Baula Share Santa Fe Single

Swedish duo Baula popped into my listening rotation a few weeks back with the excellent “Mercury in Retrograde,” and now there’s another single to whet your appetite before they unleash Heavy Heart, No Tears. They’re an outfit that’s flirting with the darker underbelly of good pop songwriting; you can hear them flirting with melodic structures throughout this track, though it still has a smattering of noise. Growling guitars and thumping drum hits work in contrast to the sharp softness of the vocals; the chorus also utilizes a perfect set up before cymbals crash and guitar lines cut through the mix. Nice follow up, and I’m looking forward to the record, which drops on April 26th.

Dark Pop from The Melting Rabbits

After spending all of the night hanging onto 90s rock heroes like Karate and Unwound, I wanted to slide into something a little darker, like this single from The Melting Rabbits. For me, the song’s all about the immediacy of the pulse; it has this primal energy, hitting you with its simplicity, unable to let you pull away. There’s similar acts out there, but I love the way this tune holds back some of the effects on the vocals, allowing for an almost pensive nature to creep into the tune here. Pump it up and take a spin or two around your room right now!

Team Play Announce Debut LP, Wishes and Desires

Our friends over at Soliti are responsible for keeping us abreast with what’s cool over in the Finnish music scene, and I’m so very grateful. Today, they share news of Team Play‘s debut, with this darkly brooding single. It’s the brand of pop music that takes the tendencies from the mainstream and darkens the corners, adds a bit of haunting mystery to it, turning it into a vessel for something moving. Minja and Tapio’s vocals combine throughout the tune, and it’s that performance that’s really impactful, though I’ll admit the the rhythmic gallop has its magical draw too. Spend some time here today, and look for the label to release Wishes and Desires this June.

Secret Shame Share New Single Hide

I’ve been pulling for Secret Shame to get some new music out there, as they definitely add a layer of darkness to the sort of dream pop/shoegaze genre. Luckily, we’ve got that tune for you today, and it lives up to my expectations, and perhaps pushes the band into some new territory. They still seem to be living in that sort of gothic cavern, toying between post punk and pop tendencies; you’ll hear dancing guitar notes stabbing in and out between Lena’s moving vocal performance. It doesn’t feel as on the button for any genre, which is why I’m drawn to it, loving that you can’t just put this in a perfectly defined box as the band continue to explore their sound.

Black Marble Share Preoccupation Video

So I missed running this tune yesterday, so I figured I’d remedy my mistake by running it now. I’ve made clear my adoration with Black Marble, and this track is no different from those moments. I think Chris Stewart has really worked hard here to toy with his vocal delivery; he’s drawing you in, giving rise to little subtle bits of melody from the dark confines of his electronic work. Honestly, I haven’t heard anything from this record that I don’t like, so you can bet I’ll be grabbing a copy of Fast Idol, out on October 22nd via Sacred Bones Records.

Sex Park Share Obligation

Well, just another case of the Mondays here, so feel like getting wrapped up in some sort of dark electronic blanket to cozy up next to my computer before my kids come in today. This new Sex Park tune just dropped, and it’s got some great things working for it, which works for me. The tune kind of takes on this shimmering sort of electronic pop, akin to maybe Black Marble at current. But, what really drew me in was the vocals here; I’ve heard tons of bands doing dark electronic pop after all. I love the deepness of the vocals; they remind me of Majical Cloudz and a voice I really miss. This tune appears on the band’s forthcoming LP, but it’s also on a split 7″ for Dowd Records!

More From Secret Shame

After a few stellar songs coming my way, I am fully on board with the hype train behind Asheville based group Secret Shame. For me it’s been a welcome change from a lot of the garage rock style I post to more of a dark pop, gothic style. The band’s latest, entitled “Gift” can be found streaming below. It features the same dark, almost new wave sound with some dashes of the macabre.

Secret Shame will release new album Dark Synthetics on September 6th. Pre-order is live now.

SXSW Interviews: JAGUWAR

I’ve obviously been talking a lot about SXSW recently as I think I’m finally ready to prepare for the crazy events in a short couple of weeks. Part of me prep work is making a list of bands I absolutely have to see, and one of those is German based group JAGUWAR. Their sound blends styles of 80s new wave bands with a more modern, European pop take. Think a little dark pop, a little bit of brooding, and mix in some brightness underneath the surface. I dig it. If it sounds like something you might be into, hit the jump for an interview with the band.

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Darkened Pop Tune from Shana Falana

shanaFor the last few years, I’ve fawned over Wax Idols, and now we’ve got another kindred spirit spinning dark-tinged pop music, Shana Falana. It’s this heavy brooding, as if it’s been recorded in some hollow garage, with the volume ruffling the cones on your speaker just enough. Still, you’ll be sucked into this track, drenched in pop sensibilitythat only comes from the most innermost caverns of your soul. The new album from the project is titled Here Comes the Wave, and it’s being handled by Team Love Records for an October 21st release.

Brooding Pop From Stillwave

StillwavePrior to right this minute I knew not one thing about Netherlands based pop group Stillwave, but I’m looking to change that starting now. Our introduction to the band is this awesome and unique new single “What Have You”. What we have here is a brooding sort of pop song full of darkness and some extremely heavy vocals unlike any other you’ve likely heard before. I think you’d be hard pressed to find this interesting and delightful take on pop music anywhere else. Stay tuned as a new EP is apparently coming soon.

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