Month: November 2020

Stream Zipper’s Dreamer’s Gate EP

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There’s a slew of releases I missed last week trying to take a few hours for myself and my family, but this Zipper one is definitely one I would have shared last week. Dreamer’s Gate is a collection of five songs of swirling guitars and pounding rhythms, propelled forward by natural pop inclinations and Haruka’s voice. Don’t let that fool you though, as there’s a heavy darkness reverberating throughout the entirety of these five tracks; it builds this super tension that makes you anxious at every single turn, particularly if you’re listening to “Ice,” which is one of my favorite songs off the EP. The whole thing is available via Tenth Court, so give it a listen!

The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness Share Falling Through

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Not only do I love the colorful artwork, but every sound I’ve heard from the new Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness LP just rings dear and near to my heart. The riffs hang just on the right side between heavy and jangling, ringing with more force where necessary. Each melody seems focused on maximizing the emotional pull with the listener…and I say that as I try to hide the huge grin across my face. If you took the best of the late Teenies work and combined it with the melodic sensibility of the Lucksmiths, you’d pretty much be spot on with that comparison…but lets be real…this duo is definitely coming into their own! Songs from Another Life drops on February 5th via Bobo Integral.

She/Beast Shares Born to Fight

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This track from Katja Nielsen (Arre Arre) under her new moniker, She/Beast, dropped in the middle of last week, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you. It opens up rather slowly, almost plodding through the first few seconds. But, the rhythmic hook drops in so seamlessly, immediately grabbing you. It was hard not to just get the feels, as this is the type os simple pop rock that I’ve always adored; its straight in its purpose, aiming to please with immediacy. She’ll be releasing In the Depths of Misery EP on December 11th via PNKSLM, so keep your eyes out if you like big pop feels!

Chronophage Release Any Junkyard Dream Video

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Austin’s Chronophage, one of the town’s most under-appreciated acts, have a brand new LP coming out this Friday, Th’ Pig Kiss’d Album. They just dropped this incredible video featuring a day in the life of a neighborhood crow. In the musical element, the songs opens with these anxious jittering guitar cuts, jaggedly splicing up the song while vocals are delivered in spoken fashion; its all about the contrast. Still, one of my favorite bits about the band is their willingness to change directions, taking a sharp turn here at the 47 second mark by building in some softened harmonies to provide a sprinkle of pop sensibility. Throughout the songs, they weave the two styles seamlessly, still keeping that anxiety that drives the song’s tension. The LP drops this Friday via Cleta Patra/Soft Office; I bet it rips.

808s and Greatest Hits Announce New LP

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It’s been a minute since I thought about 808s and Greatest Hits, though I’ll admit to fawning over “Goodbye” in 2017 and hoping that we’d here more pretty quickly. But, a few years passed with little noise, until now, as Skube and company announce Greatest Hits II. Of course, its that smoothed pop churn that borders on the line between trendy indie styles and pop lounge acts. I can definitely see some similarities to Mac Demarco in this, but for some reason, it just doesn’t seem quite as mundane to me…perhaps because I was already a fan, but also because Skube is willing to take a chance or two…like when the song ventures off into a sort of haunted close to draw the track to its end. The new album is out on December 11th!

Listen to Smut’s Power Fantasy EP

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Having already shared Smut‘s pop rock hit “Fan Age,” I wanted to make sure you got a chance to listen to the whole of the band’s new EP, which just dropped on Friday via Bayonet. If you didn’t check out my original piece, I called “Fan Age,” the EP opener, a perfect blend of the Beths and Best Coast; it offers up a soft meandering dream in the fist 1.5 minutes before dropping the pop rock hooks that keep your attention. “Power Fantasy” revels in that dreamier world, sparkling with these melodic vocals that cut through the dancing/jangling guitar chords and shimmering cymbal work. They close the EP with a piece of down-trodden pop, again building the tension until distorted guitars craft this noisy wall in a delightful chorus. Fans of the dream-pop, shoegaze genre will find a nice home here; it reminds me a lot of Seablite in certain ways too! Grab the Power Fantasy 7″!

Permits Share Negative Heart

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At the end of this week, we’ll finally get to hear the entirety of the new LP by Permits, but before launching off in that direction, it seems fitting we should get one new track. This one was pinned by Tam, who was one of the main songwriters in Pop Singles (he also dropped a bunch of great demos earlier this year that you can hear HERE). I love how his voice gives way to a sort of heavier feel for the band; it’s almost psychedelic in nature, which adds another layer to the band’s arsenal. Just a steady pop song I reckoned you’d enjoy on a Monday if you’re listening. Time Permits is out Friday via Tenth Court!

Freshcard Releases Brand New LP

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The collaboration of Stanley Brinks and Clemence Freshcard has given us several gifts, with Midnight Tequila being my favorite of the latest entries. Unsurprisingly, Stanley wrote a bunch of brand new songs for a new Freshcard LP, and here we are with Five Mountains. For me, the duo’s power revolves around their ability to maximize emotion in these seemingly stripped down numbers. Brinks offers minimal percussion, staying out of the way throughout the LP, allowing the light strum of Clemence’s guitar to lift up her voice. If you’re into that realm where folk and pop intermingle, then you’ll be delighted to hear this album today.

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.

Gutter Girls Drop New Single

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When things go a little too pop, I always try to balance that, so I’m lucky that Melbourne’s Gutter Girls dropped this brand new ripper to squeeze into today’s coverage. From the get-go, the group jump right in letting those jagged guitar chords rip through your speakers. The vocals come in, howling atop that heavy punk sound, controlling the listener from the moment you press play. There are some gang vocals tossed in, doubling down on the band’s tenaciousness, which I can only imagine translates to a great ball of energy in the live setting. So, if you need a little rock n’ roll palate cleanser, have at it folks!

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