Month: September 2021

Daily Worker Share My Drug

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Harold Whit Williams has made a name for himself as a member of Cotton Mather, but the longtime Austinite is now dedicated to working things out on his own…thus here we are with a brand new single from his Daily Worker project. Listening to this title track from the My Drug EP, I can’t help but think back to the brand of pop popularized by indie nerds who loved bands like Beulah. The way Williams and the backing vocalist have that little joyous rise in the melody just makes this perfect little piece of pop taffy for me to nibble on. There’s never a bad day for some good old fashioned pop rock, and Mr. Wililams is aiming to please right from the start. My Drug EP is out on October 1st.

Icarus Phoenix Shares Eddie King Video

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When I first stumbled upon Icarus Phoenix, I kept it close; it was something so special and personal that I didn’t want to share it, not yet anyways. But, I realized that wasn’t fair because Drew Danburry’s songwriting is just too brilliant to keep locked away. And so here we are, a week away from the release of No Tree Can Grow to Heaven Unless Its Roots Reach Down to Hell, with one final gem to share. “Eddie King” is great storytelling from Danburry, and in a sense reminds me of a pop rock version of Jeffrey Lewis. The song’s got these little bits of cascading guitar to give some punch, yet it still has that personable feel you get from an Icarus Phoenix release. Plus, you have to give credit to Drew, as he hand drew and animated this video. Look for the new LP from Telos Tapes next Friday, September 10th.

Methyl Ethel Wants You To Dance

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Jake Webb is an Australian based musician who records under the moniker Methyl Ethel, and if you are unfamiliar with his work, well I’m not sure where you’ve been. Webb has a slew of indie pop music to his credit and seems to be uninterested in ever slowing down the massive output. Earlier this year we shared the track “Neon Cheap” and now Webb is back again with this incredible, dance inducing song “Matters”. This is likely some of the most upbeat and poppy of any track we’ve ever heard from Methyl Ethel and I dig the progression of these sounds over the years. Enjoy this one as we slide into the long weekend.

 

 

She/Beast Shares Fan Club Leader

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As a Texan, you’ve got to be head over heels in love with this new track from She/Beast, particularly as Sweden’s Katja Nielsen says it’s a “country song who tells the tale of the murder of Selena Quintanilla.” Even putting in on play from the get-go, you can feel your silhouette cast upon the screen as you sit atop your horse staring off into the immense Western frontier. Part of the joy is looking for the little undercurrents of the tune that keep it relevant, and they’re certainly just beneath the surface, so I won’t pull back the covers for you, but I promise, the tune’s a worthy place to spend some time right now. You’ll find this jam on Violent Tendencies, out everywhere October 22nd via PNKSLM.

Cloudberry Records Announces Stars on Fire 7″

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We haven’t had the pleasure of catching anything from Cloudberry Records in a bit, so I’m really stoked that the label is returning, and doing so with Stars on Fire, no less. The band is the project of Christoph Mark, and I just love the heavy guitar on this track, battling against the drum beat from the get-go, only allowing the vocals to serve as the balance between the two sounds as they teeter back and forth in this tune. Personally, the texturing is where Mark succeeds, building these little layers that flesh out the sound; it gives a full pop stomach, which definitely doesn’t always happen in this brand. You’ll hear this track as the A-Side to the new 7″, dropping on September 24th.

Rural France Announce RF Album

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It’s always good to depend on great labels to bring you good tunes, and I don’t think Meritorio Records has let me down even once. The label just announced the forthcoming release of RF, the latest LP from the UK’s Rural France. Our first single is this fuzz bucket of guitar pop, distorted riffs ringing throughout the track, just chomping at the bit. But, it wouldn’t be a hit to me if there weren’t some gravitational pull from the pop element, drilled in by the vocals (backing vocals included), blanketing the tune in this general warmth you just want to cuddle with. RF will be out on October 29th.

Swansea Sound Announce Live at the Rum Puncheon

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Surprise! We’re working with Swansea Sound! The band, made up of members of Pooh Sticks and Heavenly (as well as Catenary Wires and Talulah Gosh) will be releasing Live at the Rum Puncheon on November 19th; it’s a join affair with various media available; we’ll be handling the cassette version here in the States on ATH Records. While a few of the tracks have been tossed out as early singles, not to mention the incredible E-Bay auction, everyone involved felt it only worked to announce the album with a brand new track for you all to enjoy! Plus, if you head to the band’s site, you can hear the song in Cymraeg. We’ll keep you up to date with things, but we wanted to celebrate and with you all and tell you how stoked we are to be part of this. Keep up to date with various ways to grab the album by checking in on the group HERE.

Alcopops Share New Single, Sin

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Simulator was a record full of gritty pop rock gems, so when we heard Alcopops had another release up their sleeve, I was definitely ready to rock along with them. If you’re big fans of huge chugging guitar riffs reverberating through your speakers, then get ready to turn up the volume a bit here. I love the juxtaposition of Leland Brehl’s voice against the backdrop of crashing guitars; it gives you that classic power-pop vibe, though musically you can hear a lot of similarities to acts like Growl or Surfer Blood. I’m particularly in love with the way the album has this emphatic close, like driving off a cliff with Thelma and Louise wearing the biggest grin possible. Welcome to your new favorite band; look for the Devil EP on October 29th.

SUUNS Share The Trilogy

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The more I get to hear from the latest LP from SUUNS, the more I begin to believe it’s likely to get a lot of play around the old Lankford household. On their latest, the song slow burns, much like the image in the video clip, led by this mellowed vocals and understated beat. It’s definitely an atmospherically induced vibe that courses through, and for the faintest moment, you get this cool drop in at 2:40-ish that gives you just a bit of a toe-tap and bounce; I found it to be a nice touch that breaks up the song’s core. Their album The Witness is out on Friday via Joyful Noise!

Hhhhhh Shares the Garden

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Imagine that you went back to the years of Animal Collective’s early work, like the time when we all were tripping over ourselves fawning for the band. Now, strip it down some of its barest elements and you’ll be in the land of hhhhhh, the project of Hector J. Guerra. For me, the song’s like this quiet melodic bit of striking pop; I just can’t escape how brilliant it feels, especially when you just let the tune resonate in your mind for a few plays. Sometimes you wake up and want to make sure you’re still alive, and in a strange sense, this was the tune for me, so here we are. If you dig, you’ll find this track on the From a Town of Strangers EP!

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