Author: nathan.lankford

True Optimist Drop New Video: The Argument

Leave a comment

When True Optimist dropped their first single, it was this sharply tiptoeing pop tune, playful, yet shadowed. On their latest single, “The Argument,” they’re toying with much the same childish innocence, working along this carefully walked synth line. When Evan and Susan combine their vocal work, the track begins to take on this sedated seance vibe, sort of like a spiritual awakening as the two lovers in the narrative come to realize perhaps they should try to see things from the other’s perspective. They’re building these unique pop tunes that allow you to just sit and soak in the bathtub of their craft, waiting until your fingers wrinkle so you can get up and press play all over again. Self Aware Records will release the band’s new album, Mental Health, on August 2nd.

Screensaver Share Permanence Video

Leave a comment

Late last year, Melbourne’s Screensaver released Decent Shapes, which we covered quite a bit over here. Now, they’ve just dropped this terrific new single to encourage folks in Europe to prepare for their August invasion. When the song storms in, you’re sort of feeling the band stalk you, kind of bouncing back and forth in each ear with screeching guitar lines and punishing drum work. But, when you get to the 1 minute mark, the chorus begins to offer the true nature of the song, feeding you this post-punk brilliance that reminds you of acts like Wax Idols or Dehd. Just because this tune brims with pop sensibility, the danger is never far away, consistently lurking in the corners, waiting to crash upon you. If you’re in Europe, you better be ready. If not, just crank it up!

Stream Cry About It LP from Liz Burrito

Leave a comment

If you’ve hung out in the Austin music scene for the last decade or so, you’ve likely caught Liz Burrito performing in any number of your favorite bands such as Que Pasa or Kay Odyssey. But, this last week, while I was on vacation, she dropped her latest LP, Cry About It…and it might be one of my favorite things to come out of Austin this year. The songs bounce between country-fried ballads to dreamier textured pop tunes; I particularly keep coming back to playing “False Hope,” which reminds me of something Hope Sandoval might have foreshadowed. “Feeling Window” takes a nod from a lot of the San Francisco no-pop bands, drifting in like the haze from the agricultural burns down South. And, if you’re looking to something that feels akin to her more rock-oriented tunes, might we suggest out the closing ripper, “Spirits of the Hidden Cloud.” Get into the whole thing below.

Club 8 Release Getting By

Leave a comment

Swedish outfit Club 8 have been dropping some bangers this year, just hitting play on single after single. But, I think “Getting By” might be my favorite of the hits they’ve pushed our way. Thumping percussion and stabbing guitar licks quickly get your body in the mood, setting up this happy discord that swallows your soul until just after the 30 second mark where the whispering vocals enter from stage left to balance out the world. There’s this punctuated moment before the 2 minute mark that builds the wall of noise, but only briefly, as the band clearly prefer their melodic nature to remain the central focus. Crank it up and enjoy another perfect pop piece.

MoonLikeSun Shares One of Us is Outside

Leave a comment

Something about the guitar sound in this new MoonLikeSun single kept sweeping me away, carrying this sense of longing that stretches from the guitar into the inner canal of my ear. It was a steady little burn too, using overlapping vocals to craft this momentary harmony that occasionally erupts into cacophony, then the song takes on a mind of its own. Weaving bits of boisterous psychedelia with layered percussion and gasoline-fueled guitar licks, the track moves into more of this spiritual dance, burning like a bonfire with you and me dancing around it in the nighttime.

Anders Jornesten Shares On the Outskirts of Town

Leave a comment

Admittedly, I was surprised to hear this new single from Anders Jornesten and realize the songwriter was from Sweden (name aside of course); his sound feels like something you’d find at any number of folk festivals here in the States. For me, the songwriting was solid as it gets, but the vocal inflections that were slight carried the song through my ears. I loved the way the pitch kind of has this hiccup in it when he delivers “on the outskirts of town,” with the word “town” yanking at my heart in its curl. If you’re seeking a striking voice to start your Monday, then press play below.

Best Bets Return with The Hollow Husk of Feeling

Leave a comment

What a great Friday! New I Was a King, and now we’re on board with new Best Bets, a band offering a similar yet distinctive brand of power-pop. If you crank this up, you’ll hear one difference (if you’re comparing and contrasting) in the volume; the New Zealand act are punching up with a slightly more aggressive bit of ripping. Still, you’ll likely hear some familiarity in the craft as Joe Sampson gets the songwriting credit this go round; you may know him from fellow New Zealand act Salad Boys, and that serves as a great reminder of his power pop pedigree. If all the tracks on the new album, The Hollow Husk of Feeling, are as solid as this one, we’re in for one of the best records of the year; it drops on September 27th via Meritorio Records.

 

Ghost Fan Club Shares Love Bug + Drops New EP

Leave a comment

We’ve already teased the release of Ghost Fan Club for a couple of singles, and now we offer you one final reason to invest in the group’s new EP, officially out today! Opening up your ears, you’ll find a lightness to the song’s craft, as it’s a trickling bit of guitar and whispering vocals billowing through your speakers; they add in some textured percussion and a little grooving synth line to flesh things out. Around the 1:50 mark you get a little directional change, bringing in a kind of emphatic little midtrack stomp that wiggles in some variation before settling back into the bread and butter of the band’s craft. Enjoy the single below and adventure into the depths of the EP HERE.

 

I Was a King Share Brand New Single

Leave a comment

It’s Friday, and there’s nothing better than wrapping yourself up in a blanket of melodic pop, such as Norway’s I Was a King offer on their latest single. Frode and Anna Lise are the absolute stars here, with the light jangling and tinkering piano lurking quietly in the background; they’re clearly hanging out in the song, with the piano sparkling in its work, though they, too, are in awe of the majestic powers of the vocal work this go round. A forlorn bit of guitar slides in between the cracks, all of it giving this textured blend of classic power pop that confirms our belief that I Was a King is one of the best power-pop acts around. We’ve been promised there will be more new music from the group as the year goes forward, so more great Friday news!

Manners Manners Drop Aperture Single

Leave a comment

Only been a minute since I raved over the first single from Manners Manners new LP, but now they take a softer approach on “Aperture.” Guitar notes twinkle in the background while the weight of the vocals fills the tune with emotion. You might even hear the best of 90s college radio filtering through your speakers, albeit with a slightly different vocal approach pulling the last string off the post-punk sweater. There’s something quite attractive about a band that’s willing to weave something this powerful and yet completely different than their first single, leaving plenty of breathing room on I Held Their Eyes, I Kissed Them All, out July 26th.

1 … 180 181 182 183 184 … 1,522
Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com