This week’s indie rock is all grit and conviction. Soulful, bluesy fire on one side, defiant 80s-tinged resilience on the other, these are songs built on real feeling and driving guitars, the kind that hit harder because they mean every word. Turn them up.
Fiona Amaka – Justified
“Justified” is a beauty of a soulful indie-rock single from Fiona Amaka, bluesy vocals and driving guitar carrying a raw story of love and regret.
Fiona Amaka’s new single wears its heart right out in the open. “Justified” digs into love and regret, and it’s the kind of ache that pretty much everyone will recognise. What really makes it land is the intensity, this release deliberately holds onto the emotional atmosphere of her live shows with the Fiona Amaka Band, and you can feel that heat in the recording. Bluesy vocals ride driving rock guitar with a lovely throwback edge, and there’s real conviction in every line. She’s clearly got a great voice, but it’s the restraint and phrasing which makes this one shine. Soulful, honest and genuinely stirring. A cracking single.
Fiona Amaka is a London singer, songwriter and guitarist known for a captivating soulful indie-rock sound that blends bluesy vocals with driving guitar and the odd chill folk-Americana turn. She’s had a prolific run: 2025 singles “No Daylight” and “Cowards and Shadows” tackled betrayal and ghosting head-on, “Honesty (Psalm 139)” added a spiritual thread, and the chirpy “Desert Flower” pulled in plenty of radio play. Her Feb 2026 orchestral-folk “Love that fills my world” drew a whole new audience. Definitely one to watch in 2026.
Israell – Dice Are Rolling…
“Dice Are Rolling…” is a superb, defiant slice of 80s-tinged alt-rock from Israell, a fists in the air anthem about beating the odds and staying resilient.
Israell’s new single is a proper shot of defiance. This is the reworked radio remix of “Dice Are Rolling…”, built out with new vocals and additional instrumentation, and it comes charged with real purpose. The song is all about outplaying the game, beating the odds and being your most resilient self as you chase your own ascent, and that message drives every bar. There’s a classic 80s rock backbone under all this, but a proper alt-rock edge that combines incredibly well. The whole thing carries a stadium-sized sense of determination. It’s bold, sincere and built to lift you up. Brilliant stuff.
Israell is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Montreal, one of those artists genuinely drawn to bigger themes, human rights and spirituality among them, and determined to convey that vision through his art. He developed a passion for songwriting and acting back in the early nineties, studying theatre and voice, working on a number of films and writing many songs across the years. That theatrical background feeds a real sense of drama and conviction here, and it’s clearly music made with a whole lot of heart and purpose. We’re on board with it, and hope there’s more coming this year.
Oceanless – Only For Tonight
“Only For Tonight” is a brilliant wall of blissful chaos from Oceanless, a Manchester two-piece fusing grunge grit, psych haze and our fave kind of DIY hunger.
Oceanless’ new single hits like a proper racket in the best way. “Only For Tonight” pulls together grunge, garage rock, psych and a touch of hip-hop into what the band aptly call a liquid wall of blissful chaos, and for a two-piece they make a seriously big noise. There’s a raw, unpolished energy running right through it, the sound of a band throwing all their influences in and making it work. It’s loud, hazy and full of attitude, and you can feel the graft behind it. Grimy, hooky and genuinely exciting. A cracking racket.
Oceanless are a hard-working original two-piece formed in Manchester in early 2023, running everything in-house with a purely DIY approach, videos, merch and studio time all organised by the two members themselves. That graft is paying off: they’ve already earned spins from BBC Introducing Manchester and Amazing Radio, played 2000 Trees and Bella Drum festivals, and supported the likes of Tom Meighan. “Only For Tonight” is their second release this year, part of a fresh push to build their audience, and they’re exactly the kind of unsigned grafters we love to champion. More of this please, lads.