Author: nathan.lankford

Matador Sphere Drop Image in Place

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It’s a new year, and with that, here’s the first bit of new music coming out of Austin…that I’ve been sent, anyways. Matador Sphere is an up-and-coming act, with a goal of blending stellar electronic atmosphere with a more modern pop core. In this tune, the vocals keep the track calmed, righting the ship as it sways back in forth in the seas of punctuating electronics; there’s a carnival-esque nature, especially as electronic notes seem to rain upon the chorus. Adding in some sampled strings builds in the texture too, thickening the track as it twists and turns into pop madness as it fades to a close.

Signal Share You Must Win

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If I were to pick a day to jam to this new Signal tune, it feels like a perfect Sunday morning experience, something that invites solitude and reflection with a warm cup of tea or what have you in your hand. There’s this slowness that allows the purity of the melody to rise through the tune, and once its riddled with the patient crawl of the vocals you’re greeted with something that wouldn’t seem out of place on the B-side of a Galaxie 500 recording. The duo are early on in their writing process, but you can definitely hear that they’re onto something pure if you click play below.

zzzahara Shares In Your Head Video

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Why not start off the day with a well executed bit of pop rock, like this jam from zzzahara. The new single has all the trademarks of current indie, dropping in a mixture of dreamy layers with bursts of feedback echoes, all of it setting up the huge hook that greets you when the chorus drops. In a sense, it reminds me of a cleaner Cherry Glazer, filled with this insatiable fire that breeds pop sensibilities, though here, they’re tightly contained by zzzahara’s smoothed out vocal delivery; this keeps the track’s tightness, so the tune never moves too far away from that little earworm. This tune appears on Spiral Your Way Out, which drops this Friday via Lex Records; it’s followed by a big old tour throughout the Spring across North America!

Cloakroom Return with Bad Larry Video

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With such an ominous album title, Cloakroom return in the new year offering up a last gasp for humanity; it’s the story of fictional character Bad Larry who is “living of experience…by his own rules and dying on his own terms.” It’s set to a sort of Western ballad performance, illustrating the vast influences beneath the hood of the band’s musical van. I love the subtle switch into a stomp as the track jumps forward, letting the steady snap of snare pick up the pace while the strings billow behind the ghostly vocal performance. The band will drop Last Leg of the Human Table on February 28th via Closed Casket Activities.

The Burning Hell Share Bottle of Chianti, Cheese and Charcuterie Board

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Although the song’s title might be a little long-winded, I’m completely enjoying the playfulness of the new single from the Burning Hell; it recalls a sillier time in the indie rock pantheon, landing somewhere between early Of Montreal and the Blow…maybe even a sprinkle of Architecture in Helsinki. The musical craft is built around some synthetic stabbings, buzzing and bouncing in the right spots; things switch often enough in their tone that the track feels fresh for its entirety, which seems like a rarity. You’ll find extra joy with the way the vocals overlap throughout, layering catchy melodies atop one another without a care in the world. They will drop their Ghost Palace LP via You’ve Changed Records on March 7th.

Skeleten Release Let It Grow Single

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If, like most parts of the US, you’re in need of a little musical warmth, you can turn to Skeleten this morning, as the Australian offers a fresh single from his new LP that seems perfect for a blanket and a cup of tea. Like most of the work we’ve heard from the forthcoming Mentalized LP, things are more contemplative, letting the beat work slowly evolve into its own experience. On the vocals, here, and elsewhere, there’s a R&B bend, illustrating a little bit of pop influence leaking into the craft. Mentalized will be released on February 7th via 2MR, but feel free to immerse yourself in the listening experience as most tracks are streaming currently.

Fleeting Colours Share Stay Single

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For a band that only has three total songs under their belt, Montreal’s Fleeting Colours definitely sound like a well-oiled machine. Their latest offering toys with the balance between slow-core pacing and walls of gaze-y noise; you can certainly feel the wash of power released by the distortion if you crank the volume up appropriately. If you loved great records last year from bands like Trauma Ray or Mo Dotti, you’re going to be diving head first into this tune, as it plays perfectly into the quiet-loud dynamics that make for a perfect pop number. We hope to hear more from the group going into 2025!

Outro Share Gila Single

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When you listen to Outro, you’re going to find this tightened guitar sound, something that has the various guitar elements wrapping around one another, then hitting notes that almost hit upon a math-rock note. That being said, I really love the way the tune below brings in some melodic core pieces, giving the tune this kind of post-emo flavoring too, maybe all of it bred upon a 90s college rock sound. There’s definitely a kick-ass familiarity working throughout the song, but in today’s climate, it doesn’t feel like a sound that’s overdone, so comes across as rather refreshing. They’ll release their Broken Promise EP on February 14th.

Exploding Flowers Announce Watermelon/Peacock

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If you go back to 2020, you can check out my Album of the Year list, which included Stumbling Blocks; it was an LP by adored, but fairly unknown, act Exploding Flowers. I’d thought they’d gone the way of most bands, but lo and behold, I wake up to an email from the great folks at Meritorio with news of a brand new LP! Our first peek wastes no time, rolling in on a wave of guitars and steadied thumping on the drum kit; the vocals have this almost wistful exuberance, joyfully looking for promise of any sort on the horizon. There’s this wall of charm that washes over in the melody of the tune, and I’m finding it incredibly hard to not just spin this on repeat all day long! Watermelon/Peacock is out on March 21st.

A Place to Bury Strangers Share New Video

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One of the great listens of last year was Synthesizer; it showed A Place to Bury Strangers sill spending time in the noisier realms of darkness, though in a sense they were billowing into an almost pop realm. They’ve just released the video for “Have You Ever Been in Love,” which is one of the standout tracks of the record, and the visual version brings back their origins in the wash of effects being utilized. Something in this song always feels wholly live too, like you can revel in the noise whilst still tapping your toes, and I’m all for it. Their LP is available now through Dedstrange.

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