About
“Monastery monochrome, boom balloon machine and oh
Diamond rings and gutter bones, marching up the mountain
With our aching planning, high and smiling
Cheap drink, dark and violent
Full of butterflies, the violent tenderness
The sweet asylum.”
— Big Thief, Mary
Welcome to Balloon Machine, a music blog dedicated to supporting new Alternative & DIY music.
The Mission
Balloon Machine was founded to champion emerging alternative and DIY artists through song premieres, album reviews, curated playlists, and longer-form features. The blog gives space to records that might otherwise slip past the radar and tries to write about them with the same care the artists put into making them.
Founder
Founder & Editor
Paddy Kinsella is a music publicist at Someone Great PR, based in Manchester, UK. He previously worked in Public Relations at the University of Salford. Paddy runs the day-to-day of Balloon Machine, from writing reviews and premieres to coordinating the site’s features and playlists.
Contributing Writers
- Sage Shemroske — writer whose work has appeared in Anchor Magazine, Bad Pony Mag, and Pea.
Get in Touch
For tips, reviews, and submissions, the team can be reached at balloonmachineinfo@balloonmachine.net. Music submissions are preferred via Soundcloud or SubmitHub. Follow along on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, or lend support through PayPal.
Balloon Machine exists as a small, independent corner of the internet devoted to celebrating alternative and DIY music in all its shapes and forms. The project was built on the simple belief that songs made outside the mainstream still deserve patient attention, careful listening, and a place to be heard. From quiet bedroom recordings to scrappy home-studio productions, the focus stays on artists who are carving their own paths and shaping scenes through persistence rather than polish. Coverage spans premieres, reviews, and features that aim to shine a light on emerging voices, hoping to connect curious listeners with records they might otherwise miss.