Side Hustle Makes His Mark With Debut EP Polaroid Notes

Words by Marios Stamos

Side Hustle, based in London, is an alternative indie rock artist whose music fuses nostalgic storytelling with raw, guitar-driven energy. He is serving up three tracks of unfiltered alternative indie rock that feel like flipping through someone’s most honest diary entries.

Polaroid Notes is his debut EP, a candid introduction to an artist unafraid to share the rough edges of memory through sound. Jagged riffs meet hazy textures in what Side Hustle describes as sonic snapshots, “imperfect, unpolished, but real.” It’s the kind of debut that doesn’t try to be anything other than exactly what it is. A messy, nostalgic reflection on growing up, falling apart, and piecing yourself back together again. 

“Each track is a memory or a feeling I didn’t want to lose, so I wrote it down the only way I knew how: in music.”

Across its three songs, Polaroid Notes blends gutsy guitar tones with dreamlike melodies, channelling influences from The Beatles, Beabadobee, and Dominic Fike. 

Heartbreak – a driving anthem about breaking up.

Out Cold – an intimate, slow-burn ballad layered with echoing guitars.

Bittersweet 16 – a raw, energetic track that captures the chaos of teenage life as an outsider.

Self-produced by Side Hustle, the EP seamlessly blends classic rock with a modern indie edge, resulting in a sound that feels both bohemian and raw, as if it were born straight out of a garage session.

This isn’t corporate pop or calculated indie rock. It’s someone unafraid to share the unfiltered edges of memory, turning fleeting moments and vulnerability into something you can actually hold onto.

And if three songs aren’t enough to satisfy your appetite, you can look forward to accompanying visuals and live performances later this year, as Side Hustle continues to make waves in the indie scene. He will kick things off on the 13th of September, opening for Lemon and Lime at the Stag’s Head in Hoxton, London, UK.

Influenced by acts like The Beatles, Beabadobee, and the grit of the DIY scene, the songs reflect fleeting moments, vulnerability, and self-discovery.

For anyone who’s ever wished they could freeze time, Side Hustle just handed you the soundtrack.

Polaroid Notes is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all major streaming platforms starting TODAY – 12 September 2025.

Photos by @wwolnyphotography