Month: May 2022

Popstrangers Share No I.D. Video

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In a couple of weeks London outfit Popstrangers will be releasing their new album, In Spirit, and drawing near, I’m liking the way things are shaping up. The album’s title track is one of my favorite tunes of the year, and now we’ve got their latest, sliding into a heavier vibe. Perhaps its the video accompaniment, or just that jittering noise in the background, but there’s something slightly evil about the way this tune begins to unfold. The vocals hide in the background, letting the tension build through the thumping drum work and these anxiety-inducing elements of noise. How they manage to hold onto any pop sensibility it beyond me, but its there, giving the song this brooding bubble that hopefully catches your ear. In Spirit is out June 10th via Rice is Nice.

Interior Geometry Shares Tender Terrible

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You might recognize Jared Sparkes as one of the members of Michigan’s Dont, but for now, we’re focused on his solo project Interior Geometry and the sounds of the forthcoming Tore Through the Sky EP. A great deal of the EP is spend with Jared meandering the territory between extravagant bedroom pop like early Grandaddy and the noisier tendencies in his songwriting. But, for “Tender Terrible” he’s given up the vocal duties to Mary Fraser (Child Sleep), who allows us to fixate on this sweet melody while the buried jangling guitar line dances in the background. There’s no way you can escape the infectious joy in both the chorus and the following work on the keys; it reminds me of the playful soul we got on those early Camera Obscura records, so I know a whole bunch of you are going to spend your day fawning here. Look for the EP later this summer, which was mixed and mastered by Fred Thomas, so we get an added bonus here.

Liars Announce Vinyl Reissue Series + Share New Video

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This news has been floating around for a few days, but I really just wanted an excuse to post about my favorite Liars record. The band have announced they’ll be giving their back catalog the reissue treatment, though they’ll be doing it with recycled vinyl, which sounds like the right move considering all those toss away Adele record sitting at Target. While I know the band is predominantly Angus’ project nowadays, They Threw Us All in the Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top is a pretty spotless debut illustrating how incredible the group were. The reissue of this LP is out on July 22.

Video Premiere: Biblioteka – Tick Tock

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Today I am pumped to share with you all this video premiere for “Tick Tock” from Seattle based rock n roll band Biblioteka. It sort of gives off this very The Hives vibe with a touch of 60s era garage/fuzz rock. It’s a fun, rocking number with a trippy and trance inducing video to go along with the overall psych mantra of the track.

“Tick Tock will appear on Biblioteka’s new album entitled Pretty Ugly which is due out on July 24th via Freakout Records. We’ll mark out calendars.

Kamikaze Nurse Drop Pet Meds

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I always get excited by a Mint Records release, and this forthcoming LP by Kamikaze Nurse is no different, particularly as this new single just rolled out. When it begins, you’ve got this animalistic drum beat, creating this sort of meditative chant that feels like it’s building towards some sort of release. But, once you hit the 1:08 mark, the track completely switches places and takes on a sort of Kim Gordon brand of Sonic Youth, breaking into discordant noise that seems tethered to a melodic center. And, just as you think they’ve settled into balancing the two sides of the coin, the song takes a sort of pause to freak out, before settling into a close. Not too many stuff coming out like this, so take a chance on Stimuloso; it drops June 3rd.

Kiwi Jr Drop Night Vision Single

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Kiwi Jr have a slew of really great records under their belt, so it’s no surprise they’ve got the support of Sub Pop. I spent a lot of time with both Football Money and Cooler Returns, so I’ve got high expectations for the forthcoming Chopper LP. This new tune sees the band kind of branching into this warm pop territory; it reminds me a lot of the last Strokes record (which I don’t mind); I think the fading vocal in the chorus hits just the right notes. It’ll be interesting to hear the whole of the record, as it seems like the band have less of a Pavement nod and a bit more polish this go round…still, a good jam is a good jam, and this is certainly one of those. Chopper is out August 12th.

Lost Film Share Big Talk Single

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Jimmy Hewitt, aka Lost Film, is one of my favorite current indiepop songwriters, but he’s mostly been quiet the last few years, focusing on his great label, Relief Map. But, today a fresh new single is ready for your ears, built with “not much more than an electric guitar, a drum machine and distorted synthesizers.” The simplistic beat just keeps your toes tapping and your head bobbing, while the dreamier guitar edges wrap themselves around each melodic note Hewitt has created. Jimmy’s voice takes the track into that hazy jangle sound, dreamily draped over that natural kick. Looks like this song is part of a greater collection of tunes written during the pandemic, so we’ll keep you posted as we hear more.

Living Hour Announce New LP + Release Single w/ Jay Som

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I have a feeling that if you’re writing about best tunes for the week, this new Living Hour track definitely has to be up there (if not, one of my favorite tunes of the month). I got hooked on the crashing guitar opening, but love the contrast as the tune quickly slides into a more mellow space, leaving lots of room for notes to ring sharply in your ears, allowing all those notes and vocals to kind of hang in the air. All that said, the song eventually slides back into the heavier notes, but I love how the mix keeps it heavy, though quiet; the vocals still have their dreaminess, even when coated with the distortion. A perfect balance between fragility and noise awaits you. The group will release their new LP, Someday is Today via Kanine in September.

Launder Releases Become Single ft. Soko

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Launder is sure to be a name shared by everyone this year, as they’re already one of those “wary of the hype” acts due to tons of early coverage, including my own. Songwriter John Cudlip has even enlisted the help of Jackson Phillips (Day Wave) and Cole Smith (DIIV) to help build up his soundscapes…and this time he adds French artist Soko on the vocals to flesh things out. Hype or not, the sound of this tune alone illustrates why Launder is such a commodity, taking the elements of dream pop and shoegaze and putting some polish atop to create these perfect pop nuggets. Happening may be a debut LP, but it’s sounding more and more like a seasoned artist hitting their stride; it drops on July 15th via Ghostly.

Gentleman Jesse Shares Protecting Nothing

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When we began this blog back in the day, I covered Gentleman Jesse quite a bit; his work as a power pop revisionist had my attention from the start, and I felt like Leaving Atlanta was tragically overlooked. So, here we are a good ten years later, and Jesse Smith returns; he quietly dropped Lose Everything last Fall, and now there’s a brand new EP he’s working on for Third Man Records. The EP features a cover of “True” by Atlanta band the Fans, as well as this stomping ripper co-written with Greg Oblivion. Grab the Compass EP over HERE.

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