Sven Ross needs no introduction; this is his 11th feature on IMC. The Dutch artist, whom we discovered a few years ago, continues to amaze us track after track and is preparing a new album. A new track from this album, “At Least Friends,” evokes the very beginning of a romantic relationship: when the spark ignites, what do we do with it? Do we dare to go further, or do we stop there, or are we content with a friendship? This is the question posed by the song, as Sven explains:

” I met this girl, and for the first time I didn’t freak out when I started gaining romantic interest in her. I just wanted to get to know her, and that was a huge personal win for me”.

There’s a clever nod in the bridge, made with the help of David Boyden, to the movie “When Harry Met Sally,” but also a clever reference to his song “Blue Birthday,” released in 2021 in the first verse (he hopes she’ll be there at his birthday party).

The chorus is sweet and slow and flows like a sweet in your mouth, and the bridge reveals fantastic vocal harmonies. But overall, “At Least Friends” remains a memorable folk ballad that’s easy to sing along to.

Its only flaw is its length. Yes, it’s far too short, which is a shame because we’d gladly listen to another final chorus.

It can’t be said enough: Sven Ross is truly an artist to watch. He continues to grow, and it’s incredible and an honor for us to witness his evolution. If you’re ever unsure about a relationship, perhaps this song will help you take the plunge!

IMC Listening Guide

Quick insights to help you connect with the song on your terms.

Best weather to enjoy this song

Sunny day

Best time to listen

Dusk reflections

Best place to listen

At home

Does this song haunt the silence?

Impossible to forget

Goosebumps scale

Chills guaranteed

Another winning comeback for Rich, better known by his stage name, Clouds & Thorns! Not breaking from his usual style, the artist wanted to celebrate love with this upbeat new folk song.

Featuring a joyful chorus, the track celebrates togetherness and good times, but above all, the happiness of finding the right person… something that is never easy, as Rich points out:

“Honestly, I think it’s rare. Relationships usually start out that way… or at least, feel like they do. The best couples I know work at it. The song is about how you need to keep doing all those little (and big) things to make it work.”

Naturally, since Rich handles his tracks from start to finish, the production is top-notch, maintaining his consistently breathtaking quality standards. The vocal performance is spirited and joyful, exuding a sense of uninhibited happiness that is truly infectious throughout the song.

It makes you wonder how he manages to craft such striking melodies, you know, the kind of tunes that latch onto your brain and simply refuse to let go. Then again, the answer is obvious: it’s called talent. Pure and simple. Ready to add some love and joy to your playlists? We’ll be playing this banger on repeat!

IMC Listening Guide

Quick insights to help you connect with the song on your terms.

Best weather to enjoy this song

Sunny day

Best time to listen

Midday energy boost

Best place to listen

On the road, At home, Out in nature

Does this song haunt the silence?

Impossible to forget

Goosebumps scale

Maximum goosebumps

IMPORTANT UPDATE !

For years, we’ve been adding the artists we love to our New Indie Music playlist on Spotify. On September 1st, we’re going to delete it. Yes. On purpose.

IMC is about to change quite a lot. With the new Indie Music Center, we’ll be launching IMC Records and producing physical CD releases, with proper royalties going directly to the artists whose music we sell.

And once you decide to do that, celebrating another 0.000-something Spotify stream starts to feel a little weird. Spotify isn’t the only thing we’re leaving behind. We’re also leaving submission platforms.

Somehow, we’ve reached a point where algorithms can judge the value of our work largely through the performance of our Spotify playlist. Which is… interesting.

IMC has been supporting independent music for 25 years. Radio shows, reviews, interviews, podcasts, thousands of artists and countless hours spent discovering and sharing their music. Reducing all that to a playlist metric simply doesn’t make sense to us anymore. So we’re building our own system instead.

The new Artist Space will give artists their own accounts and profiles, bringing together their reviews, releases, interviews, podcast appearances, achievements and history with IMC. They’ll also see, in complete transparency, how many people read their articles, their total readership across IMC and how many times the podcasts they appear in have been played. We don’t know many music blogs giving artists access to that kind of information. But then again, we’re not a music blog.

IMC is a community. We’ve supported each other for years, and the new Indie Music Center is being built around that idea, with new tools designed to genuinely help independent artists grow their careers. And with IMC Records, we’ll be able to turn some of that support into something wonderfully old-fashioned: selling music and actually paying the people who made it. There’s plenty more coming, but I’ll spare you the washing machine instruction manual.

So yes, the Spotify playlist is going away soon. After August 28th, it won’t be updated. And all the work we’ve been doing for Spotify for free for the last years is gone. The music isn’t. The artists certainly aren’t. After 25 years, we simply think it’s time to do things our own way again.

Since 2001, I have spent an unreasonable number of hours listening to independent music. Millions of songs. Thousands of artists. A worrying amount of sleepless nights. FM Radio, then webradios, then podcasts, then blogging, and now making CDs.

Some releases stayed with me for a few days. Others stayed with me for years. Then, Indie Music Center slowly grew around those discoveries and now reaches more than 10,000 recurring readers every month.

That would never have happened without the artists who trusted me with their music, or without the readers who kept coming back to discover it. So if you’re a part of them, I want to warmly thank you. If this is your first time here, then welcome! You have more than 2,000 pages or reviews to read and dozens of podcasts full of music gems to discover.

After almost ten years of writing about independent releases, I decided it was time to do something slightly more ambitious than publishing another article and hoping the algorithms of social media would be in a good mood that day. So I created IMC Records.

Why physical music?

I grew up with CDs and cassettes. I know what it feels like to wait for months until my favorite artist’s new record is out so I can go to the disc store and buy it.

But this is now part of the past. Now, music has never been easier to release. But trust me, it has also never been easier for a release to disappear. I realized quickly that songs can disappear suddenly from streaming platforms, and sometimes the artist is not responsible for it. Recently, an artist posted on Instagram about being rejected by his distributor because their AI algorithm detected AI while he’s doing everything by himself for years…

Then another one! Musicians need to fight against AI tools that detect their music as AI. WTF?!?

Today, a song arrives on streaming platforms, gets promoted for a few days, receives a few playlist placements if the planets are correctly aligned, and is then buried under the next 130 000 new songs uploaded every day. The artist may have spent months writing, recording, producing, and promoting it. In return, streaming platforms generously offer them fractions of a cent. But only if they reach a thousand streams. If they get fewer streams, they pay to distribute their music but get nothing in return. Very thoughtful.

I wanted to create another option. IMC Records will produce physical CD releases for independent folk, pop and rock artists from around the world. This can include albums, EPs, compilations, and special projects selected through Indie Music Center. Something real. Something people can hold, collect, play in the car, display on a shelf, get signed at a concert or give to someone who still remembers that music can exist outside a phone.

I’ve done my research for months. Ordered different kinds of blank CDs. Different kinds of CD cases. Different kinds of paper. Different tools to fold, cut, and trim. Different secured envelopes for shipping… Until I got the perfect compromise between quality and affordability. I already had the gear to produce CDs (7 at a time actually; soon 14 at a time). I already know how to put music on CDs, as this is how we’ve listened to music in the early 2000s.

Made directly by IMC Records

So the CDs will be produced directly by me using professional equipment and carefully selected materials. Yes, by me. I will check the audio files, prepare the physical release, manufacture the discs, print the artwork, assemble the packaging, and test the final result. Basically, I decided that sleeping was becoming a little overrated.

The releases will be produced on demand. I will manufacture a copy whenever someone orders one, rather than filling an entire room with boxes and praying that they eventually sell. This also means that artists do not need to finance hundreds of copies in advance. There is no large factory order, no pile of unsold stock and no need to convince relatives to buy twelve copies each out of pity.

The artists keep their music

Artists working with IMC Records will keep full ownership of their recordings and compositions. The agreements will be non-exclusive and limited to the physical release concerned. I am not trying to take control of anyone’s career, publishing rights, identity, soul or first-born child. My role is to produce and sell the physical edition. The artist provides the final masters, artwork and credits, approves the release and receives royalties from every copy sold. Simple.

Royalties that actually mean something

One of the main reasons I created IMC Records is that independent artists deserve to earn a respectable amount from their work. Not 0.003-something per stream. Not a mysterious calculation involving territories, subscription types, market shares, and possibly the position of Jupiter, depending on the tide and direction of the wind, you see?

For an artist album released through IMC Records, the planned royalty is 80% of what’s left after production costs. I’ll keep 20% to buy new materials to manufacture future releases. For compilations (I’ll relaunch the famous “Indie Mixtape” series), artists will receive 90% of what’s left, then divided by the number of tracks. Of course, every copy sold counts. When a track is a collaboration between separately credited artists, each artist receives their own royalty.

The goal is clear: when someone buys a physical release, the artist should receive an amount that does not require a microscope to be seen. The rest covers the discs, printing, packaging, website fees, payment fees, manufacturing time, and new equipment. Because apparently printers, CD writers, and ink cartridges have not yet accepted payment in exposure or Instagram likes and followers.

What will be released?

IMC Records will focus on independent folk, pop and rock.

The catalogue may include:

– physical editions of albums or EPs that were previously only available digitally;

– new releases prepared with the artist;

– compilations selected through Indie Music Center;

– occasional special projects that I find impossible to resist (yes, I already have some ideas for Christmas).

I will personally choose every release. I am not interested in filling the catalogue with hundreds of names for the sake of appearing important. I would rather release fewer projects and genuinely care about each one. Streaming numbers will not be the main deciding factor. A small artist can make an extraordinary record. A large artist can also make something completely forgettable. It happens. Quite often, actually.

What does this mean for IMC readers?

For readers and music fans, IMC Records will offer another way to discover and support the artists featured through Indie Music Center. Some of the music you may have discovered through an article, playlist, or recommendation will become available as a physical edition.

You will be able to buy a CD knowing that part of the price goes directly to the artist, rather than being divided into microscopic pieces somewhere inside a streaming platform’s accounting department. It will also allow IMC to preserve some of the best independent releases it has supported over the years. Online articles get older. Links disappear. Platforms change. Websites close. Songs are removed from streaming services.

A physical copy stays.

Unless someone leaves it in a hot car in August. Then I make no promises.

The first IMC Records releases

I am currently selecting the first projects that will become part of the IMC Records catalogue. Applications are already open for independent artists who would like to propose an album, EP or future release. It’s our usual free submission form, where you’ll just have to tick an additional box.

Not every submission will be accepted. The music needs to fit IMC, the rights need to be clear, and I need to believe that the physical edition deserves to exist. For everyone else, artists, readers, collectors, and people who still own a CD player somewhere: this is the beginning of a new part of Indie Music Center.

After 25 years of talking about music, I am finally going to manufacture some of it.

Let’s go not far from our friend Kahone Concept, into the streets of Philadelphia, to discover Trainwreck Boyfriend, a band of six friends: 4 guys and 2 girls. Vocally, the band is carried by Greta et Kristin’s voice. Yes, an alt-rock band fronted by girls! It’s quite rare, and it’s a detail we loved from the first seconds of listening to their debut album, simply titled Trainwreck Boyfriend.

As soon as you hear wonderful female vocals on “Freak Show,” the opening track, you get pulled back into a very nostalgic place. We immediately thought about a blessed era, when we were listening to bands like Hooverphonic, The Cardigans, and even The Corrs. Those unforgettable melodies that stay in your head, strong and well-built, pushed forward by female voices. That’s exactly what you’ll find on this album, and it’s honestly impressive how solid it feels from start to finish. There’s also one obvious thing that connects everything: you can hear the pleasure the band had while putting it together. You can feel it in the details, and you can feel it in the choices they made all along the way.

You get sounds we really love on tracks like “Apartment Life,” which mixes piano, strings, and electric guitar in a way that just works. It’s the kind of balance that only Moby used to pull off so well. Sometimes the electric guitar takes a bit more space, like on “Checkmate.” Sometimes it’s the synths that take the lead, like on “Love, Emily.” Nothing feels forced. It’s just natural, and it keeps the album moving.
Trainwreck Boyfriend also explores a lot of different territories. “Feels Like Summer” almost makes you think about reggae rhythms, while “Invisible” reminds you that yes, you’re still listening to a real alt-rock band, and a talented one. The band mentions The Cure, The Pixies, and The Smiths as influences, and it makes sense. You can hear that rock DNA, but with a soft heart behind it. And most importantly, the songs carry messages that mean something.

All through the album, you go through chapters of the human experience: the highs, the lows, the wounds, the vulnerable moments. And it’s done with lyrics that are written and controlled perfectly. Greta even told us she has a bit of a perfectionist side when it comes to writing:

“Writing thoughtful lyrics is very important to me. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get that right”.

She also gave us more context about how the songs are born. Most of the time, it’s Billy who starts things by throwing around a dozen riffs to the others every week. Then Greta tries to go through that whole mess and find a vocal melody on top of it, using nonsense words at first. And when it finally sounds right, it becomes real lyrics. Lyrics that will get rewritten again and again until everything feels perfect, and until it matches what they wanted to say.

That perfectionist side is everywhere on the album. You hear it in the vocals (there are absolutely no wrong notes), in the melodies, and in the production, which is clean down to the smallest details. The record was produced by Kyle Pulley at Headroom Studios, and the result is almost too clean for an indie band, in the best way. It’s exactly what makes you want more, because it sounds good instantly, and it stays good after many listens.

And since this is the band’s only album so far, you basically have two options. Either you play it on repeat. Or you take out your old Cardigans CDs and blow the dust off. But whatever you do, you’ll get a really enjoyable musical trip, where the listener is respected every second, because this album is clearly made for them. A great example of altruism from a new band with a chemistry that feels special.

IMC Listening Guide

Quick insights to help you connect with the song on your terms.

Best weather to enjoy this song

Sunny day

Best time to listen

Midday energy boost

Best place to listen

On the road

Does this song haunt the silence?

Melody lingers

Goosebumps scale

Chills guaranteed

Superstition doesn’t seem to matter much to Raze Michael. Thirteen songs made it onto his new album, released on October 10, and he didn’t think twice about it. Some would have stopped at twelve, just in case. Not him. He went all in, and we truly think it paid off. Right from the first seconds of “freckled n flushed”, featuring OGB, you know it’s going to be something special. The mix of strings, voices, and soft beats feels smooth and honest. It doesn’t try to impress you. But it just sounds good, like it came straight from the heart! You can really feel it.

Then it keeps going naturally. One song after another, different moods, different colors, but it all feels connected. Fans of indie pop will have a great time with huge bangers like “neptune” and “rockn roll it”, both full of energy and catchy in all the right ways. But the rest of the album goes into a more RnB atmosphere, warm and rich, with a bunch of collaborations that each bring their own flavor. Every guest fits perfectly, no one feels out of place.

What makes this album being brilliant is the feeling behind it. It’s bright, it’s full of life, even when the lyrics talk about breakups or things that didn’t go as planned. Raze Michael turns old wounds into something beautiful. The way he talks about love, loss, and finding peace again makes you feel like he’s sitting next to you, telling his story. There’s nothing fancy in the way he says it. But you’ll find plain truth here, the kind that takes you because it’s real.

He doesn’t hide behind effects or metaphors. The production is clean but not sterile, and the songs breathe. You can feel that the people behind this project actually care about what they’re making. Every little sound, every layer has its place, and that attention makes a big difference.

The album also has some nice surprises. “things you wouldn’t say”, featuring rapper Shaudie Man, stands out right away. It’s playful and bold, mixing indie pop and rap in a way that just works. To be honest, this is the first time we’ve ever featured a track with rap on Indie Music Center. It’s not something we usually do, but this one was impossible to ignore. The quality is there, and it fits the spirit of what we do: discovering artists who make music that feels honest.

Another gem is “where you go”. It has that nostalgic side of a song you’ve known forever, even if you just heard it. And there’s a reason for that. It sat for years on a hard drive before finally finding its place on this record, and you can tell it means something to him. It feels like closing a loop, or like finishing a sentence that was left hanging for a bit too long.

The whole thing runs a bit over forty minutes, but dang, it goes by fast! Each song adds something, and before you know it, you’ve listened to the entire album without skipping a track. That doesn’t happen often. When it’s over, you just want to hit play again. Oh no, not really because you missed something, but because it feels good to stay in that world a bit longer.

In the end, “i can’t wait to know you, always” is an album about love, in all the ways it changes us. The kind that lifts you, breaks you, and teaches you something new every time. Raze Michael doesn’t preach, but shares what he’s learned and brilliantly and smartly because there’s no bitterness, no regrets, just growth and clarity.

This album is out of our usual comfort zone but we felt comfortable while reviewing it! It’s simply good music made by someone who’s got something to say. And says it with honesty.

IMC Listening Guide

Quick insights to help you connect with the song on your terms.

Best weather to enjoy this song

Sunny day

Best time to listen

Dusk reflections

Best place to listen

On the road, At home

Does this song haunt the silence?

Melody lingers

Goosebumps scale

Chills guaranteed

What first caught our attention with Mark Stephen Pelfrey was how naturally he fits into the IMC universe. As you know, here we take the time to enjoy music, far from social media and from environments filled with algorithms. And this guy who grew up in South Carolina takes the time to make music that takes its time. And that’s something we love.

He has just released his album , and we can tell you it’s a gem like we haven’t heard since the 2000s, and what a joy. From the start, with the first track Long Lake, we understand in just four minutes where Mark Stephen Pelfrey wants to take us: on a memorable musical walk where the one-minute intro offers beautiful rhythm variations before revealing this warm voice, perfectly controlled and balanced, creating from the first seconds a comfortable feeling that stays through the whole album.

Each song lets us dig a little deeper into the artist’s influences, and from Lake Isabelle, the second track and title of the album, we move into more cinematic tones, even with discreet brass in the background, later brought forward and joined by a harmonica and an incredible electric guitar.

In just over 40 minutes, you will feel like you have travelled through wide open lands, through this musical journey filled with an impressive number of instruments, magical and inspiring landscapes, and above all, the undeniable writing talent of the artist.

Slow down the pace with Hollow, shared with artist Calinoda, then speed it up again with Known as Sadness, which, despite what its title suggests, is a real indie folk banger with choirs and a lively banjo. Let yourself be carried by the soulful vocal performance of Skipping Stones, while Long Drive takes you into a moving story that might bring a few tears.

Like autumn leaves marking a time of change with their bright colors, Colorado Springs is a small interlude without vocals, only with a beautiful acoustic guitar. A bit like a delicate pause before the adventure starts again with Wild Stranger, a folk rock gem that shows a perfect meeting between acoustic and electric guitars.

The energy becomes soft again and the light more gentle to end the album with Breaking All The Time, which, through its lyrics, perfectly reflects the main idea of this album: Take your time. And for those who want a bit more, an acoustic bonus track closes the listening experience nicely and shows that even with a simple studio take and no mixing, Mark Stephen Pelfrey’s vocal performance is incredibly impressive.
To sum up, we can say that it’s rare to hear such craftsmanship on a folk-oriented album, with a touch of folk rock and a little bit of soul music. Whether it’s the production, which highlights each instrument without mixing them all together, or the writing, touching and emotional, this album has everything you expect from an autumn companion: warmth, a link with nature, emotion, and above all, authenticity. The mix of styles and energies works well, sometimes with more dynamic tracks, sometimes calmer ones, without losing its unity. Mark Stephen Pelfrey is a real favorite for us and a musician like you don’t find often anymore.

By the way, while we were doing some research for this article, we noticed that our friend Susanne (@susbidi) had already featured this genius four years ago, and that he is followed by… Luna Keller, who happens to be our favorite podcast host and reviewer. Yes, we often tell you, the indie music world is both very large and very small at the same time, and everyone knows each other. But that’s fine with us. Because the day mainstream radios start looking into our wonderful artists, their magic will be gone.

On our side, we’ll be following this aritst’s career closely because, in our humble opinion, he’s not done surprising us!

Mark Stephen Pelfrey’s take on the album

I wrote, recorded, produced, mastered and designed this album independently. I take a lot of pride being indie, and I’d love to have my work featured on your site. The following is the story behind the album: it’s themes are echoed throughout the 11 tracks. The tone, the mood, the vibes, the ebbs and flows of it all are very intentional

IMC Listening Guide

Quick insights to help you connect with the song on your terms.

Best weather to enjoy this song

Sunny day

Best time to listen

Dusk reflections

Best place to listen

On the road, Out in nature

Does this song haunt the silence?

Impossible to forget

Goosebumps scale

Maximum goosebumps

Luna Keller’s take on “goodbye”

IMC Listening Guide

Quick insights to help you connect with the song on your terms.

Best weather to enjoy this song

Rainy day

Best time to listen

Dusk reflections

Best place to listen

At home, Before bedtime

Does this song haunt the silence?

Impossible to forget

Goosebumps scale

Maximum goosebumps