Tag: dream pop

Dreamy Pop Number from Lucid Express

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Sort of stuck on those middle of the week vibes, so I’m being totally consumed by the latest track from Hong Kong’s Lucid Express. Don’t let the dreaminess of the song’s opening minute fool you, however, as you’ll soon be greeted with a wall of distortion that is likely to shake your speakers (there’s even distortion knifing through the distortion!). I just love how the song feels like this weird movement, like lava flowing over blackened igneous rock fields, just creeping along until it explodes into a mass of water. Pretty special way to work through this week if you ask me; look for the band’s debut album July 16th via Kanine Records.

 

Tape Waves Share Invisible Lines Video

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I think one of the things I love about listening to Tape Waves is how safe (no-frills, comforting, etc) their brand of dream pop is, meaning that in the best way! You get folks over indulging in beats, or minimizing the strum of a guitar, and maybe even sometimes coating the vocals in too much of a studio wash. But here, as you can hear with their latest single, Tape Waves don’t need to employ any of those little textures; their songs succeed on their own merit. And, you can hear light guitar strums, steady drum bounce, and Kim’s wonderful voice fitting right into it all; they’ve managed to balance in such a way that you might even just call normalize it by calling it some of the best pop music all around. Good songs supersede technological studio tricks, in my mind anyways. Plus, the video’s adorable, featuring cats, ice cream and a couple going through their record collection! Bright is out soon via Emotional Response!

Tape Waves Sign with Emotional Response and Announce Bright LP

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I’ve been covering Tape Waves since their earliest days on Bleeding Gold Records, so its great to hear that the band have signed up with one of our favorite labels Emotional Response for their next LP. And, because you can’t really announce a new record without a single, they’ve thrown us one of those to boot! The song’s got this steady rhythmic bounce to it, giving the song a sturdy background that enables Kim and Jarod to craft the perfect slice of Friday dream pop. Kim’s voice are perfectly softened against the crystalline guitars sparkling behind her; this feels like a very Sarah adjacent pop sound, along the lines of early Heavenly or recent acts like Luxembourg Signal. Some sharpened guitar chords dance about in the song’s middle, giving a nice dose of joy to the listener as the tune fades to a close. Look for Bright on June 4th!

Coral Grief Share Crumble Single

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As you settle into the day, its always nice to have something that lets you take on more of that contemplative mood, like this track from Seattle’s Coral Grief. The song has this prominent heartbeat, pulsing beneath the mix in matching step with a snare hit to really let your mind focus on the guitars and vocals. In the guitars, you get that crisp jangling that fades into the air, sort of like Spring showers falling intermittently all around you. Lena Farr-Morrissey has this wondrous voice, it kind of seems like its stretching itself around every nook and cranny of the track, but for my basic bitch ears, I couldn’t hear a place where she went wrong. You’ll find this tune on the group’s self-titled EP, which is out on May 14th.

Phantom Handshakes Share Cricket Songs

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We’re back with another fresh tune from the forthcoming Phantom Handshakes LP, No More Summer Songs. As I listen through this, I have a feeling that the band are sort of at the pinnacle of dream pop; they’re utilizing these crisp guitar notes, faintly fading into the dreamscape. The drum work is steady, almost like a metronome keeping the time so everything can swirl melodically around it. Federica Tessano’s voice has the perfect tonal quality to seep into your skin; just let your body absorb those melodic notes and cool your soul. Not quite sure this genre gets much better than this! No More Summer Songs drops on April 30th via Z Tapes.

Belinda May Share Lemonade

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I first got into Belinda May last year when they shared a tune via Fastcut Records, but this is the latest single from the Japanese outfit, paying homage to My Little Lover. It’s got all those crisp jangling guitar notes that make me swoon, plus it packs this huge hook-laden punch by using dual vocals to harmonize throughout the song. You could maybe drop in some heavier guitars and have a beautiful shoegaze sound, but as always, this bunch prefer to keep things wholly in the pop realm, letting melody and dreaminess lull you into sedation. Enjoy this one!

CIEL Share Pretty Face

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CIEL had one of my favorite tracks of 2020, and they don’t seem like they want to lose that crown in 2021, dropping in this delightful new single full of dreamy charms. Michelle Hendriks’ voice will definitely encourage a recall to Alvvays, and that’s never a bad thing on this end. Musically, the band take a classic doo wop brand of sugary pop soda, then coat it with a little bit of fuzz to blankety you in melody. Guitars shred in the distance midway, proving the point that this is more than just a little treat for your ears. This is the dream pop jam you didn’t know you needed, but now you do!

Trs Oui Share New Video

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Really quietly, Tres Oui dropped a few new songs this week, though these tunes have been in the work for some time. Luckily, one of those jams gets a nice little video treatment, featuring some live footage with Nate textured atop with various effects. The song itself is a great jam, with the vocals pushing this emphatic tone in just the right spots; it feels like its a story about maturation, but I won’t go throwing words in anyone’s mouth. It’s never a bad day at the office when this lot throws a a dreamy jangle our way…and besides this video you can also find another new tune, “Oh Guitar.” Listen, won’t you?

Waves of Dread Share New Single, Stars

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It’s really great to watch the evolution of a band’s sound over a few years, like we’ve been fortunate enough to do with Waves of Dread. They’re still churning out these tunes that likely fall under the realm of dream pop/shoegaze, but it’s clear that they’ve pulled back the shattering wall of noise, or perhaps just covered it up with a nice little throw blanket. In doing so, the song’s seem to have this resonance, like this echo of beautiful noise that truly does make create an astral quality that matches the title. Though, I must admit at one point my mind went to an image of my running at dusk amidst a heavy Spring shower…it was slow-mo and very cinematic. This song has those feels.

Ciel Share All My Life

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When Ciel dropped their Movement EP back in April, I was pretty awestruck; I played “The Shore” on repeat for weeks on end. They return today with a brand new track, drawing from similar territory, though raising the bar on their own sweetened brand of dream pop. Things start off as you’d expect, nice thick rhythm and softened vocals. But, the change in attitude at the 45 second mark indicates that the band intend to go huge on their new wave of songs; this is still dreamy, but they’re not burying any hooks here…just the opposite. Probably going to have this tune stuck in my head for a bit…how about you?

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