Jeanines Announce How Long Will It Last

There’s something strange afoot this week, with an abundance of pop music coming out our way, though if we’re being honest, a new Jeanines LP might just be the highlight of week! This go round, they’re taking on a tumultuous world; it’s one rife with changes, and as such, the band are embracing the deeper meaning in their lives and their work. That said, you wouldn’t know it by listening to this lead single, quickly bouncing right into reflection with lines like “I want to lay in the grass with you/watch dead leaves turning green and new,” illustrating that despite trials, there’s a brightness in the future. And, all of this gets put to task with their sharp guitar lines and Alicia Jeanine’s punctuated delivery. I always marvel at how their songs seems so long, yet they barely ever stretch over 2 minutes. If you’re interest is piqued, they’ll drop How Long Will it Last via Slumberland and Skep Wax on June 27th.

Pleased to Meet You: Hot Lava

Okay, so Hot Lava isn’t entirely new, but RayRay and I had just begun this little blog here when their first album came out in 2008. But, while we missed that, the band recently have risen from the ashes, due to some changes in songwriter Allie App’s life that had her circling back to her love of music as a starting point for a fresh outlook on the world. I was immediately caught off guard by the immediacy of the guitar line here, though Allie’s vocals take on this sort of sly cool to them, like she’s toying with the listener, drawing them in with a little syllabic curl that you’ll want to play over and over today. They’ve got a whole record ready, but they couldn’t sit on this great tune (and a handful of others), so we hope to hear more about the LP soon!

Fotoform This City is Over

Friday’s a busy day on the release schedule, and Fotoform will be dropping their latest effort, Grief is a Garden (Forever in Bloom). Alas, you can’t head into the weekend without one last convincing hint at the record, like the latest single “The City is Over.” This go round, the entirety of the song is a personal reclamation of meaning in our life, realizing that goals and expectations are part of the cyclical nature of modernity, and as such, are destructive forces in our lives. All of this is supported by a shiny bit of industrial-influenced dream pop, filled by hazy guitar lines and a exploring the negative space with bubblegum melodies. Grab the LP this Friday!

Artificial Go Play Musical Chairs

We get a lot of emails, and I have a strange way of listening to the lot; I open 20+ tabs and just bounce back and forth between them to see what sticks in my brain…but then there was this Artificial Go track that just kept coming on and on again, and I couldn’t stop playing it. Going back to the email of the tune, it was talking about C86 and Sarah, but the more I played it, the more something felt very Raincoats-ish. It’s got that same sort of punk sentiment, using sharp guitar sounds to crank out melodies with a snappy little drum kicking right behind to maximize the hook. Then, soak up the vocals; they’re joyous and bouncy, except when they’re not, and they hit a sharper attitude, all throwing caution to the wind and bounding forward with exuberance. Their new record Musical Chairs will be out on May 16th via Feel It Records.

Little Mazarn Announces Mustang Island

Since their earliest EP back in 2016, Little Mazarn has felt like a great secret within the confines of the Austin music scene; they are the artists’ artists; they are a band with an unparalleled musicianship…and now, they’re stretching their sound beyond ‘the gate’ of their own sound. On this first single from their forthcoming LP, the group have almost entirely erased their folk traditionalism (thought faint hints remain) in favor of embracing the expanse of the world as a whole, allowing this to work almost more as a vocal piece. It leaves the lyrical content front and center, and in the case of this song, touching upon the concept of grief and how one deals with its omnipresence. Honestly, this feels like Little Mazarn taking their sound and moving it into territory previously occupied by Low. Mustang Island is out on June 20th via Dear Life Records.

The Perfect English Weather Share London-By-The-Sea

For me, Tuesday’s are always the struggle (I’m a Monday kind of guy!). So, with that, this velvety bit of jangling pop from the Perfect English Weather is the perfect salve for my morning grumpiness. According to the notes, the tune was penned after the band reflected upon a chance meeting with Morrissey back in 1984, and in that, our narrator seems to question is it possible to still love the person he has become (or that’s how I see it). If that’s the case, it’s a quite biting tribute, but disguised in this chamber pop fever dream that seems perfectly suited for a cafe in London-by-the-Sea. The group will be releasing their first album in seven years, Just Beyond the Lights, will be out this May via Matinee Recordings.

Pleased to Meet You: Sister Ray Davies

Monday is a day to look back reflectively, then imagine where you’ll go in the week that lies ahead. In today’s case, we’re met by new group from Muscle Shoals, Alabama named Sister Ray Davies; they’re definitely crafting a new sound for the region, picking up on the usage of space and ambiance to create modern guitar pop. This single below has been out for a minute (last October), but now they’ve gone and recorded a live version to accommodate the single. The sound billows, and the physical space of the band members is reflective of the way that the sound floats and flutters, shifting before your ears. Hoping we’ll hear more from them as the year unfolds.

The Electorate Return with the Great Divide

Having played in the Aussie music scene for some time, the mates in The Electorate are coming at us with a professionalism that, honestly, we just don’t get that often nowadays. The arrangement boldly builds, only to pull back so that the lyrics can join in, moving towards that sweeping jangle I adore. Light little bits of accented vocals give emphasis to the main mix, creating this budding heaviness that washes over the listener as the song seems to spin into sonic territory that borders on shattering all the pop sensibility they’ve built up. Yet, the restraint and production are such that they never seem to step out of line, making their new album, By Design, seem like a forthcoming highlight of our year; it drops on May 30th.

Softie’s Kiss Kiss Kiss Video

Last week was a busy one around these parts, you know, with administering state tests to kids and what not. But, in all that, I drastically regret not posting the latest from Oakland’s Softie. The project has been bubbling about for a few years as the recording work of Nicholas Coleman, and now all the pieces are together for a new EP. One of my favorite pieces about this first listen is how the track seems to operate with two divergent narratives, one fueled by the shredding of noisy guitars and the other a sugary sweetness that operates as the central melody. Somehow, it all swirls and tumbles, converging into one blissed out blast of noisy pop. The visuals also manage to provide some added magic, warping the screen just as your brain tries to adjust to it all. Look for the Somersault EP on May 9th via Cherub Dream Records.

Last Week’s Jams (4.7 – 4.11)

We covered a shit load of great music last week, and as is likely to happen, we’re a bit all over the place, sonically. There’s definitely a fair share of punk-ish stuff like The Golden Toad and Second Act, but some classic pop acts of days of old have returned. I mean, can we give a shout out for Comet Gain and Brideshead both announcing brand new albums? I premiered a brand new track from Gentle Leader XIV, and RayRay continued with our undying love of new Night Beats. Plus, you can’t go wrong with new Austin stuff from French Film (not streaming) and Mobley, so bopping there as well. Just find a favorite, as you’re bound to find something joyful.

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