Model Shop Return with Check the Forecast

In the middle of the week, you’ve got to be sure you press down on those pedals and stomp away with snappy drum licks and bursts of sun, just like Model Shop have done on their brand new single. The Seattle outfit features former members of Math and Physics Club, and today comes news that Check the Forecast will be the follow-up to their debut EP. They’re brandishing a classic indiepop sound here, working back and forth between pleasant melodic work and hard-hitting riffs that have you pounding on your steering wheel as you sing your way to work. Glad to see them group back and rocking in fashion. Their new 7″ will be out via Meritorio Records on November 10th.

Model Shop Share Lucky

In just a coupe of weeks, we’ll get to hear the entirety of the new Model Shop LP, but we finally get to hear the opening tune, which certainly sets the tone for the record and the band’s intentions. A thumping drum joins up with an acoustic strum, bringing about a galloping earnestness that kicks off hook-laden pop rock you’ll rush to turn up. They up the ante though, as one hook surely isn’t enough for the average pop fan, so they add in some vocal harmonies, adding both contrast and exuberance; it’s an immediate shot to the listener, letting us all know the group aim to please! Love Interest will be out via Meritorio Records on November 25th.

Field School Share Jennifer Valentine

Only a couple of weeks until Field School release When Summer Comes, but as its Bandcamp Friday, we get to enjoy another charming single from the release. When people send me “bedroom pop,” this is sort of the style I’m looking for on my end of things, giving you an intimate pop hook that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to beat you over the head. Charles Bert’s voice sits perfectly in the recording, just above the soft beat and aligned right next to the ringing guitar sounds, balanced right in that wonderful sweet spot where it feels like the sun’s shining on your entire life. When Summer Comes is out on November 18th, but you can grab it from Bobo Integral today!

Field School Share Don’t Let This Moment Pass You By

We’ve always been Charles Bert fans, having adored Math and Physics Club and more recently, Field School, but I feel like this new single is the perfect bit of guitar pop. Honestly, when the guitar line opened up and Bert’s voice entered the fray, I immediately felt like I was spending time with a Lucksmiths record I’d never heard. As the song goes on, the arrangement carefully plots its presence, making sure not to block out the shining rays of the melodic pop coming through your speakers. Thematically, the song’s reminding us to all try and stay present, or at least that’s how I’m interpreting it on my end. Such a brilliant tune here. When Summer Comes drops on November 18th via Bobo Integral.

Model Shop Share Compilation Tape

Forgive us if you’ve already spent a good amount of time with this new Model Shop, as it dropped last week, but I wanted to be sure we gave it a little nod over here as well. While the opening bass line bounds in with this bit of frivolity, the vocals wash that away rather quickly, bringing a steadier charm, something that feels like a mature indiepop croon. There’s a nice little burst too in the chorus, surging through like the KoolAid guy breaking through your stereo with pitcher of joy. There’s so many different plays on the indiepop sound here, it’s easy to find yourself a dozen little ear worms that’ll make your day. Their album Love Interest is out at the end of November courtesy of Meritorio Records.

Field School Share Fresh Single

If ever a song felt like it was written specifically for me at this moment in time, then this has to be the one. On the flipside of a jangly pop jam, Charles Bert’s new project, Field School now brings us a more contemplative piece of pop, one that highlights the careful craft Bert brings to the fold of his new LP. Lyrically, the song seems to revel in that feeling that things are slowly returning to normal; it’s perhaps an apt descriptor for the many of us, coming, or beginning to peak our heads out again after several years of weariness. I love the way each little verse begins to take on a little more instrumentation, building and building all the way to the end; it feels in an a way like a nod to Magnetic Fields, and I don’t mind that one bit. When Summer Comes drops on November 18th via Bobo Integral.

Field School Announces When Summer Comes

Well, it seems only fitting that I fill these pages with bands I adore, even if they happen to be 1 degree from a previous post on the same day. You guessed it folks, Field School is the new project of former Math and Physics Club member Charles Bert. But, unlike the pristine pop substance of his friends, Charles brings in the steady ringing guitar work that gets mixed in with those angular jangles. Interestingly, though their various approaches may differ, they both seem to view the world with this spiritual optimism, and maybe that’s just the nature of the joy their song’s create. Still, there’s something about this tune (and the Model Shop track) that just makes you feel like there’s bright moments left to be uncovered in this world. When Summer Comes will be out on Bobo Integral on November 18th.

Model Shop Announce Debut LP, Love Interest

It didn’t take much convincing for me to jump on this new track from Model Shop, as the band features members from Math and Physics Club, plus they’re releasing their debut on Meritorio Records. This new single illustrates the promise that awaits; there’s this striking positivity that resonates from the various textures, always hitting the pop notes. As I listened on repeat, I found the tune landing somewhere between Nada Surf and early Jimmy Eat World, leaving me with a tune I could let live in my head all day long. Love Interest will be out on November 21st, and it’s going to spin on my end non-stop.

BOAT Ready No Plans to Stick the Landing

Not sure what I’m more excited about…a new BOAT LP, or all the incredible folks who helped the band complete the song during the pandemic. You’ve got members of the Feelies, LAKE, Math/Physics Club, Kevin Hairs and Crystal Furs to name a few, so you know the songs will live up to quality expectations…so suffice to say, I’m stoked for both. My basic ears hear hints of early Fountains of Wayne, filling this song in with huge hooks that explode in unison with distorted guitar fuzz; the vocals seem to hang in the air just long enough to burrow into your brain like the best earworms. The opening single rips, and the No Plans to Stick the Landing LP will be out on June 24th via Magic Marker Records.

Stream Hey Satellite EP from Field School

You ever land on something that immediately feels like home, feels like the place you belong? Well, for those who were in love with Math and Physics Club (this is Charles’ new band), or even just great pop music, this Hey Satellite EP from Field School should feel as such. The opener “Moon Jellies” had this incredible guitar feel, like this cool shadow blanketing me down here in the hot Texas sun. Then I hit the third track “Jennifer Valentine,” and I was in absolute love; this feels like the first time you turned on If You’re Feeling Sinister, just immediately blown back by the sincerity and the charm, simultaneously. This is a must listen. Right now. Do it.

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