather than a solo project. You might think that “Violent Streak” hardly seems an appropriate title for such a gentle song. Opening with softly ringing guitar leading to breathy Bon Iver-ish vocal tones, the song equally put me in mind of Family Stereo. Maybe it was the faultlines in the lyrics. All good so far though; this is a song to immerse yourself in. There are some interesting antique sounds pitched in here and there and the softest drums keeping pace with guitar. The song comes across as charting a highly personal experience yet it is impossible not simply to get lost in its loveliness.

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GEISLAR – Supernature

Next is Geislar, a returning Fresh Fave who appeared here back in November 2024. Since then, the band still keeps its cards close to its chest on SoundCloud but at least its Spotify page gives much more away. Geislar is a six-piece from Reykjavik, Iceland which fuses jazz, pop and soul into a heady yet chilled brew. The band shares a love of the past, cinema and vintage electronics, much of which seem to sit in the mix here.

“Supernature” is the title track from Geislar’s 2024 album which also provided its last FOTN entry. The silky, high vocals are from Sigríður Thorlacius who I once saw when she performed as a member of fellow Icelanders Hjaltalin in Hoxton at the venue that used to be called the Bar & Grill (now called Colours, I think). It is another piece of music to immerse yourself in and appreciate both the complexity of its textures and simplicity of its dream-like resonance.

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SIIGA – Human

Four-time Fresh Fave, Siiga (the soul) is the recording nom de plume of Richard Macintyre, who lives on the Isle of Skye and seems now to be enormously successful in the streaming world as an independent artist. With two earlier albums under his belt, Richard has devoted the past 4 years to creating a concept album which blurs visions of the future with a sense of nostalgia. The songs were written during a time of self-imposed exile “living in the mediterranean South of France amongst the open night skies and vivid colours of the landscapes around him.”​

“Human” is from Siiga’s concept album, Nostalgia Burns, which he has created with a small team of collaborators as a kind of antidote to the growth of AI, signposting the uniqueness of human imagination and creativity. Sonically the music exudes a grand vision with a quiet majesty built of flowing melody lines, deft instrumentation and a warm yet earnest vocal. Lyrically the song moves from nostalgia and self-examination to a place of hope; a reaffirmation of being human. Mighty and impressive all round.

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SOFT COTTON COUNTY – Hippo’s Circus

Another returning Fresh Fave is London-based Soft Cotton County, a project that brings together singer-songwriter-musician Andy Coombs, musician-engineer Sascha Panknin and vocalist Shira Fox. Emerging in 2009 with an eponymous debut LP, the dream pop trio went on to release a well-received follow up, Ten Years of Travel, in 2024 and is currently working on new tracks for a third full-length offering. The band’s moniker comes from an imaginary designer label that Andy conjured as a name for the project; useful, he notes, were he to branch out into a clothing range in the future.

“Hippo’s Circus” is the latest of the new material to be aired. It is a song very much in the tradition of Soft Cotton County; wonderfully airy with music box charm, chiming guitar, piano notes and looped keyboards. Shira’s gauzy vocals paint an intriguing picture of the circus coming to town, invoking past memories with a decidedly dark edge to them, calling out bad dreams and broken promises. This ambivalence runs throughout the song which is insistent by its very nature. A song to embrace but not run away with.

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VIKTORIJA WAVE – Arrow

We close with a first time Fave, Viktorija Wave, who is from Lithuania. Her social profiles are a little sketchy but it looks like “Arrows” is her third single release following “Hey, you” released last year and “Hear My Voice” (2024). While she sings in English, I haven’t been able to find out if she is based in the UK or Lithuania. What is certain is that Viktorija has a distinctive jazz-infused voice which is nicely framed by atmospheric soundscapes.

From the opening bars of “Arrows”, Viktorija’s voice establishes an atmospheric torch song presence. Words are stretched, once whispered then rising in crescendo. She employs glissando particularly effectively over a fluid electronic and orchestral palette. There is an inherent sadness to the song as she addresses someone in her life who needs to loosen the shackles of the past and let themselves live again. A commanding closure to this week’s Fresh Faves.

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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.