Letting Up Despite Great Faults Release Crumble EP

This can be filed under the pile of stuff I should have posted days ago, as I’m always going to be a huge supporter of local faves Letting Up Despite Great Faults, who just dropped their Crumble EP on Tuesday. After returning last year with IV, the band are really on a roll, almost feeling like they’re hitting their peak, so to speak. They open with this dreamed-out stomp on “The Do-Over,” with Annah on lead vocals providing that sort of ethereal mentality to the sound. Personally, I love the record’s “Richochet” tune, as it started off with this heavy groove that reminded me of the early days when I fell in love with that post-punk sound…like late 80s New Order and Cure record. It’s a little treat for fans, but let’s hope they can continue this rad songwriting push!

Letting Up Despite Great Faults Share Slow Magic Remix

Earlier this year, our friends in Letting Up Despite Great Faults dropped their album IV, the first LP from the group in ten years; we’ve written extensively about the new album, but today, they’re sharing a Remix EP, with this Slow Magic version of “Corners Pressed” being one of the standout tracks. Instead of the heavenly jangles, the electronic element gets the highlight here, giving the song more of a driving force, as opposed to the dreaminess of the original. It’s like a perfect reimagining of the record, and one can only marvel out how perfectly these pieces all seem to fit together. The IV Remixes EP is available to jam out to, today!

Letting Up Despite Great Faults Share She Spins Video

Our friends in Letting Up Despite Great Faults just returned from what I hope was an excellent tour with our other friends Blushing. In their pocket is a brand new video for “She Spins” off their most recent IV LP, which gives us an extra excuse to hype the band and their record. This song’s got a delicious bit of guitar work, jangling in the perfect way from the get-go. As the track moves forward, you get great vocal interplay between Mike and Annah, the band’s bread and butter. Today’s Bandcamp Friday, so if you love the tune, why not grab their LP? It’s good…just don’t leave it unattended in your car overnight in Texas!

Letting Up Despite Great Faults Share Self-Portrait Video

I’ve spent a lot of time the last few weeks enjoying IV, the latest long player from Austin’s Letting Up Despite Great Faults. Hopefully you’ve been passing your time in a similar fashion, and if not, then indulge me by watching this new lyric video for “Self-Portrait” in hopes that you see the error in your ways. Starting off with a light jangling guitar sets the mood, just before the rhythm section (which is always spot on) pushes the song into foot-stomping/hand-clapping territory. Mike Lee’s feathered voice softly caresses your inner ear as heavy riffs run beneath the surface, fighting to break through the band’s melodious nature helmed by Lee and Annah Fisette’s vocals. Plus, the band get bonus points here for the great video created by Pelvis Wrestley‘s Benjamin Violet…a kind and artistic human in their own right! Grab the LP right HERE.

Letting Up Despite Great Faults Share She Spins

We’re about a month away from the release of the new LP from Letting Up Despite Great Faults, and they’re dropping another stunning single on you for Bandcamp Friday. On this one, I love the dueling guitar lines, one jangling throughout, while the other has this more crystalline nature to it; they play off each other perfectly, creating an imbalance that leads into the perfect melody for the vocals. Mike’s voice is super soft here, and it allows the emotional appeal to work its magic, particularly when he gets a little backing harmony to provide a supportive lift. If you’re digging what you hear (why wouldn’t you?!), then be sure to throw some cash down today so you can grab IV when it drops in March.

Letting Up Despite Great Faults Share Corners Pressed Video

In other news of things I’ve skipped the last few weeks, this new video from Letting Up Despite Great Faults; I did cover the original single though! So, here we are with the band jamming out in their practice space, each person getting a little solo time to walk about while the band jams around them. I love that you get a little bit of the live Kent vibe, as he’s one of my favorite bass players to watch. The band will be dropping their new album, IV, in early March, with a tour to follow out West with other ATH faves Blushing. You can pre-order the LP HERE.

Playful Pop from Baby Guru

The Athens (Greece) pop scene seems to be one of the most overlooked settings for musical productivity, so today I’m bringing you this Baby Guru tune in hopes you’ll catch on to the groovy single they’ve just released. The song opens up with tiny chords stepping on top of one another, as Prins Obi carefully croons through your speakers. You can feel the tension building in the way his voice pushes forward, then the guitars step up a note to allow for the joyousness that spins through your ears during the chorus; it always makes me want to throw my hands in the air and jump in circles. Their new album IV will be out on April 7th via Inner Ear.

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New (ish) Music from The Spits

I’ll acknowledge that this band has been around for quite some time, but only recently did I start to really dig the group after the release of their newest album, IV. Everything about this band works perfectly for a Friday.  The Spits are fast, catchy, and a little bit dark…all things I enjoy.  I just wanted to give those who weren’t aware a little heads up on this killer band.

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Download: The Spits – Tonight [MP3]

FT5: Songs About Heading West

Summertime is vacation time. Roadtrip time. So sweaty you stick to your chair my God why don’t I live in a more temperate climate time. So where do you go at a time like this? “California! Californiaaaaaa! Here we COOOOOOOOMMMMME!” Excuse me. I believe I slipped into the theme song of the O.C. for a moment. I thought about making every track on this list “California” by Phantom Planet, but I’m fairly certain I am the only one who would think that is funny. So instead, here a legit list of songs about heading out west. Enjoy.

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