Gregor Shares Angels Single

There aren’t a ton of artists out there making pop quite like Gregor does. You listen to his work and there’s so much space, allowing his voice to just reverberate as it billows through your speakers, much like in his newest single. I love the way it feels like Gregor is sort of haunting the shadows of this song; the guitar notes ring out, almost echoing while the dulcet tones from the vocals creep through all the empty space. And, just as one gets used to this sort of darkened stationary state, the vocals rise, a brief emphatic burst of up and down tones that faintly remind me of Bowie’s range within short phrases. Gregor’s work continues to beckon me with each new single; I’ll be looking forward to Satanic Lullabies, out May 10th via Chapter Music.

Gregor Announces Satanic Lullabies

While Gregor‘s perhaps not a household name over in the States, his compositions have always resonated with me, particularly the Destiny LP. Today, the artist announces a new album, Satanic Lullabies, describing it as ‘ if pre-Maga Kanye made a Disney soundtrack.’ His dulcet tones always created that feeling of lullaby, but he’s clearly balancing than gentle expectations of his voice with the darker side alluded to in the album’s title. Where his last album was filled with striking emotions, this first single is pretty bare and stark, so I’ll be interested to see where the whole of the album goes. Satanic Lullabies is out via Chapter Music on May 10th.

Cool Sounds Return with Bugobeat

Danis Lacey flipped the script on all of us with Like That, the 2022 LP that saw Cool Sounds moving away from a very run-of-the-mill Aussie sound into something with a bit more groove, a bit more funk. So, as we listen to the first single from the BUG0BEAT EP, it makes complete sense that Danis is pushing the oddities of funk just a little bit more; you can particularly hear the way the guitar lines and keys are shifted atop one another to kind of craft this dense dance groove. Personally, I love how there’s some middling guitar work that’s sort of the tether between the early days of the project and present funk. Chapter Music will be putting the BUG0BEAT EP out on March 1st.

Friday Album Streams: Wurld Series, Frog, Deary

It’s that weird time of the year when everyone pretends that they stop writing music for a few months so we can browse the list of Best New Artists, or whatever. We do it too, though I’ll probably keep writing about songs if folks keep sending them to me. But, before the year “wraps up” and stuff, here’s a few more new records to listen to today that you’ll hopefully enjoy! Note: I included a few from last week, because last week I ran an Austin-centric streams post, so booyah!

Wurld SeriesThe Giant’s Lawn (Meritorio Records/Melted Ice Cream)

DearyDeary EP (Sonic Cathederal)

FrogGrog (Audio Antihero)

Steven AdamsDrops (Fika Recordings)

The Native CatsThe Way On is the Way Off (Chapter Music)

The Native Cats Share Another Single from The Way On is the Way Off

Up until now, the majority of the tunes from the newest Native Cats LP have been sparkling in brevity, but this time, we get to hear the band twist and sputter in glorious post-punk fashion. You’ll get sucked in by the snapping drum beat, thumping at times, but mostly working to keep the song’s energy at its punchiest best. Put your near next to the speaker and you can hear the growl of the bass, vibrating as the tension grows and grows. Little bit of discordant noise joins up to sputter and howl in between the great vocal lines delivered by Chloe Alison Escott; you even get some backing vocalists joining the fray as the song pounds to a close. Look for The Way On is the Way Off via Chapter Music on November 10th.

No Zu Share Farewell Singles

It’s a shame that No Zu decided to call it quits earlier this year, but as we’ve seen, being a musician in the current climate is a challenge unto itself. But, as they say goodbye, the Australian outfit wanted to send you off with a fond farewell. The track began as a take on 23 Skidoo’s “Last Words,” but the group quickly made the instrumental tune their one, creating “one last bucket of Zu ooze” to share with the world. For me, it encompasses the energetic fusion of all great dance music, which is what the group always brought in their sounds…plus you get a great visualizer created by Bridget Trout and Jon DeNapoli. Join me in wishing the band a fond farewell! This track brought to you by the good folks at Chapter Music.

Friday Album Streams: Echo Ladies, Swansea Sound, Sharp Pins + More

It’s Friday, and while you gaze towards the weekend, maybe you need some musical recommendations to get your day started. I’ll try not to wax philosophically on these, as we’ve covered singles and what not heading into the album releases…so without further ado.

Swansea SoundTwentieth Century (Skep Wax Records)

Members of Pooh Sticks, Heavenly return with another great collection of pop rock with a subtle political bent.

 

Echo LadiesLilies (Rama Lama Records)

Dark, noisy and beautiful. One of my favorite releases this year I wish more people could put their ears upon.

Friday BoysDepressed Gang (Self-Released)

Good old fashioned punk rock from here in Austin. Now with more hooks! Friday’s jams from Friday Boys.

Kath BloomFinally (Chapter Music)

Chapter Music celebrate the 1990s recordings of Kath Bloom with the first ever vinyl release of Finally.

Sharp PinsTurtle Rock (Tall Texan Records)

Another “first ever” release for the solo-project of Kai Slater of current Lifeguard fame, courtesy of Tall Texan Records.

DAIISTARGood Time (Fuzz Club)

New up-and-coming Austin act drops their debut LP. Sweetness amidst walls of noise.

Yirinda Announce Debut LP

When I think of Chapter Music, I tend to think of the incredible pop coverage their label has provided to the world over the last 20+ years. But, they’re also huge music heads, digging into all genres and styles, particularly when its a representation of Australian culture. Their latest signing, Yirinda, is exactly that; it is the project of Samuel Pankhurst and Fred Leone. Fred is one of three Butchulla songmen, as such, he sings all the tracks on this record in Butchulla, an endangered language spoken by only a handful of people. As such, the album offers generations of storytelling for listeners, with this lush production that would find a home with acts like Balmorhea; the string arrangements move you back and forth, rocking you with Leone’s vocal tones. Yirinda, the self-titled debut, is out early next year!

The Native Cats Announce New LP, Share My Risks is Art

I was really stoked when the Native Cats got their whole back catalog up on the DSPs, but I honestly wasn’t expecting Chloe and Julian to jump out with a fresh record too! If you’re new to the band, you’ll hear them as the kindred spirits of modern post-punk, or maybe as a band looking back on that classic era of club punk from the early 2000s. For me, I find them straddling that territory, and as ever, making it entirely their own. It’d be easy to pull off the Rapture and throw frantic cymbal work all over this…and I’d love it. But, I love it more that that’s not where they travel; they seem more intent on using Chloe’s vocals to stake claim to the risks one takes as an artist, and more importantly, as a human being you can’t file or label. It’s bewildering and powerful, immediately making me run back and play it just to get it in my head again. They’ll release the Way on is the Way Off via Chapter Music on November 10th.

June Jones Signs With Chapter Music

When I look at labels that I love, one of the one’s I modeled ATH Records after (in my mind at least) was Chapter Music. The label, partially through our site, was perhaps known for great Aussie guitar pop with acts like Crayon Fields or Goon Sax. But, if you dug in deeper you’d see the label’s affinity for an array of artists from all walks of life, like their newest signing June Jones. “Good Girl” operates with this hyper pulse that’s definitely infectious, tugging you into the pulse even as the vocals come across with a bit of steadied calm. Every time I press play, I imagine what it’d be like if Stephin Merritt wrote club bangers, so I’m glad there’s an artist like June Jones to fill that void. Fall into those electropop vibes below.

1 2 3 14